"The Battle Is The Lord's!"

         

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,

but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies

 of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my

hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give

the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the

whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will

 know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the

Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

(I Samuel 17:45)

Five smooth stones and a slingshot  ... furthermore, and of course, most importantly, AND THE LORD  ...  That's what it took to bring down a giant.  If you've got the Lord on your side, you could use a shiny paper clip, a glassy marble, a disgusting spitwad, a sharp pointed dart, or a clod of playDoh.  Huh?  The bottom line is that "The Battle Is The Lord's!"

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a

lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it

 and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair,

struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this

uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the

armies of the living God.  The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion

 and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

(I Samuel 17:34)

"This uncircumcised Philistine"  ...  Oh, David, you have a way with words, meaning, "Hey, Philistine, you don't know, don't adhere to, don't follow the laws of Almighty God  ... and you're going down!"  There's mighty power behind the Holy laws of God, power in the Commandments of a Holy Creator, and power in standing in the name of the Lord.  Ah, David had faith that performed, didn't he?  "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine."  It sounds like another one who was rescued, named Daniel.  What about Gideon and his 300 mighty men?  For those with faith, the battle is the Lord's; for those with faith, the giant is "comin' down;' for those with faith, "win" is a norm; for those with faith, Victory is ever on the lips!

What about You and me?  What about this year of "13?"  What about the wars and rumors of war?  What about the failing economy and Christian freedoms being lost every day?  What about the rampant Sin parading our streets and airways?  What about those who are saying "Where is the sign of His coming?"  The answer to all of these questions for the Saint of God is:  It's God's battle; We are His warriors, but we're not in this thing alone; we wear our armor and stand on His word, but the power that is behind us and within us is stronger than the power coming at us; we are attacked from all sides by satan and his imps, but we go forth in the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus and the Word of Jesus; we have a big job to do and a lot of souls to win, but we are surrounded with heaven's warriors and the omnipotent Holy Warrior, who wins every time, and upholds us with His Almighty hand!  Hallelujah!

"The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations

 and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."

 (Isaiah 52:10)

It's incredible to walk out onto that fierce battleground with our "slingshot and five smooth stones" KNOWING we will Win!  Stand saints of God, fight saints of God, be strong saints of God  ... keep your head up, lap from your hand and be alert, look the devil in the face with the flaming eyes of God, let not fear come nigh you, march with the cadence of "Goin' to the enemy's camp to take back what he took from me," and when it's all over  ... dance in demon blood!  You say, "That sounds crude."  Oh yeah, the battle we're in is not pretty, but it's victorious; it's not without scars, but it's fought by those on the meat; it throws some punches, but they miss our face; it's full of attacks and roars, but the Lion of Judah has risen up ...  it's coming at us with ferocious strength, but we've taken aim and the "Rock" hits the spot!  Say it; Say it with gusto!  ...  Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him,

and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us

rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

(Isaiah 25:9)

"You're being a little too dramatic, aren't you?" says you.  Hey, if you're not feeling the heat, perhaps you're not dwelling close enough to God.  "What are you talking about?"  Everything that can be shaken will be shaken in this last hour, and if you have not met up with and encountered the devil's lurch at your mind, your body or your spirit  ...  you're not close enough to God.  You say, "Well then, why would I want to get close to God, then?"   Good question.  Because, the closer you are to God, the more you have His favor, His strength, His wisdom, His power, His angelic force  ...  and the further you are away from him, the more you leave yourself open to destruction.  Remember, the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy  ... he'll promise you the moon, and give you Hell in disguise.  It's somewhat of a paradox; the closer we are to God, the more we are attacked, but the greater is God's protection over us  ... the further away from God, the less the attacks, but the less we have His protection, and the closer we are to being lost.  We are NOT "once saved, always saved."  Salvation is a continual repentance, keeping our bodies under subjection to almighty God, because in this flesh dwells no good thing!

 "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth;

for I am God, and there is no other."

(Isaiah 45:22)

We're on the home stretch.  All prophecies have been fulfilled up to Exekiel 38 and 39, WAR, and then the Rapture of the Church, when God "catches away" His bride, His Church, in the air to escape the terrible tribulation coming upon the earth to judge those who did not receive salvation:  Repentance, baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in tongues as His Spirit gives the utterance.  We all have a choice; He will not override one's will.  He stands now, with open arms, and He will not turn anyone away.  You say, "But, you don't know what I've done."  He knows, and He will receive you, in forgiveness, if You ask Him.  The world can be at war all around you, but you can have peace, joy and love dwelling within your heart, soul, mind and spirit.  Then, no matter what happens, we can know with assurance that all will be all right, if so be that Jesus Christ is in us, and we are in Him, because the bottom line and the gist of the matter is: "The Battle Is The Lord's!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips

(He's telling the world that Jesus is Lord of the battle)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas

Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm

~~~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for tuning in to promiselandchurch.net;

we're a Church that loves you, and prays for YOU!

Please send us your prayer requests, and if you 

would like to sow into good ground, please give 

online.  God bless you, dear one, and I know He will!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pastor Phillips and Karen Phillips

Thank You, Lord, for their Miracles!

{Special thanks to cooltext.com for the use of

graphic text generator}

"God Meant It For Good!"

"And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream,

 behold, a vine was before me;  And in the vine were three branches: and it was as 

though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought 

forth ripe grapes:  And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and 

pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.  And Joseph 

said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:  Yet 

within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: 

and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former

 manner when thou wast his butler."

(Genesis 40:9-13)

Oh, how Joseph longed for yesterday, when in the midst of the 

test and trial; he cried for the days of yore

If he could only go back to when the Lord was close, the tears

 were dry, and this prison was no more

Tests are a desert so hot and dry, loneliness is our companion

 and a stillness of the hovering heavens

It's a place where we come face to face with our inner being, a

 loudness of our own soul that deafens

Questions plague us, mourning cloaks us, depression seeks to

 overtake us, but our faith offers rebuttal

For every "Why?" our faith grabs hands with our soul and

spirit, and together they form a holy huddle  

It's a war against the flesh so bleeding and torn, seeking to rob

 our belief that Almighty God's still there

Even though we can't see Him, or touch Him; that faith

floods us like an epee, in the throes of a dare

We thought we had lost it in the middle of prison and despair, but

the Word rises up in a fight to the finish

Our own hearts are surprised, when we have no proof that we'll

live, but the hope will not be diminished

The fire shut up in our bones comes to our rescue in times of war,

 when God tells satan, "You can only go this far!"

It seems to be the only voice from above that we're sure of, and

it blows in the winds, shoving aside the stars

As we moan in gasping breaths, that we wish we hadn't been

born, the Lord emerges with Lion-like force

He says, "Where were you when I formed the foundation of the

world?" and lists His power, as a matter of course

We're suddenly humbled in arrogance of stature, realizing we're

but "dust," and God's hand's in the matter

It's clear now that it all began with accusations from the cast out

one, the doomed for the Lake of Fire adder

For Joseph, the trial is saved by a dream; to everything there

is a season, and a time to every purpose

When we belong to our God, our trials are in His realm; we

were bought with His blood, and purchased

Perspective comes into view, and the desert seems to have an

oasis; and it's cancelling our desire for the past

The presence of the Lord has brought a new angle to this test,

and we are enlightened to a new forecast

The times on the wheel only make us stronger, if we hold tight to

the horns of the altar, and refuse the devil a bow

We should know the trial is always about our faith, our stand, our

trust in the Holy One, to whom we vowed

As Jacob wrestled with the angel and wouldn't let him go, so

fierce was the battle, disjointing his thigh

So we must love our Savior, our Lord, through every test and

every "Why," with trust as ever our trial's cry

Joseph was innocent, and thrown in prison by a lie; but God gave

 him a gift to interpret dreams, to save him

Through every hardship, we must know that God has gone before

us to deliver us; we must not see it as grim 

  For we are His beloved, and every day in every way, the Lord 

could spare us from trials, and you know He would

But, we might miss the lesson learned by seeing the devil meant it 

for evil, but "God Meant It For Good!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It happened exactly as Joseph's interpretation stated, but the butler forgot Joseph for 2 more years. Then, Pharaoh dreamed a dream no one could interpret  ...  and, the butler suddenly remembered Joseph, and he was finally brought before the Pharaoh and he interpreted the dream. Joseph was delivered from prison, made second in command under Pharaoh, and delivered his family and people from famine! "God Meant It For Good!" 

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips

(He's telling the world that Jesus Christ

can turn it around for good!)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas

Services Sundays @ 10:30 am and Wednesdays @ 7:15 pm

~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~

Dear one, whatever you're going through in life, the Lord Jesus Christ can turn it around.  Won't you give Him your life, repent of your sins, let Him fill you with His Spirit, and be baptized in His name.  Then, you will belong to Him and He will make a way where there is no way!  Go to promiselandchurch.net and tell us you're watching by streaming, and let us know your prayer needs.  We will hold you up in prayer!  If you would like to help us, please give online, and the Lord will surely bless you!

Pastor Phillips and Karen Phillips

This is the month; we believe!

Thank You, Lord, for their Miracles!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

{Special thanks to cooltext.com.}

"Hidden In The Book"

"On that night could not the king sleep; and he commanded to bring the book

of records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was

 found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's

chamberlains, of those that kept the threshold, who had sought to lay hands

on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said, What honor and dignity hath been

 bestowed on Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered

unto him, There is nothing done for him."

(Esther 6:1-3)

Esther waiting to go before the King

The Book of Esther in the Bible does not even mention God, but He's there  ...  between the lines, behind the scenes, hovering as a silent partner orchestrating the events from unseen hands.  Sometimes when God is silent, we must remember that He is always, ALWAYS, in control.  The Book starts with God wanting Esther, who was a Jew, to be queen.  It was a holy planned providence, because Queen Vashti refused to come before the King, when bidden to show off her beauty, so King Ahasuerus sought another queen among all the young virgins in the kingdom.  Esther was chosen to be queen in place of Vashti, and Mordeicai, who was Esther's relative and had raised her as his own daughter, encouraged her.  Mordecai urged Esther not to disclose to the King that she was a Jew; she obeyed and the crown was placed upon her head.  But two of the King's chamberlains, Bigthana and Teresh, were wroth and sought to lay hands on the King; Mordecai heard of it and told Esther who warned the King.  The two were found out and hanged upon a tree, with the incident written in the book of the chronicles before the King.

     

Haman was the highest in command under the King and he despised the Jews, plotting to kill them, not knowing that the new and beautiful Queen Esther was a Jew.  He especially abhored Mordecai, because he would not bow to him, as all in the kingdom did.  So, he brought the matter before the King that there were people in his kingdom who did not obey his decrees and that these people should be destroyed.  The King, not knowing that it would affect his own wife and Queen, Esther, sealed it with his ring and decreed it to be done, sending out letters to all the provinces that all Jews must be destroyed on a certain day in a certain month.  Mordecai heard the message and clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes, calling for all the Jews to fast and pray.  He told Esther and she proclaimed a fast with her maidens also.  It was a law that one could not go before the King unbidden, but she knew she must go before the King to stop Haman's evil plot that would ultimately destroy all of her people and her also.  So, she asked Mordecai and the Jews to fast with her for three days and she would go before the King.  Then, she said those words, that are some of the mightiest words in the Bible, "I will go unto the King, which is not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish." 

Esther went before the King, after three days of fasting, and the King held out his sceptre to her to come unto him  ...  she was spared.  He asked her what she wanted and told her he would give it to her unto the half of the kingdom.  She asked that he, and Haman, come to a banquet and she would tell him.  Haman left the meeting feeling very arrogant and proud that the Queen wanted "him" to come to a banquet, but then he saw Mordecai sitting in sackcloth in the King's gate, and he was reminded that this man would not bow to him, so he was filled with wrath once again.  He designed a gallows to hang Mordecai so that he would finally be rid of him.  

Now, we come to the point of this writing, and it's how our Holy God moves in silent triumph in our lives.  That very night, the King could not sleep, so he asked for the book of chronicles to be brought to him and he discovered that it was written that Mordecai had saved his life from the plot of Bigthana and Teresh.  The King then asked what had been done for this man who saved him from destruction, and he was told nothing had been done for him.  So, he called for Haman and asked him what should be done for one whom the King delighted to honor.  Haman, thinking that it surely had to be himself  whom the King would want to honor, said that he should be given the King's royal apparel, the King's horse, and the King's crown should be placed upon his head, and he should be paraded on horseback through the streets of the city. The King commanded it to be done  ...  TO MORDECAI!  Then, a horrified, and extremely angry, belligerent Haman is seen leading Mordecai, wearing the King's royal apparel, the King's crown, and riding the King's horse, through the streets of all the provinces, proclaiming honor to Mordecai.

This, dear friends, is what is called "coming back to bite you!"  The end of the story is that Esther revealed to the King all of wicked Haman's plots to kill the Jews, informed him she was a Jew, and Haman was hanged on the very gallows he built to hang Mordecai.  The Jews were spared and allowed to defend themselves and   ...  a silent God spoke  ....

It's that way for all of us, you know.  What?  What have we done in this life for others, that no one knows about, that is tucked away and hidden in God's book of Good Samaritan virtues?  What have you done that has seemingly never been rewarded?  It's all written down, you know.  God sees, knows, and He records all!  Maybe even "you" have forgotten that deed and didn't think it was anything significant  ...  just a given meal, your own shoes, or a few dollars for a homeless person; a few years of tending to the needs of a handicapped blind lady; an anonymous donation to one in need; groceries and a card left on a doorstep without your name upon it; a blessing here and a blessing there to people in desperate need  ...  It's recorded and the King of Kings, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is asking, "What shall be done for this one who has done this?"  

What a God we serve!  How wonderful He IS!  Don't think your benevolence was ignored; don't think your kindnesses meant nothing; don't think the very heart of God in you that moved you to do that was overlooked; don't think you will escape  ...  Huh?  It's a law of God  ...  What you sow, you will reap; that's good and bad alike, but the 'good' is about to be revealed, 'and REWARDED',  that was recorded and "Hidden In The Book." 

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips

(He has many many recordings; they're

about to be rewarded!)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas

Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm

~~~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~~~

Please send your prayer needs, and if you would like

to sow a seed in ground that's about to explode in 

blessings to all who have sown, please give 

online at promiselandchurch.net!  

God Bless you, dear one, and I know He will!

Pastor Phillips and Karen Phillips

Thank you, Lord, for their Miracles!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{Special thanks to cooltext.com for the use of

graphic text generator}

"By The Light Of The Moon"

Shine bright, bold and strong, O moon, so high and

lofty, in your Holy dwelling place

You're the light of the black night, the glow of beauty

in the portals of reflective grace

We look to you in the time of darkness to guide our way,

as the symbol of God's Church

Your aura and mystery can be seen throughout the world,

without even an attempt to search

For you were created and positioned in the heavens, by 

the Master of all the universe

Your brilliance for earth to ponder, is in the wonder

of you, and we are immersed

We can stare at you for hours, deep in thoughts of beyond

our humble "dust" and earthly shore

You beckon and pull us to the heavens in your majesty; 

it's a call for mere mortals to explore

A radiant, majestic, and soft ambiance emanates from the

beautiful surface of your shining globe

And we're drawn to seek and know more about you, the 

power of the heavens, an enticing probe

Your reflection dances in the waters like silky garments,

blowing in wafts through the gentle winds

And your profound mystery is revealed in the light of the 

night, as the darkness covers and descends

You were designed to lead and guide the way, in the ebonies 

of this lonely, scary and fearful hour

As mankind endeavors to move along, feeling the way in 

terror, searching for Spirit and power

We stand the trials while in this earth; it's the polishing

of this vessel, for our heavenly abode

And, we traverse with care, this tapestry of routes to Your will,

as we endure this long and winding road

The beam of your glow that is now so rare, draws us to

conclude, that our Lord is coming soon

We must be ready, looking for the Bridegroom, and prepare 

our garments, "By The Light Of The Moon."

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips

(He's bringing the unity of the body of Christ

throughout the world, making the Church shine bright)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas

Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm

~~~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~~~

"The wonderful Phillips family"

(We lift them up with our prayers and our love 

in this time of need.)

  

"Let your love enfold them, dear Lord, and 

hold them.  Bring them peace in the midst

of the storm, and bear them up in the hollow

of your hand.  Bring the Victory speedily, 

we pray.  You are the God of Miracles!"

Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{Special thanks to cooltext.com.}