We are commanded of the LORD to pray peace over Jerusalem. This commandment has blessing attached to it as those that love Jerusalem will prosper.
Prosperity is more than just financial wealth but it is the Blessing of the LORD in all areas of our lives. These Blessings include physical health, emotional health, financial blessings, relational blessings and mental health blessings
We must stay in unity as this pleases the LORD. That ointment is mentioned in Exodus 30:22-33, 22 Moreover he Lord spake unto Moses, saying,23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, 24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin. Notice that it is the combination of the ingredients that makes the ointment precious.
Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Unity can only be accomplished when love and peace are present.
Years ago I built a brick planter in front of my home in Southern California. I have experience as a carpenter but not as a bricklayer. While building this planter outside of my bay window, I learned so much about unity. There were times when the cement was not right or the brick not moist enough that it caused them to separate.
The lack of love and peace will cause separation and this will cause loss of strength. John Gill’s commentary speaks of the bond as being knit together. John Gill wrote: “We serve the God who is the God of Peace, Jesus Christ who is the Prince of Peace; and the Holy Spirit whose fruit is peace; and the Gospel, which is the Gospel of peace; and the character which the saints bear, which is that of sons of peace”. It is in our spiritual DNA to walk in love, unity and peace with others.
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Strife is listed in Galatians 5:20 as one of the works of the flesh. It is one of the enemies favorite tools to use
between the people of God.
We know that according to John 10:10 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Years ago my wife and I had started a home bible study. Everything was going great until someone came with a spirit of strife. Instead of allowing us to focus on the message of salvation they began inserting negative comments regarding topics we were not even covering. This caused confusion to come in and the strife spread.
We were able to bring things back in order but I was battling with the emotion and spirit of what happened. Shortly after this my daughters closet door was binding and sticking and I removed it to reset the hinge. Instead of finding the proper tool I grabbed a razor knife and began to cut away the wood to allow the hinge to sit properly. I was thinking about the strife situation and I was still seething to a degree. Suddenly the razor knife slipped and put a slice into my left thumb that was quite severe. My first reaction was to grab my thumb immediately and wrap it in a towel as it was bleeding profusely.
As my wife drove me to the emergency the thoughts of strife came flooding back to my mind. I am not saying that I was being punished or even that the enemy did it. But I could see what happens in the spirit when strife comes. Strife wounds and separates us, strife causes us to be immobilized. For many weeks after this accident I could be walking down the street when without warning my right hand would grab my left thumb even though the wound was now healing and stitched together. You see there was still the memory in my emotions that needed healing. I had to ask the Lord to heal me and deliver me from that memory.
One of the things that remains after all this time is the scar on my thumb. Strife will cause scars that are not easily erased. Pray that the Lord will steer you clear of strife. We are called to Love our neighbor as our self. Make it a point to pray for all those you are in contact with on a daily basis. Pray for family, friends and loved ones you have not seen for some time. Pray that God would send messengers of peace across their paths.
1 Timothy 2:1 2 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men:
Job 42:10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Jesus is asked a great question Matthew 22:36-40
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
There’s a story told about a “halfway” house in the Swiss Alps, named this because it as located exactly halfway up one of the mountains. People climbing the peak would stop to rest before continuing on their journey. Once they stepped inside the house, they felt the great warmth rush over them and heard the crackling of fire, their senses would become overwhelmed, and they’d melt into soft chairs and the soft sounds of a piano playing lightly in the background. The warm comfort of the cabin, starkly contrasted the cold, hard mountain they’d been climbing all day.
Everyday, after the climbers would eat a delicious meal, a change would come over them. About half of the climbers would say, “Hey, we’re just going to wait here. We’re going to settle in. The rest of you go on ahead and we’ll catch you on the way back.” Everyday about half of the climbers would go on up the mountain and the other half would linger behind. Those who chose to remain would wave goodbye to the others and then they’d spend the next hour or so playing games, relaxing and talking, and indulging in more coffee and desserts. But around 3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon, something always happened among the group that decided to stay behind.
Members of the group would begin to go over to the large picture window, look up at the top of the peak, and wonder about the others. The atmosphere would go from laughter and happiness to one of disappointment. Despondency would set in as they wondered about their decision to quit the rest of the climb. They chose to forfeit excellence for the mediocre. And in that moment they would realize – they weren’t going to achieve the goal they’d set that morning, the goal of reaching the top of the mountain.
Interestingly enough, in Latin, the word “mediocre” literally means halfway up a stony mountain.” That story may be an old legend passed down over time, but I believe there are mountains we all climb, and countless “halfway” houses along the way tempting us to just sit back, relax, and take it easy. It is important as we journey together that we stay focused on the Lord and those on the journey with us.
While those temptations may be inviting, they only last for a season and then we’re left to watch others go on ahead and rationalize to ourselves why we aren’t climbing the mountain.
Let’s remember Paul’s words in Galatians 6:5 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Press forward as Paul the Apostle pressed for the mark and be one of those that endures to the end.
Romans 15:5-6 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Corporate worship and praise to the Lord in one accord brings heavenly visitations in our services and our individual lives.
Ephesians 4:1-6 4 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
My wife and I along with a few families planted a church in Southern California some years ago. We were fighting the good fight of faith and were facing many obstacles that seemed to keep coming. We remained faithful and continued in prayer and in one accord waiting for a breakthrough to come.
During that time our 3 year old daughter had what we believe was a vision based on what she described. She woke up after midnight and came to my wife telling her to change her pajamas because they were wet. My wife took her to the restroom and they were not wet but completely dry. To calm her down my wife changed her just the same. My daughter also told my wife that she saw two men in the house and when they told me I jumped out of bed and checked all the doors and windows and everything was locked and secured.
My wife was able to calm her down and went back to sleep and we decided we would speak with her in the morning. The next morning she said there were two men in our bedroom and one was as tall as the ceiling in our bedroom which would have been 8 ft tall and the other man was just a little smaller. She said that the man touched everything in the room including all the furniture and everything was messy. We asked her what color clothes were the men wearing and she said white. We then asked her what color was the mess that they made on all the furniture and she said red. She said they touched everyone and everything and red was everywhere and that it was a mess and wanted to know if my wife had cleaned it.
She then said that the very tall man in white was not happy. He had his arms crossed and was looking towards the window with a angry look. We asked her why was he angry? and she replied because of the ones outside looking in the window. They were scary and ugly she said. I was pondering this and had a thought that there are times we want everything to be just perfect and not a problem in sight. Jesus never said we would never have a problem, a trial or tribulation. Jesus however did say in Matthew 28:20 that he would be with us always and even until the end of the world, Amen.
The Word tells us to count it all joy…..Glorify God and give Him all the Glory…All things work together for our good.
Matthew 6:9-13
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen
First Step to enter into prayer is Praise (Hallowed be) vs 9
Psalm 100: 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Psalm 149:1 Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
The New Covenant granted us access to use the Name of Jesus when we pray.
1st Timothy 2:3-4 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
1. Halal
To boast foolishly, to make a show of it. (Strong’s 1984
To praise vocally in song or shouts. (Strong’s 8416)
To praise with instruments, alone or with voices. (Strong’s 2167)
A shouting call for corporate praise. (Strong’s 2149)
To lift or throw arms upward in praise and surrender. (Strong’s 3034)
To sing praises together as one community, in harmony. (Strong’s 8426)
Reach out with affection for God, to feel His hold on us. (Strong’s 7623a)For