Here’s the Verse … “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” So says the Lord God Almighty.

Herein I find great peace!

Thus, God is omniscient, knowing all things!

And God is eternal, being present before the “Beginning” and existing after the “End!”

God is sovereign, none exists above Him. His Counsel, His Pleasure, also known as His “Will” always prevails.

He will never be overruled!

And, on top of all that, this God is “knowable!”

Listen to Jesus in John 17:3 … “And this is life eternal, that they might KNOW thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

God even invites us to Himself!

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 1:18 where He adds: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

Jesus, Who is God, goes this far: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Wow!

All I know now is to invite you!

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

Consider yourself invited!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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This 109th Psalm is Messianic.

Or at least Peter applies a portion of it to the Life of Christ. (Acts 1:20 quoting Psalm 109:8, specifically.)

I personally am coming to believe that we can find Jesus in some way in every single Psalm!

But Verse 4 has caught my attention this morning.

“For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.”

Our wise King James translators often (as they tell us up front) italicize certain words in the Text to clarify the meaning. I believe the Lord guided their minds in this endeavor.

So … in the case of Psalm 109:4, without the italicized addition, the last half of the Verse reads …

“But I … Prayer!”

If this is Messiah (Jesus our Lord) speaking, which many believe, He just called Himself “Prayer!”

This might mean that when I pray … I am entering into the very Heart of my Lord! (Could this be part of the essence of praying “in Jesus’ Name?”)

Jesus punctuated His early Life with Prayer, constantly.

Even to this extent, an anointed Psalmist could say of Christ … HE IS PRAYER personified!

What is the point, Preacher?

To show me the importance of prayer!

How necessary it is to the healthy Christian life!

How essential to true fellowship with my Saviour!

When Jesus’ adversaries (many and often) came … He prayed!

He is Prayer!

And so should I follow in His Steps!

“Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 in part.

Pray more today!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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A battle is raging, in the heavens at that!

Revelation 12:7 … “And there was war in heaven.”

A war that spills over onto the earth!

Satan, the devil, fighting God’s children.

But the Believers in Jesus were victorious!

How so, Preacher?

Now here’s Revelation 12:11, part of the verse … “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.”

The verb “to overcome” means “to conquer!

These beleaguered saints of God did not win the war because of anything they could do! They win … all because of Jesus!

They simply mentioned, trusted, claimed the Blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son as their Defense!

Here it is again … “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.”

This tactic still works today!

Memorize and quote a few “Blood Verses” from the Bible! When the devil is fighting.

Sing some songs about Jesus’ Blood!

Display on the walls of you home pertinent photos, paintings, plaques (and the like) that magnify Jesus’ Death and Bloodshed … the Act that still washes away sin!

Make MUCH of the Blood, Jesus’ Blood!

Now, let’s all of us use that approach when we fight the devil!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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A short Verse, but powerful!

“And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” John 1:16, as I indicated in the Lesson title.

The possessive Pronoun “His” refers to the Lord Jesus Christ!

The preceding Verses prove that point. “And the Word (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.” John 1:14-15, King James Version of course.

(I was recently reading a little Book by Dr. Arno C. Gaebelein on the Glories of our Lord. And one of his Chapters used John 1:16 as its main Scripture Text.)

The verb “received” (in Greek “lambano”) is an aorist active which points to some time in the past when such a Gift was given us Christians. Here it also can allow a moment by moment infusing of that grace as well!

We who are saved have been given the “fulness” (in Greek “pleroma”) of our Lord. (Of course we do not become gods! We’re still sinners saved by Grace! But we do become partakers of His nature!) 2 Peter 1:4 says so! “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

This “fulness” is explicated (explained) in the key words of our Verse … “grace for grace (in Greek … “charis anti charis”).”

Grace and more grace!

Grace facing grace!

A Cascade of Grace!

Here’s how I understand this great Truth. Let it “grip” you …

Since I have been saved (and every day since) I can (if I stay in communion with the Lord Jesus) receive the very Essence of His Person, His Character, His Spirit minute by minute, second by second!

Truly … Jesus in me!

Colossians 1:27 … “Christ in you, the hope of glory …”

His Grace flooding my being!

Saving Grace, teaching Grace, purifying Grace, empowering Grace!

Peter once says … “Manifold Grace!” (1 Peter 4:10, literally “multi-colored” Grace!)

Jesus told us that if we “abide” in Him … He will “abide” in us! (John 15:4)

What kind of Grace can that be?

Unlimited, immeasurable!

Link into that today!

Consciously live in communion with the Lord Jesus!

What a difference He makes!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

Yes, Isaiah 54:17 is particularly written (given) to the children of Israel, the Jews. God has pledged himself to protect them as a Nation. (And He has kept His Word.)

In fact, our great God has told all of us that Israel will be a Nation perpetually, eternally. Read these two Verses carefully … “Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name. If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.”

I am thinking that if Israel is to be a nation as long as the sun shines and the moon glows and the stars twinkle … that is automatically a Promise from Almighty God to protect her from her myriads of enemies.

So again … “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

God bless Israel!

But tonight, as I write this article I am also wondering if at least “in spirit” this Promise might not apply to all God’s children. To all true Believers in Jesus?

These are dim days in which we live. In the West, the so-called United States specifically … righteousness and justice and truth are rapidly becoming things of the past.

Christians, probably soon, are going to face more than ridicule. Likely persecution, maybe even martyrdom as thousands of our brothers and sisters are elsewhere …

… and then our Verse, Isaiah 54:17 will be more pertinent than ever! More precious than ever! More powerful than ever!

Because we too, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ (Blood washed, Born-again) are a perpetual, eternal people!

And to that degree we can claim this great Promise too!

Third time …

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

Praise the Lord!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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