Ask the counsel of the Lord

Hello!

If we are not careful, we will get into the habit of making decisions; large and small, without seeking the counsel of God. I daresay it is because He will say:  1)  Go!,  2)  Stop!,  or  3)  Proceed with caution! We do not always want to hear what we think He will say. We make our own decisions in the name of faith, and hope that it works out for the best. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. God is Abba Father [Galatians 4:6 KJV], the lover of our souls, and our friend. He wants to do life with us! He wants what is best for us.

It is O.K. to get the counsel of a few trusted, true and tried Godly friends, but it is more important to get the counsel of the Lord God Almighty Himself! How many of us have not waited for; let alone, followed through on the counsel of God and lived to regret it? I know I have! If we ask, He will answer! He will impress the answer upon our hearts, and we will know that it is from Him. He will lead us to Scripture where the answer becomes apparent. He will put us in a position to see, or hear the answer for ourselves. Counsel can be Godly, or un-Godly! The type that it is matters!
     
The children of Israel knew that if they asked the counsel of God, He would not only give it to them, but that it would be well with them!

"And they said unto him, Ask Counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous [Judges 18:5 KJV]!"

"Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel [Judges 20:7 KJV]!"

"And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first [Judges 20:18 KJV]!"

"(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until even, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.) [Judges 20:23 KJV]!"

King Saul did not follow the counsel of the Lord, and it was not well with him.

"So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse [1 Chronicles 10: 13-14 KJV]!"

We receive our inheritance through the counsel of the Lord!

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will [Ephesians 1:11 KJV]!"

His word is nothing but true!

God loves, loves, loves you!

"Happy Today, and Happy Weekend!"

Shalom!

Angela
#AskTheCounselOfTheLord
#BibleGateway

*Translations, and scriptures are taken from Bible Gateway!

NOTE:  I Adorned You [digital magazine] is coming your way, whenever!

ALV & Co., "The Gold Standard!"
Angela L Vann, Ms   |   Far Above Rubies   |   O My Dove

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Excellent/Excellence

Hello!

Excellent, according to the Bible Study Tools Dictionary, is a translation of several Hebrew words. Most notably, it means: great, honorable, things that differ, are preeminent, etc. Merriam-Webster's synonyms for excellent are awesome, beautiful, fabulous, fantastic, grand, marvelous, splendid, and wonderful, to name a few. As far as I am concerned, God is excellence! The 951 names of God attest to that!

Know this ---

"He will choose our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves [Psalm 47:4 NKJV]!"

Let Him, let Him, let Him! His choices for us are "nothing but good, good, good!"

"Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, And His strength is in the clouds [Psalm 68:34 NKJV]!"

Strength is Godly! Strength is excellence!

"For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it [Ecclesiastes 7:12 NKJV]!"

Knowledge + Wisdom = Excellence!

"It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God [Isaiah 35:2 NKJV]!"

Excellence brings abundance, and joy! The glory of the Lord is in His excellence!

[Mediate on These Things] Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy --- meditate on these things [Philippians 4:8 NKJV]!"

Want excellence? Get 'the Word!'

God loves, loves, loves you!

"Happy Today, and Happy Weekend!"

Shalom!

Angela 

#Excellence
#Excellent

#BibleGateway

*Translations, and scriptures are taken from Bible Gateway!

NOTE:  I Adorned You [digital magazine] is coming your way, whenever!

ALV & Co., "The Gold Standard!"

Angela L Vann, Ms   |   Even Greater Things   |   Far Above Rubies   |   O My Dove

*Like this? Gifts are accepted at Google Pay! Thaaaaank you!

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Rise up, warrior!

Hello!

The Lord God Almighty is a warrior [Exodus 15:3 NIV ; Revelation 19:11 NIV]!

The most well known warrior of all times was King David [1 Chronicles 11, 12, 28 NIV]!

We are called to be 'a warrior,' too [Judges 6:12 NIV ; Judges 11:1 NIV ; 1 Samuel 16:18 NIV ; 2 Samuel 20:7 NIV , 2 Samuel 23:8 NIV ; 1 Chronicles 5:24 NIV ; 1 Chronicles 7:40 NIV ; 1 Chronicles 8:40 NIV]! "The great day of the Lord is near - near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry [Zepaniah 1:14 NIV]!" "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing [Zephaniah 3:17 NIV]!"

We are to be strong and mighty, as a warrior! "But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced ; their dishonor will never be forgotten [Jeremiah 20:11 NIV]!" We do so by getting in His presence every chance we get!

Apostle Paul admonishes us to put on the full armor of God, that we may be able to stand in these last and evil days, in Ephesians 6:10-19 NIV. He also encourages us to pray in the Spirit, for the church and for each other, always...

We war by ---

1)  Casting down strongholds, breaking bondages, and destroying yokes:  with the words of our mouths! Strongholds are ways of thinking inconsistent with the Word of God. A bondage is  enslavement to a way of being or doing things that are not His! Yokes are those things which are at cross purposes with the Kingdom of Heaven. They can hinder us...

2)  Speaking light, and life into situations with His authority and power! We proclaim His Word as He has given it to us in the bible! We share His revelation knowledge; too, as revealed by the Holy Spirit!

Know this:  we cannot war effectively without both steps!

FEAR NOT to put on the mantle of God, doing His bidding! In our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our workplaces! Wherever we are, and in whatever we do! For whatever is lost for His sake and the gospel's shall be returned 100 times over in this lifetime [Mark 10:30 KJV]! And; then, there is the eternal reward too!

Go, now! Ain't no words like the words to yourself! Just saying...

God loves, loves, loves you!

"Happy Today, and Happy Weekend!"

Shalom!

Angela 

#RiseUpWarrior

#BibleGateway

#KingJamesBibleOnline

*Translations, and scriptures are taken from Bible Gateway!

NOTE:  I Adorned You [digital magazine] is coming your way, whenever!

ALV & Co., "The Gold Standard!"

Angela L Vann, Ms   |   Even Greater Things   |   Far Above Rubies   |   O My Dove

*Like this? Gifts are accepted at Google Pay! Thaaaaank you!

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The King of our hearts

Hello!

Israel asked for a king like all of the other nations, rejecting God as their king [1 Samuel 8 NIV]. Samuel warned them; solemnly, that the king would want to "claim his rights!" The people refused to listen. God said, "Give them a king." Before King Saul was anointed as king, God worked through priests, prophets [Judges 4 NIV] or other leaders who ministered before the Lord on behalf of the people as needed. Each was able to do that which was right in the sight of the Lord. He was "the king of their hearts!"

I have often wondered what Israel would have become if they had continued on 'in the way of the Lord!'  God still wants to be "the king of our hearts!"

1)  "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul [Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV]!"

2)  "I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me [Proverbs 8:17 NIV]!"

3)  "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart [Jeremiah 29:13 NIV]!"

4)  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you [Matthew 7:7 NIV]!"

5)  "So I say to you:  ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you [Luke 11:9 NIV]!"

6)  "For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened [Luke 11:10 NIV]!"

7)  "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us [Acts 17:27 NIV]!"

Through the highs and the lows, seek Him! Through thick and thin, seek Him! We will find Him! There is no substitute, for there is none like Him! If we stumble, let us right ourselves, and keep going - through Him! If we fall, let us get up, shake the dust off of our feet, and keep going - through Him! Giving up is not an option!

God loves, loves, loves you!

"Happy Today, and Happy Weekend!"

Shalom!

Angela 

#TheKingOfOurHearts

#BibleGateway

#KingJamesBibleOnline

*Translations, and scriptures are taken from Bible Gateway!

NOTE:  I Adorned You [digital magazine] is coming your way, whenever!

ALV & Co., "The Gold Standard!"

Angela L Vann, Ms   |   Even Greater Things   |   Far Above Rubies   |   O My Dove

*Like this? Gifts are accepted at Google Pay! Thaaaaank you!

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Truth, and nothing but!

Hello!

[The print in this blog is not the same in size, or boldness throughout as usual. I am not sure why, and I have not been able to correct it. I hope that it will not be too much of an inconvenience for you. Thank you for reading Even Greater Things...]   

Who is truth?

Our precious Lord & Savior Jesus Christ is truth! 

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me [John 14:6 NIV]!"

What is truth?

Truth is the Spirit of God [the Holy Spirit], and freedom! 

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth:  for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:  and he will shew you things to come [John 16:13 KJV]!"

"This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth [1 John 5:6 KJV!"

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free [John 8:32 KJV]!"

When does truth come?

Truth comes when the Comforter [the Holy Spirit] comes and dwells in us, and when we study the word of God! 

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me [John 15:26 KJV]!"

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth [2 Timothy 1:15 KJV]!"

Where does truth come from?

The truth dwells in us the believers, and we get it through the anointing! 

"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you [John 14:17 KJV]!"

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him [1 John 2:27 KJV]!"

How does the truth come? 

Truth comes through God's saving grace, through the word as spoken and found in our precious Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, through scripture, and in worship!

"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth [1 Timothy 2:4 KJV]!"

"If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus [Ephesians 4:21 KJV]!"

"And the Word 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 1:14 KJV]!" 

"Sanctify them through thy truth:  thy word is truth [John 17:17 KJV]!"

"God is a Spirit:  and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth [John 4:24 KJV]!"

God loves, loves, loves you!

"Happy Today!"

"Happy Weekend!"

Shalom!

Angela 

#TruthAndNothingBut

#BibleGateway

#KingJamesBibleOnline

*Translations, and scriptures are taken from Bible Gateway!

NOTE:  I Adorned You [digital magazine] is coming your way, whenever!

ALV & Co., "The Gold Standard!"

Angela L Vann, Ms   |   Even Greater Things   |   Far Above Rubies   |   O My Dove

*Like this? Gifts are accepted at Google Pay! Thaaaaank you!

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The beauty of holiness

Hello!

Spring Ready-To-Wear 2019 fashion shows have come to a crawl. They are fascinating! And some say beautiful, even! 

Most of the scriptures in the Bible concerning beauty are found in the Old Testament. The King James Version has 49 (with none in the New Testament) ; The New International Version has 28 (with three in the New Testament)...

Beauty is viewed; mostly, as:  1)  physical attributes with no faults,  2)  outward adornment such as a nice hairstyle, fine clothes and good jewelry, and  3)  utensils or buildings made with or having inserts of precious metals and stones. Oh; but, you knew that! The greatest beauty of all; however, is the beauty of holiness! 

To be holy is "to be like Jesus!" How we long to be like Him! It is not about being perfect as we like to think of it as. It is about maturing in Christ, and becoming more like Him...

King David thought of the Lord as beauty [Psalm 27:4 KJV]! He wanted to gaze on Him! He was perfect [Psalm 50:2 KJV]!

To love, honor and glorify the Lord is beauty! In other words, it is beau-ti-ful! "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness [1 Chronicles 16:29 KJV]!" "And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth forever [2 Chronicles 20:21 KJV]!" "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness [Psalm 29:2 KJV]!" "O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him all the earth [Psalm 96:9 KJV]!" 

When we walk in the Lord, we (and the works of our hands) are beauty! "Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty [Job 40:10 KJV]!" "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it [Psalm 90:17 KJV]!"

Shine, Jesus, shine: in us, of us, and for us! 

God loves, loves, loves you! 

"Happy Today!"

"Happy Weekend!"

Shalom!

Angela 

#TheBeautyOfHoliness
#BibleGateway
#KingJamesBibleOnline

*Translations, and scriptures are taken from Bible Gateway!

NOTE:  I Adorned You [digital magazine] is coming your way, whenever!

ALV & Co., "The Gold Standard!"
Angela L Vann, Ms   |   Even Greater Things   |   Far Above Rubies   |   O My Dove

*Like this? Gifts are accepted at Google Pay! Thaaaaank you!

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If Job waited on the Lord, why can't I?

Hello!

Remember that song? That was when gospel was gospel! Isaac Douglas could sang, as Aunt Roberta used to say!

Challenges will come, and they will go. Some will come because we live in a fallen world. Period. Some will come because we have sinned. [Hey, it is what it is! Abba Father never asked us to 'ask for forgiveness!' He did ask us to confess our sins! He then freely forgives.] Some will come by a lack of knowledge. And some will come because God has entrusted us to take His Word to the marketplace; AKA, the masses! Imagine that! That is quite the entrustment! An entrustment that will come with persecution, especially here in the latter days. Evenso, to walk with God is an adventure! We might as well buckle up for the ride!   

We know our shortcomings. You know yours, and I know mine. Yet even in the midst of it all, God equips us to be "His revelation Word!" He knows what He put in us. He knows what it will take to bring it out of us. Some of us will shine the harder times become. Some of us will have to be built up so that we can shine the harder times become. Hard times will come...

Job had the opportunity to turn his back on God, to renounce Him, to look the other way. He chose not to. He decided to endure. You see, Job was in a relationship with God. Job knew something about the grace of God. It was inevitable that he would stick it out...

I like the fact that Job did not necessarily understand 'what he did or didn't understand'! Ha! No double talk, here! He not only endured, he overcame. God was in him, and God was with him...

As you or someone you know grapple with the after effects of Hurricane Florence or some other situation ; if you ain't grappling, you ain't living ---

1)  Encourage one another in the Lord!

"But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin [Hebrews 3:13 KJV]..."

"Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord [Acts 11:23 KJV]..."

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God [Acts 15:32 KJV]..."

"But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort [1 Corinthians 14:3 KJV]..."

2)  Be patient!

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass [Psalm 37:7 KJV]..."

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof:  and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit [Ecclesiastes 7:8 KJV]..."

"To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life [Romans 2:7 KJV]..."

God loves, loves, loves you! 

"Happy Today!"

"Happy Weekend!"

Shalom!

Angela 

#IfJobWaitedOnTheLordICanToo
#BibleGateway
#KingJamesBibleOnline

*Translations, and scriptures are taken from Bible Gateway!

NOTE:  I Adorned You [digital magazine] is coming your way, whenever!

ALV & Co., "The Gold Standard!"
Angela L Vann, Ms   |   Even Greater Things   |   Far Above Rubies   |   O My Dove

*Like this? Gifts are accepted at Google Pay! Thaaaaank you!

Privacy Regarded