Hi Brian! 

It was SO good to see you, Kristine and the girls! We'll continue with the Jehovah names of God this week with "Jehovah-M'Kaddesh". We will be looking at three verses in the Old Testament. 

Leviticus 20:8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you. KJV

Ezekiel 37:28  And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. KJV

Ex 31:13 Say to the Israelites, Truly you shall keep My Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you [set you apart for Myself ].  AMP

"M'Kaddesh", according to Strong's Concordance, is a primitive root which means to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon adds this: to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, to be holy, to be separate. He sees us as set apart from the world and set apart UNTO Himself! A search of the name brought up this statement (sources: The Names of God by Ken Hemphill and Logos Bible Software): God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy.

There is nothing that we can ever DO that would make us holy or sanctified or set apart. It took God's wonderful plan of Salvation and the willingness of Jesus to align His will with the will of the Father. Those of us who have received Jesus as Lord and personal Savior have been supernaturally made new (2 Corinthians 5:17) and set apart from unbelievers to be members of God's own family! He IS the Lord Who has set us apart and has already blessed us with ALL we will ever need! When I meditate on this I think of you and your beautiful daughters! You and Kristine have provided an environment where they are able to learn, grow and develop into the unique, intelligent and gifted "little women" that they are! God has done no less for us! We have so much more to look forward to as we continue to dig into His Word! I LOVE it! Here is Hillsong United with a song we've used before that just seems appropriate! "Say The Word":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

This week we have another of the Jehovah Names! This one is Jehovah Rohi. This is found in Psalm 23:1:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. KJV

This is the Hebrew word "ra`ah" or "ro`eh". Strong's Concordance says: to tend a flock, to pasture it, to graze, to rule. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon adds this: shepherd, teacher, herdsman, special friend. I like the Amplified Bible for this and other portions of Scripture that I make confessions from.

1 THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. AMP

Having grown up on a sheep farm, I am well acquainted with the fact that sheep NEED a shepherd! They would literally eat themselves to death, by eating too much fresh green grass, which can cause severe bloating and can lead to death. They have to be herded and directed to the safe and abundant places to eat, as do we! As our Shepherd, Jesus provides His Word as our food, and also leads and directs us in the way we should go! That would be the way of obedience to the Word, and faith, trust and confidence in HIS ability to lead, guide and direct us! Here is Psalm 23 in it's entirety:

1 THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. 2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.  [Rev 7:17.] 3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him — not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.  4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. 
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.  6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place. AMP

How completely blessed we are to have the God of the Universe as our Shepherd! In every situation, His eyes go over the whole earth to find ways to show Himself strong in our behalf!  (2 Chronicles 6:9). We can COUNT in Him! We can Trust Him to ALWAYS have our best interest in mind! Here is Hillsong with "Emmanuel":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

I hope you had a fantastic birthday and that this blog as your birthday gift is still a blessing to you! We're continuing with the Names of God this week with Jehovah Shammah. This is found in Ezekiel 48:35:

35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there. KJV

Along with Jehovah that we already covered, we have "shammah", which Strong's Concordance says means: The Lord is there. This is also a symbolic name for Jerusalem. After the building of the Temple, and up until the resurrection of Jesus, the presence of the Lord on the earth was in the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place, where no person except the High Priest could enter, and then only under certain very strict rules and requirements. Anyone with petitions, sacrifices or offerings needed to go through the High Priest. There is great significance in the veil of the Temple, which divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, splitting in two from the very top to the bottom. Once Jesus rose from the dead, everyone who called on the Name of the Lord to be saved BECAME the new Holy of Holies! God the Holy Spirit enters into the new believer and recreates their dead spirit man into the image of God and remains INSIDE of every believer. Now we can say that Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is There, means IN ME! He is ALWAYS present in me (and YOU) and for every need or situation, I have only to speak to Him within and He will answer with that still small voice of leading, guidance and direction! It is such a comfort, encouragement and empowering Truth that the God of all knowledge, wisdom and power resides right inside! I hope that this Truth will encourage you that YOU can DO all things through HIM! Philippians 4:13 AMP:

13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]. AMP

We are continuing to pray for you, Kristine and your lovely family, and one of those prayers is that each new year will be the very BEST year of your lives so far! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with another new song called "Face To Face":

I remember when I called Your name

There I knew I'd never be the same

Love came rushing to this heart of mine

Like You waited for this all my life

I remember when I learned to pray

Close to You I find my hiding place

And Your Spirit looks within my soul

And Your presence keeps me wanting more

When I think upon your wounded hands

And how you begun a great romance

I will take your bread and take your wine

To remember what you sacrificed

Now I'm serving for Your kingdom come

Where You're leading me is where I'll run

Jesus I can be your hands and feet

And let my life remember You my King

I need You more than anything

Lord here I am

I'm reaching out

I will lay me down and surrender

I'll sing Your name

I'll sing it loud

You are all I want, now forever

[x2]

Lord here I am

And the day shall come when I will rise

Finally I'll see you face to face

With the heavens I will glorify

Crown You Lord for eternity

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

We are continuing with the Jehovah Names of God today with "Jehovah-Rapha". We find this is Exodus 15:26:

26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that heals thee. KJV

"Rapha" is a primitive Hebrew root word that, according to Strong's Concordance, means: to mend (by stitching), to cure. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon adds this: to heal, to make healthful. Vine's Expository Dictionary adds this: To heal may be described as "restoring to normal"; and also this: A large number of the uses of rapha express the "healing" of the nation — such "healing" not only involves God's grace and forgiveness, but also the nation's repentance. Two verses that deal with national healing are Hosea 6:1:

6 Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. KJV

 ...  and Jeremiah 30:17:

17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeks after. KJV

And then one that has been used a lot lately with the way this country has been headed: 2 Chronicles 7:14:

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. KJV

It has been very encouraging for me to think that the God Who has already provided for the total healing and health of my physical body, also concerns Himself with making our nation strong again "IF"! That "if" is the condition that must be met first, but notice that it doesn't say ALL people, only HIS people! I firmly believe that if I do MY part, then I can have confidence that He will cause the blessings to continue to flow into my life, even if others choose NOT to obey! I remain in complete agreement with you and Kristine for the health and healing of your entire family, AND for the restoration that is needed for you to continue to prosper and have favor in your careers and in everything you put your hands to! After all, this Jehovah IS the God Whose arm has NOT been shortened (Isaiah 50:2 and 59:1)! He IS the same God He has always been and He changes not (Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8)! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with a song from their new album called "This Is Real Love":

Staring into Your eyes
Makes my heart come alive
Suddenly brought to life
When I met You

Reaching beyond the skies
Running deep, stretching wide
Perfect love realized
Here with You

Yeah this love is for real
You will never let go
Never let go, oh
And it's more than just words
Love beyond my control
Out of control

This is real love
This is real love
[x2]

You're pulling me closer and closer
Holding my heart till the very end
Jesus, I'm found in your freedom
This is real love, this is real love

In Your heart, I'm found
I want You, I want You
You won't let me down
You got me, You got me

Yeah this love is for real
You will never let go
Never let go, oh
And it's more than just words
Love beyond my control
Out of control

You're pulling me closer and closer
Holding my heart till the very end
Jesus, I'm found in your freedom
This is real love, this is real love
Oh
[x2]

Staring into Your eyes
Makes my heart come alive
Suddenly brought to life
When I met You

This is real love
This is real love
[x2]

You're pulling me closer and closer
Holding my heart till the very end
Jesus, I'm found in your freedom
This is real love, this is real love
This is real love

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!