Post Election word regarding Trump

Thursday (two days after the election) I was puttering around my kitchen, listening to the news as I was cleaning. It was the end of the day, and the news anchor said that the Dow had risen 219 points at the closing bell. Immediately the Lord spoke to me and said, "1st Peter 2:19."

At first I was thinking this was kind of odd, but then I got both excited and curious about what the verse said. (I had no idea what it referred to at the time.) So I whipped out my phone, opened my bible app and looked it up right away. What I read nearly knocked me back:

    For it brings favor[fn] if, mindful of God’s will,[fn][fn] someone endures grief from suffering     unjustly. (HCSB)

Or in the NLT it says it this way:
   
    For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair         treatment.

What does this mean? The way I understood it in the context of a Trump presidency, is that he has endured unfair treatment by the media, the left, and now by the Soros-paid anarchists and rioters. Because of that, and his determination to get things done in spite of it, will bring him great favor. And it has already started to come to pass! With the head of Canada and now Mexico willing to meet with Trump to renegotiate NAFTA, things can get rolling and we can expect our president elect to receive favor that will be unprecedented.

Just remember, he is a modern day Cyrus, with the one difference being that he already has come to know the Lord. His anointing is strong, and God's favor will open doors that look impossible today.

God is with me...

I will write a post soon about where this came from. For now though, let these words minister to your spirit. 

For your benefit...

[Isa 48:17-18 HCSB]
17 This is what the LORD, your Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel says: I am Yahweh your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who leads you in the way you should go. 
18 If only you had paid attention to My commands.
Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

When God teaches me, it's for my benefit. It's NOT for my ruin, nor to punish me, nor to swat me if I'm bad...no, it's for my BENEFIT. Hebrew word for that is ya'al, which is most commonly translated as PROFIT in the KJV. He will lead me in the way that I should go...because He is leading me for my benefit, and because He says, "I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own, for how can I be defiled? I will not give my glory to another." (Isa. 48:11) He teaches me what I need to know so that I can have a life of peace, and therefore for my benefit. This, in turn, brings glory to God.

This will challenge at least one person's view of God, at least in some way. If we understand the very nature of God in the first place, this verse would be clear and straight-forward. However, if we see him as one who is quick to punish and slow to reward, then it will be hard to believe that He is teaching us things that will benefit us in the long AND short run. It would be hard to submit to His leadership because if we doubt His good intentions and motives, following where He leads will be nearly impossible. But if you understand how much God wants the best for his children, then it would make saying "yes" to him that much easier.

Pay attention to His commands. When God pays attention, he has to respond. So we ought to do the same. If you pay attention to someone, you respond to them. If you are not paying attention, you won't know what's happening to or with them, and you won't respond to them.

If I follow the commands of the Lord, what will happen?
--The benefits will be tangible.
--Peace will flow like a river in your soul
--Righteousness will be like the waves of the sea
    Does this mean abundance? Does this refer to strength? Power? It may be all these things, but it may also have something to do with our influence on other people, because waves have a tendency to move outward from the source of motion. I don't know, but this is what I've come up with. If you have better ideas, let me know in the comments.

He Carries Us

[Isa 46:4 NLT] 
I will be your God throughout your lifetime--
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.

I ran across this verse during my devotional time this morning, and I had to look up a word that was mentioned in this verse. But first, allow me to give you the same verse, in the NASB:

[Isa 46:4 NASB] 
Even to your old age I will be the same,
And even to your graying years I will bear you!
I have done it, and I will carry you;
And I will bear you and I will deliver you.

Did you see the word "bear" in the second translation? The Hebrew word for bear is "cabal", which means the following:

çâbal, saw-bal'; a primitive root; to carry (literally or figuratively), or (reflexively) be burdensome; specifically, to be gravid:—bear, be a burden, carry, strong to labour. (Strong's definition)

Gravid refers to pregnancy, carrying a child in the womb, literally bearing the child in pregnancy and then laboring towards birth. How much work does the child need to do to stay in the womb of its mother? How much work do we need to do to stay in the hands of our Father, our whole lives? The answer to both questions is the same...none. He says it RIGHT THERE in the verse, in the next line even! I have done it, and I will carry you.
Our salvation does not--I repeat--DOES NOT--DOES NOT depend on us, but on Him, and Him alone. He said it in the last line, doesn't he? "I will carry you along and save you."

HE CARRIES US. 

Psalms studies

The 5 Ways Silver Describes the Word of God

Psalm 12:6
The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

In doing some research, I found out that silver has five main properties about it that will shed some light on the verse above. Silver is:
Ductile -- can be drawn into thin wires
Malleable -- hammered out into thin sheets
Able to conduct heat better than any substance
Able to conduct electricity better than any substance
Reflective -- reflects light very well.

How does this expand our understanding of this verse? What's God saying about His words?

With ductility, silver can be drawn into thin wires, as stated above. If the word of God can be "drawn into a thin wire", what would that mean in a more literal sense? What is it saying? Well, the Lord showed me that this is likened to when he speaks to an individual through either the bible, or in a word of knowledge, or leading them  through the Holy Spirit. It's like a silver wire is going from heaven to earth so that he can communicate with us on an individual level. (Whoa.)

With malleability, silver can be hammered out into thin sheets. I asked the Lord what that was. He said that this describes when a corporate word goes out to a body of believers. This could be a word of knowledge, word of wisdom, prophesy, even a sermon or a teaching that comes from the Lord. Wow.

With its ability to conduct heat better than any other metal, I wondered what this could mean. I remembered that, in many cases, healing is often associated with the sensation of heat. Does the word of God back this up? Yes, it does. Psalm 107:20 says, "He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death." (NLT) I don't know about you, but that sent chills thru my spine. Amazing.

Silver conducts electricity better than any metal, even copper. What's another word for electricity? Power. So if my thinking is correct, God's word conducts His power to change us and move through us. Hebrews 4:12 backs this up: "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Lastly, silver is highly reflective. What could the word of God reflect? The glory of God. Hebrews 1:3 says, "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." John 1:1 states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And to confirm this, Jesus is quoted in John 11:40 as saying, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

So, what is God saying about his words? That 1) He speaks to individuals, 2) He speaks corporately too, 3) His word heals, 4) His word brings power to and through us, and 5) His word reflects the glory of God. Praise God!! He is good. :)

Pray for Nepal

7.8 earthquake has rocked Nepal, home of Mt. Everest. Pray for the people, that they would be rescued, healed, and come to know Christ.