Servias Ministries Blog

The following excerpts are from a writing by our friend Alan:

NKJ John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

NKJ John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit”.

I was taught early in my spiritual journey that God ‘cut covenants’ with certain individuals, and that was the basis for much of the Bible; God ‘cut’ different covenants with certain men to achieve God’s goals. That description never tasted very good to me, though I wasn’t able to say why I could not comfortably embrace that idea. As I began to study the verses in the O.T. which address the idea of ‘covenant’, I discovered the real error in the line of thinking, at least for my ‘theology’, which describes God as ‘cutting covenant’ with specific individuals.

KJV Genesis 6:18 “But with thee will I establish (Strong’s # H6965 is the root verb used here) my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark; thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.” At this juncture can you imagine that the phrase “…come into the ark”, rather than describing physically entering into a large wooden box that can float above the death of destructive waters, can instead be referring to entering into a new level of thought and understanding, also referred to as a ‘covenant’? Can you consider that the ‘flood’ was actually a flood of words that would be used to kill and destroy and wash away an old and disorderly way of thinking, so that a new level of thinking (covenant) would be available?

NKJ Hebrews 9:8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was yet standing:

The Hebrew verb ‘qum’, pronounced in English as ‘Qoom’, iis Strong’s #6965, and is used many times in the Old Testament scriptures. The first place I can find the word appearing is in Gen. 4:8: “…Cain rose up (Strong’s #6965) against Abel his brother…”

The impact of the verb ‘’qoom’ is the idea of embracing the thought, or instructions, of ascending to a higher position of authority, and/or of obedient action. The word is generally used to communicate the activity of one who takes instructions from another to do something they weren’t previously doing. Most often it represents when a superior motivates a subordinate to do something: i.e., ‘Arise’; ‘stand up’; ‘rise up’; ‘go forth’; etc. In that context, then, let us consider this. “But with you I will establish (#6965) my covenant…” [Gen. 6:18]

This verse is also the first place in the scriptures that the word ‘covenant’ is used; in Hebrew and in English. The literal translation of these Hebrew words into English is as this: “I will cause to stand up (Strong’s #6965), in you and with you, my covenant”. The ‘covenant of God’ is the presence of God. And God is Spirit, on the authority of Yashua. That covenant declaration was not a promise to just Noah, and whatever ‘noah’ represents. This declaration was for all of mankind; all of humanity; ‘adam’, in all of ‘adam’s’ varied manifestations. For God is no respecter of persons. [Rom. 2:11, James 2:9, Acts 10:34] The idea being introduced here is that when man is obedient to the Spirit of God, the covenant of God ‘stands up’ in man. And the covenant of God is the Spirit Presence of God.

Many times throughout the O.T. we find this language being used to say that if a certain individual is obedient to the Spiritual instructions he/she is receiving from God, that God will cause to ‘stand up’ in them his presence; His covenant in them. God doesn’t make external covenant conditions with man. When man is obedient to the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God ‘stands up’ in man. And all who embrace the instructions and corrections from the Spirit partake of the benefit of having the Spirit of God ‘stand up’ in them; in their experience and in their actions and in their lives. When one hears something from the Spirit of God that causes them to embrace what they heard, the Spirit of God is being elevated in that individual. And all who embrace and accept, for themselves, that same idea of what was ‘heard’, also accept and endorse the benefit that goes with that level of Spirit obedience. For God is no respecter of persons. This Spiritual principle works whether or not one understands it.

…

As the blood of Yashua was flowing forth from the wound in his side, water also flowed forth. What does water represent? The Word of God is often represented as water. “Out of your belly shall flow rivers of Living Water” rather than the ‘death’ waters of a destructive flood. The water and the Spirit and the Word are all used synonymously as representing the coming forth of the Spirit of God from within. As believers, we are encouraged to embrace baptism in water, and baptism in the Spirit. Yashua breathed upon them and said, “Receive you the Holy Spirit”. [John 20:22] The word ‘breath’ is most often associated with Spirit. The very breath that sustains us, in this physical dimension, is the gift of God.

The Breath of God and the Spirit of God are one and the same. For God is Spirit, and does not need to breathe as man needs to breathe. And if you can breathe, you are a candidate for manifestation of Covenant Life with Father. God has elevated His Covenant in ‘adam’ to another level. And in this Third Day experience, the Aquarius sign (which astronomically we have entered into) of the man with the pitcher of water being poured out has taken on a new and higher spiritual importance. The Spirit Words of God flowing forth from us believers is synonymous with the water being poured out by the man with the pitcher of water. And we must expend breath to speak the Word. Yashua breathed upon them and said these Words: “Receive the Holy Spirit”. [John: 20:22] ‘Tis by the breath of God that we speak the Words of God.

The Beloved Disciple wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 John chapter 3:

1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

How is FATHER to be revealed to the world?  Through us!  Jesus said Himself (in John chapter 14:7)  “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”  Our purpose is to reveal FATHER to the world which in turn will destroy the works of the devil:

8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Many believers are up in arms about the political situations around the world yet our focus should be to reveal FATHER to mankind.  That is the purpose of Sons and Daughters of Our Heavenly Father.  As we fully mature, we shall be like HIM for we shall see HIM as HE is.  How do we mature?  By purifying ourselves with HIS Word, both by HIS written Word and HIS Word spoken to us by HIS Most Holy Spirit.  What is the key aspect of FATHER being revealed in us?  By Agape Love, for by Love FATHER is revealed to mankind as the Beloved Disciple wrote In chapter 4:

7  Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience].

8  The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for GOD is Love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]

9  By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him.

10  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath].

11  Beloved, if God so loved us [in this incredible way], we also ought to love one another.

12  No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us.

13  By this we know [with confident assurance] that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given to us His [Holy] Spirit.  AMPL

If Love does not abide in us and through us, then we do not know FATHER nor have we ever known HIM (verse 8).  This is quite an indictment against many who profess to be Christians.  How can we destroy the works of the devil if we are not motivated by the pure Agape Love given to us by FATHER?  Let each of us repent of any past works that did not reflect FATHER’S unconditional Love for mankind.  Many focus on being strong in faith or focus on the prophetic yet if they do not walk in Agape Love, their faith and works are motivated by self interest and will not last.

The works of the devil have reached a crescendo in this world but there is a remnant who has grasped the Truth found in the above passages and are growing stronger each day in Agape Love.  Let us build our foundation on Agape Love as we purify ourselves in The  Word and we will reveal FATHER to the world by both Word and deed.  This is what will destroy the works of the devil.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Titus chapter 3:

8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.

10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition,

11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

Dissension is a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony; discord implying an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.  When people are not walking in Agape Love, they will allow their carnal man to argue and dispute others’ beliefs in a certain area of focus.  Politics is one such area and religion is another.  It is pointless, unprofitable, and useless to argue with people about such topics for without the exact Truth, nobody will be enlightened.

When a person resists the Truth, we should avoid entering into any topic which will generate strife and contention for that person’s understanding is either non-existent or warped, thus the person is blinded to the Truth.  He or she is condemned to failure in the area of blindness and will produce no good fruit.  They will pursue a course of action and fail, then try again without changing thus producing the same outcome.

As we continue to mature in being led by THE SPIRIT, we will avoid such foolish disputes and contentions for we will see how unprofitable and useless they are.  An excellent example is the young person recently graduated from school thinks they know “everything about everything” yet they have not figured out yet that seeking and heeding wise counsel will benefit their life more than a harsh experience revealing the reality they previously rejected.

We are urged with the faithful saying and constant affirmation to be careful to maintain good works for these works are good and profitable to men and women.  Let us find out what we can agree on with those who tend to argue with us and stay clear of topics which generate disputes and discord.  Let us not take up time and focus on unprofitable and useless discussions whish serves no one. 

Allow The Holy Spirit to minister to those who are self-condemned, warped, and in sin to see the light.  Until then, they will only burn up time and resources going down the path which leads to nowhere.  They may be successful in one area of life but that does not mean it transfers to another area where they have no knowledge, skill, understanding, or Wisdom.  This is precisely why we should endeavor to walk and be fully led by The Holy Spirit for FATHER is not lacking in any area.  HIS Divine Intent will direct us in an area we know little about to seek out HIS vessel who is called to be an expert in the area of our need or where we lack skill, knowledge, or understanding.

Luke wrote by THE SPIRIT in chapter 1:

1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,

2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,

3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,

4 that you may know the certainty of those things (the exact Truth) in which you were instructed.

The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to convey the exact Truth with perfect understanding so we could be thoroughly instructed in The Way of Jesus Christ.  Luke further wrote by THE SPIRIT in the book of Acts:

1  The first account I made, Theophilus, was [a continuous report] about all the things that Jesus began to do and to teach

2  until the day when He ascended to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given instruction to the apostles (special messengers) whom He had chosen.

3  To these [men] He also showed Himself alive after His suffering [in Gethsemane and on the cross], by [a series of] many infallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations, appearing to them over a period of forty days and talking to them about the things concerning the kingdom of God.

When we read the New Testament, we need to keep in mind the preciseness of this exact Truth given to us by FATHER through HIS Holy Spirit for our behalf.  Men try to provide their own interpretation when they have not experienced the literal Truth themselves, justifying and rationalizing why some portions should be looked at as only metaphors.  A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.  I believe FATHER uses both the literal and exact Truth as well as related metaphors surrounding the exact Truth to instruct us of HIS Divine Intent.

If you try to assign each event only as a metaphor, then you miss a blessing.  When Jesus raised the dead, He literally performed a miracle which confirmed His power and authority to the people.  When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the angel literally manifested in the physical and spoke FATHER’S Divine Intent to her.

We have an angel show up from time to time at our house.  We had not mentioned this angel’s presence to anyone until our five year-old grandson who spent the night, woke up and spoke to the angel who appeared to him early the next morning.  At breakfast, our grandson told my wife of his encounter.  He describe the angel precisely like my wife had seen herself.  The angel’s lips did not move but still spoke to our grandson.  At first, our grandson pulled the covers over his head but was told to not be afraid.  He asked the angel why he was there and the angel replied “I like to come and spend time here.”  He then departed.  Angels are not metaphors, they are real.  We were given an independent confirmation by an innocent child who had no idea of our previous encounters.

We are grateful for the exact Truth ministering life to us by FATHER.  HIS great grace and mercy has sustained us as we continue to mature IN HIM and become physical expressions of HIS Love toward mankind.  I know for a certainty that HE says what HE means and HE means what HE says.  HE desires to give us the perfect understanding of HIS Divine Intent so let us embrace every Word spoken by HIS firstborn Son so that we make walk as vessels of honor.

FATHER gave Moses instructions in Leviticus chapter 23 for celebrating special events:

23 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.’ ”

And…

39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.

40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.

41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths,

43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.’ ”

44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

These particular feasts are The Feast of Trumpets and The Feast of Tabernacles although FATHER has other feasts mentioned in this chapter the children of Israel are to observe.  These particular feasts are celebrated in the September-October timeframe each year.  Jesus was born in 2 B.C. at the time of Israel’s Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashana), which fell on September 29 that year. Two thousand years later is 1999 A.D. (Remember, since there is no year zero, two thousand years from 2 B.C. comes to 1999, rather than 1998 A.D.) 

The Feast of Trumpets changes each year, much like Passover and Easter, because these are calculated according to a lunar calendar. And so, whereas the Feast of Trumpets fell on September 29 back in 2 B.C., it falls on September 11 in 1999 A.D. This is properly Jesus’ 2000^th birthday according to the Hebrew calendar.  Thus Jesus’ birthday is celebrated each year by the blowing of trumpets by the children of Israel even though they are not fully aware of the implication established by FATHER for this time of celebration.

Luke wrote by THE SPIRIT in Luke chapter 1:

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

When did Mary become pregnant?  By reckoning the the average length of human gestation being 280 days, or 40 weeks, Mary would have been overshadowed by The Holy Spirit on the evening of December 24th, 3 B.C.  According to the Hebrew day, this would have been December 25th (sundown to sundown).  Therefore, the whole world actually celebrates the miracle of Jesus being formed in the womb each year known as Christ-mas Day.  Therefore, everyone unknowingly honors the beginning of life in the womb occurring at conception by this global celebration.  Jesus was the ultimate gift of Love given to all of mankind and all the lights we see at Christmas are simply a reminder that the Light of the world is actually being celebrated whether people realize it or not.  Think about it and don’t be too tough on those who celebrate Christmas for the wrong reason for the season!  Enjoy the lights of celebration.

It is written by THE SPIRIT in 1st Samuel 10, Saul was anointed by Samuel who spoke:

7 And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.

8 You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”

9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

The in chapter 13:

6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits.

7 And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.  As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

8 Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

9 So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.

10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.

11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?”  Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,

12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

We must let patience have its perfect work no matter what we see and hear that is contrary to FATHER’S instructions.  Saul failed to heed the directives set forth by Samuel and his kingdom was removed from him.  Our carnal man will attempt to influence our actions and get us to move ahead of FATHER’S plan but we must be patient and understand that there are aspects to FATHER’S Divine Intent we are unable to see or comprehend.  The world is producing a “now” generation with no patience and an expectation of instant gratification.  Smart phones are a leading cause of this expectation and people’s attention are glued to their smart phones even as they are driving, putting others a risk.

When in doubt, do nothing.  FATHER will give us knowledge and skill but we also need Wisdom and understanding to know the when and why of a directive in order to stay in FATHER’S Divine Intent.  Being led by THE SPIRIT completes the “what, how, where, when, and why” of any situation.  When Jesus was summoned to go to Lazarus, He waited until FATHER directed Him to go even though others were pressuring Him to return and heal Lazarus prior to his death.  No problem, Jesus simply raised Lazarus from the dead which astounded everyone.

When we are faced with apparent insurmountable odds, we must not allow impatience to cause us to act too quickly.  We must remain at rest, knowing that FATHER will empower us at the precise time HE directs us to take action.  In the meantime, be patient.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Titus chapter 3:

1  Remind people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready and willing to do good,

2   to slander or abuse no one, to be kind and conciliatory and gentle, showing unqualified consideration and courtesy toward everyone.

3  For we too once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various sinful desires and pleasures, spending and wasting our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

4   But when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared [in human form as the Man, Jesus Christ],

5   He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

6   whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7   so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be [acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee).

Mystery Babylon continues to promote chaos, confusion, and division among the masses.  On the other hand, we should be promoting unity, enlightenment, and Love toward all mankind for we were once no different from those who have been caught up in the division and strife.  We must not allow the media to sweep us up into the strife and division promoted by those who wish to manipulate and control mankind.  FATHER will use those who are called to expose men and spread the Truth to bring down the powers associated with the current system in due time.  The mass media knows how to excite the emotions of those who can easily be tossed to and fro for their nefarious purposes but let us not be counted among them.

We are called to be standards of light thus we should walk in kindness and be conciliatory, we should be known as peacemakers.  As Jesus stated in Matthew chapter 5:

9 ​​Blessed are the peacemakers,

​​For they shall be called sons of GOD.

Words and acts of kindness dispel division and promote unity among those we encounter.  As we are led by THE SPIRIT and remove the barriers caused by confusion and division, we are able to bring forth a willingness to hear the Truth and set men and women free from the bondage they are in.  If they were at peace within themselves, they would not allow themselves to be manipulated by others.  Deep down, they are seeking fulfillment but are unable to find it because of their current blindness.  As our light shines upon their darkness, their eyes will be opened to see and hear the Truth of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  This will bring forth the needed cleansing and regeneration which leads to peace in their hearts.  FATHER has richly poured out The Holy Spirit for mankind’s benefit so let us be conduits toward mankind and eliminate the divisions which currently exist and separates them from the Love of THE FATHER.

David wrote by THE SPIRIT wrote in Psalm chapter 16:

8 ​​I have set the LORD always before me; ​​Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

​9 ​​Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; ​​My flesh also will rest in hope.

And in Psalm 42:

11 ​​Why are you cast down, O my soul?  ​​And why are you disquieted within me?

​​Hope in God; ​​For I shall yet praise Him, ​​The help of my countenance and my God.

The first step to receiving Christ and walking according to His Ways is by establishing hope.  Hope is the confident expectation of what GOD has promised and its strength is in HIS faithfulness to carry out HIS Word on our behalf.  Without hope, people end up suffering with mental depression and despair.  They attempt to numb their feelings by substance abuse and even suicide.  When we have hope we walk in happiness as recorded in Psalm 146:

​5 ​​Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, ​​Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 ​​Who made heaven and earth, ​​The sea, and all that is in them; ​​Who keeps truth forever,

7 ​​Who executes justice for the oppressed, ​​Who gives food to the hungry. ​​The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.

​8 ​​The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; ​​The LORD raises those who are bowed down; ​​The LORD loves the righteous.

9 ​​The LORD watches over the strangers; ​​He relieves the fatherless and widow; ​​But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

You and I should be the happiest people around!  If we don’t exude happiness among those we encounter, how can we expect them to seek out the Source of our hope?  Mystery Babylon brings forth chaos and confusion resulting in the loss of hope for those who do not know and trust in FATHER.  Why do you think the drug trade continues to be such a problem around the world?  They have no hope of positive change in their lives and their souls seek out a means to remove their despair.

There are ministries who have a calling to provide hope to the masses and we must not be critical of their message for they have opened the door for the masses to seek our FATHER.  As people get a taste of hope, we are then able to further their maturing process by showing them FATHER’S unconditional Love and how to walk in faith.  On the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, Peter spoke by THE SPIRIT as he quoted Psalm 16:8-11, (the above passage).  That day of transition brought hope to the people and the body of believers grew dramatically.  The people need true hope and we are the ones charged with providing them with enduring hope so let us walk in this manner each day!  They are in desperate need of finding this hope and will know it when they see it.  Let us not forget the great Love chapter Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 13:

13  And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Let us not forget about ministering hope.

In the U.S., we celebrate Thanksgiving commemorating a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621.  A local church had the following on their street sign:  “Make America grateful again”.  How appropriate!

The following should cause you to smile:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_gOZDWQj3Q&feature=youtu.be

Wisdom spoke in Proverbs chapter 16:

23 ​​The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,

​​And adds learning to his lips.

​24 ​​Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

​​Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

The word pleasant means: to be pleasant, be beautiful, be sweet, be delightful, be lovely.  Focusing on the positive when we speak brings forth life and health to the recipient.  FATHER’S Divine Intent is accomplished when we speak unconditional, sincere words of Love toward others.  The old man will always look for weakness and flaws in others rather than their positive qualities because of the desire to exalt himself above those whom we encounter.  On the other hand, words of kindness bring forth unity and remove protective barriers.  Kind words toward others remove the focus of judgment.  Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 7:

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.

2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?

5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Many people speak subtle words of judgment in their interactions with others and then say they were just “kidding” but the intent and damage has already occurred.  We must add learning to our lips as Wisdom directs.  As we focus on speaking forth words of life and no longer allow those piercing words of judgment to come forth out of our lips, we will promote life and healing to the recipient.  This includes our own confession about ourselves.  Let us speak words of encouragement and life today.

As we guard our mouths from speaking forth words contrary to FATHER’S Divine Intent, we will experience sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.