Prayer--Communing with God

Have you ever noticed that when you hang around someone a lot, you begin to talk like they do? You pick up on their phraseologies and follow their train of thought, and sometimes begin to make it your own? Hmmm... maybe if we spent that much time with the Lord, we might begin to reflect His ideas, His perspective, His words....

When God speaks, it is usually brief and to the point. Read/scan the Bible from the perspective of really paying attention to the things God is saying. He is a man of few words. I mainly read the KJV, and I have heard some adapt the flowery KJV prayers, but in conversations with God--beginning in the Old Testament you get a pretty good feel of God's very different mode of conversation. I think the only time He got long winded was at the end of Job :)

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell Me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone--while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'? Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken. Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this." Job 38

If we don't spend much time with the Lord in prayer and reading the Bible, we could misunderstand what He is trying to communicate. The Bible says the Lord knows what our needs are even before we ask, yet he wants us to have communion with Him--to ask expecting to receive His mercy, grace and love in our situation. If we ask with hearts and attitudes of trust and thanksgiving, it really only takes a few words to ask Him to intervene in a given situation.

Too often we tell God how to answer our prayers instead of letting the God who knows best, be God. We tend to rely on ourselves, or man, to meet our needs, and when it doesn't seem to be working--we go to God to have him fix everything our way. How sad that we don't go to Him first--thanking Him for being the loving Lord of our lives who meets our needs each day, and worshipping Him for what He does in and through us--as well as His provision for us and our loved ones. A totally different attitude toward prayer.

Read the Psalms. David and others did some venting, even complaining to God for their hardships. But the theme of praise, thanksgiving and trust underlies every Psalm. The writers are human just like ourselves, yet they chose to trust the faithfulness of the God who is Almighty to save, deliver and redeem them from every destruction. The God who sees all the details of our lives knows our needs and is big enough to meet them all.

Do we trust Him? Do we really believe He is loving and faithful? It is His faithfulness that is required to meet our every need. Our faith may fail, but His cannot. We can trust Him, and He longs to hear us tell Him we do. It releases His Hand to accomplish His purposes in our lives. Prayer is not really about us, but about Him. He desires to have intimate relationship with you, prayer is one of the vehicles He uses to accomplish this. Along with reading His Word and living a life style of Worship, we pray in order to commune in a two-way conversation with the Loving God of the Universe.

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

Show Me Thy Glory

In Exodus chapter 33 Moses is having a conversation with God. The Lord is speaking to Moses face to face, as a man talks with his friend, verse 11. Moses first acknowledges God's favor and blessing. He then asks that God's presence go with the children of Israel as they travel to the promised land. He is requesting God's favor and blessing to continue with them. When the Lord agrees, Moses asks to see the Glory of God. The Lord responds in verse 19,

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Then God hides Moses in the cleft of the rock, and allows him to view His backside, because no man can see the face of God and live-verse 23. Wow! It seems Moses was truly a privileged man to have such a relationship with the Father. Did he realize what he was asking? Did he know that this pleased God's heart because He wants relationship more than anything with his children? All the elders of Israel had rejected the presence of God. They pleaded with Moses to be an intermediary from the time God first began to converse with them on Mt. Sinai. Moses had to veil his face because of the residue of the presence of God could be seen on him--and the people couldn't handle it. It appears that among the people, only Joshua had the desire to be close to the Lord and Moses--verse 11.

There is enough in these verses to preach a sermon, or write a book, but I want to focus on Moses' personal request to see God's glory. It is important to view his request in context. Moses is not proud or haughty that he gets to have such intimate conversations with God. No one else wanted to be this close to God, and the Lord knew this about Moses when He called Moses from the burning bush back in Exodus 3. God's presence exposes every dark corner in our lives. Many of us would like to hide some things from everyone, including ourselves and God. Moses had laid himself bare before God, acknowledging his weaknesses and strengths. God in return began revealing Himself to Moses. Talking "face to face" means you listen, understand and can see from the other person's perspective on many topics. Anyone can "see" miracles that appear before their eyes, like the Israelites saw the Red Sea part, but few see the miracles that abound in our lives daily. They are the key to seeing God's glory.

For many years science has been exploring atoms. Though too small to see, they also reflect God's glory. Scientists have broken down the atom into subatomic particles and continue to attempt to discover more at this level. In 2004, the Nobel Prize for Physics [1] was given for theoretical contributions making it possible to complete the Standard Model of Particle Physics, the model that describes the smallest objects in Nature and how they interact. Scientists have broken down the forces of nature into four basic forces. Physics uses the term "strong force" or "colour force" to describe the force which holds the atom together. This is just one of the 4 forces of nature which they have had so much difficulty in explaining. The Bible tells us that it is by Jesus, that all things 'consist' (KJV)--or hold together. Red, blue and green quarks and their corresponding anti-red, anti-blue and anti-green anti-quarks in the nuclei of atoms are man's attempt to explain the 'force' holding atoms and the Universe together. We know that the creator of the Universe, is also the Force which gives us the 4 known basic forces of Nature. His name is Jesus.

Think about this. We are often in awe that the Lord would care about the details of our lives. Yet He cares enough to have designed the Universe itself to reflect His glory at every level. The Bible tells us the heavens declare the glory of God. Yet the further we explore space and simultaneously the more we do atomic research, it all points to the Great Designer and Creator, Jesus. You see God's signature is in every cell of our being, the molecules that make up our world and the atoms that are the building blocks of the entire universe. We just don't look from the perspective that allows us to see Him in it all.

Seeing God's glory is all about our perspective. We all know people who are negative or too positive in their perspective in life. Both are difficult to be around very much. As an example, on the negative side, I have met people who have a perspective of looking for a demonic cause for every little adversity. Yet not all problems are caused by demons. Some are caused by the flesh and some are simply caused by living in the world. On the positive side” few of us haven’t met someone whose bubbly conversations concerning their pets, the weather or even a relative’s funeral—make us wonder if they are on drugs or just out of touch with reality. We must keep a proper balance on Scripture and our perspective of God and the world we live in. If we hold to the Father’s perspective and really seek to have a 'face to face' relationship with him as Moses did, we will be positioning ourselves to see the Father’s glory and begin to see it and experience it in our lives. His glory is there--we haven't positioned ourselves to see it revealed.

There are some good songs, which are popular today, about seeing God's glory. Seeing God's glory doesn't mean seeing gold dust or a misty cloud, feathers or any other 'manifestation', although any of those may accompany His glory. Remember, our God is a consuming fire, Deuteronomy 4:24. All the dross, all the selfishness, anything that is not valuable from a heavenly perspective may be vaporized in God's presence. This means your house, your ministry, your retirement funds, even your family... Remember Job? His 10 adult children died in one day. He lost everything, including his health. Yet he was in God's will and God's plan for bringing ultimate blessings and glory. That was the Lord's intent all along. Hmmm... What are we willing to turn over to God? What price are we willing to pay to see His glory? ALL, is the only correct answer. We need to spend time in His presence and in His Word, to develop a relationship and perspective where we begin to see His glory in all the earth as well as reflect His glory in our own lives.

[1] http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2004/public.html

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

The Trial of our Faith

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:1-5

Duane Mayfield, my husband, stayed in three different hospitals and a nursing home, beginning April 29, 2007, when he collapsed. We arrived in the U.S. in April 2007, from Israel, to begin our fund raising tour for Horizon Ministries. While serving in New Orleans for two weeks as Chaplains with Billy Graham Evangelical Association, Duane became very weak. A week later he collapsed and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Houston, TX. During the following weeks he suffered with a severe blood infection, double pneumonia, aortic heart valve damage, two strokes, brain swelling and an aneurism any of which could have killed him. May 17, the doctors placed a shunt in his head to relieve his severe brain swelling. May 24, he had brain surgery to remove the aneurism. On May 28, the shunt was removed from his brain. May 29, he was transferred to a Rehab Hospital. They believe all this was as a result of spider bites in March, in Jerusalem, which caused severe blood poisoning but which we had thought was healed after treatment.

I, Ruth Mayfield, Duane’s wife and co-minister, have been held up a shield of faith for Duane and our ministry. Together with our prayer partners and friends we trust God to miraculously intervene in order that His plan and purpose for our ministry, our marriage and our lives will be fulfilled.

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

God has a plan, not only to heal and deliver us, but God has promised that our latter days shall be greater than the former days (Haggai 2:7-9). We live by faith, trusting God to receive enough support through our ministry website ( www.horizonministries.org) and occasional speaking engagements in the US, in order to continue to serve in Jerusalem, Israel. God is our provider. Duane, after pastoring many years in CA, volunteers on the leadership team at Narkis Street Congregation, Jerusalem (www.narkis.org ). Our personal ministry in Israel takes many forms. We network with other ministries as well as minister to individuals. We have the privilege of serving Jews, Arabs and Internationals in our ministry. We also minister in Uganda and have several invitations to other countries. In the U.S. we share about our experiences and walk of faith, and how all this enables us to live by faith in Israel.

Throughout Duane’s medical ordeal, I continued to stand and pray to expose the enemy and reveal God's glory as we have traveled through this valley of trial and miracles. Through all of these events from one hospital to the next, we saw the signature of God in various places as He has put believing doctors and healthcare workers there to encourage us when we needed it most while providing for all our needs. If Duane’s collapse had happened in Israel, they would have transported him to the states because of insurance issues and he probably wouldn't have survived. Instead, the Lord directed our steps to be in Houston, TX where the best medical care could be received. The Church at Houston which had invited us to speak, hosted us during the initial two months of this trial, welcoming us into their homes and their hearts. They visited us in the hospital as if we were their own family—the family of God as in the Book of Acts. God bless each one of them, our family and our ministry partners, who have faithfully prayed and stood in faith with us through all of this.

God could have healed Duane instantly, but He has chosen this path of faith to full recovery for us and those who are praying with us. Medical professionals continue to be amazed as they look at his medical history and his current progress. Brain trauma as extensive as Duane has experienced, takes many, many months of intensive therapy to achieve the best recovery, depending on the amount of permanent damage to tissue. (There was a lemon size area in the right frontal lobe of Duane’s brain that was caused by the first stroke, and unknown amount of damage from the severe swelling from the center of his brain, the second stroke and an aneurism.) Amazingly, the neurosurgeon gave permission for Duane to travel a 6 hour flight only one month after surgery—normally this amount of recovery would take 3-5 months. Duane has no paralysis, no motor skill impairment, no speech impairment and only diminishing, minor memory issues. His strength and endurance though abated continue to improve. Praise you Jesus!

Duane spent a month in the hospital and ICU, another month in a rehabilitation hospital, then 5 weeks in a nursing home. He was released in August from the nursing home into home care. In mid-October he was released from all home therapy. He completed medical tests for his heart and brain in November. As a precaution doctors will continue to monitor the heart valve damage, but he has no restrictions to his activities or diet and requires medication only to alleviate the heart valve leakage. We expected to return to Israel in November. However, December 6, he had successful surgery for a blocked urethra. December 28, he was taken to emergency and admitted for sudden excessive bleeding—a late result of that surgery. At that time, Duane received four units of blood and another severe infection was discovered. God intervened again. They determined that the infection was confined to his bladder requiring only strong oral antibiotics.

The total hospital and doctor bills were close to $500,000. To our surprise, Duane did not have adequate insurance. God used government and charity resources to eventually cover 90% of the bills. We are confident that the Lord will make a way to cover every last medical bill. Duane now has medical coverage for all future treatments as well. Father God is an amazing provider as we diligently serve Him and place our trust in Him.

We spent ten months living with gracious friends and family, having to move every two-to-three weeks from place to place for Duane’s treatment. We returned to Israel February 5, 2008 to gradually resume duties at Narkis and our ministry. Duane is now recovering from overall weakness. His endurance increases with each passing day. We are seeing God's Hand and giving Him Glory every single day as we see Duane respond to therapy and gain strength and stability on the road to full recovery. He is an awesome God! His Ways past finding out!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth allthine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life fromdestruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who
satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the
eagle's.PSALMS 103:2-5

Pray with us:

• That Duane will have the mind of Christ, full clarity of mind and without ever having any residue of weakness, exhaustion or confusion.
  
• Speak the Life of God into every cell of Duane's body and brain. All brain trauma and heart valve leakage will disappear without any residual affects and he will be stronger than ever.
  
• Wisdom and Direction—That we will continue to allow the Lord to direct our steps and provide for us His way.
  

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

To God be the Glory, Great things He is doing every day!!

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

Devotional: Psalms 119:1-8

a Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

Psalms 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It's 176 verses are purposefully divided into sections by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

a -Aleph
The psalmist's assumption is that it is most desirable to be "blessed". Blessed are the undefiled, those who walk in holiness, a living transcript of the ways of God (2 Corinthians 3:3).

How do we enter into such blessings? Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. This is the key to this portion of Psalms 119, and indeed to the key to salvation. We know that salvation is not found in purely obeying the letter of the Law, but in loving the Lord with all our heart, our soul, mind and our strength. The writer is using a continuous present tense. You can't find Jesus one day and keep Him in your pocket for the rest of your life and expect to be blessed. Seeking God is a process which takes place over your entire life-time. God promises to respond to our seeking Him (2 Chronicles 15:2, Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 29:13).

It is this kind of seeking God which enables us to hold the ways of God in high esteem because we love Him. Our love for God and His grace, give us the sincere desire and ability beyond ourselves to obey the Law. The Word of God tells us that in the latter days, God will write His Law on men's hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). His Love will at that point constrain us to reject the ways of evil, and embrace Righteousness and Truth.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

THE ONE IN WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED--WALKING WITH HIM TO MOVE MOUNTAINS by Victoria Boyson

"Jesus is all, and as we abide in Him, we have access to all that we need: all power, all wisdom, and all strength."

All we will ever want, need, or desire is found in Jesus Christ. If we lack power, wisdom, or prosperity, we will find it in Him. He is, and He has all that we will ever need. We have no lack when we are in Him.

Jesus told His disciples, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

If we pull away from the Vine, who is Christ, we will discover we have little power to affect this world on our own. But when we are connected to the Vine, our source of power, we find that we are able to do all things through Him!

Our source of power is not found in ourselves, but as we abide in Christ, we have all the power we need. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7).

Knowing Him
If we abide in Him and His words abide in us, whatever we ask will be done! When we first come to know Jesus, we mainly know Him through the experiences of others or through the Word of God. But as we seek to know Him for who He is and develop a relationship with Him, we find a place of great power and authority in the supernatural realm. We can indeed do as God does, who "calls into being that which does not exist" (Romans 4:17).

Instead of spending all our time rebuking the enemy, we will find that when we are abiding in Him, we simply say the words and find the enemy fleeing. It is not us or our words that the enemy fears, but it is our connection to the Vine that terrifies him. As long as we will abide in Him, we have all the power we need. Our words have great power in the supernatural realm as we ABIDE IN CHRIST.

His Wisdom
Have you ever faced a problem and you just did not know what to do about it? Well, in Jesus, we find the answer to all life's problems. He is our source of great wisdom. He has the answer to every question. He knows all and, as we abide in Him, we have access to all the wisdom of the ages. Our wisdom is only limited by our level of intimacy with Him.

It isn't enough to just pray; to truly effect the realms of darkness, we must pray with the wisdom of the Lord. His wisdom can only be obtained by abiding in Him. When we try to acquire God's wisdom through our own minds and methods, it becomes, at best, a perverted mess. We become puffed up and of little use to God.

As we abide in Christ, He shows us how to pray and who to pray for. And when we are led by His Spirit, we can effectively target the enemy. We can hit him with great accuracy and not wear ourselves out with repetitious, complicated prayers and methods. Jesus is all, and as we abide in Him, we have access to all that we need: all power, all wisdom and all strength.

The Good Shepherd
Even our ability to abide in Him is found in Him. As we seek Him, He draws us to Himself. He is truly the Good Shepherd that David spoke of in Psalm 23 (paraphrased):
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall never be in want, because in Him I have all I need. My Loving Shepherd anticipates my needs and provides for me before I even know I am in lack. He leads me to places of blessing where I can rest. He restores my soul with His peace and comfort, and makes me righteous so that I may become one with Him.

I shall have no fear, because even in the face of death He prepares a feast of blessing for me to enjoy as my enemies look on in defeat. He gives me all I need and fills me with His power. His goodness and loving kindness are with me as I walk and live in Him. I will never ever leave Him, because He holds me close and keeps me walking with Himself. I will abide with Him forever!"

In the midst of the fiercest battle, I experience the greatest peace--I enjoy the greatest joy. Though satan rages, I still experience the feeling of God's protection and love. I am made fearless, because His perfect love for me casts out all fear (see 1 John 4:18).

This Bears Repeating
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the Vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me" (John 15:4).

Our authority does not lie in ourselves! It is a trick of the enemy to get us to focus either on our greatness or our unworthiness and take our eyes off Him. It is not about us at all, but Him. Only as we abide in Him will we have lasting victory and fruit.

It is God's will that we bear fruit, but we cannot apart from Him. We will only exhaust ourselves, and our work will not be of lasting value to the Kingdom. Only in God are we victorious. He is our platform of power; apart from Him we can do nothing!

To Know Him
"I know whom I have believed" (2 Timothy 1:12). Of course you believe in Jesus, but do you believe, trust in, and rely on Him? Do you believe in the greatness of His power? Are you proud of who He is and what He's done? Are you putting ALL your faith and trust in Him, or are you holding back a bit of your heart just in case He does not come through for you? If you know the One in whom you have believed, you will walk in His power and authority.

If we truly know God and how great our God is, we will move mountains for Him. The great problem today is our lack of knowledge of who He is and how awesome He is. If we could indeed see His greatness, we would walk in a spiritual authority that would astonish the world.

Our relationship with God determines the authority we walk in everyday. Without a relationship with Christ, we are only walking blindly through this life, guessing at what we believe is God's will for us. If we truly know Him, we will walk confident in His authority as His messengers. We will not hold back from aggressively believing in His power and trusting in His power to raise the dead to life.

In John 4:10, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you; 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." Jesus said to her "If you knew (Him)" you would ask and He would give. The answers to all life's problems are found in those words, "If you knew."

We should seek to know God--not just know about Him, but know Him. As His children, our prayer should be that He would help us to know Him. For if we know Him, we will become His ambassadors on this earth and do the things He did. If we know Him, we will be His friend and bring His light into the darkness. As we begin to know Him, we can experience His glory and power--and then walk in it.

We don't have to be satisfied with knowing about God, we can truly know Him. We can walk with Him like Enoch walked with Him. And, knowing Him is more wonderful than anything else in this life. He is Life! He is the air we breathe and the reason we live!

The more we know God, the greater our faith in Him becomes, because we begin to see just how awesome He is. When we see how big He is, our faith in Him rises, and we see there is nothing He cannot handle. All things were created by Him and all things are summed up in Him (see Colossians 1:16).

How Big is Your God?
One day when my son Cole was only four years old, he was riding in our car with his daddy. They were both very quiet, just enjoying the ride and being together, when suddenly Cole spoke up. He said, "God must wear a really big shirt!" At four years old, as he sat silently in our car, the God of the universe was revealing Himself to this young man. Cole's remark was evidence that he knew God. Even as a child, and maybe especially as a child, he could understand that if God was big enough to hold the whole world in His hands, He must wear a really big shirt.
It was especially important to Cole to know that his "God-friend" is really big, because he has always been small for his age. So, to know that he had a really BIG God, who wears a really big shirt, was comforting to him. Do you feel that way sometimes? Do you need to know how big your God is?

To find a mental picture of how big God is, we can look at Isaiah 66:1. The Lord describes Himself, "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me?" If God's throne is the Heavens and this enormous world of ours is His footstool, He must, indeed, wear a really big shirt.

Can you see now how big God is? And, this great big Daddy God loves you and wants to be your friend. He wants to take care of even the smallest details of your life. He loves you, and you can take refuge in Him and live confidently in His love for You.

Can We Trust Him?
When we understand His greatness and believe in His power, we will move mountains for Him and astonish the world. As we know Him and how much He loves us, we will walk in His authority and power; then our light will shine before all men, that they might glorify our Father in Heaven (see Matthew 5:16).

Asaph prayed in Psalm 83:18, "Let them know that You, whose name is the Lord--that you alone are the Most High over all the earth." He prayed that we would understand--He is Lord of the Heavens and of the earth; He is Lord over every living thing. Every knee will bow and confess His Name, because He has created all things.

We do not put our faith in a little God, but one who created all things. He really is an awesome God and no matter how big our trouble looks, He is bigger. He laid the foundations of the earth and commands the sun to rise each morning. He told the seas how far to come up shore and understands the expanse of the earth (see Job 38:4-18).

He is able to take care of us at all times. He is able to keep us from falling. He is able to keep us in victory and power.

Pray this with me: Dear Father, release me from the shackles of my fleshly knowledge of You, and show me just how awesome You are, so I might be found in You, and reveal Your greatness to a world that needs You desperately. Help me to know the One in whom I have believed.
In Jesus' name, amen.

Victoria Boyson
Speaking Life Ministries
Email: victoria@boyson.org

reposted from the Elijah List http://www.elijahlist.com/

Devotional: Psalms 103

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul. Psalms 103:1-22

This Psalm of David is a Psalm of Psalms. It brings us into the absolute high praises of God. Beginning with David's revelation of God's mercy shown to himself, his pen aptly reminds us of our own blessings and His mercies in our lives. David begins by addressing his own soul. Regardless of any thoughts or emotions, he reminds himself of God's absolute forgiveness which cancels the effects of sin--sickness, disease, death. Rather than receiving what we deserve as sinful men, God instead grants blessings of protection and provision. David acknowledges God's strength for the elderly and the oppressed. He recognizes it is the Lord who not only commands, but also is the executor of righteousness and justice for the widows and orphans--the poor and the oppressed. God is GOD.

The Psalm continues with further reminders of Moses--both his personal relationship with God and as the deliver, prophet, and law giver of Israel. Moses was the man to whom God spoke "face to face". He then brought all that God taught him to the people of Israel in the form of the written law. God confirmed His Word given through Moses by the signs, wonders and miracles shown to all Israel. The law teaches us how to worship God, pointing out man's ultimate inability to please God by perfect obedience--and yet the focus AGAIN is God's mercy. He remembers we are dust! We are His creation--unable to redeem ourselves--in desperate need of His saving grace. God's provision for removing our transgressions for those who fear Him--provides everlasting access to the throne room of grace, the inner courts of heaven.

What does it mean, "for those who fear Him"--"for those who keep His commandments"? The outward signs that you have a reverent respect or fear of God could be shown by whether or not you keep His commandments--the Law. But, if you are a really disciplined person you could appear to be keeping the Law--but your heart would be the proof of whether you are obeying because you love God and want to please Him, or because you want to avoid the consequences of disobedience. The first commandment is to love the Lord God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength--if you can't choose that as the primary objective in your life, the other commandments can only be obeyed to avoid the consequences or for your own pride--to look good to others or even to God. But God knows our hearts. It takes a heart turned completely toward God to begin to understand His ways, His perspective, His love for us and others. David had such a heart and this Psalm is written from the perspective of this kind of relationship with his God. David was not perfect. He recognized and admitted his sin, his mistakes, his need for God's forgiveness--without pride or excuses.

David's love and gratitude for the Lord crescendos in an appeal beyond the praises of his own soul and the men and women of God's creation to all the angelic hosts. He recognizes that they of course have purpose in God's Kingdom and in His plan of redeeming creation and he invites them to join in this song of high praise. This is a song of praise of God Himself, not merely the things He has done--but who He is. David's invitation for all of creation is unabashed, unreserved praise for Almighty God. I pray that you and I can enter in today to this high form of worship with pure hearts and self-abandoned love for the King of the universe, blessed be His Holy Name!

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

Devotional: Psalms 91

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalms 91:1-16

Psalms 91 is a Psalm most noted for being a Psalm of protection. Many a soldier goes off to war, even today, with this Psalm on the lips of those he knows who have promised to pray for him. The soldiers themselves who know the Bible will recite it and pray it for themselves and their comrades. My oldest son was one of those who had committed this Psalm to his heart when he was 5 years old and was thankful for the promise of God and the prayers of us who not only prayed this Psalm for him daily--but really believed that God would protect him. And He did!

My son has many testimonies today of God's saving grace in wartime. Against the wise advice of his mother, he was not always able to stay in his M1 tank. There were 3 day missions where they hid in the bushes waiting for snipers to set up near them to attack the passing convoys. There were the never ending roadside checkpoints where suicide bombers and various stressed and crazy people do dangerous things. Even their camp had incessant barrages of RPGs as they walked from barracks to mess and dove under the tanks for protection when they heard that familiar whistling sound of an incoming RPG.

We know of a young man here in Jerusalem who is in the IDF reserves and served in the Lebanon war, in July 2006. This young man is a believer and was on the front lines. The battle was so intense at times that he was known to be shouting Psalm 91--in the midst of firefights. His testimony to his fellow soldiers, as well as to us, was he trusted God for deliverance. He was also heard shouting, praying in tongues, as he fought with his troop for their lives. Once they took refuge in a house which was then attacked with anti-tank missiles. If you recall the destruction they cause you will know that God spared them--as the building remained intact and they were safe inside. Another time this young man found himself face to face with a grenade launcher pointed at him, not 3 feet away. There was a white blast and the attacker disappeared--God's grace left this young man unharmed.

Psalms 91 was the first scripture our family memorized together. Our faith took us through difficult times with growing faith in God's promise of protection and grace for whatever circumstances we found ourselves in. We lived this Psalm, we believed this Psalm, and all the rest of the Bible, as we grew in the Lord.

I would like to point out to you the last few verses of this Psalm where the wording changes from a prayer of protection to an answer to the prayer. God Himself answers this heart cry of His servant. The psalmist's cry is a cry of faith. He has seen God's hand move on his behalf and he expects that the Lord will be faithful to do it again and again--not only for himself, but for all those who put their trust in the Lord. It is not so much the words that he uses, he is only recalling to God the Father what He has already done and promised. This man knows the value of dwelling in that secret place in God. It is his unwavering faith, his confidence in the Lord, that God calls setting his love upon me--which moves God's heart to answer so tenderly. Can you just picture Father God looking down toward his beloved--a man who was not perfect, yet his heart responds completely toward God on every occasion of chastisement and correction, trials and attacks.

This love the Father has toward us whom He has created, is that same love that brought His Son, Jesus, to this earth to die for our sins--that we might be forever reconciled to God. When we respond to God with the kind of absolute love and trust that reflects His Love, it touches his heart. Just as when a toddler steps into Daddy's shoes and tries to imitate his father, God is moved by our admiration. His love is stirred and He responds with the promise to always respond. God not only will send his angels, but He Himself will respond to our need. We have God's attention, we have been given the gift of His favor and blessing. He only desires our loving, trust which results in absolute obedience and a burning desire to please Him. As we dwell in this place of trust in Him, we abide in His shadow of protection and blessing. Nothing can harm us, no weapon formed against us can prosper. Hallelujah!

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

Heavenly Whirlwinds and Chariots of Fire-by Paulette Reed

Rev. Paulette Reed
www.dotmm.org

Soaring on the Wind
During this hour of restoration and acceleration in the Church of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is propelling us to live "on earth as it is in heaven." As the master artist paints us into circumstantial corners, our trust and faith are being forced to expand along with our tent pegs. We realize more and more that God is in control - we are not. Control is only an illusion and robs us of total reliance on the Holy Spirit. Any attempt to control will also inhibit people from the ability to freely love as Jesus loves. As we yield and hang on to the mighty right hand of God, He picks us up and twirls us like a child's top. He lifts us, taking us where He will, when He will. . . His will. Then, He sets our feet upon holy ground, and says, "Occupy."

As the Divine exchange continues until the day of completion - Jesus' life for ours - we love Him more each day with all of our hearts, minds, and souls. Because of our love, we also serve Him more each day, with zeal. However, friends, when assignments change and the breakthrough angels show up, there are whirlwinds awaiting us. We must live as a wheel-within-a-wheel, soaring with each spiritual storm developed by the Creator, believing there are angelic hosts waiting to assist and protect us and advance the kingdom of God. Do not resist the wind, for it insists upon change and many will be "unstuck" by its forcefulness. No matter what circumstances you are in, come hell or high water, the Lord wants to lift you up and take you out. Change is coming.

"Air Force One" - Taking Off and Landing
As God is raising people into new positions at an unprecedented rate, we continue the crucial preparation. Many Christians are downscaling, buying smaller homes, determined to get out of debt, and the like. They are ready for rapid discipleship deployment - not even taking an extra tunic. The Lord may send us across the street or across the world. Perhaps the King of Glory will open the gates and translate us to another continent, or pour out heavenly revelation to be written down for the church. Whatever the charge, we shall be ready. Beloved, the more we let go, the more we lay hold (Galatians 2:20) so when the Lord speaks we can immediately say, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8).

It's important to consider that those on the receiving end must be prepared as well. As God sends gifts to His body - prophets, administrators, apostles, ministers of helps, pastors, evangelists and teachers - the ox must never be muzzled while it is threshing. Be prepared, church, to take care of those whom the Lord sends to you, for we always reap what we sow; an undeniable kingdom principle. We must always honor God's "gifts" to the body, so the house is not desolate.

Heavenly Whirlwinds
As we look at whirlwinds as type and shadow, we note the "suddenly" and "separation" that accompanies them. "As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind" (II Kings 2:11).

Beloved, when we've been prepared and trained by the Sower, then He can "take us up" to learn of heaven and plant us where He will. Heavenly whirlwinds may catch us up geographically, spiritually or emotionally, but either way God will do a work in us - through them. The whirlwinds of God may seem uncomfortable, but we must learn to live in the eye of each spirit-storm. The Prince of Peace is the center of our being even when, especially when, we seem swept away by life. Remember that if God can entrust us with the power of each cyclone, He can use us more and more for His glory. The glory is in the wind and God is the underlying, motivating force of life. So, even when we may not realize it, He is always moving on our behalf, going before us to divide the waters so we can cross over (II Kings 2:14). Beloved, whirlwinds are a vertical experience; they rise as incense, taking us closer to heaven each time so we can flow with our Supernatural Father. It's in the swirling, on the Potter's wheel, that we are molded into Christlikeness. For, God's way is in the whirlwind and the storm (Nahum 1:3).

Some of you reading this may feel isolated and forgotten. Does it seem no one in your sphere of family and friends understands, or even tries to understand? Don't lose heart! Though the ways of God seem mysterious and perplexing, we can know with certainty He is purposeful in all He does. He has not abandoned you, nor left you behind. You are drenched in the anointed oil of His perfect plan, and have been hand picked for His special forces! God has tailored your current experience to evoke the sweet aroma of your worship and, at the same time, to train you to reign.

Sometimes we hear people say, "Well, so-and-so is just too heavenly to be any earthly good." Personally, I've never met anyone like that. I have met many, however, who are too earthy to be any heavenly good. It's when we learn to please the Father and live on earth, as it is in heaven that His mighty power can and will be released. Elijah had pleased the Father with his life of faithfulness. It wasn't so much about the ascension as the expectation; watching for the whirlwinds of God's glory, not missing the opportunity to soar. Elijah didn't even have time to reason with intellect - He just believed and consequently was taken up; promoted so to speak. God is returning us to the basics of Christianity, dear ones. We cry out, "Lord, teach us to pray!" He answers, "I did, a couple thousand years ago 'on earth as it is in heaven.' " Oh, may we honor and cherish the Lord's Prayer - the perfect daily petition - as we decree its fulfillment. May we arise and shine for the light has come (Isaiah 60).

Calling all Chariots!
When we learn to trust the storm winds of the Spirit, we also learn to trust our Heavenly Father to send help in the midst of them. It's when Elijah, "was no more" that Elisha's dependence upon God greatly increased. He had to go on alone to see God show His power. Whether physical, moral or mental, some may feel that separation is so very difficult. But rejoice, for Jesus says, "He expounds all things to His disciples when He's alone with them" (Mark 4:34). Alleluia! Friends, you may never grow more spiritually or emotionally than by transplantation and isolation. Now, pick up the mantle that fell to the ground in the glory wind and cross over!

Do you recall when Israel had been split in two, weakening her borders and clashing with her neighbors? It was then that Elisha, a prophet in his own right, was trapped and desperately needed God. It was then that he prayed for spiritual eyes to be opened. This man of God did not have time to debate doctrine. He needed the Helper! "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." In addition, Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see. Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha" (II Kings 6:16 and 17).

Oh beloved, may our spiritual eyes be opened so we can see the hills full of horses and chariots of fire waiting, ready to protect us, the church. In accordance with the Word of God, it appears there is an abundance of help available for, "The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands" (Psalm 68:17). We must know and believe the golden chariot is always with us - in us. It is in the holiest part of "the temple" and we have access to it (I Chronicles 28:18).

Our Father, Who art in heaven, "Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, Your lightening lit up the world, the earth trembled and quaked" (Psalm 77:18). Continue to show us your power, Father. We thank you for the whirlwinds that take us up to the heavenly realm with you, for they are full of your glory. May we have visitations like Elijah so we can live on earth as it is in heaven? Even when Your fiery chariots separate us, we rejoice knowing they catch us up to You. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done. Please, please open our spiritual eyes that we might see far beyond what the five physical senses could ever perceive. We believe, Holy Father, that Your glory is in the whirlwinds; that the hills are full of horses and chariots protecting Your church as we march victoriously, and occupy. For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory - forever.

Rev. Paulette Reed
www.dotmm.org
Copyright (c) 2007 All Rights Reserved

Devotional: Psalms 118

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.
They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
Psalms 118:1-17

This Psalm of David boldly declares that all should join in jubilant singing of God's mercy toward their king and the nation of Israel. God had given King David victory over the peoples that had risen up against Israel and God had established the nation of Israel in prosperity. David declares that it is not his own ability or strength that has caused Israel to be blessed, but it is God's mercy toward him and all Israel.

Mercy is a gift, not something you earn. The Bible has many occurrences of the word "mercy" or "mercies", 116 times in the Psalms alone. Of those, 42 times it declares God's mercies are for ever. David is boldly declaring that because God has been merciful and will always continue to be merciful, there is much cause for ALL Israel to be singing and rejoicing with thanksgiving for the never-ending mercies of God.

Because of God's unchanging mercy for the righteous we are guaranteed victory. Those who trust in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Jacob) are the righteous by definition in the book of Hebrews. Those who have circumcised hearts are the offspring of Abraham (Romans 4:11). Do we really believe and trust in God's mercy? So often we look for "solutions" to our problems from man's wisdom. God can of course use man, his logic and wisdom, to affect His Purposes, but He does that as we look to Him for the answers and truly trust in His mercy and faithfulness.

We cannot continue to look upon our situation, rather than trusting God to:

• answer you
• be on your side
• help you
• be your strength
• deliver you

so that in His Name YOU WILL DESTROY YOUR ENEMIES, because the Lord does valiantly!

Hallelujah! There is plenty to be thankful for, to sing and rejoice--no matter how bad things get or how bad they look. Remember that if you could just see for one moment God's perspective you would see that He is in control of every situation. And we are told that blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed (John 20:29). David was confident in God's ultimate victory and it caused His heart to overflow with joy and singing. He is the one who is called a friend of God.

May our hearts burn for that kind of confidence in God's mercy. Read it in the Word, and then begin to look for God's mercy in your life--expect it as David did. You will not be disappointed.

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

Devotional: Psalms 16

A Secret Treasure of David. Watch over me, O God; for in You do I put my trust. Oh my soul, you have said to Jehovah, You are my Lord; I have no goodness apart from You. As for the saints in the earth, they are the excellent, in whom is all my delight. But their sorrows shall be multiplied who run after another god. I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood; and I will not take their names on my lips. Jehovah is the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup; He shall uphold my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I have a beautiful inheritance. I will bless Jehovah, who has given me wisdom; my heart also instructs me in the nights.

I have set Jehovah always before Me; because He is at My right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoices; My flesh also shall rest in hope; For You will not leave My soul in hell; You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will make Me know the way of life; in Your presence is fullness of joys. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:1-11

This special Psalm of David begins as a short simple prayer, then moves into David reminding himself of the goodness and faithfulness of God and ends with his confident declaration of his Hope in the Lord. What an amazing Psalm, and what a wonderful example of directing our petitions to the Lord. The Lord knows our needs before we ask. But He desires our communication so we must ask, and we must remind ourselves of His Goodness, as David does for much of this psalm. Once your soul embraces the Goodness of God, the declaration flows as a natural result of the expectancy that God will be faithful and that there is indeed no greater expectancy or desire than to live eternally in His presence.

David is not just speaking of heaven's glory, when his flesh will be glorified and he will abide in God's presence. His declaration is that of experiencing these things now AND forever. Our souls, our intellect and emotions, need constant reminders that the reality we live in here on earth is not what is real and permanent. God's presence in our lives ought to be our focus--then all the things of earth grow "strangely dim". If we all wrote down the hundred of times that God has been faithful to us we would begin to live in the expectancy of seeing God's goodness in the land of the living. David lived this, as he wrote psalm after psalm, meditating and rehearsing what God had done again and again in his life.

In the book of Revelation, it says that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony--not loving our lives unto death. Your testimony is valuable, not just the testimony of your conversion--but your testimony everyday of God's presence, and goodness in your life. Complaints and focusing on our problems and trials is like the offerings of the wicked--their is no glory, no life, in them. But God works all things for our good and for His Glory. Though we don't understand his workings, the trials and sufferings--His goodness prevails, our inheritance is in Him and He will give us His Wisdom and Grace. Hallelujah!

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

Improper Application of Statistics in "The Lost Tomb of Jesus"

Many have questions about the promotion of the new movie. Many of those viewing this know that the Bible is our source of Truth, which would place this movie, as well as the DiVinci Code in the realm of 'misleading fiction'. The following is the published statement by an expert.
_____________________________________________________________

The Improper Application of Statistics in "The Lost Tomb of Jesus"

By Stephen Pfann

"Is not this the carpenter's (Luke: Joseph's) son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph (Mark: Joses) and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?" (Matt. 13:55-56a)

"The filmmakers asked Andrey Feuerverger, professor of statistics and mathematics at the University of Toronto, to study the likelihood of the cluster of resonant names found in the Talpiot tomb being merely coincidental. He concluded, according to the Discovery Channel, that 'the odds are at least 600 to 1 in favor of the Talpiot Tomb being the Jesus Family Tomb. In other words, the conclusion works 599 times out of 600.'" Jerusalem Post, Feb 27, 2007

The starting point for the supposed scientific investigation of a tomb in Jerusalem's East Talpiot neighborhood is an amazing claim that statistically, the viewer must accept the fact that the tomb is certainly (600 to 1 probability) the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth and his family. This statement is based upon a number of fallacies and a general misuse of statistics. 

1) What database serves as the basis for establishing the probability of this claim? There are no surviving genealogies or records of family names in Judea and Galilee to make any statement concerning the comparative frequency of various personal names in families there. Only Jesus' genealogy appears to have survived, as presented in the Gospels (see Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-34, together with the list of his brothers cited above). For Prof. Feuerverger to make any statement concerning the actual identification of the family is pure speculation, since there are no other complete family lists available for comparison, and is very inappropriate within the rubrics of his discipline

What can a statistician justifiably say? Perhaps only that it would take another 600 tombs of similar size, form and contents to arrive at one with ossuaries bearing the identical names and numbers of this one. Even for this, there are a number of hurdles to cross:

2) The records of who and how many individuals were actually buried in any given family tomb in 1st century Judea and Galilee cannot be ascertained solely on the basis of examining the extant names on the surviving ossuaries in the tomb. This is due to the following circumstances:

a) Most tombs have already been visited and looted in antiquity or in recent times, leaving the record of their original contents incomplete.

b) Not all ossuaries are saved during the excavations so as to be stored and registered. Oftentimes, only ossuaries with inscriptions, decorations or both are kept.

c) According to L. Y. Rahmani, A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries, of 917 ossuaries in the collections of the State of Israel, only 231 (25.2%) are inscribed with names. The East Talpiot tomb is unusual in that 6 of its 9 registered ossuaries (66%) were actually inscribed with names. If all tombs contained similar percentages of inscribed bone boxes, then a comparative census between various tombs would be sensible and possible. However this is certainly far from being the case. 

d) Those ossuaries which bear names have often contained the remains of more than one  individual. The names of these individuals will never be known. (For example, the Caiaphas' ossuary contained the remains of several individuals, including one middle aged man.)

Thus, the most one can hope to do in establishing a working database upon which to base a statistical probability, is to make a general overall survey and census of inscribed ossuaries. This is a useful enterprise when utilizing the entire corpus of ossuaries to determine the proportions of names and the ethnic character of the general population. Remarkably, only 72 different Jewish names are represented among the 286 personal names found on the 231 inscribed ossuaries (bearing in mind that some ossuaries contain two or three names in the formula "x son of y")! These 72 personal names include their shortened forms and their Greek or Latin equivalents. What is the implication of this for establishing a statistical probability of occurrence?

Compared with the large pool of individual personal names in use today in North America and Europe, a very small pool of personal names was normally used when naming a child in first century Judea and Galilee. Again, remarkably, a mere 16 of the 72 personal names account for 75% of the inscribed names (214 in all). The frequency list of personal names on inscribed ossuaries is as follows:

Salome (Shalom, Shlomzion) 26
Simon (Shim'on) 26
Mary (Miriam, Maria) 20
Joseph 19
Judas (Yehudah) 18
Lazarus (El'azar, Eli'ezer) 16
Joezer (Yeho'azar) 13
John (Yehonan) 12
Martha 11
Jesus (Yeshua') 10
Saul 10
Ananias (Hananiah) 10
Matthew (Mattitiyahu, Mattai) 8
Jonathan (Yehonatan) 6
Jacob/James (Ya'aqov) 5
Ezekias (Hezekiah) 4

Total names 4x or more 214

Other less common names: 

3x: 'Amah, Hanan, Shalum, Shappira 
2x: 'Azaviah, 'Ahai, Haniah, Hanin/Hanun, Yatira, 'Ezra, Qariah, Shamai, Seth

All of the names that are ascribed in the Gospels to Jesus of Nazareth's father (Joseph), mother (Mary) and brothers (Jacob/"James", Joseph/Josehs, Simon, and Judas) are found in the list of the 16 sixteen most commonly inscribed names. In fact, four of these names, Simon, Mary, Joseph and Judas are among the top five in the frequency list of names (109 of 286 names: 38% of the entire list of names). 

Concerning the East Talpiot tomb, only one name among those of Jesus' brothers Joseph/Joseh, can identified on the inscribed ossuaries. All of the other siblings' names, including "James"/Jacob, are curiously lacking. Even the name Joseh is not inscribed as a "son of Joseph" or any other, that is to say, where one would expect "Joseh son of Joseph" in a purported Jesus' family tomb, one does not find it. 

The names Mary* (2x), Joseph/Joseh (2x), Judas and even Jesus, found in the Talpiot tomb should well be expected there (or in almost any other tomb in the area, for that matter). These are simply the most common names of the day. The only difference is that the Talpiot tomb has so many names preserved among its ossuaries! If other tombs contained so many inscribed ossuaries, the name census in most other tombs would be very much the same. This being the case, there very well could be numerous tombs which could have claim to the title "a Jesus' family tomb." However in all cases, as in this, there would be no compelling reason to connect them with Jesus of Nazareth!

*The naming of Mary Magdalene as "Mariamne" (or "little Mary", a diminutive) in a fourth century Gospel of Philip should be considered irrelevant to the discussion, being three centuries too late for consideration.

L. Y. Rahmani, A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries, Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities (Jerusalem: 1994)

Copyright 2007. Stephen Pfann, University of the Holy Land. All rights reserved. (May be freely quoted if properly credited.)

http://www.uhl.ac/JudeanTombsAndOssuaries.html

Devotional: Psalms 72

A Psalm for Solomon. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.

He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Psalms 72:1-20

This Psalm was written by King David for his son King Solomon. It begins with a petition to God that Solomon would be a righteous and worthy King. King David specifically asks that his son receive God's righteousness and God's judgments to equip Solomon to reign as a godly king. If you are familiar with Psalms 119, you have some idea of the amazing request David asks for his son. Oh, that each of us would consider and petition God so wisely on behalf of our children, both when they are young and as adults, as Solomon is already a king when this is written. The bulk of the Psalm describes the result of God's granting King David's request. King Solomon will be a very successful and righteous king, acting as God's authority in the land and therefore the nation would be blessed as well.

This is also prophetic. Solomon is often viewed as a type of Jesus. He is the King of Righteousness who will one day be the Judge of the whole earth. The result of His Righteous Judgment is peace--shalom. Not just a world without conflict and war, but the full meaning of the word shalom--wholeness, completeness, soundness, tranquillity, health, prosperity. Jesus reigns as Sar Shalom, Prince of Peace. The name Solomon means peace, it comes from the word shalom. So this Psalm and prayer of David's was fulfilled during the reign of King Solomon, and looks forward to the reign of Jesus.

It ends with absolute praise and wonder of the Lord. David recognizes that it isn't by any work of man; not his son's training, nor genetic superiority that will equip him as the King to reign in righteousness with the authority of Almighty God--it is God Himself that blesses with favor, and gives the ability for Solomon to walk in God's righteousness and judgments, instead of man's. David also recognizes that the only way the whole earth can be filled with the glory of God, is when each of us walk, as a kingdom of God's servants, according to the Righteousness of God in Judgment, Justice and Truth. As he concludes this Psalm, let us also look forward to that day when the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. If Jesus reigns in our hearts and lives, we can experience God's glory in our lives, and others will see it too. Lord, let it begin in us today!

Devotional: Psalms 149

Praise ye the LORD.
Sing unto the LORD a new song,
and his praise in the congregation
of the saints.
Let Israel
rejoice in their maker:
let the children of Zion
be joyful in their King.
Let them praise his name
in the dance:
let them sing praises to him
with the timbrel and harp.
For the LORD takes pleasure
in his people:
he will beautify the humble

with salvation.

Let the saints
be joyful in glory:
let them sing aloud upon their beds.
Let the high praises of God
be in their mouth,
and a twoedged sword
in their hand;
To execute vengeance on the nations,
and punishments on the people;
To bind their kings
with chains,
and their nobles
with fetters of iron;
To execute upon them
the judgment written:
this honour have all his saints.
Hallelujah.
Psalms 149:1-9

The Lord gave me the tune of an old chorus "I will sing unto the Lord with all of my strength, I will sing praises to God while I have my being...." If you remember it, you will see how the cadence of Psalm 149 can fit the tune. If not, well then you will just have to read it as a poem.

This is a psalm of praise. One is caught up immediately with joyous praise--singing and dancing with timbrels and instruments. It is like a parade going through the streets where those in the parade run to the onlookers and drag them into the celebration. What are they celebrating? Their King! Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, in all his glory, is pleased with the celebration of His devoted, loyal worshippers.

But then the psalm takes on a new dimension. The worshippers are to continue being joyful--"ON THEIR BEDS". The Bible tells us we are to praise the Lord in the evening, in the morning, and at noon--but also while we are sleeping. It goes on: "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a twoedged sword in their hand". The high praises of God, what is that? These praises do spiritual warfare. It is NOT something that takes an orchestra or loud music in some large church to be the high praises of God. As we lift our sincere, joyous praise to God He apparently releases the angelic hosts to do warfare on behalf of the Kingdom of God. Yes, we have the Sword of the Lord, the Word of God, in our right hands. That means as we praise we declare His victories according to His Word. Read the rest of this psalm again.

It doesn't always take hours or days of prayer and fasting to execute God's divine judgements against the enemy. In this psalm we are instructed to praise the Lord and He fights our battles for us. I am reminded of the story in 2 Chronicles 20. The Lord instructed Jehoshaphat to send the singers and worshippers to go first into battle. The victory was all the Lord's. We can also do this on our beds--execute the written judgements, God's decrees against the wicked. The night does not belong to the enemy! It belongs to God. We just need to realize we can, and should, praise Him all the while we are awake and even while we are sleeping.

May each of us come to the place where our worship of our Lord Jesus is all consuming in our lives, that we worship him with our words, our deeds, our hearts and our consciousness--even when we are asleep.

It's All Good- by Christine Sakakibara

This is a blog written by a good friend here in Israel. At the end is a link to a video from Israeli TV. The video is in Hebrew, but you can still get the sense that it is POSITIVE coverage of a very contraversial subject in Israel--Messianic Jews. This was aired on national TV on Friday evening, Feb 16, 2007. This is a breakthrough! Some of those featured are close friends. The reason the show was done was one of the young children in the video was witnessing to a schoolmate, the reporter's child. God is AMAZING!

We all know that bad news sells more newspapers than good news, well at least that is the case in Israel.

One of the leading stories on the last day of December 2006 said the following: "Report paints gloomy picture of life for Israeli children". The report went on to reveal statistics released by the National Council for the Child. More Israeli children than ever are suffering from divorce, poverty, abuse, neglect and trauma. In short.. Third of Israel's children live below the poverty line. What the reporter of this particular article did not mention was all the assistance, both financial and material, that is being provided in aid by numerous non-profit Christian and Jewish organizations.

The reports that do not make the front page news are many times very encouraging and exciting. If the media had the good sense to give them time and space it would be a real morale builder, both to those who live in Israel and to the faithful ones who pray and support Israel in other ways.

Let's look at the immigrants from Western countries. According to figures released by the Jewish Agency, immigration from the West is on the rise. Aliya from the UK in 2006 reached a record high and surpassed all figures and was the best in 22 years. Russian immigrants are still coming and still make up the majority of immigrants. For the first time ever 220 Jews from the Bnei Menashe tribe in India immigrated after receiving approval that they indeed were one of the lost tribes of Israel.

Despite Israelis' many problems and complaints, a survey carried out by the Ministry of Health found that nearly half of all interviewed felt "happy most or all of the time". The survey interviewed 10,000 Israelis'. The conclusion of the survey showed, half of all Israelis' suffer from "chronic happiness"!

From all media reports, we often come to the conclusion that Israel is isolated and in danger of constant threat from surrounding Arab countries. Recently there was a report that an Israeli system for milking camels has been installed in Dubai. The system, the first of its kind, can milk 48 camels at the same time. Israel and Dubai do not have diplomatic relations. This particular system has the potential to attract 200 million Arab customers. Other countries, who do have diplomatic relations, act as the go between in purchasing Israeli technology for Arab countries. By the way, people who are lactose intolerant can drink camel milk.

Europe is becoming a hot bed of anti Semitism, yet the German government is encouraging tourism to Israel for German citizens who suffer from skin diseases such as psoriasis. The German Ministry of health made a decision to include Dead Sea treatment in the German basket of health services. A health study carried out in Germany concluded it was more economical and proved more successful if patients were sent for four weeks of treatment at Dead Sea hotels and clinics, rather than to skin clinics in Germany.

A Christian Arab researcher, 31years old, now living in Haifa and originally from Nazareth, recently won the largest grant ever given by the European Union to an Israeli scientist. He was given 1.75 million Euros to develop an "electronic nose" to sniff out cancerous cells and tumors before they have a chance to spread and kill. The grant will allow him to set up a new lab and hire researchers from Israel and abroad. He said the team's first goal will be "sniffing out" lung cancer.

But the biggest and best news was stated just this week on a Friday night TV report (Channel 22) on Messianic Jews in Israel. The reporter said that it's believed that there are now 15,000 Messianic Jews living in Israel and in Jerusalem alone are 15 congregations. Three years ago an Israeli newspaper reported they believed there were 10,000 Messianic Jews in Israel. One thing is for sure, souls are being added to the body of Christ.

Good things are happening in Israel, too good to be kept hidden. Israel is well on its way to becoming "A light to the nations". (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6)

link to Israeli tv-video (it begins with advertisements, but the video starts with the family at the kitchen table)

For more articles and news from Christine go to her blog: http://christine-theview.blogspot.com

Devotional: Psalms 42

To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. PSALMS 42:1-5

Many of you may be familiar with the old chorus that is written based on the first few verses of this Psalm. "As the deer panteth for the waters, so my soul longeth after thee. You, Oh Lord, are my heart's desire and I long to worship thee...." I always loved the sweet, soft peace in the atmosphere of that song, but this song is not as soothing sounding. The words of these first five verses are a cry of a heart in desperation.

This Psalm has been a favorite of mine through many a difficult time period in my life. Times when my world seemed to be crashing down all around me, and depression grabbed me, gripping me by the throat so that my very life felt like it was fading. The enemy comes in like a flood sometimes, he tries to convince us our hope is gone. Even our friends may ask us as Job's friends did, what is our secret sin? When we stand in faith, believing that the trials are temporary, they will ask, "Where is your God?" Our hearts and minds may know to trust in God, but it may become very difficult when faced with pain, disease, or lack; particularly if you have to watch a child or a loved one suffer. Sometimes there are no answers for those who question our trust in God. All we can do is persevere. Our hope is in God.

I have had conversations with Father God much like the words in this Psalm describe. I've done everything, I am praising you in the midst of the fiery furnace, yet the enemy mocks YOU! And he mocks my faith in You. Yet again God's grace reminds me of Job and his words. "I know my Redeemer lives!" "Though He slay me, yet I will trust in Him." It is good to remind myself that whatever I am going through, Jesus understands. He suffered and experienced everything we ever could, and He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. There is suffering in this world. We cannot know God's heart if we don't experience suffering. Sin and it's consequences doesn't make God as angry as it does cause Him to suffer and grieve. His Holiness and Righteousness produce the wrath but His Love shields us in Mercy.

So this Psalm intermingles grief and despair with hope and faith. We can speak to our own souls and tell them to hope in God, because all tears will be forgotten in the light of His Countenance. We can answer those who question, where is your God? He is right here with me. He is pouring His strength into me, because I have no more of my own. He is giving me joy and hope, when there is no tangible reason for these to exist in me. I will seek my God, not because He has an answer to stop my suffering, but because He is everything to me. If He would forsake me, I could not breathe another breath. He holds me in the palm of His Hand. By Him the stars are held in their places. He brings the sunshine and the rain, when the earth is parched. He floods me being with the warmth and light of His Love and His Presence. I desperately need Him, He is all I need.

Devotional: Psalms 18

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong forme. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. PSALMS 18:1-16

This is the beginning of a song, or Psalm, written by King David after his victory from a very low point. He himself had been anointed as the new king of Israel by the Prophet and Seer Samuel. Yet King Saul, whom David had faithfully served, was still the king and he was chasing David through the desert to kill him. Can you imagine all the thoughts that might have gone through David's mind? It would certainly be difficult in his situation not to question God. David was the least in his father's house and had no aspirations for leadership. It was all God's idea! He has submitted to God, submitted to the authority of Samuel, and even the authority of the King, Saul. His reward is a death sentence. He finds himself running for his life to the desert.

David was probably well acquainted with survival in the deserts of the Judean hills were he had kept his father's sheep. Scripture tells us he had also slain a bear and a lion with his bare hands, so we know that it was not the desert itself that David feared. Yet we know that the desert place symbolizes a dry, difficult place where we begin to feel like we are alone. We seem to loose our perception and wonder if perhaps God himself has forsaken us. Even though we may know that God has promised in His Word never to leave or forsake us, and there is no place we could hide from God's presence even if we tried, we can forget these things in the face of extreme distress. Other Psalms written by David describe every "feeling" we could ever experience in the desert place, from fear to depression, from absolute loneliness to exaltation in the presence of God's nearness as we view the night sky in wonder.

In this Psalm David has just been delivered from death by the hand of God. What a victory! David sees God as having moved heaven and earth on his behalf! David is my personal hero because whether he is facing fear or victory his FIRST thought is always God. Though he is a mighty warrior himself, he ALWAYS gives God ALL the credit. This Psalm is no exception. David joyously sings of God's deliverance and then reminds himself, and us, that God has done this because because "He delighted in me". God's infinite love for us is the reason He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death and brings us to victory. It isn't because David had earned God's favor, David believed in, and expected God's favor. The Bible says that God considered David His friend. What an honor to be called a friend of the Most High God.

Do you know that Father God delights in you? Every time you acknowledge His blessings in your life and give Him glory, He delights in YOU. Yes, He created the stars and all the wonders of this earth and in the universe, and yet He delights in our recognition, our dependence, our obedience, our love for Him. We are so blessed to have the Bible as we go through our desert places and come under the attack of the enemy. We can read through the Psalms and allow the Holy Spirit to remind of God's faithfulness, even when we are weak and fail. How grievous it is to hear someone say, "Oh, I am in a desert place and the Word is so dry I cannot read it." This is like refusing life saving water because your throat is too dry to swallow. Don't give into the enemy's lies!

I pray that today you will delight yourself in the Lord that He may delight in You. May you love, serve and glorify Him in ways that make Him sing, dance and rejoice over you.

New Generation of Kids

A Word 2/4/07 Albany, OR by Kim Clement

The Spirit of God says this year I am dedicating to the child. To the children of this nation and to the children of this earth because it is now time for retribution, it is time for Me to repay for the many who have been taken out legally by abortion, I'm going to repay. I will raise up a double portion and a double sound in your children for the gifts that previous generations had are nothing compared to what I'm about to do through your children. The Spirit of God says look at them these are but a few compared to what I'm going to do. I will not only baptize them with a Spirit at an early age but I will do it in the schools, I will do it in preschools. They will have no choice because my Spirit has been waiting for a moment to repay for that which they have done to the children of this generation. Therefore rejoice for tonight is the beginning of something that shall continue and continue and grow. Children will gather together and they will hear the voice of the prophet and they themselves will prophesy. God says the powers of hell will not be able to stand the sound of a child. No one will stop the sound of God in the child that I am raising up in this hour. They will not stop the sound of child-like faith. They will not stop the sound of child-like praise. They will not stop the sound of child-like wisdom. This is something that will continue throughout this country until the voice of God is heard in the preschools, schools, universities and colleges. My voice shall be heard says the Lord. http://www.kimclement.com

View this on LiveDigital

This new generation of children is arising in our midst. God is doing it. We can choose to cooperate or try to squash what He is doing. But He will do it. It is prophecied in Joel.

I challenge you to consider, God sees each of us as one of these little children. Whether we are 5 years old or over 80, whether we have been saved 5 minutes or for our entire lifetime. We remain as little children to our Abba, Father. Throw away the wordy explanations of your flowery prayers, seasoned with your doubts and thoughts of how God ought to answer your prayers and intervene according to our desires, and learn to pray these kinds of childlike prayers.

Abba, we need You. All we need is YOU!