Monday Morning Scripture (Wk9/2022) – 2 Chronicles 15:1-19

Don’t turn away from Him but turn to Him.

The Prophet Azariah Warns Asa

1 Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded,

2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, as your soul’s first necessity], He will let you find Him; but if you abandon (turn away from) Him, He will abandon (turn away from) you.

3 Now for a long time Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest, and without [God’s] law.

4 But when they were in their trouble and distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and [in desperation earnestly] sought Him, and He let them find Him.

5 In those times there was no peace for him who went out or for him who came in, for great suffering came on all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

7 But as for you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.”

Asa’s Reforms

8 And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the repulsive idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. Then he restored the altar [of burnt offering] of the Lord which was in front of the porch [of the temple] of the Lord.

9 He gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the strangers who were with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to Asa from Israel in large numbers when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

11 They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil they had brought—700 oxen and 7,000 sheep.

12 They entered into a covenant (solemn agreement) to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul;

13 and that whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

14 They swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with [jubilant] shouting, with trumpets, and with horns.

15 All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole heart, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

16 He also removed Maacah, King Asa’s mother, from the position of queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her idol, crushed it, and burned it at the Brook Kidron.

17 But the high places [of pagan worship] were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days.

18 He brought the things that his father [Abijah] had dedicated and those things that he had dedicated into the house of God—silver and gold and utensils.

19 And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

2 Chronicles 15:1-19 (AMP)

Sunday Evening Scripture (Wk8/2022) – 1 Corinthians 14:-1-19 (AMP)

Prophecy A Superior Gift

1 Pursue [this] love [with eagerness, make it your goal], yet earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual gifts [to be used by believers for the benefit of the church], but especially that you may [1]prophesy [to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people].

2 For one who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to people but to God; for no one understands him or catches his meaning, but by the Spirit he speaks mysteries [secret truths, hidden things].

3 But [on the other hand] the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification [to promote their spiritual growth] and [speaks words of] encouragement [to uphold and advise them concerning the matters of God] and [speaks words of] consolation [to compassionately comfort them].

4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church [promotes growth in spiritual wisdom, devotion, holiness, and joy].

5 Now I wish that all of you spoke in unknown tongues, but even more [I wish] that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater [and more useful] than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he translates or explains [what he says], so that the church may [2]be edified [instructed, improved, strengthened].

6 Now, believers, if I come to you speaking in unknown tongues, how will I benefit you unless I also speak to you [clearly] either by revelation [revealing God’s mystery], or by knowledge [teaching about God], or by prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], or by instruction [teaching precepts that develop spiritual maturity]?

7 Yet even lifeless things, whether flute or harp, when producing a sound, if they do not produce distinct [musical] tones, how will anyone [listening] know what is piped or played?

8 And if the [war] bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?

9 So it is with you, if you speak words [in an unknown tongue] that are not intelligible and clear, how will anyone understand what you are saying? You will be talking into the air [wasting your breath]!

10 There are, I suppose, a great many kinds of languages in the world [unknown to us], and none is lacking in meaning.

11 But if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will [appear to] be a [3]foreigner to the one who is speaking [since he knows exactly what he is saying], and the one who is speaking will [appear to] be a foreigner to me.

12 So it is with you, since you are so very eager to have spiritual gifts and manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in ways that will build up the church [spiritually].

13 Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may [be gifted to] translate or explain [what he says].

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive [because it does not understand what my spirit is praying].

15 Then what am I to do? I will pray with the [4]spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me] and I will pray with the mind [using words I understand]; I will sing with the spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me] and I will sing with the mind [using words I understand].

16 Otherwise if you bless [and give thanks to God] in the spirit only, how will any outsider or someone who is not gifted [in spiritual matters] say the “Amen” [of agreement] to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

17 You are giving thanks well enough [in a way that God is glorified], but the other person [who does not understand you] is not edified [and spiritually strengthened since he cannot join in your thanksgiving].

18 I thank God that I speak in [unknown] tongues more than all of you;

19 nevertheless, in public worship I would rather say five understandable words in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue [which others cannot understand].

1 Corinthians 14:1-19 (AMP)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 14:1 In both the Old and the New Testaments, prophets are divinely inspired to foretell the future in the process of delivering God’s word to the people. Paul is saying to the Corinthians that all gifts are worthy and necessary (cf 12:11, 18, 29, 30), but that they should give the gift of prophecy the highest priority (cf Deut 18).
  2. 1 Corinthians 14:5 Lit receive edification.
  3. 1 Corinthians 14:11 Lit barbarian, i.e. one who did not speak Greek; especially a person from an uncivilized region whose speech could not be readily translated.
  4. 1 Corinthians 14:15 May refer to Paul’s spirit, the Holy Spirit, or the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Friday Morning Scripture (Wk8/2022) – Isaiah 25

Song of Praise For God’s Favor

1 O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise and give thanks to Your name; for You have done miraculous things, plans formed long, long ago, [fulfilled] with perfect faithfulness.

2 For You have made a city into a heap [of trash], a fortified city into a ruin; a palace of [1]foreigners is no longer a city, it will never be rebuilt.

3 Therefore a strong people will honor You; cities of terrible and violent nations will fear You.

4 For You have been a stronghold for the helpless, a stronghold for the poor in his distress, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the breath of tyrants is like a rainstorm against a wall.

5 Like heat in a dry land, You will subdue the noise of foreigners [rejoicing over their enemies]; like heat in the shadow of a cloud, the song of the tyrants is [2]silenced.

6 On this mountain [Zion] the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples [to welcome His reign on earth], a banquet of aged wines—choice pieces [flavored] with marrow, of refined, aged wines.

7 And on this mountain He will destroy the covering that is [cast] over all peoples, and the veil [of death] that is woven and spread over all the nations.

8 He will swallow up death [and abolish it] for all time. And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and He will take away the disgrace of His people from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.

9 It will be said in that day, “Indeed, this is our God for whom we have waited that He would save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us shout for joy and rejoice in His salvation.”

10 For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain [Zion], and Moab will be trampled down in his place as straw is trampled down in the [filthy] water of a manure pile.

11 And Moab will spread out his hands in the middle of the filth as a swimmer spreads out his handsto swim, but the Lord will humiliate his pride in spite of the [skillful] movements of his hands.

12 The high fortifications of your walls He will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.

Isaiah 25:1-12 (AMP)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 25:2 Or strangers.
  2. Isaiah 25:5 Lit humbled.

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Bootcamp

Church, it is time to be the effective warrior I have created you to be! I am taking you through a heavenly boot camp where you will be trained in the art of spiritual warfare and battle strategy. You will go through intense exercises and drills, designed to strengthen your faith and teach you how to war from a heavenly perspective.

There will be a great stripping away of old things that have kept you too comfortable and complacent. Just as a bootcamp is designed to break down your strength so as to build you back up better than before, you will go through a refining process to become more alert, alive, and trained to sustain the greater level of spiritual warfare that is coming. I am preparing you to go on the offensive against the enemy. You will not only defend the land you have been given, but you will also begin to take back territory for the Kingdom.

With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.

Psalm 18:29 (NIV)

Praise the LORD, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.

Psalm 144:1 (NIV)

#lionbites