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Ephesians 6:17

Matt 4:4 … "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Here the Apostle Paul called "…the Lord, the Spirit." Our text verse says "… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 Peter 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.

John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.

John 6:68 … "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life… the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Revelation 1:16 And … out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword…

Luke 24:44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

2Tim 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Also see Jeremiah 23:28-29)

Jeremiah 35:13 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, … "Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words?" declares the LORD.

Ps 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word.

Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Acts 17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.

John 8:47 "He who is of God hears the words of God…

Num 15:31 'Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be on him.'"

Deut 4:2 "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

John 12:48 "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

John 14:23 … "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.

2Pet 1:21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Luke 11:28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it."

Ephesians 6:17 And take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

(* editing is done to shorten length - bolding if Scripture words are to emphasize subject)

Proverbs 13:13 The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

Proverbs 16:20 He who gives attention to the word shall find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

YHVH, grant us the ability to powerfully use the sword of the Spirit - to Your glory.

Father Your word has given us truth and by it we need to live - grant us further insight.

1. Where did the evil spirits go that Yeshua drove out of a man? (Luke 8)
2. Which state (house) was known as the southern kingdom?
3. What place was given to Caleb’s as his inheritance?
4. What happened to Paul at Lystra after the people had declared he was a god?
5. What were ascending and descending on Jacob’s stairway?
6. To whom did God give a sign of the sun moving backward to show him that he would be healed?
7. Who said, "Lord, save me"?

(Lessons from humility and faith.)

1Pet 1:15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

Yeshua, Savior, Word of God, fill Your people with Your Spirit of truth - Your word is truth.

In Solomon’s wise and comprehensive prayer, at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, he asked that this place would be the focal point for all people to pray toward. We need to examine ourselves before praying - for sin makes us a captive to self and Satan; from which we need deliverance. We need to admit our sin and turn to YHVH with all our being.

2Chr 6:36 "When they sin against Thee (for there is no man who does not sin) and Thou art angry with them and dost deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to a land far off or near, 37 if they take thought in the land where they are taken captive, and repent and make supplication to Thee in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, and have acted wickedly'; 38 if they return to Thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which Thou hast given to their fathers, and the city which Thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Thy name, 39 then hear from heaven, from Thy dwelling place, their prayer and supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Thy people who have sinned against Thee.

Creator of heaven and earth - forgive us our transgressions as we learn to forgive those that have transgress against us.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah; (2Cor 10:5)

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things. (Phil 4:8)

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Material in this section is based on various prayer diaries.

Courage

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

It's November 11, 1967.  LZ (landing zone) X-ray.

Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the Med Evac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.

Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.

As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.

You look up to see a Huey coming in. But ... It doesn't seem real because no Med Evac markings are on it.

Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you. He's not Med Evac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.

 
Even after the Med Evacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.

Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety.

And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!! Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.

He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force, died
… at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho …
 
May God Bless and Rest His Soul.

I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we've sure seen a whole lot about Hollywood personalities, the economy and bickering in congress.

Honor this real American.

A Father, a Daughter and a Dog
A story by Catherine Moore

"Watch out! You nearly broad-sided that car!" My father yelled at me. "Can't you do anything right?"

Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.

"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving…" Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts.... dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil. What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing.

At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived. But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, and then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone…

My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue.

Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind.

But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.

The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered in vain. Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article…"

I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.

I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed.

Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hip bones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" 

The officer looked, and then shook his head in puzzlement. "He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow." He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror… "You mean you're going to kill him?"

"Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said. I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch... "Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly.

Dad looked, and then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it" Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples. "You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!"

Dad ignored me… "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw… Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.

It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at is feet.

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night.. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.

The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life.

And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." "I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before:  the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article... Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter ...his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father… and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.

Life is too short for drama or petty things, so laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly. Live While You Are Alive. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time.

God answers our prayers in His time........not ours.

If you ever testify in court, you might wish you could have been as sharp as this policeman… He was being cross-examined by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the police officer's credibility ...   

Q:  'Officer --- did you see my client fleeing the scene?'   

A:   'No sir… But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away.' 

Q:   'Officer -- who provided this description?'   
 
A:   'The officer who responded to the scene.'  

Q:   'A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?' 
  
A:   'Yes, sir. With my life.' 

Q:   'With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?' 

A:   'Yes sir, we do!' 

Q:   'And do you have a locker in the room?'   

A:   'Yes sir, I do.' 

Q: 'And do you have a lock on your locker?' 

A:   'Yes sir.' 

Q:   'Now why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with these same officers?'  

A:   'You see, sir -- we share the building with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room.'

The courtroom EXPLODED with laughter, and a prompt recess was called. The officer on the stand has been nominated for this year's 'Best Comeback' line - and we think he'll win.

Have a good day!

by Greg Gordon - (founder of SermonIndex.net)

There is one conclusive truth that we must never lose sight of, even when spiritually speaking we are not feeling like giants, or supermen, but rather like tired souls trying to break through the storm clouds and into the light.

Eph 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore… 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Be the best of whatever you are.

If it were not for hopes, the heart would break.

One of the greatest arts of living is the art of forgiving.

Never let the opportunity to say a kind word pass you by.

Self is the only prison that can ever bind the soul.

Hot heads and cold hearts never solve anything.

The best time to reconcile is at once.

Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…)

Eph 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God… 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

1. Into a herd of pigs - Luke 8:29-33

2. House of Judah

3. Hebron - Joshua 14:13

4. He was stoned and left for dead - Acts 14:8, 19

5. Angels of God - Genesis 28:12

6. Hezekiah - 2 Kings 20:8-11

7. Peter - Matthew 14:29-30