Psalms 105:41 "He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it ran in the dry places like a river."

Isaiah 58:11 "And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not."

Habakuk 3:9 "With rivers You cleaved the earth [bringing forth waters in dry places]."

I feel the Lord saying to us that as the world is becoming more and more dry, we, as the body of Christ, are going to be more and more blessed. He is taking things in our lives that are dry, almost dead, and He is going to make those areas fruitful. He is going to strike the dry areas of our lives... if we allow Him to... and make living waters spring forth. He is ready to pour His blessings on us. All He is asking of us, is commitment to Him and obedience.

Psalm 105:44-45 says, "And gave them the lands of the nations [of Canaan], and they reaped the fruits of those peoples' labor, that they might observe His statutes and keep His laws [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)"

Awesome, isn't it! He wants to bless us abundantly... all He is asking of us is committment to Him... following Him with all our hearts and our whole lives... being the people holy unto our Lord. He is not even asking us to be good... He is asking us to be HIS! Wow! This is going to be an exciting year!

May You all have the most abundant, happy, joy-filled and blessed year of Your lives! You are precious to Him... and You are precious to me :-) ...thank You for Your friendship,

It is the time for victory in every area of our lives. God is saying to us, "ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you - rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!" (Isaiah 60:1)

Lets arise and shine! The glory of the Lord has risen upon us. Yes, the Lord tells us, "for behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." (Is.60:2-3)

The world longs to see the light. Lets be the light in the darkness. The Lord longs to reveal Himself to the world through us and our lives.

May You have a very merry, joyful, happy, faith-filled Christmas,

I've been reading and re-reading the Psalms lately. I love to be reminded about the power of praise and worship. This was mainly what I was concentrating on in the Psalms... until suddenly the word "wait" started to jump out at me. Yes, God was talking to me about waiting for Him. So, I started to concentrate on the verses about waiting. One verse especially caught my attention - Psalm 65:1a,

"TO YOU belongs silence (the submissive wonder of reverence which bursts forth into praise)..."

Isn't it beautiful! ...and powerful! To God belongs silence. There is NO stillness, no quietness, no peace, no silence apart from God. ONLY God moves in silence. God speaks in silence. 1 Kings 19:12 says that God speaks to us in a still, small voice. It is so grand how the Lord demonstrated Himself to Elijah:

"He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice."

Psalm 85:8 says, "I will listen [with expectancy] to what God the Lord will say, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints (those who are in right standing with Him) - but let them not turn again to [self-confident] folly."

God will speak PEACE to His people. Whatever He says to us, it brings peace. God's words never bring agitation nor fear and anxiety. Even when He rebukes us, it is done in a silent, calm way... in a way that brings us to repentance and not to condemnation. To God belongs silence.

The enemy cannot be in stillness. The devil cannot step into calmness. He cannot enter peace. This is God's territory... His alone. God is inviting us to enter into His territory. When we enter stillness, we enter God's territory... where is no place for the enemy.

It is our soul - our mind, will and emotions - that we need to calm. Our heart/spirit LOVES the stillness. It is our soul we have to restrain. The psalmist understood it, saying,

"For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my Rock and Salvation, my Defense and my Fortress. I shall not be greatly moved." (Ps. 62:1-2)

Repeating again, in verse 5, "My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him."

David, taking charge of his soul, commands in Psalm 37:7, "Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him."

There are enormous blessings that are being released AS we wait for the Lord. There are blessings that will not be released in any other way. OUR WAITING RELEASES THE BLESSINGS!

Isn't it amazing! Again, the Lord is doing things completely the opposite way to the world. The world, in order to obtain, has to work more and push harder. We, the children of God, in order to obtain, need to enter the stillness, the quiet place in our souls and wait for the Lord. God promises us again and again in His Word,

"Behold, the Lord's eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield. For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name. Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You." (Ps. 33:18-22)

The Lord concentrates His help on those who wait for Him and put their hope and trust in Him. God can't move on our behalf when we pray to Him in a hurry and then, without waiting for His answer, we rush away to fix our problems on our own. If we act like this, we tie God's hands. God is able to show Himself Great in the lives of those who wait for Him and hope in Him. The verse says that God's mercy and loving-kindness are upon us in proportion to our waiting and hoping for Him.

Isaiah 64:4 says, "For from of old no one has heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who [earnestly] waits for Him."

"The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word]." (Lam.3:25)

So, how do we WAIT for the Lord? Do we sit and try to empty our minds of all thoughts, staring at a candle? No, waiting is an active thing. Isaiah 40:31 sheds some light as to how the Lord desires us to wait for Him. Waiting is expecting, actively looking for Him and hoping in Him. The word "seek" in the Word actually means to "research". The Lord desires us to RESEARCH Him. He wants us to KNOW Him. So, waiting for the Lord is an active seeking, looking for and researching Him through His Word, praise and worship and meditation. Waiting is an active stand on His promises, not allowing the circumstances to dictate to us how things are but taking charge and changing what needs to be changed in our lives through the Word of God. While waiting, we consciously remove all thoughts from our minds that do not agree with the Word of God by exchanging those thoughts with God's thoughts. We learn to think like He thinks. We learn to act like He acts. We agree with the Word and confess it over our circumstances, waiting for them to change... for when we wait, allowing God to move, while sowing the Word over our lives, our circumstances WILL change. Everything has to submit to the Word of God. Isaiah 40:31 tells us that,

"those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired."

Powerful promise. When we take the time to wait for the Lord by seeking Him through His Word, prayer, praise and worship, meditation, we are being changed - we are receiving a new image of ourselves. This new image starts to change our outside circumstances and conditions. In order for our outside lives to change, our inner selves have to change first. It is our hearts that lead our lives. Matthew 12:35 tells us that, "the good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things." When we need our outside conditions and relationships to change, we have to start by changing our inside, and our conditions will follow. We have been following the world by seeking after things and results... but the Lord tells us that ALL things will come naturally as we seek Him first.

This verse promises us also that as we wait for the Lord, we will renew our strength and power... to the point where we shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint or become tired. I have experienced again and again, that as I take the time to seek the Lord and spend time with Him, I get completely renewed energy to get done everything that needs to get done. Also, I have lately started to note that I get creative ideas about how to make things work better. I am literally seeing this promise being fulfilled in my life. And, the main point, there is NO other way to the intimacy with God but through waiting for Him for this verse says that "those who wait for the Lord shall lift their wings and mount up close to God."

God longs for the intimacy with every single one of His children. He desires to pour out His blessings over our lives. I believe He is ready to pour out wisdom on us that has never been poured out before... wisdom for everyday things, like how to raise kids, solve relationship problems, find creative ways to fix what has been broken... and wisdom to use in businesses, at work places, in politics...

God is ready to do a new thing. He is ready to pour out His wisdom and His blessings. But He can only trust His treasure to those who take time to seek Him. He will not give His blessings and creative ideas to those who do not take the time to wait for Him. He can't trust His jewels to unrenewed minds. Besides, He is not even able to get through to those who do not wait for Him. How can He?! He moves is quietness, calmness, peace, stillness. He is not agitated and nervous. He is not depressed. In order for us to receive the blessings and wisdom of the Lord we need to come to His territory. We need to calm down. His wisdom flows in stillness.

God has been very patient for a very long time. He has put up with us and our wants and moods for a long time. He is getting impatient. He is calling for those who are ready to commit to Him, taking the time daily to "listen to Him, watching daily at His gates, waiting at the posts of His doors." (Prov.8:34) He is impatient to pour out His wisdom on us and His blessings in abundance. God says to us,

"And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!"

Whatever our need - He is the answer! Whatever we desire - it comes from Him alone! God is inviting us into the stillness, into the intimacy with Him. It is the place where all the blessings and all the wisdom is stored up. God is impatient to pour it on us... but He can only pour it on those who wait for Him.

Lets answer the impatient and longing call of our God. Lets "WAIT and listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy [priceless, spiritual] wine and milk without money and without price [simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing]." (Isaiah 55:1)

May we all be the ones that accept the blessings!

Dear friends, I so feel the Lord asking us to wait for Him and seek for Him at this time. I was sent the following prophecy a few weeks ago and as it touched my heart, I am forwarding it to You. May it minister to You and bless You. In the end is also the link where You can find the original.

I wish You much Love and many blessings at this beautiful Christmas-time,

Eve

Wait! Let Your Heart Align with Mine so My Presence Can Lead You Into the New!

A word from the Lord from Chuck D. Pierce

As I lead prayer I have been watching the Lord instruct us to stand very quietly so we could hear our heart beat. I would encourage you to listen carefully for your heart beat. Ask for a realignment of your heart desires with His heart desires. Then ask the Lord for you to hear the stillness of the heavens. In the midst of your chaos, ask Him to let you hear the stillness of His shadow. Ask Him to let you hear sounds you have not heard. Tell Him you are listening, and let Him circulate the atmosphere of Heaven around you. Ask Him to bring and activate your atmospheric change. Let the cares of the day slip away so you hear the will of Heaven. Don’t go out in your own strength. Wait for the pulsating heart of God to propel the blood in your heart forth. Some of you are contending over how others are moving forward. Some of you are being awakened with anxiety and you are questioning how you will ever get everything done so you can advance into your best, in days ahead. I can hear the Lord saying:

“My heart is not anxious. Wait for My heart to align yours. Stay in time with My heart beat. Sit before Me and listen now and you will be energized to bring everything into order that seems confusing or is bringing disarray in your life. The beating of My heart positions My ark. You can’t go forth this hour without My presence, so you must wait for the positioning of My presence. Give Me space. If you walk too quickly, you will stumble. Let the ark go before you. In My presence you will be surefooted. In My presence you will see your way. In My presence you will see your enemy. So look up, for the heavens are clear. Even though there is fog and debris in your path, the heavens are clear before you. In My presence you’re aware of all of your surroundings. You know when to turn right and to turn left. Your present scheduling of time is allowing the enemy to come in and find a way to change time and set legalistic structures. You are not choosing the best. The best is what My heart has for you. Allow My heart to beat within you so that best can be yours. I am a God that can move just as easily behind you as in front of you. Align yourself with Me and I will open up the way and guard your mistakes so they do not catch up with you again.

Don’t forge into the next stream in front of you too quickly. It is deceptive, and deeper than you know. Allow My presence to go before you and you will see the bottom of that place become a way before you. You will see dry ground before you step into the river that would attempt to sweep you away. Let My presence prepare the way before you.

I will be able to redirect you to move to the right and then to the left to avoid the crash that is already in your path. That which would hit you head on will find its way past you and you will find the path that will bring you fulfillment in your life.

The concern you have over supply is driving you out of time and driving you ahead of what I have for you. Stay in My presence so you can see the path of supply that is ahead of you.

Many of you are seeking deliverance, but that path has not formed and My ark has not entered your path yet. Wait until you see My presence beginning to transform and open up and do surgery, then deliverance will come quickly. My path is a path of freedom. It is not one that I would have you strive to enter and walk in.

Now My heart will beat with yours, for you have crossed over into a new beginning. Let My ark go first! Let My ark go before you. This will be a time of starting and stopping. Because of the new beginning you are in, you must start and stop with Me. You must not try to come up without Me calling you to come up. You must not go to a platform that I do not call you upon, for the winds would be too brisk for you there. The winds would be too strong for you and you would blow away instead of standing to see your next step.

Don’t celebrate too quickly before Me. Watch and wait, and you will see yourself celebrating; you will see the victory ahead and will be liberated into the fullness of the next war that I have for you.

You might ask yourself, “Why have I been positioned here in this mundane job when all I want to do is worship You?” I would say, “You are there because of timing. Otherwise, you would get out of time and touch the ark, rather than follow behind or carry the ark. Enjoy and celebrate the mundane assignments and then you will see your ark move. This is a season that I am teaching My people how to enter into My presence. You must have My Presence to secure your future. Without you being where I have placed you NOW, you could never understand My presence for your future. I am developing a testimony in you. Because of this testimony you truly will enter into the new beginning and be repositioned in days ahead. Allow Me to develop and create the image for your future. If you will stand and allow Me to prosper everything you put your hand to, no matter how mundane and insignificant it seems to you, then you will prosper.

O afflicted one, tossed and thrown, I am coming to comfort you. My voice will call you up in a new way. Do not try to come up in the same way you have come up in the past for this is a day of new beginnings. In this new beginning, I am bringing a renewal of covenant to My people. I am breathing on the way that I am agreeing with My people. You are in agreement with some things that you must let go of. I am not in agreement with those things. Break agreement, that I might renew My covenant with you. You are in agreement with the way you see yourself, and that is not the way I see you. Unless you get My image, you cannot be transformed for your future. You must see yourself the way I see You.

It is the sure mercies of David that I am calling forth. They come through Me and agree as ONE. I have taken you through the caves and the wilderness, but now I am ready to bring you to a new beginning. The only thing that can stop this new beginning is you not yielding to Me or not receiving instruction from those I position in your path to help you find the new way. If you agree with Me, then My sure mercies that I poured out on My servant David, I will pour out on you. It was the witness that I was forming in him that enabled him to lead. Many of you are wanting to be out front without My witness. Wait for Me to witness in your spirit before you go forward.

This is a day of rearranging leadership and preparing you with enhanced skills. I AM causing talents that have lain dormant within you to come forth. This is My new beginning, so you must let Me go before you to prepare that new beginning for you and bring you fully into it. Seek Me while I may be found, for this is a month of seeking. There will be three months to develop faith in a new way in you. My word will become strong and you will be called forth into that place. You will find yourself establishing and breaking the ground I have given you, but you must allow Me to prepare you to stand on new ground.

My people do not have the mind for super-abundance nor do they have the strength to carry extra baskets. This is a season that extra baskets must be carried by My people and you must carry them together. Some of you would love to grab your baskets and run, but that will not get you into the fullness of the place where I would establish you.

Find what I have given you, but know that I can cause it to multiply. Where you did not have anything but a sack, I can multiply it into 12 baskets, but there is no way you can carry the 12 baskets by yourself. You must get realigned and find those to work with you. Know that it is the delight of My heart to bring My people into this new place.

The new beginning has begun. I am teaching My presence in a new way. Do not look at ministry in the way that others have, for this is a time of developing witness and not a time of causing My people to be seen as ministers. My word does not return to Me void, but it produces a fullness. Watch for the fullness of My word to manifest. My ways are higher than your ways. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. You are limiting My highways to your thought processes. I have other highways for you to travel and other ways for you to step in. You have gotten caught in the midst of a machine and it is not what I am doing in your life. It is producing a blueprint that is not what I long for others to see in your life.

In your gleaning be very satisfied, for I am very near to you in the midst of the gleaning fields. Listen to My word and listen to My way, for others are watching you in a way that you have never been watched before. You are longing to gain audience with one and it is someone else that I am causing to see you. Even now there are Pharaohs who are watching and observing you, and it is those that will favor you, My people. This is a day of transference of wealth but you must be connected with those who have amassed it for My Kingdom plan. I know who can release it. I can realign it. This word will not return void. If you will wait for your heart to realign, then instead of void and chaos being on your path, there will be baskets full of My blessings. Wait and watch, for My presence has now realigned with you and you will be aware of My presence at every turn.”

I would encourage you to read Isaiah 55. Verse 2 says, “Listen carefully to Me and eat what is good. Let your soul delight in abundance.” Tell your soul to rise up and delight in abundance. The desires of your heart must be in alignment with the delight of God to experience His abundance. I am asking for the hearts of God’s people all over the globe to delight in His abundance. If you are striving over supply, stop, until you can delight in abundance. The Lord is saying, “Incline your ear and come to Me.” I decree that you are going to hear how to come forth. You will not come forth in the same way as you did in the past because the Lord is not calling you forth in the same way.

The page of the prophecy:

Still, the good thing is, I did not lose my Christmas spirit in the midst of my adventures in the mall. I am grateful for that. For I love Christmas. It is the most special and the most wonderful time of a year. In Estonia, it is the darkest time of the whole year. It starts getting dark right after 3 p.m. so, You can imagine us loving the Christmas lights and all glittering decorations. We actually NEED them in order to get us through this otherwise dark and cold time of a year. I love to decorate with a lot of gold - sparks things up! Keeps me awake too!

In order to have a more relaxing and pleasant shopping time, I have some useful tips for You:

* When You go shopping, write down exactly what You are going to buy and who You need a gift for, so that You won't be distracted by the millions of offers all around, ending up with stuff You do not even know who to give to... stuff You bought because they looked so cute on the window... they were SO cheap...

* Prepare Your shopping day ahead, knowing how You are going to move in order to have the shortest distances between Your stops;

* If You prepare for a long shopping day, take some healthy snacks with You, so You can snack while shopping and You won't be tempted to go and have some unhealthy and fattening fast food;

* Bring a bottle of water or juice with You. Sometimes we start feeling hungry when we really are thirsty. Take sips of water while shopping;

* Try to replace sweet with spicy. Sometimes when instead of reaching for a sweet snack, we take a bite of spicy or pickled snack, we feel that we don't crave the sweet snack any longer;

* And even better, do Your shopping online... saves You a lot of time and stress (and perhaps keeps You from losing something on the way, IF You too tend to get absent-minded);

* ...or use one of my favorite options - create something Yourself for Your loved ones. Make a card or a little gift Yourself. Putting Your own time and creativity and love in a gift, is the most precious gift of all. You can weave two good things into one - create something Yourself while doing it with Your best friends or family - make it a quality time with Your loved ones.

One of my absolutely, completely, unquestionably favorite things about Christmas is spending time with my family. Every year we take a special time to create something with our own hands. This year I couldn't do it with my treasured sister as she now lives in the States... and my other sister is so busy doing her exams while her 3-year-old tries to squeeze as much of his mummy's attention as he can. So, I took my mom and made an appointment with a silk painter. I decided we were going to paint silk ties to our family's male population... which it is quite numerous. As the artist could take 3 rookies at one time, to instruct, I took one of my friends with. Sure enough, we had a wonderful time. I do think we made quite exquisite ties too... but honestly, it was more about having a good time together. I have to admit, my mom was more concentrated on creating something beautiful, so, her ties look better than mine... but still, all our ties come from our hearts, so, the receives better like them ;-)

Do get together with Your family and treasured friends to create something together, instead of sitting and eating... go for it! What a great way to have fun! Last year my sister Madli created incredibly beautiful Christmas tree decorations of paper, wool and pearls. She gave them as gifts to her friends. My sister Mae has, for years, created little angels that she has given as gifts to her friends. One of my favorite activities has got its roots in the soviet times when we did not have much of anything to create a Christmas mood... for Christmas was banned! We had no candles in stores. So, in order to have candles to burn, we had to make them. Our foreign friends gave us candles as gifts. We did not throw away the left overs. We kept them and at Christmas time we - the kids - and our parents made new candles by melting the old ones together. We got really spectacular ones with all the colors we had stored away and the creative ways of shaping them. I still love to make candles... though a few years ago I managed to set something on fire. (If I had not done it alone, though, nothing would have gone up in flames. I promise!)

Christmas time tends to be a lot about eating... so, here a few tips to survive the holiday dinners:

* Always drink a large glass of water or cold tea 10-20 minutes before dinner. This helps to control the amount You eat. Your stomach will get a feeling of fullness before You manage to overeat;

* When filling Your plate with all the good stuff on the table, choose larger amounts of veggies and greens than other foods;

* If You tend to diet, please forget the diet mentality during the holidays. It will get You into real trouble. Instead, choose the healthier foods in greater quantities and allow Yourself to try also the treats;

* Do not skip meals to save the calories for the big dinner later in the day. This strategy backfires almost always. When You arrive hungry, You will overeat and feel horrible later on;

* Do not ever arrive hungry to a dinner, especially if You are trying to avoid certain foods. If You are hungry, You will choose the most sugary and fatty foods. Instead, eat some healthy snacks, some fruit or veggies about an hour before the dinner and You will have willpower to avoid the unhealthy foods;

* Beware of colas! Choosing to drink water or unsweetened tea at Your meal can save You about 140 empty calories... 280 calories if You get a refill.

In conclusion, let us also not forget the true reason for celebrating Christmas! Jesus Christ said in John 10:10,

"I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."

May You all have an abundantly blessed Christmas-time. May the joy, love and peace fill Your homes and relationships to the full... till it overflows and blesses those around You,

Eve

Body-Mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in Organic Way

It has been such an exciting journey for me to dig deeper into the Word in order to understand more profoundly the power of praise and worship. It has been such a process of rejuvenation through intimate times of worshiping and adoring Him. Wow! I am truly excited. I've reached areas in the spirit that were closed to me before. I had only caught glimpses of them. Now I'm learning to draw myself into this special secret hiding place daily, trying to stay as long as possible.

There is this secret hiding place in the spirit where we truly are completely protected from all harm and our hearts and souls are quiet and at rest... we can reach it through praise and worship, through adoring our Lord and Savior.

Our praise and worship is not automatic. It doesn't just happen. WE make it happen. Quite as our love for the Lord does not just happen. WE make it happen. David understood it. He knew that whatever he put his attention on and spent his time on, was what became his desire. It is the same with us. The more time we spend seeking the Lord as our vital need, the more we desire His presence, the more we hunger and thirst after Him. It is because once we get the glimpse of something much better than has ever been available to us before... we want more! And what is the greatest thing about God - there always is more! We will never come to the end of His blessings and revelations and wisdom and power... everything good that He desires to pour on us.

Just so, the more time we choose to spend on our hobbies or watching TV or on other things, the more our desire grows for them. Sure, there remains the unsatisfied hunger in our hearts for the Lord, but we translate it as a desire for other things and we keep going after other things... and we will never be satisfied. That is why there are so many people with all kinds of cravings and addictions. They are hungry but they are trying to satisfy their hunger in wrong ways, with things that never bring satisfaction or fulfillment. They are feeding their minds and bodies but not their spirits, so the hunger remains.

David apprehended that unless he took control over his flesh, commanding them it to submit, he would never praise the Lord. He repeatedly commanded his soul to praise the Lord. In Psalm 57:8-9 he says, "Awake, my glory (my inner self); awake harp and lyre! I will awake right early [I will awaken the dawn]! I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations."

David knew it was up to him to awaken his spirit within him. No one else could do it for him. He consciously made a decision, I am going to awake the spirit within me, I am going to awaken the dawn with my praises to God! David took charge of his will and his sleepy body, declaring, I am going to awake right early and start the day in a way that would bring me blessings and victory! He said, "I WILL praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples. I WILL sing praises to You among the nations."

Our spirit always desires to praise the Lord, but we have trained our soul (mind, will, emotions) and body to decide what to do and how to act. So, if we do not feel like praising the Lord, we won't do it. We have allowed our spirits to become weak. God created us so that our spirits (that are connected to His Spirit) would be in the lead. God has always desired to lead us through our spirits, but we decided otherwise, allowing our bodies and souls to dictate what we were going to do... and the result was victory-less life... instead of a victorious life.

We can only rule and reign through our spirits, not through our bodies (by being bigger than our opponent) or through our minds (trying to overpower our opponent through mind power)... for our opponents are spiritual beings, not people (Eph. 6:12). We win or lose our battles in the spirit realm first and then our victory or loss manifests in the natural realm. We have not been living the victorious lives that Christ acquired for us on the Cross, because we have allowed our souls and bodies rule over our spirits.

During the hardest and darkest times of his life David commanded his soul to get in line with the Word of God and praise the Lord. He said, "Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is deepest within me, bless His holy name! Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits." (Psalm 103:1-2)

David knew that it was his soul that was the hindrance. He understood that in order to achieve victory in his situation he would have to praise and worship the Lord. So, he commanded his soul to praise the Lord. David also conceived that in order to keep "his head above the water" he would have to put his mind on the promises of God and proclaim them out of his mouth. He had to declare the victory.

I remember when I was a young Christian, I knew that I needed to shut the TV and hide away in "the secret place of the Most High" (Ps.91:1). My flesh was still so in control. It was not easy to make it submit and do what was right and would eventually bring me victory in every area of my life. So, I prayed to God to give me the strength to do the right thing. I asked God to help me to spend time with Him. I did not feel any different, but I always could tell that He was leading and the time spent with Him was special.

David too, confessed in Psalm 56:4, "By [the help of] God I will praise His Word; on God I lean, rely, and confidently put my trust." We can ask God to teach us how to praise and worship Him. We can also ask for His help to stop all other things and take time out to spend with Him. God will honor the time we spend with Him and He will in turn help us to get all other things done as well, giving us power and wisdom to get them done faster and easier than if we had tried in our own strength and wisdom.

So, lets join with David and let our hearts say to the Lord, "Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word]."

...and the Lord has a promise ready for us, "Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose. He himself shall dwell at ease, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning." (Psalm 25:12-15)

I love the Living Bible translation of the verse... WHAT a promise, "Where is the man who fears the Lord? God will teach him how to choose the best. He shall live within God's circle of blessing, and his children shall inherit the earth. Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence Him. With them alone He shares the secrets of his promises."

Oh, boy, do we have a reason to draw close to Him... to worship and praise Him for all the good He has bestowed on us... but more than anything to draw close in order to enjoy the sweet, fully satisfying companionship of our precious Savior! Nothing and no one else can ever bring us greater satisfaction that our fellowship with Him.

Many, many blessings to You at this precious Christmas-time,