strength for today

7/27/2019 Strength For Today

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In the beginning

God

... and also at the end


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Strengt

h for

TodayBy Frances

HunterCharles and Francis Hunter are

gifted writers who have gone on to be

with Jesus, the One they loved

so much.


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Joan Hunter is their daughter, and

she can be reached at

http://oanhunter.org

!ublished originally by

HUNTER BOOKS

" #cripture $uotations are ta%en from:

&he 'uthori(ed )ing James *ersion +)J*.

&he -ew )ing James *ersion +-)J*, " 0, 12, 13,

1983 by &homas -elson, 4nc.,

-ashville, &- unless otherwise noted +-)J*
http://joanhunter.org/http://joanhunter.org/


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&he 5iving 6ible, !araphrased +&56

&he 'mplified 6ible, 78panded 7dition +'9!,

"10 by the ondewan Corporation

and the 5oc%man Foundation.

&he -ew 4nternational *ersion +-4* by the -ew ;or% 6ible

#ociety 4nternational, !ublished by &he ondervan Corporation,

?2@, A.#.'.


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Table of Contents

Foreword

1 Who God Is 82 Who God Is 13

3 Who God Is 20

4 Who God Is 24

5 An Unhanging God 28

! "eing #bedient 33$ Who God Is 41

8 %raise 49

9 Who God Is 80

10 %ersistene 88

11 Who &o' Are 9312 (trength For Fear 9$

13 Who God Is 103

14 For Wa)ering Faith 110

15 *ealing 11!

1! Who God Is 125

1$ Finanes 12$

18 +i)ing ,*is- Wa 154


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ForewordI/ no other words were written than

those /o'r. ,In the beginning G#...- it

o'ld ha)e been eno'gh. God alone and *e

alone is s'//iient /or all the needs anh'an has e)er had is ha)ing right now or

e)er will ha)e. *e alone is the all s'//iient

one /or e)er h'an being on this earth and

/or e)er h'an roble. *e an al the

ost teest'o's raging )iolent stor thate)er eisted and with the sae hand he

an al a tin bab6s /ears.

Problems which seem to

be an impossible enigmacan be swiftly wiped off

the slate of life with the

breathof God.

%eole whose )er li)es indiate there is

no /ore in hea)en or hell big eno'gh to

hange the /ind thesel)es 7neeling at the/eet o/ God. I one heard a an sa a/ter the


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li/to// o/ a ro7et ,(oe da all the tools

o/ an will lie still at the /eet o/ God and

God will ha)e *is wa- *ow right he is"ea'se in the beginning God... and at the

end... God

:he alight God who r'les this

'ni)erse is sea7ing onstantl soothing

aling answering onsoling and alsowarning a'tioning adonishing and

hastising at the sae tie. :he roble

ost o/ 's 'n/ort'natel ha)e is that we are

not listening to what God is saing or i/ we

are listening we do not li7e what *e is

saing to 's so we don6t at'all hear *is

lo)e song to 's. And it is a lo)e song

regardless o/ what *e sas bea'se *is lo)e

/or 's is so great that e)en in hastising 's it

is /or o'r own good and /or o'r own

blessing e)en tho'gh o'r arnal ees ightnot see it that wa at the arti'lar tie it

haens.

As God so7e to e to write a boo7

onerning *is reio's roises *e said

,o not onentrate on single )erses /ordi//erent sit'ations b't onentrate on one

single thing thro'gho't the boo7 and that is

to eno'rage eole to /ind o't who I a


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because once people

discover who I really am,and what I can do, their

own problems will

disappear if they look toMe.


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:hat is the reason /or this boo7. It

doesn6t a7e an di//erene what 7ind o/

robles o' ha)e loo7 /or God and notthe answer to the roble. In diso)ering

the a;est ower and glor o/ God o'

will /ind re)ealed to o' the answer that o'

want in the silest /or ossible.

:he stories and srit'res in this boo7will all be /ailiar to o' b't I ha)e li/ted

the o't as hoie orsels to satis/ o'r

h'ngr heart. As I went thro'gh the "ible

seleting these /a)orite stories the so7e to

heart in an 'n's'al and di//erent wa

than e)er be/ore and I hoe the will to o'

too. Whene)er o'r roble balloons o't o/

roortion and o'r wa gets too hard

selet a stor editate on it and see i/ o'r

answer isn6t re)ealed to o' thro'gh it.

Frances Hunter

Read every story to

discover the limitless

authority of Godand apply it to your own

life


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1 Who God Is

!hen you feel the devil

is chasing you, and there

is no way out.., no way youcan win, no way for you to

turn, read every single

word carefully...

J7HO*'H -OB 4-#&=AC&7 9oses,

D&ell the people to turn toward !ihaEhirothbetween 9igdol and the sea, opposite

6aal(ephon, and to camp there along the

shore. For !haraoh will thin%, &hose

4sraelites are trapped now, between the

desert and the seaG

'nd once again 4 will harden !haraohs

heart and he will chase after you. 4 have

planned this to gain great honor and glory

over !haraoh and all his armies, and the

7gyptians shall %now that 4 am the 5ord.I

#o they camped where they were told.

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Bhen word reached the %ing of 7gypt

that the 4sraelis were not planning to return

to 7gypt after three days, but to %eep ongoing, !haraoh and his staff became bold

again. DBhat is this we have done, letting

all these slaves get awayI they as%ed. #o

!haraoh led the chase in his chariot,

followed by the pic% of 7gypts chariotcorpsK@22 chariots in allKand other

chariots driven by 7gyptian officers. He

pursued the people of 4srael, for they had

ta%en much of the wealth of 7gypt with

them. !haraohs entire cavalryKhorses,

chariots, and charioteersKwas used in the

chaseL and the 7gyptian army overtoo% the

people of 4srael as they were camped beside

the shore near !ihaEhiroth, across from

6aalE(ephon.

"oes your situation look

worse than this#

's the 7gyptian army approached, the

people of 4srael saw them far in the

distance, speeding after them, and they were

terribly frightened. and cried out to the 5ord

to help them.

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'nd they turned against 9oses, whining,

DHave you brought us out here to die in the

desert because there were not enoughgraves for us in 7gypt Bhy did you ma%e

us leave 7gypt 4snt this what we told you,

while we were slaves, to leave us alone Be

said it would be better to be slaves to the

7gyptians than dead in the wilderness.I6ut 9oses told the people, Dont be

afraid. Just stand where you are and watch,

and you will see the wonderful way the 5ord

will rescue you today. &he 7gyptians you

are loo%ing atKyou will never see them

again. &he 5ord will fight for you, and you

wont need to lift a fingerGI

&hen the 5ord said to 9oses, DMuit

praying and get the people movingG

Forward, marchG Ase your rodKhold it out

over the water, and the sea will open up apath before you, and all the people of 4srael

shall wal% through on dry groundG 4 will

harden the hearts of the 7gyptians and they

will go in after you and you will see the

honor 4 will get in defeating !haraoh andall his armies, chariots, and horsemen. 'nd

all 7gypt shall %now that 4 am Jehovah.I

&hen the 'ngel of


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that night, as it changed to a pillar of fire, it

gave dar%ness to the 7gyptians but light to

the people of 4sraelG #o the 7gyptianscouldnt find the 4sraelisG

9eanwhile, 9oses stretched his rod

over the sea, and the 5ord opened up a path

through the sea, with walls of water on each

sideL and a strong east wind blew all thatnight, drying the sea bottom. #o the people

of 4srael wal%ed through the sea on dry

groundG &hen the 7gyptians followed them

between the walls of water along the bottom

of the seaKall of !haraohs horses,

chariots, and horsemen. 6ut in the early

morning Jehovah loo%ed down from the

cloud of fire upon the array of the

7gyptians, and began to harass them. &heir

chariot wheels began coming off, so that

their chariots scraped along the dry ground.D5ets get out of here,I the 7gyptians

yelled. DJehovah is fighting for them and

against us.I

$ven your enemies will

reali%e &ehovah is

fighting for you

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Bhen all the 4sraelites were on the other

side, the 5ord said to 9oses, D#tretch out

your hand again over the sea, so that thewaters will come bac% over the 7gyptians

and their chariots and horsemen.I 9oses

did, and the sea returned to normal beneath

the morning light. &he 7gyptians tried to

flee, but the 5ord drowned them in the sea.&he water covered the path and the chariots

and horsemen. 'nd of all the army of

!haraoh that chased after 4srael through

the sea, not one remained alive.

&he people of 4srael had wal%ed through

on dry land, and the waters had been walled

up on either side of them. &hus Jehovah

saved 4srael that day from the 7gyptiansL

and the people of 4srael saw the 7gyptians

dead, washed up on the seashore. Bhen the

people of 4srael saw the mighty miracle the5ord had done for them against the

7gyptians, they were afraid and revered the

5ord, and believed in him and in his servant

9oses


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2 Who God Is

!hen you)re in a *hot*

spot, your hands are tied,and there)s

no way to e+it.

-ebuchadne((ar the %ing made an

image of gold, whose height was si8ty cubits

and its width si8 cubits. He set it up in the

plain of ura, in the province of 6abylon.

'nd )ing -ebuchadne((ar sent word togather together the satraps, the adminE

istrators, the governors, the counselors, the

treasurers, the udges, the magistrates, and

all the officials of the provinces, to come to

the dedication of the image which )ing-ebuchadne((ar had set up.

#o the satraps, the administrators, the

governors, the counselors, the treasurers,

the udges, the magistrates, and all the

officials of the provinces gathered together

for the dedication of the image that )ing

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-ebuchadne((ar had set upL and they stood

before the image that -ebuchadne((ar had

set up.&hen a herald cried aloud: D&o you it is

commanded, 2 peoples, nations, and

languages,

Dthat at the time you hear the sound of

the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, insymphony with all %inds of music, you shall

fall down and worship the gold image that

)ing -ebuchadne((ar has set upL

*and whoever does notfall down and worship

shall be cast immediately

into the midst of aburning fiery furnace.

#o at that time, when all the people

heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, andlyre, in symphony with all %inds of music, all

the people, nations, and languages fell down

and worshiped the gold image which )ing

-ebuchadne((ar had set up.

&herefore at that time certain Chaldeanscame forward and accused the Jews.

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&hey spo%e and said to )ing

-ebuchadne((ar, D2 %ing, live foreverG

D;ou, 0 %ing, have made a decree thateveryone who hears the sound of the horn,

flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony

with all %inds of music, shall fall down and

worship the gold imageL

Dand whoever does not fall down andworship shall be cast into the midst of a

burning fiery furnace.

D&here are certain Jews whom you have

set over the affairs of the province of

6abylon: #hadrach, 9eshach, and 'bedE

-egoL these men, 2 %ing, have not paid due

regard to you. &hey do not serve your gods

or worship the gold image which you have

set up.I

&hen -ebuchadne((ar, in rage and fury,

gave the command to bring #hadrach,9eshach, and 'bed-ego. #o they brought

these men before the %ing.

-ebuchadne((ar spo%e, saying to them,

D4s it true, #hadrach, 9eshach, and 'bedE

-ego, that you do not serve my gods orworship the gold image which 4 have set up

D-ow if you are ready at the time you

hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre,

and psaltery, in symphony with all %inds of

music, and you fall down and worship theimage which 4 have made, goodG 6ut if you

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do not worship, you shall be cast

immediately into the midst of a burning fiery

furnace. 'nd who is the god who willdeliver you from my handsI

#hadrach, 9eshach, and 'bedE-e go

answered and said to the %ing, D2

-ebuchadne((ar, we have no need to

answer you in this matter.D4f that is the case,

our God whom we serve is

able o deliver us fromthe burning fiery

furnace,and he will deliver us

from your hand, 0 king.

D6ut if not, let it be %nown to you, 2

%ing, that we do not serve your gods, nor

will we worship the gold image which you

have set up.I&hen -ebuchadne((ar was full of fury,

and the e8pression on his face changed

toward #hadrach, 9eshach, and 'bedE-e

go. &herefore he spo%e and commanded that

they heat the furnace seven times more thanit was usually heated.

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'nd he commanded certain mighty men

of valor who were in his army to bind

#hadrach, 9eshach, and 'bedE-e go, andcast them into the burning fiery furnace.

&hen these men were bound in their

coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their

other garments, and were cast into the midst

of the burning fiery furnace.&herefore, because the %ings command

was urgent, and the furnace e8ceedingly

hot, the flame of the fire %illed those men

who too% up #hadrach, 9eshach, and 'bedE

-e go.

It)s always the hottest

ust before the Great

-ire $+tinguisher acts

'nd these three men, #hadrach,

9eshach, and 'bedE-e go, fell down bound

into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.&hen )ing -ebuchadne((ar was

astonishedL and he rose in haste and spo%e,

saying to his counselors, Did we not cast

three men bound into the midst of the fireI

&hey answered and said to the %ing, D&rue,

O%ing.I

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D5oo%GI he answered, D4 see four men

loose, wal%ing in the midst of the fireL and

they are not hurt, and the form of the fourthis li%e the #on of


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cut in pieces, and their houses shall be

made an ash heapL because there is no other


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3 Who God Is

!hen you are facing a

time in your life and youdoubt. the reality of God

and unbelief comes in and

you feel you are not evensure there is a God...

Bho else has held the oceans in his

hands and measured off the heavens with

his ruler Bho else %nows the weight of all

the earth and weighs the mountains and the

hills Bho can advise the #pirit of the 5ord

or be his teacher or give him counsel Has

he ever needed anyones advice id heneed instruction as to what is right and

best -o, for all the peoples of the world

are nothing in comparison with himKthey

are but a drop in the buc%et, dust on the

scales. He pic%s up the islands as thoughthey had no weight at all. 'll of 5ebanons

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forests do not contain sufficient fuel to

consume a sacrifice large enough to honor

him, nor are all its animals enough to offerto our


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He dooms the great men of the world

and brings them all to naught. &hey hardly

get started, barely ta%e root, when he blowson them and their wor% withers and the

wind carries them off li%e straw.

DBith whom will you compare me Bho

is my e$ualI as%s the Holy One.

5oo% up into the heavensG Bho createdall these stars 's a shepherd leads his

sheep, calling each by its pet name, and

counts them to see that none are lost or

strayed, so


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/ever give up 0

1ictory is on the way

54#&7- 4- #457-C7 before me, 2 lands

beyond the sea. 6ring your strongest

arguments. Come now and spea%. &he court

is ready for your case.

Bho has stirred up this one from the

east, whom victory meets at every step

Bho, indeed, but the 5ord


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4 Who God Is

If you are doubting 4od)sability to take care of a

situation, and you

5uestion (is power...'nd 9oses said to )orah, D&omorrow,

you and all your company be present before

the 5ordKyou and they, as well as 'aron.

D7ach of you ta%e his censer and putincense in it, and each of you bring his

censer before the 5O=, two hundred and

fifty censersL you also, and 'aron, each of

you with his censer.I

#o every man too% his censer, put fire init, laid incense on it, and stood at the door

of the tabernacle of meeting with 9oses and

'aron.

'nd )orah gathered all the congerE

gation against them at the door of the

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tabernacle of meeting. &hen the glory of the

5O= appeared to all the congregation.

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'nd the 5O= spo%e to 9oses and

'aron, saying,

D#eparate yourselves from among thiscongregation, that 4 may consume them in a

moment.I

&hen they fell on their faces, and said,

D2


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*If these men die

naturally like all men, orif they are visited by the

common fate of all men,

then the 2R"has not sent me.

D6ut if the 5O= creates a new thing,

and the earth opens its mouth and swallowsthem up with all that belongs to them, and

they go down alive into the pit, then you will

understand that these men have reected the

5O=.I

&hen it came to pass, as he finishedspea%ing all these words, that the ground

split apart under them, and the earth opened

its mouth and swallowed them up, with their

households and all the men with )orah,

with all their goods.#o they and all those with them went

down alive into the pitL the earth closed

over them, and they perished from among

the congregation.

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&hen all 4srael who were around them

fled at their cry, for they said, D5est the

earth swallow us up alsoGI'nd a fire came out from the 5O= and

consumed the two hundred and fifty men

who were offering incense.


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! "n #nchang$ngGod

If you ever 5uestion

God)s ability to know who

you are, and how to get

out of your problems

read this...

'=4A# 4*47 &H7 %ingdom into32 provinces, each under a governor. &he

governors were accountable to three

presidents. +aniel was one of them so that

the %ing could administer the %ingdom

efficiently.aniel soon proved himself more

capable than all the other presidents and

governors, for he had great ability, and the

%ing began to thin% of placing him over the

entire empire as his administrative officer.

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&his made the other presidents and

governors very ealous, and they began

searching for some fault in the way anielwas handling his affairs so that they could

complain to the %ing about him. 6ut they

couldnt find anything to critici(eG He was

faithful and honest, and made no mista%es.

#o they concluded, DOur only chance is hisreligionGI

&hey decided to go to the %ing and say,

D)ing arius, live foreverG Be presidents,

governors, counselors and deputies have

unanimously decided that you should ma%e

a law, irrevocable under any circumstance,

that for the ne8t thirty days anyone who as%s

a favor of


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(e would not compromise

his beliefs

&hen the men thronged to aniels

house and found him praying there, as%ing

favors of his


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#o at last the %ing gave the order for

aniels arrest, and he was ta%en to the den

of lions. &he %ing said to him,

*May your God, whom you

worship continually,

deliver you.

'nd then they threw him in. ' stone was

brought and placed over the mouth of the

denL and the %ing sealed it with his ownsignet ring, and that of his government, so

that no one could rescue aniel from the

lions.

&hen the %ing returned to his palace and

went to bed without dinner. He refused hisusual entertainment and didnt sleep all

night. *ery early the ne8t morning he

hurried out to the lions den, and called out

in anguish, D2 aniel, servant of the 5iving


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innocent before


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#o aniel prospered in the reign of

arius, and in the reign of Cyrus the

!ersian. 128 :+"?

God)s ability can override

man)s laws

3$


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% Be$ng&bed$ent

!hen you 5uestion God)s

ability, discover it, and

then are 5uestioning

whether or not to obey

(im, this will answer your

5uestions.BH7- '6='9 B'# ninetyEnine years

old,


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DBhats more,I


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and give you a son from herG ;es, 4 will

bless her richly, and ma%e her the mother of

nationsG 9any %ings shall be among yourposterity.I

&hen 'braham threw himself down in

worship before the 5ord, but inside he was

laughing in disbeliefG D9e, be a fatherI he

said in amusement. D9eK 22 years old'nd #arah, to have a baby at 2I

'nd 'braham said to


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-ow 'braham and #arah were both very

old, and #arah was long since past the time

when she could have a baby.#o #arah laughed silently. D' woman

my age have a babyI she scoffed to

herself. D'nd with a husband as old as

mineI

&hen


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men who are ust and goodKso that 4 can

do for him all 4 have promised.

919 :+"?

&H7-


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"on)t 5uestion God

&he ne8t morning 'braham got up early,

chopped wood for afire upon the altar,

saddled his don%ey, and too% with him his

son 4saac and two young men who were his

servants, and started off to the place where


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too% the %nife and lifted it up to plunge it

into his son, to slay him.

't that moment the 'ngel of


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and li%e the sands along the seashore. &hese

descendants of yours will con$uer their

enemies, and be a blessing to all the nationsof the earthKall because you have obeyed

me.I 118 :+"?

God put 6braham to thetest and when he failed

not, look at what God did

for him7he same is true for

you 0 God)s command

may not seem logical toyou at the time, but

obedience brings

rewards

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' Who God Is

If you)ve ever decided

that 4hristianity isn)tworking for you, and

you)re looking into

another religion, readthis

-ow it came to pass after many days

that the word of the 5O= came to 7liah,

in the third year, saying, D


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ta%en one hundred prophets and hidden

them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with

bread and water.'nd 'hab had said to Obadiah, D


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5O= will carry you to a place 4 do not

%nowL so when 4 go and tell 'hab, and he

cannot find you, he will %ill me. 6ut 4 yourservant have feared the 5O= from my

youth.

DBas it not reported to my lord what 4

did when Je(ebel %illed the prophets of the

5O=, how 4 hid one hundred men of the5O=s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed

them with bread and water

D'nd now you say,


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four hundred prophets of 'sherah, who eat

at Je(ebels table.I

#o 'hab sent for all the children of4srael, and gathered the prophets together

on 9ount Carmel.

'nd 7liah came to all the people, and

said, DHow long will you falter between two

opinions

If the 2R" is God,

follow (im3 but if 8aal,

then follow him.6ut the people answered him not aword.

&hen 7liah said to the people, D4 alone

am left a prophet of the 5O=L but 6aals

prophets are four hundred and fifty men.D&herefore let them give us two bullsL

and let them choose one bull for themselves,

cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but

put no fire under itL and 4 will prepare the

other bull, and lay it on the wood but put nofire under it.

&hen you call on the name of your gods,

and 4 will call on the name of the 5O=L

and the


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-ow 7liah said to the prophets of 6aal,

DChoose one bull for yourselves and

prepare it first, for you are manyL and callon the name of your god, but put no fire

under it.I

#o they too% the bull which was given

them, and they prepared it, and called on

the name of 6aal from morning even tillnoon, saying, D2 6aal, hear usGI 6ut there

was no voiceL no one answered. 'nd they

leaped about the altar which they had made.

'nd so it was, at noon, that 7liah

moc%ed them and said, DCry aloud, for he is

a godL either he is meditating, or he is busy,

or he is on a ourney, or perhaps he is

sleeping and must be awa%ened.I

#o they cried aloud, and cut themselves,

as was their custom, with %nives and lances,

until the blood gushed out on them.'nd it was so, when midday was past,

that they prophesied until the time of the

offering of the evening sacrifice. 6ut there

was no voiceL no one answered, no one paid

attention.

6fter their -ailure,

watch what -aith did

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&hen 7liah said to all the people,

DCome near to me.I #o all the people came

near to him. 'nd he repaired the altar of the5ord that was bro%en down.

'nd 7liah too% twelve stones, according

to the number of the tribes of the sons of

Jacob, to whom the word of the 5O= had

come, saying, D4srael shall be your name.I&hen with the stones he built an altar in

the name of the 5O=L and he made a

trench around the altar large enough to

hold two seahs of seed.

'nd he put the wood in order, cut the

bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and

said, DFill four waterpots with water, and

pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the

wood.I

&hen he said, Do it a second time,I

and they did it a second timeL and he said,Do it a third time,I and they did it a third

time.

#o the water ran all around the altarL

and he also filled the trench with water.

'nd it came to pass, at the time of theoffering of the evening sacrifice, that 7liah

the prophet came near and said, D5O=


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DHear me, 2 5O=, hear me, that this

people may %now that ;ou are the 5O=


53/183

between his %nees, and said to his servant,

D14! @BC?

7he world may say there

is no God, but thesmallest opportunity may

be your biggest miracle

53


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8 (ra$se

Bhen he was come down from the

mountain, great multitudes followed him.

'nd, behold, there came a leper andworshiped him, saying, 5ord, if thou wilt,

thou canst ma%e me clean.

12 BC?

+eros was no eas disease to toleratein "ible ties. +eers were oletel

o'tast /ro soiet. =)erone ran /ro

the sreaing in terror. :here was ne)er a

're ne)er a hoe o/ ret'rning to /ail

/riends or lo)ed ones. +eers were

torented e)en when the were tring to

/ind tidbits o/ /ood garbage le/t b others.

Ehildren threw stones ad'lts 'rsed the.

:his a//lited erson too7 a great hane

entering the noral world in searh o/ a 're

/or this dread disease.&et notie what this an did when he

/o'nd Bes's. *e /ell down and worshied

*i. *e raised Bes's be/ore e)er as7ing or

eeting Bes's to do anthing else in ret'rn.

Few Ehristians toda realie what owerthere is in ;'st raising God. :he "ible is

54


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/'ll o/ raise srit'res thro'gho't the #ld

and @ew :estaents. Great things haened

when the eole raised God. =neies weresattered. %eole were healed. "attles were

won. Great boo7s ha)e been written on

raise and how )ital it is to the belie)er. It is

tr'l li/e to o'r so'ls to raise God. Isaiah

43>21 sas we were at'all reated b Godto raise *i.

&ears ago soeone said soething that

reall so7e to e. :he said

*Praise is the plow thatmakes the furrow in our

hearts to prepare it to

receive from God.

:hat6s wh we alwas ha)e glorio's

raise and worshi be/ore o'r healing

ser)ies. When we get o'r inds o// o'r

robles and onto Bes's we an reei)e

/ro God. As long as we dwell on o'r

robles and illnesses we ha)en6t t'rned

on the light swith to God6s ower. We ha)e

blo7ed the /low o/ the (irit. We ha)e

daed ' the ri)ers o/ li)ing water thatwant to /low o't o/ o'r innerost being.

55


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'ring a *ealing =losion in "ogota.

Eolobia se)eral ears ago 'nbelie)able

irales o'rred d'ring one o/ the ostglorio's raise and worshi ser)ies we e)er

heard. %eole were healed. :he were

deli)ered and set /ree while God6s eole

sang and worshied *i. Den woen and

hildren ae o't o/ wheelhairs and werewal7ing aro'nd that large arena raising

God. An older gentlean reei)ed his sight

and wandered all o)er in total aaeent as

he raised God /or his glorio's healing.


57/183

(ine the ene an6t stand to listen to

's raise God we will dri)e hi right o't

the door. (ing o'r /a)orite raise song. In/at o' will reognie an srit're

)erses as eatl that one o/ o'r /a)orite

raise songs. :he %sals are s'h great

eales o/ than7s 'nto God that h'ndreds

o/ )erses ha)e been set to 'si and are'sed aross the world dail to raise and

worshi o'r Father.

B'st start raising and than7ing God /or

all the great and ight things *e has done

in the ast. %raise an be oared to saing

,:han7 &o'- we raise soeone /or what

the ha)e done. %raise is )er iortant to

God. *e tal7s abo't raise aroiatel

500 ties within the (rit'res one o/ the

ost /reH'entl entioned s'b;ets in the

"ible. I/ God entioned raise that anties we an be s're that it is a )er

iortant art o/ being a Ehristian.

#asionall when a real disaster

s'rro'nds 's we an barel 'ster a

tho'ght o/ raise let alone start sea7ing orsinging an /orth. At those ties when we

need that etra boost the easiest wa to

raise God is to read raises /ro the

%sals.

When o'r need /or strength is in tieso/ distress. 'nrest 'nhainess do'bt or

5$


58/183

iser read these )erses o/ raise 'nto God.

"etter et read these )erses o't lo'd so o'r

ind 'nderstands the o'r lis sa theand o'r ears hear the.

2et your spirit absorb

every blessed word asyou glean God)s 9trength

from each verse.

Feel *is ower start to /low thro'gh

o'. +et o'r /aith arise /ro o'r

innerost being. +et the raise /'rrow o'r

heart o/ stone into a heart o/ /lesh and allow

God6s healing ower to s'rro'nd o' in'tter lo)e.

I/ o' need God6s ower right now to do

a wor7 within o' whether healing eae

lo)e ;o read these srit'res and let *is

lo)e /low o't o/ the words right into o'r

heart. When o' ha)e /inished the )erses

here go on and do o'r own st'd o/ all the

)erses in o'r "ible on raise and its ower.

&o'r /aith will elode as o' gain the

re)elation o/ the weaon o' ha)e in ;'st

raising God.

58


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For you bless the godly man, 2 5ordL

you protect him with your shield of love.

12 :+"?

%raise *i right now /or the /at that *e

does bless the godl an. And who is a

godl an :he an who /ollows God

:hat6s o' and e. %raise *i /or the /atthat *e rotets 's at all ties with *is

shield o/ lo)e so that we an ward o// the

blows that oe /ro the de)il.

Oh, how grateful and than%ful 4 am to

the 5ord because he is so good. 4 will sing

praise to the name of the 5ord who is above

all lords. 1$ :+"?

Whene)er I sit down to reo'nt the

blessings that God has gi)en e I o)er/low

with ;o bea'se I a so grate/'l andareiati)e o/ the /at that *e is so good in

site o/ what ight be o'r h'an /ailings.

*ow an o' 7ee /ro singing raises to

God when *e has done so 'h. Write

down the things *e has done and sing abo'tthe dail

4 will praise ;ou, 2 5ord, with my whole

heartL 4 will show forth +recount and tell

aloud all ;our marvelous wor%s andwonderful deedsG 4 will reoice in ;ou and

59


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be in high spiritsL 4 will sing praise to ;our

name, 2 9ost HighG 12 AD%?

on6t raise God with ;'st a ortion o/

o'r heart or hal/heartedl. :ell o't lo'd

with all o/ o'r heart what *e has done /or

o' and be in high sirits as o' re;oie and

sing raises to *is nae It will start o'rda o// right.

Oh, sing out your praises to the 11 :+"?

:he world doesn6t belie)e that nothing is

iossible with God. :he need to 7now

abo't the wonder/'l and wondro's things

*e has done in o'r li)es. And how are the

going to 7now 'nless we tell the :elle)erone o' see what Bes's has done /or

o' %raise *i. Go on with a list o/ good

things *e has done in o'r /ail6s li)es

and then go on to o'r /riends6 li)es. :han7

*i sing *is raise /or e)er ite on thatlist elare *is doings aro'nd the world

6ut 4 have trusted, leaned on and been

confident in ;our mercy and lovingE

%indnessL my heart shall reoice and be inhigh spirits in ;our salvation. 4 will sing to

!0


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the 5ord, because He has dealt bountifully

with me. 5! AD%?

"ea'se o/ o'r willingness to tr'st lean

on and be on/ident in the lo)e and er o/

God we an re;oie and o'r hearts will be in

high sirits bea'se o/ o'r sal)ation. ee

singing and ontin'e to than7 *i bea'se*e has dealt so bo'nti/'ll with 's.

&herefore will 4 give than%s and e8tol

;ou, 2 5ord, among the nations, and sing

praises to ;our name.

49> oans 15>9 AD%?

What a ri)ilege to be at eae and

7now we belong to *i. We an ertainl

elebrate with others /ro nations aro'nd

the world to honor and worshi as we sing*is raise. God 'nderstands o'r raises no

atter what lang'age we 'tter.

4 will declare ;our name to 9y

brethrenL 4n the midst of the congregation 4will praise ;ou. 22 @BC?

elare eans to assert ositi)elJ to

state in an 'nista7able anner and that is

what we sho'ld do with *is nae. Wesho'ld let the world 7now in no 'nertain

!1


62/183

ters what it eans to 's to belong to *i.

a)id was boldl sharing God6s raises with

others aro'nd *i and we sho'ld do thesae

4 will bless the 5O= at all timesL His

praise shall continually be in my mouth. 9y

soul shall ma%e its boast in the 5O=L &hehumble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh,

magnify the 5O= with me, 'nd let us e8alt

His name together. 13 @BC?

+et6s thin7 on those wonder/'l

srit'res *is Word tells 's to bless hi at

A++ ties not ;'st a art o/ the tie b't

onsistentl at all ties and let *is raises

ontin'all and witho't interr'tion /ill o'r

o'th. +et 's boast abo't *i and what *e

has done in o'r li/e and let6s get othereole to do the sae thing with 's.

'nd He has put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our


63/183

have done, and ;our thoughts toward usL no

one can compare with ;ouG 4f 4 should

declare and spea% of them, they are toomany to be numbered. 35 AD%?

God6s eole are en)ied b the world

when we tr'st in the +ord. :he world has

nothing the an t'rn to. bea'se there isreall nothing else worthwhile and those

who /ollow /alse gods are ne)er ha

blessed or to be en)ied. :here is nothing or

no one in all the world who an oare

with God. @o wonder we ha)e so 'h /or

whih to raise *i. God has laed

eternit in the heart o/ e)er an and

nothing will e)er satis/ eet *i +et6s

raise *i bea'se we ha)e /o'nd *i

4 will give ;ou than%s in the great

assemblyL 4 will praise ;ou among a mightythrong. 18 AD%?

We 'st gi)e than7s to God e)erwhere

we go. :his )erse doesn6t sa to raise God

;'st aong the sa)ed the belie)ers b't Godis telling 's that we 'st raise *i e)en in

the idst o/ 'nbelie)ers In the groer

store At shool In the airort %raise *is

hol nae e)erwhere6 (a ,%raise God-

right where o' are reading this boo7. In

!3


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/at be bold sho't ,*allel';ah %raise

God-

5et those who favor my righteous cause

and have pleasure in my uprightness shout

for oy and be glad and say continually, 5et

the 5ord be magnified, Bho ta%es pleasure

in the prosperity of His servant. 'nd mytongue shall tal% of ;our righteousness,

rightness and ustice, and Nmy reasons for

;our praise all the day long.

2$28 AD%?

We alread sho'ted ,%raise God- o it

again with real ;o Dagni/ *is hol nae

id o' ath what /ollowed Bho ta%es

pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.

We need to rolai to the world that God

is tr'l still on the throne and *e is the saeesterda toda and /ore)er. *e ta7es

leas're %+=A(U= %+=A(U= in

the roserit o/ *is ser)ant. We are *is

ser)ants and we /a)or *is goals. *is a'ses

and ta7e leas're in *is righteo'sness Wesho't /or ;o and raise *i :here/ore *e

will ta7e leas're in 's %raise *i all the

da long.

He has given me a new song to sing, ofpraises to our


65/183

the glorious things he did for me, and stand

in awe before the 5ord, and put their trust in

him. 3 TLB)

God ga)e e a glorio's new song in

o'th. I was a wild sinner be/ore I got

sa)ed. I dran7 I so7ed I was the li/e o/

e)er art bea'se I 7new ore dirt ;o7esthan anone else. When I got sa)ed I told

God ,I6ll a7e a deal with o' I6ll gi)e

o' all o/ e i/ &o' will gi)e e all o/

&o'.- I reall got the best end o/ that deal

*allel';ah

God tr'l hanged li/e Instantl I

loo7ed at sin and it ade e si7 so I ran

the oosite diretion D da'ghter Boan

got sa)ed ;'st a /ew wee7s later. When I

as7ed her what on)ined her to aet

Bes's she said ,I saw what a drasti hange*e ade in o'r li/e.-

@o one an den that God ga)e e a

new song to sing new desires in heart

and a new lo)e /or *i. I tell e)erone I see

abo't Bes's bea'se I tr'st *i and rel on*i e)er da o/ li/e.

9y heart is fi8ed, 2


66/183

right early N4 will awa%e the dawnG 4 will

praise and give than%s to ;ou, 2 5ord,

among the peoplesL 4 will sing praises to;ou among the nations. For ;our mercy and

lovingE%indness are great, reaching to the

heavens, and ;our truth and faithfulness to

the clouds. 6e e8alted, 2


67/183

resene o/ God :o eeriene *i in

re)erene and awe and wonder brings /orth

raise in e)erone. %raise literall b'rsts/orth sontaneo'sl. Who sho'ld be raised

ore than God who alwas 7ees *is

roise to ta7e are o/ *is hildren

#4-< &O &H7 5ord, all the earthG #ingof his glorious nameG &ell the world how

wonderful he is. How aweEinspiring are

your deeds, 2


68/183

*e wants 's to ser)e hi gladl and

;o/'ll. *e lainl sas we oe into *is

resene with singing (ing Da7e a ;o/'lnoise e;oie while o' wor7 /or *i

%raise *i and oe into *is resene right

where o' are right now

5et the peoples praise ;ou, Nturn awayfrom their idols and give than%s to ;ou, 2


69/183

6ut let the Nuncompromisingly rightE

eous be gladL let them be in high spirits and

glory before


70/183

Dan an /ail an6t he #nl God sho'ld

be tr'sted 100K o/ the tie. *e ne)er

hanges. *e ta7es 's /ro birth and loo7sa/ter 's. *e g'ides 's and lo)es 's in site

o/ o'r shortoings and robles. I wo'ld

sa I a ,as a wonder and s'rrise to

an.- Dan eole /ro ast wo'ld

ne)er reognie e toda. :he wo'ld ha)ea hard tie belie)ing what God has done to

e sine I got sa)ed. *allel';ah God is

re/'ge. And I lo)e e)er da with *i

4 will also praise ;ou with the harp,

even ;our truth and faithfulness, 2 my


71/183

a)id6s innerost being sho'ted God6s

raises as well as his lis. Iagine the

olete ;o that o)ertoo7 a)id when hetho'ght o/ God6s goodness *is ower *is

lo)e.

Ean o' reeber that /irst /eeling o/

total ;o when o' 7new that o' 7new that

o' 7new that Bes's sa)ed o' and nowli)ed within o' o o' reall the

o)er/lowing ;o when God /irst healed o'

or a lo)ed one Deditate on what that

eeriene was li7e the )er /irst tie o'

tr'l /elt God6s lo)e and resene.

@ow sho't /or ;o

HOB B7 &H'-) you, 5ordG ;our

mighty miracle give proof that you care.

1 :+"?

'ring the ast ears we ha)e all heard

the lies that God is no longer on the throne

that *e is dead. *ow an anone belie)e

God is not wor7ing in the world toda when

irales o'r on a dail basis all aro'nd's God 'ses irales instantaneo's

healings to delare *is ower and to gi)e

roo/ that *e is still ali)e and ares /or 's.

When we tell others abo't *is good deeds it

brings *i loser than e)er so than7 *iand raise *i right now

$1


72/183

&hen we ;our people, the sheep of ;our

pasture, will give you than%s for everL wewill show forth and publish ;our praise

from generation to generation.

13 AD%?

(ho'ld we than7 God one /or what hehas done @o than7 *i /ore)er /ore)er

/ore)er *e direts 's to write down what

*e has done /or 's andpublish *is raises

/or generations.

(ine we 'blish boo7s and aterials

Eharles and I are )er /ailiar with what the

word 'blish eans.

*owe)er ost eole thin7 'blish

sil eans 'tting boo7s together. +isten

to what the :hesa'r's sas>

D!ublish: to distributeL get outL

advertiseL announceL broadcastL circulateL

declareL disperseL proclaimL promulgate.I

%ro'lgate I loo7ed that one ' also.

D!romulgate: to multiply, to generate,to create, to spawn, to parent.I

Isn6t that interesting We aren6t onl to

show raise to God b't we are to distrib'te

and ad)ertise broadast and rolai'ltil and generate reate and arent

$2


73/183

raise /ro generation to generation. When

raise arises in o'r hearts we aren6t to

sel/ishl en;o it. We are to sread itbroadast it /or ears and ears to oe.

%raise is /or sharing with others. When

o' share o'r testion o' are sharing

*is raises o' are sreading *is hoe o'

are reating *is ower and 'ltiling *isstrength within another belie)er.

Another word /or 'blish is witnessing

(hare *is Word (hare *is irales :he

irales o/ God will sea7 to the 'nbelie)er

and the will realie what the are searhing

/or is Bes's

4& 4# a good and delightful thing to give

than%s to the 5ord, to sing praises Nwith

musical accompaniment to ;our name, 2

9ost High, &o show forth ;our lovingE%indness in the morning and ;our

faithfulness by night, 12 AD%?

I/ we all got o't o/ bed in the orning

with raises 'nto God /or *is lo)e andthan7ed *i /or *is /aith/'lness in 7eeing

's sa/e all d'ring o'r sleeing ho'rs

wo'ldn6t o'r da be easier God gi)es 's

diretion in the /irst wa7ing ho'rs when o'r

inds are 'nlo'ded with the l'tter o/ theda. +oo7 /orward to God6s alar lo7

$3


74/183

e)er orning to *is diretion. &o' will

/ind delight in gi)ing than7s to the +ord

whate)er tie o/ da it is when o' ha)e*is diretion /ro the /irst wa7ing ho'r

'ntil the last o/ the da.

We loo7ed at %sal 100>12 a /ew ages

ago. +oo7 now at %sal 100>4 BC>

7nter into his gates with than%sgiving,

and into his courts with praise: be than%ful

unto him, and bless his name.

=ntering *is gates with than7sgi)ing on

the wa to h'rh reares o'r hearts to hear

God6s essage. :he gates don6t ha)e to

ean the entrane o/ the ar7ing lot to the

h'rh. :he ,gates- an be the ar doors as

e)erone enters the )ehile the an be the

raer at the brea7/ast table or erhas thean be the oent o' wa7e ' in the earl

orning. :he ,gates- reresent the tie o'

ha)e hosen to reare o'rsel/ to reei)e

/ro God.

When o' are reared oing thro'ghthe ,gates- then o' an enter into *is

o'rts with raise. *is o'rts are one ste

loser to *is resene *is throne roo.

When o' are raising *i than7ing *i

/or *is good wor7s and blessing *is naeall the robles o/ li)ing see to /loat

$4


75/183

awa. :he ress'res o/ the world s'ddenl

beoe 'niortant as o' beoe

s'rro'nded b *is being *is ;o *is/aith/'lness *is er *is er/et lo)e.

When o'r hearts are /'rrowed b raise

be/ore we e)en enter the b'ilding we are in

a osition to reei)e /ro God

%raise is iortant to God %raise andworshi is iortant to the belie)er =nter

*is gates with than7sgi)ing in o'r heart

=nter *is o'rts with raise "less *is

nae "as7 in *is resene within *is

throne roo and reei)e *is strength

:here are soe ortions o/ things to

raise God /or that don6t e)en need an

elanation or oents. B'st rela and

en;o these /or o'rsel/.

H'5575AJ'HG 4 B'-& to e8presspublicly before his people my heartfelt

than%s to


76/183

!='4#7 &H7 5O=G For all who fear


77/183

35 :+"?

He gives children to the childless wife,so that she become a happy mother.

9 :+"?

9ay the 5ord richly bless both you and

your children. ;es, Jehovah who made

heaven and earth will personally bless youG14 :+"?

4 5O*7 &H7 5ord because he hears my

prayers and answers them. 6ecause he

bends down and listens, 4 will pray as long

as 4 breatheG 1.2 :+"?

4n my distress 4 prayed to the 5ord and

he answered me and rescued me. He is for

meG How can 4 be afraid Bhat can mere

man do to me &he 5ord is on my side, hewill help me. 5et those who hate me beware.

4t is better to trust the 5ord than to put

confidence in men. 4t is better to ta%e refuge

in him than in the mightiest %ingG &hough all

the nations of the world attac% me, 4 willmarch out behind his banner and destroy

them. ;es, they surround and attac% meL but

with his flag flying above me 4 will cut them

off. 510 :+"?

$$


78/183

4 shall not die, but live to tell of all his

deeds. 1$

:+"?

&his is the day the 5ord has made. Be

will reoice and be glad in it.

24 :+"?

#H'55 4 5OO) to the mountain godsfor help -oG 9y help is from Jehovah who

made the mountainsG 'nd the heavens tooG

He will never let me stumble, slip or fall.

For he is always watching, never sleeping.

Jehovah himself is caring for youG He is

your defender. He protects you day and

night. He %eeps you from all evil, and

preserves your life. He %eeps his eye upon

you as you come and go, and always guards

you. 18 :+"?

O 5O=, ;OA have e8amined my heart

and %now everything about me. ;ou %now

when 4 sit or stand. Bhen far away you

%now my every thought. ;ou chart the path

ahead of me, and tell me where to stop andrest. 7very moment, you %now where 4 am.

;ou %now what 4 am going to say before 4

even say it. ;ou both precede and follow me,

and place your hand of blessing on my

head. &his is too glorious, too wonderful tobelieveG 4 can never be lost to your #piritG 4

$8


79/183

can never get away from my


80/183

power. &hey will tell about your miracles

and about the maesty and glory of your

reign. For your %ingdom never ends. ;ourule generation after generation

1013 :+"?

&he 5ord is fair in everything he does,

and full of %indness. He is close to all whocall on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires

of those who reverence and trust himL he

hears their riesfor help and rescues them.

He protects all those who love him, but

destroys the wic%ed. 4 will praise the 5ord

and call on all men everywhere to bless his

holy name forever and forever.

1$21 :+"?

!='4#7 &H7 5O=G ;es, really praise

himG 4 will praise him as long as 4 live, yes,even with my dying breath. ont loo% to

men for helpL their greatest leaders failL for

every man must die. His breathing stops, life

ends, and in a moment all he planned for

himself is ended. 6ut happy is the man whohas the


81/183

He frees the prisoners, and opens the

eyes of the blindL he lifts the burdens from

those bent down beneath their loads. Forthe 5ord loves good men. He protects the

immigrants, and cares for the orphans and

widows. 6ut he turns topsyEturvy the plans

of the wic%ed. $9 :+"?

&he dead cannot sing praises to Jehovah

here on earth, but we canG Be praise him

foreverG HalleluahG

!raise the 5ordG 1$.18 :+"?

He heals the bro%enhearted, binding up

their wounds. He counts the stars and calls

them all by name. How great he isG His

power is absoluteG His understanding is

unlimited. %sal 14$>35 :+"?

#ing out your than%s to himL singpraises to our


82/183

!='4#7 &H7 5ordG !raise the 5ord

from the heavens, praise Him in the heightsG!raise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all

His hostsG !raise Him, sun and moon,

praise Him, all you stars of lightG !raise

Him, you highest heavens, and you waters

above the heavensG 5et them praise thename of the 5ord, for He commanded and

they were created. He also established them

for ever and everL He made a decree which

shall not pass away NHe fi8ed their bounds

which cannot be passed over. !raise the

5ord from the earth, you sea monsters and

all deepsG ;ou lightning, hail, fog and frost,

you stormy wind fulfilling His ordersG

9ountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all

cedarsG 6easts and all cattle, creeping

things and flying birdsG )ings of the earthand all peoples, princes and all rulers and

udges of the earthG 6oth young men and

maidens, old men and childrenG 5et them

praise and e8alt the name of the 5ord, for

Hisname alone is e8alted and supremeG Hisglory and maesty are above earth and

HeavenG He has lifted up a horn for His

people Ngiving them power, prosperity,

dignity and preeminence, a song of praise

for all His godly ones, for the people of4srael, who are near to Him. !raise Him.

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!raise the 5ordG +HalleluahG 10J =hesians 2>1$ AD%?

*ow wonder/'l to 7now that we6re not

alone when raising God bea'se these

)erses o/ srit're tell the angels the s'n

oon stars o/ light hea)ens and waters

the sho'ld all raise *i so we6re ne)eralone in o'r worshi o/ *i. +ightning

hail /og and /rost 7ee reading and

o'6ll see that e)erone and e)erthing has

been reated to raise *i

!='4#7 &H7 5ordG #ing to the 5ord a

new song, praise Him in the assembly of His

saintsG 5et 4srael reoice in Him their

9a%erL let ions children triumph and be

oyful in their )ingG 5et them praise His

name in chorus and choir and with theNsingle or groupdanceL let them sing

praises to Him with the tambourine and

lyreG For the 5ord ta%es pleasure in His

peopleL He will beautify the humble with

salvation and adorn the wretched withvictory. 5et the saints be oyful in the glory

and beauty Nwhich


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PRAISE THE Lord!raise God in His

sanctuaryL praise Him in the heavens of His

powerG !raise Him for His mighty actsLpraise Him according to the abundance of

His greatnessG !raise Him with trumpet

soundL praise Him with lute and harpG

!raise Him with tambourine and Nsingle or

group danceL praise Him with stringed andwind instruments or flutesG !raise Him with

resounding cymbalsL praise Him with loud

clashing cymbalsG

2et everything that has

breath and every breath

of life praise the 2ord

Praise the 2ord:(alleluah; :Psalm

6MP;

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) Who God Is

Problems, problems,

problems, Is there noend, and is there no

answer# 7his time you

read this familiar story,read it with the fact

that "avid knew who God

was...

&hen


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and his armor bearer wal%ed ahead of him

with a huge shield.

He stood and shouted across to the4sraelis, Do you need a whole army to

settle this 4 will represent the !hilistines,

and you choose someone to represent you,

and we will settle this in single combatG 4f

your man is able to %ill me, then we will beyour slavesG 6ut if 4 %ill him, then you must

be our slavesG 4 defy the armies of 4sraelG

9end me a man who will

fight with me

Bhen #aul and the 4sraeli army heard

this, they were dismayed and frightened.

avid +the son of aging Jesse, a member ofthe tribe of Judah who lived in 6ethlehem.

Judah had seven older brothers. &he three

oldestK7liab, 'binadab, and #hammahK

had already volunteered for #auls army to

fight the !hilistines. avid was the youngestson, and was on #auls staff on a partEtime

basis. He went bac% and forth to 6ethlehem

to help his father with the sheep. For forty

days, twice a day, morning and evening the

!hilistine giant strutted before the armies of

4srael.

8!


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One day Jesse said to avid, D&a%e this

bushel of roasted grain and these ten loaves

of bread to your brothers.


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his whole family will be e8empted from

paying ta8esGI

avid tal%ed to some others standingthere to verify the report. DBhat will a man

get for %illing this !hilistine and ending his

insults to 4sraelI he as%ed them.

*!ho is this heathenPhilistine, anyway, that

he is allowed to defy the

armies of the living God#6nd he received the

same reply as before.

6ut when avids oldest brother, 7liab,heard avid tal%ing li%e that, he was angry.

DBhat are you doing around here,

anywayI he demanded. DBhat about the

sheep youre supposed to be ta%ing care of

4 %now what a coc%y brat you areL you ustwant to see the battleGI

DBhat have 4 done nowI avid

replied. D4 was only as%ing a $uestionGI

'nd he wal%ed over to some others and

as%ed them the same thing and received thesame answer. Bhen it was finally reali(ed

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what avid meant, someone told )ing #aul,

and the %ing sent for him.

*"on)t. worry about a

thing, "avid told him. I)ll

take care of thisPhilistine

Dont be ridiculousGI #aul replied.

DHow can a %id li%e you fight with a manli%e him ;ou are only a boy and he has

been in the army since he was a boyGI

6ut avid persisted. DBhen 4 am ta%ing

care of my fathers sheep,I he said, Dand a

lion or a bear comes and grabs a lamb fromthe floc%, 4 go after it with a club and ta%e

the lamb from its mouth. 4f it turns on me 4

catch it by the aw and club it to death. 4

have done this to both lions and bears, and

4ll do it to this heathen !hilistine too, for he

has defied the armies of the living


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of the lion and the bear

will save me from thisPhilistine

#aul finally consented, D'll right, go

ahead,I he said, Dand may the 5ord be withyouGI

&hen #aul gave avid his own armorKa

bron(e helmet and a coat of mail. avid put

it on, strapped the sword over it, and too% a

step or two to see what it was li%e, for hehad never worn such things before. D4 can

hardly moveGI he e8claimed, and too% them

off again. &hen he pic%ed up five smooth

stones from a stream and put them in his

shepherds bag and, armed only with hisshepherds staff and sling, started across to


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avid shouted in reply, D;ou come to

me with a sword and a spear, but 4 come to

you

in the name of the 2ord

of the armies of heaven

and of Israel

the very


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9o "avid con5uered the

Philistine giant with asling and a stone.

#ince he had no sword, he ran over and

pulled 5$ :+"?

6nd remember that God

will do it for ?ou

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1* (ers$stence

!hen you feel like

letting down and givingup, keep going

... it pays off

'nd it came to pass, when the 5O=

was about to ta%e up 7liah into heaven by a

whirlwind, that 7liah went with 7lisha from


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to Jericho.I 'nd he said, D's the 5O=

lives, and as your soul lives, 4 will not leave

youGI #o they came to Jericho.'nd the sons of the prophets who were

at Jericho came to 7lisha and said to him,

Do you %now that the 5O= will ta%e

away your master from over you todayI #o

he answered, ,&es4 %nowL %eep silentGI&hen 7liah said to him, D#tay here,

please, for the 5O= has sent me on to the

Jordan.I 'nd he said, D's the 5O= lives,

and as your soul lives, 4 will not leave youGI

#o the two of them went on.

'nd fifty men of the sons of the prophets

went and stood facing them at a distance,

while the two of them stood by the Jordan.

-ow 7liah too% his mantle, rolled it up,

and struc% the waterL and it was divided this

way and that, so that the two of themcrossed over on dry ground.

'nd so it was, when they had crossed

over, that 7liah said to 7lisha, D's%G Bhat

may 4 do for you, before 4 am ta%en away

from youI 'nd 7lisha said, D!lease let adouble portion of your spirit be upon me.I

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"on)t be afraid to ask for

big things 0 $lishawasn)t

#o he said, D;ou have as%ed a hard

thing. -evertheless, if you see me when 4 amta%en from you, it shall be so for youL but if

not, it shall not be so.I

&hen it happened, as they continued on

and tal%ed, that suddenly a chariot of fire

appeared with horses of fire, and separatedthe two of themL and 7liah went up by a

whirlwind into heaven.

-ow 7lisha saw it, and he cried out,

D9y father, my father, the chariot of 4srael

and its horsemenGI #o he saw him no more.'nd he too% hold of his own clothes and tore

them into two pieces.

He also too% up the mantle of 7liah that

had fallen from him, and went bac% and

stood by the ban% of the Jordan.&hen he too% the mantle of 7liah that

had fallen from him, and struc% the water,

and said, DBhere is the 5O=


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7he first thing he didwas a miracle

-ow when the sons of the prophets who

were from Jericho saw him, they said, D&he

spirit of 7liah rests on 7lisha.I 'nd they

came to meet him, and bowed to the ground

before him.

&hen they said to him, D5oo% now, there

are fifty strong men with your servants.

!lease let them go and search for yourmaster, lest perhaps the #pirit of the 5O=

has ta%en him up and cast him upon some

mountain or into some valley.I 'nd he said,

D;ou shall not send anyone.I

6ut when they urged him till he wasashamed, he said, D#end them out.I

&herefore they sent fifty men, and they

searched for three days but did not find him.

'nd when they came bac% to him, for he

had stayed in Jericho, he said to them, Did4 not say to you, o not goI

&hen the men of the city said to 7lisha,

D!lease notice, the situation of this city is

pleasant, as my lord seesL but the water is

bad, and the ground barren.I

9!


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'nd he said, D6ring me a new bowl, and

put salt in it.I #o they brought it to him.

&hen he went out to the source of thewater, and cast in the salt there, and said,

D&hus says the 5O=:

4 have healed this waterL from it there

shall be no more death or barrenness.I

#o the water remains healed to this day,according to the saying of 7lisha which he

spo%e. 122 @BC?

It)s when you)re

obedient, persistent and

faithful that God can

begin to work throughyou

9$


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11 Who +ou "re

If you have ever5uestioned who you are,

this beautiful chapter

will let you know and youwill never have doubts

again

W*=@J7#A# H' finished saying allthese things he loo%ed up to heaven and

said, DFather, the time has come. =eveal the

glory of your #on so that he can give the

glory bac% to you. For you have given him

authority over every man and woman in allthe earth. He gives eternal life to each one

you have given him. 'nd this is the way to

have eternal lifeKby %nowing you, the only

true


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'nd now, Father, reveal my glory as 4 stand

in your presence, the glory we shared before

the world began.D4 have told these men all about you.

&hey were in the world, but then you gave

them to me. 'ctually, they were always

yours, and you gave them to meL and they

have obeyed you. -ow they %now thateverything 4 have is a gift from you, for 4

have passed on to them the commands you

gave meL and they accepted them and %now

of a certainty that 4 came down to earth

from you, and they believe you sent me.

D9y plea is not for the world but for

those you have given me because they

belong to you. 'nd all of them, since they

are mine, belong to youL and you have given

them bac% to me with everything else of

yours and so

they are my glory

-ow 4 am leaving the world, and leavingthem behind, and coming to you. Holy

Father, %eep them in your own careKall

those you have given meKso that they will

be united ust as we are, with none missing.

uring my time here 4 have %ept safe withinyour family all of these you gave me. 4

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guarded them so that not one perished,

e8cept the son of hell, as the #criptures

foretold.D'nd now 4 am coming to you. 4 have

told them many things while 4 was with them

so that they would be filled with my oy. 4

have given them your commands. 'nd the

world hates them because they dont fit inwith it, ust as 4 dont. 4m not as%ing you to

ta%e them out of the world, but to %eep them

safe from #atans power. &hey are not part

of this world any more than 4 am. 9a%e

them pure and holy through teaching them

your words of truth. 's you sent me into the

world, l am sending them into the world,

and

I consecrate myself tomeet their need for

growth in truth and

holiness.D4 am not praying for these alone but

also for the future believers who will come

to me because of the testimony of these. 9y

prayer for all of them is that they will be ofone heart and mind, ust as you and 4 are,

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FatherKthat ust as you are in me and 4 am

in you, so they will be in us, and the world

will believe you sent me.D4 have given them the glory you gave

meKthe glorious unity of being one, as we

areK4 in them and you in me, all being

perfected into oneK

9o that the world will

know you sent me and will

understand that you lovethem as much as you love

me.

Father, 4 want them with meKthese

youve given meKso that they can see my

glory. ;ou gave me the glory because you

loved me before the world beganG

O righteous Father, the world doesnt

%now you, but 4 doL and these disciples%now you sent me. 'nd 4 have revealed you

to them, and will %eep on revealing you so

that the mighty love you have for me may be

in them, and 4 in them.I


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?ou)re loved by God

102


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12 Strength forFear

6t some time in our lives,

all of us have been

attacked by fear. It is a

normal reaction because

fear often alerts us of

danger. (owever...


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PFear not, 'bram: 4 am thy shield, and

thy e8ceeding great reward.1

BC?

...fear not, for 4 am with thee, and will

bless thee... 24 BC?

P!eace be to you, /ear not:...

23

BC?

PFear ye not, stand still, and see the

salvation of the 5ord, which he will shew to

you today:... 21BC?

6e strong and of a good courage, fear

not, nor be afraid of them: for the 5ord thy


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thee, neither forsa%e thee: fear not, neither

be dismayed.

9

BC?

P.Fear not, for 4 have redeemed youL

4 have called you by your nameL

&o' are 9ine.

Bhen you pass through the waters, 4 will

be with youL

'nd through the rivers, they shall notoverflow you.

Bi(en you wal% through the fire, you

shall not be burned,

-or shall the flame scorch you.

For l am the 5ord your


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Fear not, for l am with youL...

5

@BC?

Fear not, for 4 am with youL

6e not dismayed, for 4 am your


107/183

&he fear of the 5ord is the beginning of

%nowledge, 6ut fools despise wisdom and

instruction. $@BC?

&H7 5O= is my light and my

salvationL whom shall 4 fear Bhen evil

men come to destroy me, they will stumbleand fallG ;es, though a mighty army

marches against me, my heart shall %now no

fearG 4 am confident that


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He ma%es me to lie down in green

pasturesL

He leads me beside the still waters.He restores my soulL He leads me in the

paths of righteousness for His names sa%e.

;ea, though 4 wal% through the valley of

the shadow of death, 4 will fear no evilL

For ;ou are with meL ;our rod and ;ourstaff, they comfort me.

;ou prepare a table before me in the

presence of my enemiesL

;ou anoint my head with oilL 9y cup

runs over.

#urely goodness and mercy shall follow

me 'll the days of my lifeL 'nd 4 will dwell

in the house of the 5ord Forever.

When wal7ing thro'gh the )alle o/ the

shadow o/ death in 1988 1 /eared no e)ilbea'se *e was with e.

I said ,1 /eel horrible b't God had a

irale at the end-

I was healed

o not be wise in our own eyesL Fear

the 5ord and depart from evil.

$

@BC?

108


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&he fear of the 5ord is the beginning of

wisdom, 'nd the %nowledge of the Holy One

is understanding. 10@BC?

&he fear of the 5ord prolongs days, 6ut

the years of the wic%ed will be shortened.

2$@BC?

&he fear of the 5ord is a fountain of life,

&o avoid the snares of death.

2$

@BC?

@o weapon formed against you shall

prosper,

'nd every tongue which rises against

you in udgment &o'shall condemn.&his is the heritage of the servants of the

5ord,

'nd their righteousness is from 9e,I

#ays the 5O=. 1$

@BC?

-o evil shall befall you, @or shall any

plague come near your dwellingL For He

shall give His angels charge over you, &o

%eep you in all your ways.

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1011

@BC?

110


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13 Who God I

"id you ever have a timewhen you needed to know

beyond a shadow of

doubt that God is allpowerful and that (e

holds the entire universe

in (is hands# 7hese arewonderful scriptures to

bring you into a new

heavenly realm whereGod)s ability is

concerned.

111


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D


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For he directs the snow, the showers,

and storm to fall upon the earth. 9ans

wor% stops at such a time, so that all meneverywhere may recogni(e his power. &he

wild animals hide in the roc%s or in their

dens.

DFrom the south comes the rainL from

the north, the cold.


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swallowed alive For as we cannot loo% at

the sun for its brightness when the winds

have cleared away the clouds, neither canwe ga(e at the terrible maesty of


115/183

as the morning stars sang together and all

the angels shouted for oy

DBho decreed the boundaries of theseas when they gushed from the depths

Bho clothed them with clouds and thic%

dar%ness, and barred them by limiting their

shores, and said,

&hus far and no farther shall you come,and here half your proud waves stopG

DHave you ever once commanded the

morning to appear, and caused the dawn to

rise in the east Have you ever told the

daylight to spread to the ends of the earth,

to end the nights wic%edness Have you

ever robed the dawn in red, and disturbed

the haunts of wic%ed men and stopped the

arm raised to stri%e

DHave you e8plored the springs from

which the seas come, or wal%ed in thesources of their depths Has the location of

the gates of eath been revealed to you o

you reali(e, the e8tent of the earth &ell me

about it if you %nowG

DBhere does the light come from, andhow do you get there Or tell me about the

dar%ness. Bhere does it come from Can

you find its boundaries, or go to its source

6ut of course you %now all thisG For you

were born before it was all created, and youare so very e8periencedG

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*(ave you visited thetreasuries of the snow,

or seen where hail is

made and stored#For 4 have reserved it for the time when

4 will need it in war. Bhere is the path to the

distribution point of light Bhere is the

home of the east wind Bho dug the valleysfor the torrents of rain Bho laid out the

path for the lightning, causing the rain to

fall upon the barren deserts, so that the

parched and barren ground is satisfied with

water, and tender grass springs upDHas the rain a father Bhere does dew

come from Bho is the mother of the ice

and frost For the water changes and turns

to ice, as hard as roc%.

DCan you hold bac% the stars Can you

restrain Orion or !iciades Can you ensure

the proper se$uence of the seasons, or guide

the constellation of the 6ear with her

satellites across the heavens o you %now

the laws of the universe and how the

heavens influence the earth Can you shoutto the clouds and ma%e it rain Can you

11!


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ma%e lightning appear and cause it to stri%e

as you direct it

DBho gives intuition and instinct Bhois wise enough to number all the clouds

Bho can tilt the water ars of heaven, when

everything is dust and clods Can you stal%

prey li%e a lioness, to satisfy the young

lions appetites as they lie in their dens, orlie in wait in the ungle Bho provides for

the ravens when their young cry out to 135

:+"?

If (e can do all that,

surely (e can take care

of you 7hink of what (ehas done

11$


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14 For Wa,er$ngFa$th

7he greatest and the

least have had times of

5uestioning their ownfaith. 7hese are the

special times when we

need to read some ofGod)s promises. 7hese

can be the *faith

scriptures, a few of

which I)m 5uoting first,

but often it can be those

special passages which118


119/183

might not relate to faith,

but which give you peacein those wavering times.

&herefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a

new creationL old things have passed awayLbehold, all things have become new.

1$

@BC?

&herefore submit to


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6ut without faith it is impossible to

please HimL for he who comes to


121/183

that you can %eep going no matter what

happens always full of the oy of the

5ord, and always than%ful to the Father whohas made us fit to share all the wonderful

things that belong to those who live in the

%ingdom of light. For he has rescued us out

of the dar%ness and gloom of #atans

%ingdom and brought us into the %ingdom ofhis dear #on, who bought our freedom with

his blood and forgave us all our sins.

1114 :+"?

4t was through what his #on did that


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and you are standing

there before him withnothing left against you

0 nothing left that he

could even chide you for3

the only condition is that you fully believe

the &ruth, standing in it steadfast and firm,

strong in the 5ord, convinced of the


123/183

ont let others spoil your faith and oy

with their philosophies, their wrong and

shallow answers built on mens thoughtsand ideas, instead of on what Christ has

said. For in Christ there is all of


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things down here. ?ou

should have a littledesire for this world as a

dead person does. ?our

real life is in heaven with4hrist and God. 6nd when

4hrist who is our real life

comes back again, you will

shine with him and share

in all his glories. 14

:+"?

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1 Heal$ng

9ickness can strike at.

any time, and we need tobe prepared with healing

scripture to ward off the

devil. 7he 8ible is full ofthem, but here are some

of my favorites

(ebrews


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If (e healed yesterday,

(e isgoing to heal today.7hat is one of the most

important things we can

ever learn about healingis that it is for today

6eloved, 4 wish above all things that

thou mayest prosper and be in health, even

as thy soul prospereth.


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4 shall not die, but live, and declare the

wor%s of the +ord. 1$

@BC?

D5et your heart retain my wordsL %eep

my commands and live.I

4

@BC?

657## &H7 5O=, 0 my soulL and all

that is within me, bless His holy nameG 6less

the 5O=, 2 my soul, 'nd forget not all His

benefits: who forgives all your ini$uities,

who heals all your diseases,

13 @BC

If we truly understand

salvation, we would know

that healing is a part of

the atonement, and we

would be healed at that

moment. &esus not only

forgives all of your but12$


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sins also heals all your

diseases

He sent His word and healed them, and

delivered them from their destructions.

20

@BC?

6ut He was wounded for our transE

gressions, He was bruised for our ini$uitiesL

the chastisement for our peace was upon

Him, and by His stripes we are healed.5

@BC?

$very disease that manhas ever had or will have

was put on the back of

&esus when he was on thecross. ?our sickness is

included in one of those

thirty@nine stripes.128


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7here)s no reason for

both you and &esushaving the same disease

...4f you will diligently hear%en to the

voice of the 5ord your 2!

AD%?

Bhen evening had come, they brought to

Him many who were demonEpossessed. 'ndHe cast out the spirits with a word, and

healed all who were sic%, that it might be

fulfilled which was spo%en by 4saiah the

prophet, saying: DHe Himself too% our

infirmities and bore our sic%nesses.I1!.1$

@BC?

129


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&esus healed 622 who

came to (im to behealed.

God is no respecter ofpersons for barren

womenB

He ma%eth the barren woman to %eep

house, and to be a oyful mother of children.

9

BC?

:here are ,*'nter babies- all o)er the

world where I ha)e laid hands on woen

and so7en this roise o/ God o)er the

-or the woman who hasmiscarriages

6ring all the tithes into the storehouse,

&hat there may be food in 9y house, and

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prove 9e now in this,I #ays the 5ord of

hosts, D4f 4 will not open for you the

windows of heaven 'nd pour out for yousuch blessing &hat there will not be room

enough to receive it. D'nd 4 will rebu%e the

devourer for your sa%es, #o that he will not

destroy the fruit of your ground, -or shall

the vine fail to bear fruit for you in thefield,I

1011

@BC?

*e roises 's when we tithe that the

/r'it o/ the )ine shall not /all be/ore its tie

in the /ield &o'r hildren are the /r'it o/

o'r wob so stand on that roise

Prayer 4loths-ow


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2aughter is GoodMedicineB

' merry heart doeth good li%e a

medicine: but a bro%en spirit drieth the

bones. 22

BC?

ee o'r sirits li/ted ' and la'gh

it is one o/ the ost ineensi)e ediines

7nown to an.

2aughter costs you

nothing, but the healingpowers are phenomenal

9y son, give attention to my wordsL

4ncline your ear to my sayings. o not let

them depart from your eyesL )eep them inthe midst of your heartL For they are life to

those who find them, 'nd health to all their

flesh.

2022

@BC?

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Deep God)s !ord in your

heart at all times.

D4 have heard your prayer, 4 have seen

your tearsL surely 4 will heal you...

5

@BC?

D6ehold, 4 am the 5O=, the


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hardness of heart, because they did not

believe those who had seen Him after He

had risen.14

@BC?

In the world we li)e in toda do'bt and

'nbelie/ reain two o/ the biggest obstalesto healing. Dost Ehristians ha)e no H'estion

abo't God6s abilit to heal b't where they

are onerned the see to ha)e a roble.

When it ,hits- hoe that is when it is

di//i'lt to belie)e /or o'rsel/ or o'r

/ail. We r'n into a real o/ ,hoe- b't

beond that it sees di//i'lt

We need to belie)e beond a shadow o/

do'bt that God wants to heal 's

God wants you

healthy,

wealthyand wise

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1% Who God Is

!hen you think the

enemy is bigger than youare, this is the kind of a

story you need to read.

#o one night the %ing of #yria sent a

great army with many chariots and horses

to surround the city. Bhen the prophets

servant got up early the ne8t morning and

went outside, there were troops, horses, andchariots everywhere.

D'las, my master, what shall we do

nowI he cried out to 7lisha.

Dont be afraidGI 7lisha told him.

DFor our army is bigger than theirsGI&hen 7lisha prayed, D5ord, open his

eyes and let him seeGI 'nd the 5ord opened

the young mans eyes so that he could see

horses of fire and chariots of fire

everywhere upon the mountainG

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Remember, there were

only two of them, butGod let him see into the

supernatural world's the #yrian army advanced upon

them, 7lisha prayed, D5ord, please ma%e

them blind.I 'nd he did.

&hen 7lisha went out and told them,

D;ouve come the wrong wayG &his isnt the

right cityG Follow me and 4 will ta%e you tothe man youre loo%ing for.I 'nd he led

them to #amariaG

's soon as they arrived 7lisha prayed,

D5ord, now open their eyes and let them

see.I 'nd the 5ord did, and they discoveredthat they were in #amaria, the capital city of

4sraelG 1420

:+"?

God gives us spiritualeyes with which to see

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1' F$nances

It doesn)t cost you

anything to give to God

:hat stateent b Bohn A)anini

robabl sho7ed o' as 'h as it did e.

*owe)er editate on itlet the /ingers o/

o'r ind reah o't to e)er ,gi)ing-

srit're o' 7now and diso)er that

witho't eetion when God tells o' to

gi)e *e roises ore in ret'rn than what

o' gi)e

God will meet your

*need, but not your

greed. "o we want moneyfor our personal desires,

or do we want it to

spread the gospel around13$


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the world# God)s !ord

tells us that it is '

...He who gives you power to get wealth,

that He may establish His covenant which

He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

(e'terono 8>18 @BC?

:o reei)e the )er best /ro God o'

'st gi)e o'r )er best to God I o/ten

thin7 o/ the eole who donated 'sed tea

bags /or the issionaries in (o'th Aeria.:he note whih aoanied the said.

,:here6s still one ' o/ tea le/t in eah

bag- God doesn6t honor that 7ind o/ gi)ing

b't *e does when o' gi)e *i o'r )er

best.I/ o'6)e e)er H'estioned God abo't

gi)ing or 'nsirit'al

strength for today

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