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Thursday, January 21, 2016

DO THE WORD - NYOBS 51.02


DO THE WORD
Why do you call me “Lord”, and not do the Word? Luke 6:46 - (ESV)


The writings in the Bible were inspired by God to provide us with spiritual concepts,
guidance, correction and instruction in righteous. - The scriptures were not written by
just anybody, but were written by Holy men of God as they were moved along by the Holy Spirit.
Scripture exist so that we might walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him, being fruitful
with good works, and increasing in knowledge; growing in strength, patience and joy.
God has promised a special blessing for those who search out and read His Word.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All scripture is God breathed
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
(ESV)
2 Peter 1:20-21 – Men carried along by the Holy Spirit
20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
(ESV)
Colossians 1:10-12 – Strengthened with power, bearing fruit
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (ESV)

God knows your name
·         He know us by our name and will give us favor, blessings and wealth.
John 10:27-28 – God knows who we are – We will never perish
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (ESV)
Exodus 33:17 - I KNOW YOU BY NAME
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” (ESV)
Psalm 115:12-13 – God has remembered us and has blessed us
12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great. (ESV)
Proverbs 10:6 - Blessings are on our head
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. (ESV)
Proverbs 10:22 – His Blessings makes us rich
22 The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. (ESV)
Romans 8:29 – Predestined to be conformed in Christ’s Image
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 6:19 -Your body is a temple
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, (ESV)
John 7:38-39 -­ Out of the Believers heart flows living Waters
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (ESV)
Joel 2:28 – You will prophesy, dream dreams and see visions
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. (ESV)

Do the Word – Have Faith - Believe
·         Jesus began our faith so that we could defeat Satan and gain everlasting life and it is Him that will finish the faith in His perfect timing. 
·         Our faith is based on the substance we believe in and hope for, but have never seen except in our spirits.  It grows by reading God’s Word and speaking it daily into our spirit. 
·         When we operating in Faith, we please God.  He will reward those who diligently read His Word and seek his face.  We have no idea of the power that is released by our faith -  Little faith, little power.  
·         It is the believing when we pray that determines the results. -  It’s in the Book
Hebrews 12:2 – Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (ESV)
Hebrews 11:1 - Faith is the substance of things hoped for
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(NKJV)
2 Corinthians 5:7 – We walk by our Faith, not by what we see
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
(ESV)
Romans 10:17 - Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ. (ESV)
Hebrews 11:6 - Without faith it is impossible to please God
6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (ESV)
Matthew 17:20 – Faith can move mountains in your life
20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (ESV)
Mark 11:22-24 - Whatever you ask BELIEVE that you received
22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.
23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (ESV)

Do the Word – Read the Bible
·         We are to share the Word with our children and to our grandchildren; generation to generation. - This is a Biblical concept which today has almost been swept aside.
·         We are warned that when our life expands to include an awesome good paying job, houses, cars and things that we will see ourselves as the one with all the wisdom, knowledge, charm and appeal and we will forget about God and His blessings. – Take care lest you forget the Lord and all His benefits.
Psalm 37:4 – Spend time the Word; receive desires of your heart
4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (ESV)
Joshua 1:8 – Meditate on the Word that you may be successful
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 2:26 – Study and receive Wisdom & Knowledge & Joy
26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. (ESV)
Proverbs 13:22 – Share the Word, Generation to Generation
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 8:10-14 - Take care lest you forget the Lord
10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.
11 TAKE CARE LEST YOU FORGET THE LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,
12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them,
13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,
14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, (ESV)
Do the Word - Hunger and Thirst
·         We should “drink in” the Word daily so that we shall never thirst.  Just as food gives us strength and makes us healthy, God’s Word does the same thing for our spirit.  It waters us as a thirsty land receives the rain. 
·         Jesus is the living bread of heaven and those who partake of this bread shall live forever.  This bread will satisfy and cause goodness and mercy to surround us.  When we are pleasing God, He promises to feed us so we will stay strong.  In fact, we will have so much to eat that we can’t help but praise His name. 
·         Jesus is our bread of life.  - We receive a special blessing when we hunger and thirst after His Word.  It satisfies like a Prime Rib steak with some fine wine, but without price; free and renews our strength like an eagle.
·         Note; A worn out Eagle will go and sit on a stump and molt; his feathers will fall off and new ones will grow back.  As he rests, his strength is restored like in his youth and with the new feathers and the renewed vitality, he will lift his wings and soars off into the skies. 
Matthew 5:6 – Hunger & thirst for God be Blessed & Satisfied
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (ESV)
Joshua 1:8 – Meditate on Word Day and Night – Good Success
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (ESV)
Ephesians 4:31-32 - Be kind tenderhearted forgiving one another
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (ESV)
Romans 12:21 - Overcome evil with good
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (ESV)
Joel 2:26 - The Believer shall eat in plenty and be satisfied
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. (ESV)
John 6:51 – The Living Bread gives us life forever
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (ESV)
John 6:35 – We shall not thirst or hunger for the bread of life
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (ESV)
Psalm 22:26 – We shall eat and be satisfied
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! (ESV)
John 4:14 – God gives a spring of Living Eternal life water
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (ESV)
Joel 2:19 - You will be satisfied;
19 The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.
(ESV)
Jeremiah 31:14 - We will be satisfied in abundance & goodness
14 I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.” (ESV)
Matthew 5:6 – We shall be satisfied with righteousness
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (ESV)
Psalm 63:1-5 – We will be satisfied with God’s steadfast love
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, (ESV)
Psalm 103:1-5 – He forgives, heals, redeems, crowns & satisfies
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (ESV)
Psalm 103:5 – Renew our strength like the eagles
5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the EAGLE’S. (ESV)
Psalm 23:6 - Goodness and mercy shall follow me
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
(ESV)
Isaiah 44:3 – God will pour His blessings on our descendants
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. (ESV)
Philippians 4:12-13 - I can do all things – Christ strengthens me
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (ESV)

Do the Word – Teach it – Lest we forget
·         Studying God’s Word no only lets us prosper and surrounds us with favor, but it enables us to stand against the tricks of Satan.  God does not want a lukewarm Christian, one that has forgotten the zeal that he had when he was new in Christ. 
·         When our stomach is full and our house is in good repair and our business is flourishing, we are warned to not forget that it is our God that blesses us and not something of ourselves.
·         We are to continue to remember our God and teach His ways to our children.  If we forget God and turn from His ways, our end will be worse than our beginning.  It would be better never to have accepted God’s ways. 
Psalm 18:30 - The Word of the LORD proves true
30 This God—his way is perfect; the Word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
(ESV)
Psalm 145:15-16 - You satisfy the desire of every living thing
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. (ESV)
Isaiah 55:8-9 - Your ways and thoughts are higher than man’s
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
(ESV)
Psalm 18:2 – You are rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, stronghold
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
(ESV)
Deuteronomy 8:11-14 - Take care lest you forget the Lord
11 Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,
12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them,
13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,
14  then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
(ESV)
Deuteronomy 4:9 – Teach the Word to your Children and Grands
9 Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children
(ESV)

Do the Word - Share your Faith
·         It is a denial of our Faith if we are not providing for our family spiritually.  We are to talk the Word to our children all day long.  When we speak God’s Word, we should speak in belief that the Words are true and have faith that those things spoken according to the Word will come to pass.  
·         God spoke the world into existence, Jesus spoke to the winds and sea and they became calm.  Speaking God’s Word brings healing to our bodies.  We have the power of life and death in our mouth.  What we say will come to pass.  
·         We should believe in our heart the salvation of Jesus Christ and confess it with our mouths.  All we have to do to be saved is to believe on the name of Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior. 
·         If we really believe, we will tell people about our Lord.  Don’t worry about what to say, just ask God for wisdom and he will give it to you.  He will put the right Words in your mouth.  We are God’s witnesses, we are the light of this world, and how can peoples see unless we let our light shine. 
·         Everywhere we go we are to give our testimony of what God has done in our life.  We are to lift up a brother who has fallen into sin and encourage him in the Word.
Proverbs 13:2-3 - Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life
2 From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. (ESV)
Proverbs 18:20-21 - Life & Death are in the power of our Words
20 From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. (ESV)
Mark 11:23 – Believe and not doubt
23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. (ESV)
Luke 17:6 – Have at least the faith the size of a mustard seed
6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. (ESV)
Hebrews 11:3 – It is by faith that we understand
3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (ESV)
Romans 10:8-10 - With the mouth one confesses and is saved
8 But what does it say? “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the Word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 – Walk & Talk the Word wherever you go
18 You shall therefore lay up these Words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
(ESV)
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – Walk and Talk the Word – Day and Night
6 And these Words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (ESV)
Mark 16:15 - Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
(ESV)
Matthew 5:13-16 – Let your light shine before others
13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 18:18 – God will give you the Words to share
18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my Words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
(ESV)
James 1:5 – Ask God for Wisdom of speech and get it generously
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
(ESV)
Acts 1:8 - You will receive power through the Holy Spirit
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV)
2 Corinthians 4:13 Speak what you believe
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, (ESV)
Galatians 6:1-6 – Share all good things
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.
5 For each will have to bear his own load.
6 Let the one who is taught the Word share all good things with the one who teaches. (ESV)
Proverbs 16:21-23 – A wise heart has discerning sweet Words
21 The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. (ESV)
Proverbs 16:24 – Encouraging Words are sweet like a honeycomb
24 Gracious Words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. (ESV)
Proverbs 12:18 – Encouraging Words bring healing
18 There is one whose rash Words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (ESV)
Proverbs 18:4 – Our Words are like deep fountains of water
4 The Words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. (ESV)

Do the Word – Sing Praises
·         We glorify Jesus when we comfort others; when we lift their heaviness with praise, when we share the Word setting people free and replace sadness with joy.  So when things seem to be getting heavy; sing praise unto God and your burden will lift. 
·         As we study God’s Word we learn the difference between the “Letter of the Law” and the “Spirit of the Law”.  This knowledge will set us free.   We will begin to make joyful noises unto the Lord and we will serve Him with gladness. 
·         God has chosen us and set us apart from the rest of the world, He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Therefore we need to praise Him continually through Words and songs. 
·         We need to bless the lord and clap our hands and shout unto him giving thanks for all things.   So lift up your hands unto the Lord because He is greatly to be praised.  Let your mouth be filled with honor and praise regardless of the circumstances.
Romans 7:6 - We serve in the new way of the Spirit
6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
(ESV)
Acts 16:25- Pray and sing hymns to God
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, (ESV)
Psalm 71:8 - My mouth is filled with your praise
8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. (ESV)
Psalm 48:1 - Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain,
(ESV)
Psalm 96:4 - Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. (ESV)
Psalm 71:14 - I will praise you yet more and more
14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. (ESV)
Psalm 34:1 – I will continually bless the Lord at all times
1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (ESV)
Psalm 147:1 – It is fitting and pleasant to sing praises to God
1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
(ESV)
Isaiah 61:1-3 – Put on the garment of Praise, oil of Gladness
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
(ESV)
Psalm 63:3-5 – Praise God with Joyful Lips with Uplifted Hands
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, (ESV)
Psalm 47:1 – Clap your hands and shout songs of Joy to God
1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! (ESV)
Isaiah 51:11 – Sing with everlasting gladness and Joy
11 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
(ESV)
Psalm 100:1-4 - Make a joyful noise with Praise & Thanksgiving
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! (ESV)
1 Peter 2:9 - Proclaim the Excellencies of Him
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the Excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV)
Hebrews 13:15 - Offer up a sacrifice of praise
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. (ESV)
Psalm 47:6-7 – Sing Praises, Sing Praises, Sing Praises
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! (ESV)
Ephesians 5:18-20 – Give thanks always to God
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (ESV)

Do the Word – With your mind
·         We are to have the mind of Christ, to love the things that are above, to think on things that are just, pure and of good report. 
·         Our bodies have become the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Loves now fills our hearts, and out of us flows the living water of the Gospel and we can prophesy; dream dreams and see visions. 
·         Note: Our stomach becomes our god when our mind is set on earthly things – It’s in the Book
Philippians 2:5 – Have the mind of Christ
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (ESV)
Colossians 3:2-5 - Set your minds on things that are above
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (ESV)
Philippians 4:8 - Think on things that are pure, true, just, lovely
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (ESV)
Philippians 3:18-19 – God’s Enemies’ Mind is set on earthly things
18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
(ESV)
Do the Word – With your Love
·         God has poured love into our hearts; so Love your enemies; don’t repay evil for evil, but pray for them.
1 Peter 3:9-10 - Do not repay evil for evil
9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; (ESV)
Matthew 5:44 - Love and pray for your enemies
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (ESV)
Romans 5:5 - God’s love has been poured into our hearts
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (ESV)

Do the Word – With your Gift
·         When Jesus went to live with the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit; the Comforter, to be with us and to guide us and show us things.  With this wonderful Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes the call for us to witness everywhere that we go. – In the beginning, repentance unto salvation and the Baptism were two separate events; now when you receive Jesus Christ into your life, YOU GET IT ALL.
·         As part of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, some may receive the gift of Tongues of which there are three kinds.
1.     Speaking in a known language that you do not know; this happened only once on the day of Pentecost and there is no record that it ever happened again.
2.     Pubic prophecy in an unknown language which someone else interprets for the Church. – This occurs, but not very often, but is found in the Pentecostal Denominations. 
3.     A private prayer language between you and God; this occurs often; but only some have been given this gift. The baptism will allow our spirit to speak to the Holy Spirit in our prayer language, in a way we have never known before.  NYOBS 08.02 - TONGUES
·         Note:  I feel compelled to pause here and say that there is not two different classes of Christians; those who speak in tongues and those that do not. – There is only one class of Christian; the SAVED who are ALL filled with the Holy Spirit and have received at least one gift.  NYOBS 08.12 - GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT – NYOBS 20.36 - THE HOLY SPIRIT
·         Because of the filling of our hearts with the Holy Spirit, we will begin to speak boldly of our faith. -  When there is no teacher, the spirit will instruct us; when that is no water, we will drink; and when there is no food, we will be fed. 
·         Putting God’s Word in us feeds our spirit, protects when we sleep, talks with us when we are awake and gives us a new way of life.  As we continually meditate on God’s Word, we will find that the things that we do will turn out good and we will have good success.
·         When the Word of God is in us, Words will run through us telling us what to do about each situation.  Committing our Work to God causes even our imagination and our visions to come to pass and to be a reality. 
·         After we have trusted God, heard His truth, believe in our salvation, we become sealed with the promises of the Holy Spirit.  Because of this sealing we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit with wrong actions, but are to overcome evil with good.
John 16:7 – Jesus sent the Holy Spirit
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (ESV)
Ephesians 1:13 – You are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit
13 In him you also, when you heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (ESV)
Acts 1:4-5 – The Holy Spirit baptizes you into the Promise
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (ESV)
Ephesians 5:18 – Be filled with the Holy Spirit
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, (ESV)
John 14:16-17 – The Holy Spirit dwells in you
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
17  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (ESV)
John 16:12-13 – The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth
12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into ALL the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (ESV)
Acts 1:8 - The Holy Spirit will give you power
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV)
Acts 4:31 – Holy Spirit gives boldness to speak the Word of God
31  And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness.
(ESV)
Nehemiah 9:20 – The Spirit will instruct and feed you
20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. (ESV)
Proverbs 6:22-23 – The Word will watch, speak and lead you
22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, (ESV)
Isaiah 30:21 – Your ears will hear which way to turn in the way
21 And your ears shall hear a Word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. (ESV)
Mark 16:17-18 – There are signs that accompany the Believer
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
(ESV)
Acts 2:4 – The Holy Spirit gave the gift of Tongues
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(ESV)
Acts 19:2-6 – The Holy Spirit caused them to prophesy
2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”
5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
(ESV)
Ephesians 4:30 – Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (ESV)

Do the Word – Bear Fruit
·         You can tell a disciple of God by the fruit of his Love.  If you say you love God, but do not read or know his Word, then you are a liar.  For if we love God, we will obey His concepts as they are revealed by the studying of His Word. 
·         When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are declaring that we will obey the concepts He has written into His Word, we will serve Him. 
·         God would like to use us just like the disciples of old, ministering to those who are sick and oppressed.  We are to operate in unity in one accord and singleness of heart. 
·         It is written that we cannot continue to serve man and serve God also.  We are not to be man pleasers, but God pleasers. 
·         We are transformed into a different person by studying God’s Word and renewing our mind. 
John 13:34-35 – You will be known as a Disciple if you love
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(ESV)
1 John 2:3-6 - Known as Disciple if you keep His Commandments
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is A LIAR, and the truth is not in him,
5 but whoever keeps his Word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
(ESV)
Deuteronomy 10:12 – Fear God, Walk in His ways, Love, Serve
12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (ESV)
Joshua 22:5 – Cling to Him – Keep His commandments
5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
(ESV)
Deuteronomy 13:4 – Hold fast to God – Obey His voice
4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.
(ESV)
Psalm 133:1 – Dwell in Unity
1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! (ESV)
Matthew 6:24 – You cannot serve two masters – God & Money
24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
(ESV)
Matthew 4:10 - You shall worship the Lord your God
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
(ESV)
Romans 12:1-2 - Be transformed by renewing your mind
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(ESV)


Do the Word – Give of your Money
·         Under the New Covenant we are no longer under the Law; specifically the law of the 10 percent Tithe.  - Now what I am about to say is going to sound like “Double Talk”, because I do find tithing is a New Covenant principal that has been made available to the Believer to be able to get in on what God is doing and share in the benefits through participation.
  • God sets aside the tithe for those that minister in the church in return for their work. – Scripture supports that you should not muzzle the ox while he is treading the grain; he is allowed to eat some; so PAY THE PEACHER !
  • The money is used to pay the Workers and for the maintenance of the Church. – A title is not just money; it’s what you have, which could be your time or your talent.
  • It would have been wonderful if it had been MY donkey that was given to Jesus to ride.
  • What if it had been YOU at the well that gave Jesus just a drink of water?
  • What if it the little boy that gave his lunch to Jesus to feed 5000 was your son?
  • Give what you have, not what you don’t have.  You are not supposed to go in to debt.
  • No matter how little you give or help; it’s ALL still unto the Lord.
  • Basic to tithing or giving is the acknowledgement of God’s ownership of everything on earth. We are to be faithful stewards of all that has been given to us.
  • We are blessed, therefore we give.
  • Tithing is our confession of our dependence on God and that we are faithful stewards of His creation.  - We consider others “first”. -  We give of our time “first” - We write His check “first” - We give the best of our “first” fruits. -  NYOBS 04.30 – TITHE
·         As we please God, He will give us things that we desire even though it may not be a need. 
·         Studying God’s Word is not a now and then thing.  It is something we are required to do every day.  It gives us wisdom, knowledge, joy and wealth. -  God wants us to have wealth so that He can fulfill His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  - We are reminded to study and do His Word daily so that we will remember where our wealth comes from. 
·         It is God’s desire that we do well in our finances and indicates that the growth of our finances will be in direct proportion to how we study and increase in our knowledge of Him…
·         When we study God’s Word and do what He says, good things will start to happen in our lives.  There will be an increase in our productivity as well as the demand for what we do.  We will find favor wherever we go, and when people oppose our good works, God will run them off.
·         Blessings will pour out of heaven on our efforts and we will even have extra money to lend to others. 
·         As we study God’s Word, there will be birthed in us a desire to get involved with our God Financially.  Instead of banking here on Earth we will be banking in heaven.  We should bring ten percent of the blessing God has given us to Church each Sunday.  If we withhold this tithe, God will call us robbers because the tithe is His.  As we become tithers, God will rebuke Satan and not allow him to touch our works.  People will have respect for us and call us blessed.  We can tithe with excitement knowing of the inheritance that is our reward.  We will become givers and others will give in abundance back to us. 
·         It will become a joy and an excitement to find ways to give away your surplus and to help others.  When we give to others we are actually giving to ourselves.  So we are told to do the Word so that we may prosper. 
·         If we lose anything for our Lord’s sake it will be returned 100 times over.  The things that we have are blessings from God. Think about trading one blessing for one hundred blessings.  We will spend our remaining days; our retirement in prosperity and pleasure.  This should encourage us to get started early with our tithing and giving.  - NYOBS 04.30 - TITHE
Neh 13:5 – Tithes for paying the workers
5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.
 NIV
Deuteronomy 25:4 – Let the workers eat
4 You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain. (ESV
Neh 10:38-39 – Do not neglect the Church Building
38 A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury.
39 The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and oil to the storerooms where the articles for the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the singers stay. "We will not neglect the house of our God." NIV
Matthew 6:20-21 - Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 16:2 – Bring your offerings every SUNDAY
2 On the FIRST DAY of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. (ESV)
Malachi 3:8-12 – Don’t Rob God by not giving
8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.
9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
10 Bring the FULL TITHE into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.
12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts. (ESV)
Colossians 3:23-24 – Do your work as if it is unto the Lord
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (ESV)
Luke 6:38 – The measure you use – Measure back to you
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (ESV)
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 – If you sow bountifully - Reap bountifully
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (ESV)
Proverbs 11:24-25 – The one who waters will himself be watered
24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 29:9 – Do the Word and prosper
9 therefore keep the Words of this covenant and do them that you may prosper in all that you do. (ESV)
1 Chronicles 22:13 - Observe God’s statutes and prosper
13 Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed.
(ESV)
Matthew 19:29 - Receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. (ESV)
Mark 10:29-30 - Receive a hundredfold now in this life time
29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,
30 who will not receive a hundredfold NOW in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. (ESV)
Job 36:11 – Your retirement will be in prosperity pleasantness
11 If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness. (ESV)

Do the Word – Give of your time
·         While it is good to pray for those in need, it profits more if we do something about the need. We are to love in action as well as by prayer, finding ways to be involved with the orphans and widows and if we have extra clothes or food, we should give some to those who have none.  – There are many local organizations that clothe and feed the needy.
·         Consider spending your money on things that feed people spiritually.  Labor for the things that lift up your spirit.  Involve yourself in God’s service and your soul will become strong and fit. 
·         As we feed the hungry, clothe the needy, visit the sick and house the stranger, we are doing it as unto the Lord.  God will remember our labor of love.  God gives us comfort in our tribulations so that we can give comfort to others when they are troubled.
·         Faith without works is a dead faith.  - It’s in the Book
James 2:15-16 – Give the things needed for the body
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
James 2:17 - Faith without works is a dead faith
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (ESV)
1 John 3:16-18 – Love not only in talk but in deed and truth
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love in Word or talk but in deed and in truth. (ESV)
James 1:27 - Visit orphans and widows in their affliction
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV)
Luke 3:10-11 – Share your extra with others
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”
11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” (ESV)
Isaiah 55:2 – Spend your money on what satisfies
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. (ESV)
Matthew 25:35-40 – What you do for others you do unto God
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (ESV)
Hebrews 6:10 – God will not overlook your work of love
10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. (ESV)
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - Comfort those who are in any affliction
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (ESV)

Do the Word – Exhibit Self-Control & Forgiveness
·         The Bible says that when we speak, that we are speaking of what is in our heart, therefore we should be in control of our tongue, because we are held accountable for every idle Word.
·         Un-forgiveness is often a tool used by Satan to separate us from the Father God. - Scripture says we must forgive other if we want to press on for the prize of the high calling. - We are to forgive; even if it is so many times that we lose count. 
·         We are to imitate Jesus Christ who forgave and suffered patiently even though He did not sin nor let evil come out of His mouth.
·         He who doesn’t control his tongue is worthless – It’s in the Book -
James 1:26 – He who doesn’t control his tongue is worthless
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is WORTHLESS.
(ESV)
2 Timothy 1:7 – We have a spirit of power, love and self-control
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV)
Matthew 12:34 – The mouth speaks what is in the heart.
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
(ESV)
Matthew 12:36 – We will give account every careless Word
36 I tell you, on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless Word they speak,
Matthew 12:37 – We are justified or condemned by our Words
37 for by your Words you will be justified, and by your Words you will be condemned.” (ESV)
Matthew 6:15 – Forgive others so you will be forgiven
15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (ESV)
Matthew 18:21-22 – Forgive so many times you lose count
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. (ESV)
Colossians 3:13 -  Bear with one another – Forgive each other
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (ESV)
Philippians 3:14 - Press toward the prize of the upward call
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
1 Peter 2:21-23 – Christ committed no sin; His mouth no deceit
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (ESV)

Do the Word – Accept Testing – Growth in Obedience
·         When there is sorrow and tears at night, we are to concentrate on things that are good; things that are of praise.  God promises that joy will come in the morning.
·         The Word of God is powerful and sharp and divides our soul from our spirit and addresses our thoughts and the intents of our heart… ( now think on that one)
·         Studying God’s Word gives us understanding; understanding gives us wisdom; wisdom gives us strength. - We are to meditate on God’s Word day and night and put into action what He has written. - God will cause us to be prosperous and successful. - He would rather have our obedience that our sacrifices, to obey Him rather than men. 
Psalm 30:5 - God’s favor is for a lifetime
5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (ESV)  
James 1:12 – Believer is promised he receive the crown of life
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
(ESV)
Psalm 119:11 – Store up God’s Word in your heart – to not sin
11 I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
 (ESV)
Romans 6:14 – We are not under the Law, but under His Grace
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
(ESV)
Hebrews 4:12 – God’s Word can divide the Soul and Spirit
12  For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
(ESV)
Proverbs 8:14 – Spirit gives Counsel, Wisdom, Insight & Strength
14 I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. (ESV)
Joshua 1:8 – Meditate on God’s Word Day and Night
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
(ESV)
1 Samuel 15:22 – Obedience; better than Sacrifice & Offerings
22 And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
(ESV)

Do the Word – Obey Men’s Laws
·         We are to obey our parents and our employers, and carry out our responsibilities as unto the Lord.  The fact that we are free in Christ does not give us the right to break man’s law.  We are to submit to every law, this is the will of God. 
·         When man’s laws conflicts with God’s Laws we must choose God first; if you lose because of your choice, God will restore you.
Colossians 3:20-24 - Obey your parents in everything
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1 - Obey your parents
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (ESV)
1 Peter 2:13-20 – Be subject to the laws of man
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,
14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. (ESV)
Proverbs 16:3 - Commit your work to God your plans will succeed
3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. (ESV)
Colossians 3:22-24 – Do your work as if you are serving God
22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (ESV)
2 Timothy 2:4 – Please the one whom you serve
4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. (ESV)
Acts 5:29 - We must obey God’ Law rather than men’s Laws
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. (ESV)

Do the Word – Avoid Temptation
·         Although we do the best we can to be a good person, the day will come when the time is just right and the place is just right and temptation will be set before you.  The temptation itself is not sin unless we yield to it. 
·         We are not to condemn ourselves for the feelings that run through us concerning the temptation, because the temptation is a common thing to all people.  It’s the yielding that’s the problem; God will not allow the Christian to be tempted above their ability to resist; He will provide the strength needed to get out of the circumstance. 
·         We have a high Priest, Jesus the Son of God who as a man experienced all the feelings, emotions and temptation that we have had, but yet did not yield.  We can go to Him for help in our time of need. 
·         It is not God that temps us, but it is our own lusts that dominates our spirit and our bodies.  God’s Word would tell us not to look on sin; not to even think about it.  We are to walk away from temptations. 
·         I reflect back on a time when everyone had left the room except for a beautiful young lady who was speaking to me softly on the topic of sex; she believed it was Ok between two Christians … She smelled so good and touched me often - I could feel myself slipping away – The phone rang and the spell was broken and I got up and left and went to my room and on my knees I cried out in tears before the Lord about emotions that I didn’t even know I had. Scripture flooded my mind; God had provided me with a way of escape that very day.
·         If we put God’s Word in our heart, we will not sin against Him. -  Sin will not have dominion over us.  Oh, the temptations and troubles will still come; you can count on that, but they will not be received in sorrow, but in joy because you have a way out.
·         As you pass through the situations, your faith grows stronger and your endurance is increased and God is pleased. -  As you operate in the strength of your faith, you are getting an opportunity to show off what you are made of in front of God.
·         Expect trouble in your life because of your new boldness and be happy as you are learning about how Jesus felt during His sufferings.  (And that is special.) 
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 – God provides way of escape Temptation
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also PROVIDE THE WAY OF ESCAPE, that you may be able to endure it. (ESV)
Hebrews 4:14-16 – Jesus was tempted in every respect as us
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (ESV)
James 1:13-14 – No one tempted by God – But of his own desire
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. (ESV)
1 Peter 2:11 - Passions of the flesh wage war against your soul
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
(ESV)
1 John 2:15-17 – Do not love the desires of the world
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
(ESV)
2 Timothy 2:22 - Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace
22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
(ESV)
James 1:2-3 – Trials produce steadfastness of your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (ESV)
Matthew 6:19 - Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth
19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, (ESV)
Psalm 4:8 – God makes us to lie down in peace and safety
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
(ESV)

Do the Word – Receive Encouragement
·         This is so cool - When we reverence God and walk and talk His Word, scripture says our name is written in a “Book of Remembrance”.
·         If we feel like we don’t have understanding of what we read, all we have to do is ask God for Wisdom and He will give it to us. - As we seek to know Him, He will make Himself known to us.
·         God was willing to let his only Son die for us.  - This sacrificial love shows that He will freely give us all things.   
·         We are not to trust in our own understanding, but we are to trust in God, acknowledge Him and He will show us which way to go.  By reading His Word, our Spirit directs us with the eye of God. 
·         When we put God’s Word into our spirit, He is with us and we can pass through fiery circumstances and deep waters to the other side.  - He will steady us as we are able to give Him our troubles.  - He makes us to stand tall and walk in strength.  - We will fear no one because the armor of God surrounds us.
·          God will deal with those who deal with us. – It’s in the Book
John 14:21 – If you love God – You will keep His Commandments
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (ESV)
Malachi 3:16 – Our name is written in a Book of Remembrance
16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. (ESV)
Ephesians 6:13 – The Armor of God will enable us to stand firm
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
(ESV)
Isaiah 40:29 – We stand tall and walk in power and strength
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. (ESV)
Psalm 27:1 – With God’s Armor; whom shall we be afraid
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
(ESV)
Romans 8:32 – God will supply our needs graciously
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
(ESV)
Proverbs 3:5 – Do not lean on your own understanding
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
(ESV)
Proverbs 3:6 – Acknowledge God and He will direct your paths
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (ESV)
James 1:5 – Ask God for Wisdom – Receive generously
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
(ESV)
Psalm 32:8 – He will Instruct, Teach and Counsel us
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
(ESV)
Psalm 55:22 – Give Him your burden – He will steady you
22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
(ESV)
Isaiah 43:2 – Fiery circumstances will not consume us
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
(ESV)
Hebrews 10:30 - God will deal with those who deal with us
30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
(ESV)

Do the Word – Receive more Encouragement
·         We should not be in despair or feel forsaken.  We are to put our trust in God who is our refuge and our fortress and He will give us a sweet help.  God promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us. -  He promises that He will always be with us even if our parents turn their back on us.
·         His kindness, mercy and His covenant will never leave us.  So don’t worry about anything, just let God know your needs; give Him thanks and walk in peace.  Our God is faithful and true.  You can count on Him to do the things He has promised.  He cannot lie.  He is not an Indian giver. 
·         Everything that God promised Moses has come to pass.  All of God’s covenants and promises will eventually come to pass in later generations perhaps even thousands of generations.  He made a promise to Noah and set the rainbow in the sky as a reminder of His faithfulness.  He will not change one Word that He has spoken.  He is not asleep nor slack concerning His promises. 
Deuteronomy 7:8-9 – Keep His covenant to thousand generations
8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt.
9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, (ESV)
Isaiah 54:9-10 - My covenant of peace shall not be removed
9 This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Psalm 89:33-34 - God will not violate His covenant
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will NOT violate my covenant or alter the Word that went forth from my lips. (ESV)
Psalm 89:1-2 – God is faithful in His steadfast love
1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” (ESV)
Psalm 9:10 – God will not forsake those who seek Him
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. (ESV)
Psalm 94:14 – God will not forsake or abandon the Believer
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; (ESV)
Psalm 27:10 – Dad and Mom may forsake you, but NOT God
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. (ESV)
Hebrews 13:5 - I will never leave you nor forsake you
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (ESV)
Genesis 28:15 - I am with you and will keep you wherever you go
15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (ESV)
Psalm 91:1-2 – We abide in the shadow of the Almighty
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (ESV)
Isaiah 54:10 – God’s Love, compassion Covenant not be removed
10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (ESV)
Philippians 4:6-7 – Peace of God will guard your heart and mind
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
Proverbs 3:24 - You lie down in Sweet Sleep and not be afraid
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. (ESV)
Psalm 121:3-4 – God does not sleep
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (ESV)
Isaiah 54:9-10 – Will not be angry or rebuke you or leave you
9 This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (ESV)
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 – You might be Afflicted, but not crushed
8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (ESV)
2 Peter 3:9 – God wishes all should reach repentance
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (ESV)

Do the Word – More & More Encouragement - We have Angels
·         Reading God’s Word tunes us in to our spirit and our spirit speaks to us and tells us what to do. – We are told to have courage and to wait on God’s perfect timing. - Angels are assigned to keep evil and disease from coming near us.  (Praise God) 
·         Side Note:  Angels are not provided to do our bidding, but are messengers from God with assignments. While their presence is not normally visibly in our dimension; they certainly can be, as many living on earth will testify.
·         For an in-depth study on Angels see NYOBS 34.17 - ANGELS
Psalm 91:10-11 – He commands his angels to guard you
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (ESV)

Do the Word - Receive Protection - Direction
·         We live in the secret place of God’s shadow and since our trust is in Him, why should we be afraid of what mere man can do to us.  When we are following His Word, we cannot be taken out of His hand.  He has promised that nothing can separate us from His love. 
·         Our hope is a strong anchor of our soul both sure and steadfast; His ways are perfect and His Word is pure.  He will heal our broken hearts and hear us when we cry out.  He will order our steps, and guide us with His eye.
·         There is no confusion in our direction...  He has given us a clear mind; power over the enemy and a love for mankind. 
·         When the enemy tries to close in, God will give us perfect peace instead of fear.  No weapon that rises up against us will stand because we have inherited God’s protection.
Isaiah 30:21 – God’s Word will speak to us directing our steps
21 Your ears shall hear a Word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
(ESV)
Psalm 31:24 – Be Strong – Take Courage
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! (ESV)
Psalm 27:1-14 – Whom shall we be afraid or fear
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,.
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (ESV)
Psalm 23:4-5 – He is with us walking in the shadow of death
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (ESV)
Isaiah 54:14-17 – Oppression, Fear, Terror will NOT come near
14 In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you.
16 Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy;
Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon fashioned against you will succeed
17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.” (ESV)
Psalm 91:1 – We abide in the shelter and shadow of God
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. (ESV)
Psalm 56:11 – In God We Trust
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? (ESV)
Romans 8:31 – God is for us – Who can stand against us
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (ESV)
Romans 8:35-37 – We are more than Conquerors
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
(ESV)
Romans 8:38-39 – Nothing can separate us from the love of God
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(ESV)
1 Corinthians 14:33 – God is not a God of confusion, but of peace
33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. (ESV)
Psalm 18:30 – God’s way is perfect – He is our shield
30 This God—his way is perfect; the Word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (ESV)
Psalm 5:12 – You cover us with favor as with a shield
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. (ESV)
Proverbs 10:24 – Our desires will be granted
24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
(ESV)
Psalm 147:3 – He heals the brokenhearted
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
(ESV)
Psalm 34:17 – He hears and delivers us
17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. (ESV)
Psalm 37:23 – He directs our steps
23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; (ESV)
Psalm 32:8 – He instructs and teaches us the way we should go
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with MY EYE upon you. (ESV)

Do the Word – Receive even more Protection –Trap Avoidance
·         I can remember being called to the corporate office for a meeting.  Upon arrival I was confronted with the Sales staff from three different offices.  They had raised a complaint; that I was opposing their sales efforts and wanted me replaced.
·         For some reason, I happened to have in my briefcase all the sales reports for the first quarter of the year…  I showed the President of the company the losses we were incurring and the projected continued losses by the end of the year if we did not have a course correction which I outlined.
·         The President backed me and implemented my policy… One by one they left the room, leaving just me and the President… We had a nice lunch...
·         No weapon that forms against me shall prosper. – The pit they dug for me, they themselves fell into it.
Psalm 57:6 – The dug a pit for me and fell into it themselves
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah (ESV)
Isaiah 54:17 – The weapon formed against me did not succeed
17 No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.” (ESV)
Isaiah 9:6-7 – The zeal of the lord will accomplish His Plan
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (ESV)
John 14:1-2 – He has prepared a room for us
1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (ESV)
Psalm 119:63 – God is our companion
63 I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. (ESV)
Psalm 103:2-4 – He Forgives, Heals, Redeems, and Crowns us
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, (ESV)
2 Corinthians 9:8 – We will abound in every good work
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (ESV)
John 14:27 – Don’t Let your heart be troubled
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (ESV)
Isaiah 26:3 – We have perfect peace with our mind on Christ
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (ESV)
Colossians 3:15 – The Peace of God will control our hearts
15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. (HCSB)

Do the Word – Receive a Bonus - Sins are forgiven
·         Jesus was sent to this world to save the fate of all mankind who believes on His name. - We are no longer condemned to hell fire as Satan is, because we have been made new creatures and God has removed our sins as far as the East is to the West, to remember them no more. 
·         All that is required on our parts is to confess our sins and believe.  God will abundantly pardon.  Everlasting Life is the free gift from God for those who receive His Son Jesus as their personal Savior.
·          If we Sin, Grace abounds even more - NYOBS 30.16 SINLESS – NYOBS 09.12 – UN-PARDONABLE SIN
Romans 8:1 - The Believer is no longer under condemnation
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
John 3:17-18 – Jesus was sent that the world MIGHT be saved
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (ESV)
Psalm 103:10-12 – Our sins removed far as the East from West
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (ESV)
Hebrews 8:12 – God is merciful toward our sins
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (ESV)
Isaiah 43:25 – He will remember our sins no more
25 I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. (ESV)
2 Corinthians 5:17 – The Believer is a new creation
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (ESV)
Isaiah 55:7 - God will abundantly pardon.
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (ESV)
Psalm 32:5 – We acknowledge our sins to God
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah (ESV)
1 John 1:8-9 – He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (ESV)
John 5:24 – The Believer has passed from death to life
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my Word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (ESV)
John 6:46-47 - Whoever believes has eternal life
46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. (ESV)
Matthew 5:10-12 – Great is your reward in Heaven
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (ESV)

Do the Word – Receive Benefits
·         Hungering after God’s Word causes us to see the answers when everyone else is still asking the questions; we will be guided when others can’t find the way; we will have hope and victory when others have given up; our efforts will flourish while others are failing. 
·         It is God’s good pleasure to direct our steps, for He is our rock and our fortress. 
·         We are to let our request be made known unto Him as we pray, and we must believe that we have received what we have prayed for. 
·         We are to ask for our needs in the name of Jesus Christ.  This pleases our God and it glorifies His son Jesus.  Our needs should center on our knowledge of God and the things that affect our life in Godliness, glory and virtue.
Isaiah 58:10-11 – You will be like a watered garden
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. (ESV)
Psalm 37:23 – God directs our steps
23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; (ESV)
Psalm 31:3 – God Leads and Guides us
3 For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; (ESV)
Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not worry about anything
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(ESV)
Matthew 21:22 – Faith unlocks answered prayer
22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (ESV)
Mark 11:24 – Believe and Receive
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
(ESV)
John 16:22-24 – Ask and you will receive
22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
(ESV)
John 14:13 – Ask for things that glorify Jesus Christ
13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (ESV)
2 Peter 1:3-4 – Granted Godliness knowledge His Divine nature
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
(ESV)

Do the Word – Receive more Benefits
·         There is a promise from God that if we spend time reading the Book of the Law; the Bible, He will make our ways successful.
·         Blessings shall come upon you and overtake you - Blessed in the city and in the country. -
Blessed with children and crops in your garden, blessed with offspring’s of your cattle with increases of your herds and flock.  - Blessed with food staples and bread.  – You will be blessed when you come in, and when you go out.  - Your enemies will be defeated and will flee from you in seven directions. (Seven is complete)  - Your barns will be full and you will be successful in all that you undertake to do.
·         And there is more Blessings – You will abound in prosperity - God will open to you his good treasury and give rain to your land in its season and bless the work of your hands. And you will prosper so much that you will lend to many and not borrow.  – God will make you the head and not the tail, and you will only go up and not down;
·         Note: This is a two sided covenant.  God will do what He said if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God; being careful to do them,
Deuteronomy 8:18 - It is God who gives you power to get wealth
18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (ESV)
3 John 1:2 – You will prosper according to how your soul prospers
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 28:2-8 – Blessed everywhere you go and turn
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.
3 Blessed shall you be in the city; blessed shall you be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 28:11-13 - You will be the Head and Not the Tail
11 And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers.
12 The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13 And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them (ESV)

Do the Word – Wait on God’s Timing
·         Waiting Patiently before God will cause Him to hear our needs.  Wait on God’s timing in your life, don’t get upset because others are advancing in their ways.  Just stay busy at what you do. 
·         When we wait on God, our strength is renewed and we are able to press on to the goal.  We can do all things because of Gods strength.  We should remember that God does not look at situations the same way that we do, nor does He react the same way.  So we should not try to measure God’s actions by what our experience has been. 
·         All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.  God’s ways are perfect and we must trust Him.  We must learn to wait on His perfect timing.  I would hate to get ahead of God’s timing and miss out on all that he has in store for me.
Psalm 27:14 – Wait on the Lord
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
(ESV)
Habakkuk 2:3 – Wait for the promise – It will surely come
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
(ESV)
Hebrews 6:12 – By faith and patience we inherit the promises
12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (ESV)

Do the Word – Drifted - Return to God
·         If you have drifted and left the Way, return now before it is too late; God will return unto you.  We are to run the race that is set before us with patience and do our work as unto the Lord. 
2 Peter 2:20-21 – Don’t become Entangled again in defilements;
20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
(ESV)
Malachi 3:7 – Return to God and He will return to you
7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ (ESV)
Revelation 2:4 –Don’t abandoned the love you had at first
4 But I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
(ESV)
Revelation 3:2 - Strengthen what remains in you
2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. (ESV)
1 John 1:9 - He is faithful and just to forgive your sins
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (ESV)
Revelation 3:15-16 – Don’t be a lukewarm Christian
15 I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. (ESV)
Psalm 40:1 – God inclines His ear to you and hears your cry
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. (ESV)
Hebrews 12:1 - Run with endurance the race that is before you
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (ESV)
Isaiah 40:31- You can run with renewed strength not be weary
31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (ESV)
Isaiah 41:10 – God is with you, strengthens, Helps & upholds you
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (ESV)
Philippians 4:13 – You can do all things through Christ’s strength
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (ESV)

Do the Word - He is able
·         It is impossible for our God to lie about his promises to the Believer; His children. 
·         He will do everything He has promised
Hebrews 6:18-20 - It is impossible for God to lie
18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (ESV)
Romans 4:20-21 - God is able to do what he has promised
20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised (ESV)
Romans 8:28 - All things work together for good for the Believer
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV)
Reflection

I would like to share with you just how important God’s Word is to me…
40 Years ago before the personal computer, I read the entire Bible, making notes on a legal pad – Then I cut them out and laid them on my bed according to the topics it was addressing.
Then I would type them up and hand draw a box around them and cut them out again. –
Then I would paste them on a clean sheet of paper as they begin to paint a picture of a subject.
This is one of those Word Studies that has finally made it into the computer age.
I remained touched as I see what God wanted me to learn back then and to share with you now. 
With that thought, Cut and Paste really takes on a different meaning.



In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:14


I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I otherwise ever could have.
                                                                                                                                     
Bible Almanac; The – Packer-Tenney-White
English Standard Version Bible – ESV
Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein
King James Version Bible - KJV
New International Version Bible - NIV
Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee
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