Hi Brian!

It looks like you are all having a wonderful time! The word for this week is "resurrection". We'll be looking at these verses:

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: KJV

Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. KJV

Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: KJV

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. KJV

These are all the Greek word "anastasis". Strong's Concordance says: a standing up again. Thayer's Greek Lexicon adds: a raising up. Rising (from a seat), a rising from death (of Christ and of men at the end of the present age). The resurrection of Jesus was the fulfillment of God's plan and promise for the salvation of all mankind. Taking our sin upon Himself and dying for us would not have been complete without His rising from that death! That was the witness and evidence of the defeat of the enemy on our behalf. And yet, everything being done decently and in order, He still does not force it on us, but leaves the choice of receiving all that He has done up to us! Once we accept and receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour, our spirit is resurrected and made perfect, just like JESUS. Meditating on that Truth, along with the Truth that Holy Spirit actually lives in us, and then receiving the infilling of Holy Spirit, should cause us to see ourselves differently and to expect to be more aware of His presence and His power IN us and operating through us! I really like what one minster said recently to a group of young people. "Christ wants to rest upon you, not just dwell inside of you. Inside of you is for your sake, upon you is for the sake of others."  It has become my deepest desire lately to have it said of me, and of The Spoken Word Church family, "these who have turned the world upside down have come here also"! (Acts 17:6) 

We are believing with you for the perfect new career opportunity that will not only be interesting, fulfilling and profitable for you, but one that will also allow you to step further into the anointed role that God has for you. You have such a strong and steady presence about you that is going to draw people to you. Don't be surprised if you find yourself ministering in ways you haven't yet known! He has been preparing you for such a time as this! Here is a brand new song from Hillsong Worship called "King Of Kings":

Love and Shalom from thew Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

I want to share something a little different again this week! This is from Charles Spurgeon:

"Behold the Man!" — John 19:5

If there be one place where our Lord Jesus most fully becomes the joy and comfort of His people, it is where He plunged deepest into the depths of woe. Come hither, gracious souls, and behold the Man in the garden of Gethsemane; behold His heart so brimming with love that He cannot hold it in—so full of sorrow that it must find a vent. Behold the bloody sweat as it distils from every pore of His body, and falls upon the ground. Behold the Man as they drive the nails into His hands and feet. 

Look up, repenting sinners, and see the sorrowful image of your suffering Lord. Mark Him, as the ruby drops stand on the thorn-crown, and adorn with priceless gems the diadem of the King of Misery. Behold the Man when all His bones are out of joint, and He is poured out like water and brought into the dust of death; God hath forsaken Him, and hell compasseth Him about.

 Behold and see, was there ever sorrow like unto His sorrow that is done unto Him? All ye that pass by draw near and look upon this spectacle of grief, unique, unparalleled, a wonder to men and angels, a prodigy unmatched. Behold the Emperor of Woe who had no equal or rival in His agonies! Gaze upon Him, ye mourners, for if there be not consolation in a crucified Christ there is no joy in earth or heaven. If in the ransom price of His blood there be not hope, ye harps of heaven, there is no joy in you, and the right hand of God shall know no pleasures for evermore. 

We have only to sit more continually at the cross foot to be less troubled with our doubts and woes. We have but to see His sorrows, and our sorrows we shall be ashamed to mention; we have but to gaze into His wounds and heal our own. If we would live aright it must be by the contemplation of His death; if we would rise to dignity, it must be by considering His humiliation and His sorrow.

I wanted to share this because it is such a great example of pushing in to know and 'see' more! Hosea 6:3 has always been a favorite verse for me. Here it is from both the KJV and the AMP versions.

3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. KJV

3 Yes, let us know (recognize, be acquainted with, and understand) Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord [to appreciate, give heed to, and cherish Him]. His going forth is prepared and certain as the dawn, and He will come to us as the [heavy] rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth.  AMP

I have had a few friends who have said that they would not watch 'The Passion' movie because it bothered them to see the graphic images of the scourging that was done to JESUS and to watch the crucifixion. My mindset on that is that because JESUS chose to go through all of that, and more, to save me, then the very least that I can do is to observe, learn and KNOW just what it meant to JESUS to go through all of that 'for the joy that was set before Him' {Hebrews 12:2}! 

2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. AMP

WE were His prize! We ARE His prize! His Body. His Church. His Bride! 1 John 3:2 is another favorite verse of mine! 

2 Beloved, we are [even here and] now God's children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God's children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is. AMP

THIS life is God's perfect plan for our preparation for the entrance into that new and better life, when we DO see Him face to face! When we can look to JESUS in every situation, then I believe that we will be at the point where we will ask ANYTHING and it WILL be done for us! I am REALLY looking forward to that! Here is Hillsong with "Man of Sorrows":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "created". We find it in these New Testament verses:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. KJV

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: KJV

Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. KJV

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: KJV

Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: KJV

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. KJV

These are all the Greek word "ktizo". Strong's Concordance says: to fabricate. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: to make hospitable. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: the founding of a place, to create, always of an act of God. The Theological Dictionary says: Humanity is creation's goal, yet also the starting point of evil. The human creature is a living being (in God's image AND subject to sinful impulses). With the Gospel there is a new creation! This is creation by the Word and Spirit to new life. So 'in the beginning' God created all of creation and then created mankind and put them into the earth. He created us with a free will and the ability to make our own choices, knowing full well that we would make wrong choices at some point. He already had everything planned out to pay for our wrong doing so that we would never have to! By 'creating' our 'new creation' beings He brought us back into fellowship with Him, just when the enemy thought that he had won! Creation itself is wonderful, but the new creation of each and every believer is one of His WONDERS! That WE should have Holy Spirit live IN us to make us what God has called us to be! As Ephesians 4:22 (above) says, our new man has been created in HIS righteousness and in TRUE holiness, which is separation from the world and separation UNTO God! From beginning to end, it's all HIS work! That's why we praise Him and can have full confidence in Him and His Word! We can count on HIM to continue His good work IN us, FOR us and THROUGH us! He gives the life and the NEW LIFE and WE just LIVE it out! I am so excited about what God has planned for you in the next phase of your career! He is busy right now CREATING opportunities for YOUR favor and success! Here is Hillsong with the reminder that He holds us "in the hands that created the heavens"! "Whole Heart""!

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian,

The word for this week is "run". There are two verses we'll be looking at, with two different Hebrew words. The first is found in 2 Chronicles 16:9:

9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. KJV

This is the Hebrew word "shuwt". Strong's Concordance says: A primitive root, to push forth, to travel. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon says: to go to and fro, to rove about, to go eagerly and quickly. I LOVE that last one! The eyes of the Lord are RUNNING to find ways to show Himself strong on our behalf, and He is doing it EAGERLY and QUICKLY! HE desires to do this for us even more than we desire Him to! The Amplified Bible says this:

9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.

"Perfect" in this case means that we are walking in faith in His Word and what He says about us! The Complete Jewish Bible says it even better!

9 For the eyes of Adonai move here and there throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those who are wholehearted toward him.

Our God delights in showing us off to the world, so that they can see and want HIM, too! I really believe that this next phase of your life and career is going to be even better than you dreamed and that you will be in a position to have even more impact on people and their lives! The other Hebrew word also applies to this situation! It is found in Habakkuk 2:2-3:

2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. KJV

This is the Hebrew word "ruwts". Strong's Concordance says: A primitive root, to run for whatever reason, especially to rush. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon says: to run swiftly, to dart, to bring or move quickly, to hurry. We are instructed in these verses to write down those 'visions' (dreams, plans, purposes, ideas) that God places in our hearts as we delight in Him, so that we can keep them before our eyes. Then, when we are going here and there in pursuit of what He's put before us, we can still see and remember the vision, keeping our faith level high, as HE brings all of the situations and circumstances into place! I can't wait to hear all of the great reports as you go forward in faith! And we are with you all the way! Here, to further encourage you in this, is Hillsong with another older song called "Run":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!