Over there in England, another new British Prime Minister took office as a result of the departure of his predecessor Liz Truss who served for less than two months. The new Prime Minister is now Rishi Sunak who is notable for his public service (recently he was Chancellor of the Exchequer), his ethnicity (England’s first British Asian PM) and his friendship towards Israel. Citing external sources, CBN News recently published a news article pointing out Sunak’s recent statements about Israel’s eternal capital Jerusalem and his opposition against the wicked Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the CBN News article. Some parts in boldface…
Most of the world will focus on the economic quagmire facing new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as the internal Conservative Party tensions which could cut short his time in office at 10 Downing Street.
In Israel, though, Sunak’s earlier statements about Jerusalem and the global Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement are the ones making headlines.
The Times of Israel quoted Sunak at a Conservative Friends of Israel gathering two months ago, as saying Jerusalem is “indisputably the historic capital” of Israel and that there is a “very strong case” to be made for moving Britain’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The UK’s youngest prime minister in 200 years also pledged to support a bill in parliament opposing BDS. He wrote in the UK Jewish News, “The Jewish community is right to call out those who seek to damage the only Jewish state in the world.”
Sunak, the nation’s first Hindu to hold the top political office, also raised his voice against the dramatic rise in anti-Semitic incidents which began more than a year ago. “This is not an issue to be equivocal about,” he said.
“Everyone across parliament and the country must take a robust position on eliminating antisemitism and I am determined to ensure this scourge on our society is eradicated,” he added.
In an interview with The Jewish Chronicle, Sunak also praised Israel as “a shining beacon of hope.”
While the new prime minister cautioned that a move of the British embassy in Israel would involve “sensitivity,” and perhaps would not be achievable immediately, his statements are reassuring to many Israelis, who have been jostled by the instability in governments around the world, including their own.
Next, watch the YouTube short video below.
For the newcomers reading this, Sunak took office as Prime Minister at a time of tremendous crisis. I’m talking about socio-economic problems going on as well as the internal tension among Sunak’s fellow Conservatives. Being Prime Minister of England means tackling endless problems that could derail the current administration’s efforts to serve the constituents and solve the problems. Sunak’s tenure as PM could end suddenly.
That being said, it is important for people to pray for their leaders and whatever your political views are, I encourage you pray for Prime Minister Sunak so that his administration can achieve solutions to help their people, and so that England’s ties with Israel will grow strong and lead to more cooperation. Pray also that England will be able to officially move its Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem!
Be thankful to the Lord that the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) is friendly towards Israel and has stated to oppose the evil and destructive BDS movement. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and always remember to love and bless the Jewish people in accordance to the Lord God! Refer to the holy scriptures posted below…
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
Psalm 122:6-7 (ESV)
God told Abram: “Leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you.
Something significant happened in Israel recently. This year’s Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated big-time as thousands of Christians from around the world joined the Jewish people and Israelis in the event which itself is a comeback from the 2-year-old COVID-19 crisis that affected everyone, according to a Christian Broadcasting Network News (CBN News) report. The revival of the Feast of Tabernacles as well as Israel’s gradual return to normalcy prove that the Lord God is at work and watching over.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the article of the CBN News report. Some parts in boldface…
This week, Israelis and Jews around the world are celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles – or “Sukkot” in Hebrew.
After two years of limited tourism to Israel because of the COVID pandemic, over 2,000 Christian pilgrims from more than 70 nations came here to take part in the Feast of Tabernacles.
THE ICEJ has celebrated the feast for more than 40 years.
“The Feast of Tabernacles is a fall harvest feast on the biblical calendar that also has a prophetic purpose hidden within it and that is the second coming of the Lord. So, we are here celebrating every year in anticipation of the coming of Jesus here to Jerusalem and it’s always this glorious celebration of Christians, the Body of Christ from all over the world,” ICEJ VP David Parsons told CBN News.
Sharren Haskel, a member of Israel’s parliament, came to welcome the pilgrims and why their presence means so much.
“The Jewish people throughout history didn’t have many friends,” said Haskel. “They had a few but not many. And to see thousands of people, Christian leaders and believers that are coming here to celebrate with us – people who are advocating for Israel – who are bringing that message that Israel is a light in the Middle East. How we bring those shared Judeo-Christian values of freedom and liberty and equality. And it’s important to me to show them that it’s not taken for granted.”
Haskel also mentioned in her message the prophetic fulfillment of the Feast.
“The prophet Zechariah spoke of a future time when all the nations would come to Jerusalem to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot,” Haskel told attendees. “Look around you now. We are the living proof of the accuracy of the Bible and the truth of the Word of God.”
She continued: “The prophecy speaks about bringing people from all around countries, all around the globe from different nations, from different religions and celebrate here in Jerusalem. You can feel it in the air. You can see those people, how important it is for them, and how important it is for us to fulfill it, to celebrate it.
For many pilgrims, the feast is a time of joy.
Andrea from Bolivia told CBN News it’s a “miracle” to be here.
“It’s the Promised Land. I’m so happy to be here,” she said.
“It’s hard to describe. It’s really something you have to experience and to be here in person in the eternal capital of the nation is just profound,” said Ashely from Zimbabwe.
Jenni, who is also from Zimbabwe, said it is a “privilege to come and take part in worshipping the King at the Feast of Tabernacles.”
One of the highlights of the Feast of Tabernacles is when Christians from around the world join Israelis for the annual Jerusalem March.
“What a joy to be here in Jerusalem. I’m telling you to see the nations going up is a fulfillment of prophecy and I just love it every time and it’s amazing to be here after two years,” Adam, a parade attendee, told CBN News.
For Israelis, the Christian presence touches their hearts.
“They came here to support us. I don’t have words to bring my happiness,” said Gershon.
Haddasha Sharoni described the feeling as “amazing.”
“The vision is coming true. The vision that we read just now in Shabbis Zechariah is coming true that all the countries are coming to Israel and Sukkot,” she said.
For added insight, posted below are two related news videos of CBN News’ YouTube channel. Watch them and pay close attention to the details.
The revival of the Feast of Tabernacles this year was not only expected in relation to the recovery from COVID-19, it is also biblical. Learn from the following holy scriptures below…
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:16 (NKJV)
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.’
Leviticus 23:33-34 (NKJV)
Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord’s altar which he had built before the [temple] porch or vestibule,
A certain number every day, offering as Moses commanded for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the solemn feast days three times in the year—the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, of Weeks, and of Tabernacles.
2 Chronicles 8:12-13 (AMPC)
Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.”
John 7:2-3 (NKJV)
Along the way, it is essential for us Christians to love and bless the Jewish people in accordance to our Heavenly Father’s declarations. Learn from the following holy scriptures below…
And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].
Genesis 12:3 (AMPC)
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Numbers 6:22-27 (ESV)
The Lord will never forget us in our need; he will bless us indeed! He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron, his priest.
Psalms 115:12 (TPT)
Pray and seek for Jerusalem’s peace, for all who love her will prosper! O Jerusalem, may there be peace for those who dwell inside your walls and prosperity in your every palace. I intercede for the sake of my family and friends who dwell there, that they may all live in peace. For the sake of your house, Yahweh our God, I will seek the welfare and prosperity of Jerusalem.
Psalms 122:6-9 (TPT)
Be thankful to the Lord for the revival of the Feast of Tabernacles, for the gradual recovery from COVID-19 and for Israel and the Jews. Thank the Lord also for the return of Christians to the Holy Land and the new opportunities for them to deepen their faith in Him even further! Thank the Lord also for the new and upcoming bible experience tours! Be thankful as well for the enduring and strengthening Israel-Philippines ties!
If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful (not religious), you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel, love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You can do your part supporting Israel by donating to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, then pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut.
Welcome back, my readers and fellow Christians! In this newest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series, we will focus on Running, an original worship song from Planetshakersreleased through their album REVIVAL (click here for the official page of the album) For the newcomers reading this, the previous Planetshakers worship songs I examined and analyzed in the CMA series were How I Praise, All, Great Outpouring, 247 365, Encounter Song and So Good. Let me share to you also that Planetshakers will be returning to the Philippines with worship events scheduled! In fact, Planetshakers has been touring internationally to lead people to the Lord with music and powerful worship!
If you want to discover and learn more about Planetshakers, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page), here (Instagram), here (Twitter) and here (YouTube). To know more about Planetshakers itself, visit https://www.planetshakers.com/
Before getting into the analysis of the Biblical relevance of Running, posted below for your reference are the lyrics. Words and music of this song were credited to Andy Harrison and Joth Hunt.
VERSE 1
Who You are is holy
Nothing in this world compares
Hidden in Your glory
Are treasures far beyond compare
PRE-CHORUS
Beauty on beauty, wonder on wonder
Lord there’s none like You
Closer and closer, You draw me in so
I will run to You
CHORUS
I’m running, running to You
I’m longing, longing for You
I’m pouring, my affection on You
‘Cause all I want is You, all I want is You
VERSE 2
Who You are is worthy
All creation bows to You
All You do is perfect
Every word is proven true
BRIDGE
Holy, holy Lord almighty
There is none like You
Worthy, worthy, You are worthy
There is none like You
TAG
All I want is You
To begin with, let’s take a close look at the lyrics of Verse 1 of the song: Who You are is holy, Nothing in this world compares, Hidden in Your glory, Are treasures far beyond compare.
The Verse 1 lyrics emphasize that our Lord is holy and His holiness can never be matched by anyone nor anything in this very divided world we live in. As God is our creator, He is also our source and the ultimate planner. Therefore, we only worship, honor and glorify the Lord. The Lord is the one we approach. Run to God, His Son Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit! Learn from the scriptures below…
No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV)
Keep exalting the Lord our God facedown before his glory-throne, for he is great and holy!
Psalms 99:9 (TPT)
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
Hebrews 1:3-4 (NASB)
Moving on, we have the Pre-Chorus lyrics which go as follows: Beauty on beauty, wonder on wonder, Lord there’s none like You, Closer and closer, You draw me in so, I will run to You.
The Pre-Chorus lyrics emphasize that the Lord God is much greater than us and the whole world we live in. The greatness of the Heavenly Father can never be matched and as He is our creator, it is only our destiny and responsibility to be faithful to Him, to honor Him and be with Him above everything else. All the glory, all the praise and all the prioritizing belong to the Lord! We move to the Lord because our rightful place is with Him! Do not forget that the Heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus to save us. Learn from the following bible scriptures below…
There is none like You, Lord;
You are great, and Your name is great in might.
Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For it is Your due!
For among all the wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
Jeremiah 10:6-7 (NASB)
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He also is to be [reverently] feared above all so-called gods.
1 Chronicles 16:25 (AMPC)
And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I show Myself holy among you in their sight.
Ezekiel 36:23 (NASB)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)
But everyone my Father has given to me, they will come. And all who come to me, I will embrace and will never turn them away.
John 6:37 (TPT)
Next, take a close look at the following lines from the Chorus: I’m running, running to You, I’m longing, longing for You, I’m pouring, my affection on You, ‘Cause all I want is You, all I want is You.
The Chorus clearly magnifies our purpose with the Lord and this, I believe, is the basis of the worship song’s title. As children of the Lord, we are meant to come to Him, open our hearts to Him and have unwavering faith in Him. Posted below are more holy scriptures about coming to the Lord…
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (MSG)
Lord, you are so good to me, so kind in every way and ready to forgive, for your grace-fountain keeps overflowing, drenching all your devoted lovers who pray to you.
Psalms 86:5 (TPT)
Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him.
John 14:6-7 (AMPC)
Jesus replied, “Loving me empowers you to obey my word. And my Father will love you so deeply that we will come to you and make you our dwelling place.”
John 14:23 (TPT)
Next, the lyrics of Verse 2 are as follows: Who You are is worthy,All creation bows to You, All You do is perfect, Every word is proven true.
After that, here are the lyrics of the song’s Bridge: Holy, holy Lord almighty, There is none like You, Worthy, worthy, You are worthy, There is none like You.
Collectively Verse 2 and the song’s Bridge emphasize the greatness, the almighty power and love of the Lord. He is faithful and He always keeps His promises. He is also our Source, our Creator and the Way Maker. The Lord is worthy of all the praise and faith from us. The Lord is almighty and nothing else can ever compare to him. No idol and no form of opposition will ever come close to the Lord’s power and holiness. Learn from the following scriptures below…
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NASB)
But you, O Lord, your mercy-seat love is limitless, reaching higher than the highest heavens. Your great faithfulness is infinite, stretching over the whole earth.
Psalms 36:5 (TPT)
For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
John 3:17 (AMPC)
Nevertheless in Your great mercy
You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.
Nehemiah 9:31 (NKJV)
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].
Genesis 12:2 (AMPC)
The Lord has done great things for us! We are glad!
Psalm 126:3 (AMPC)
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Psalm 63:3-4 (NKJV)
Come on, everyone! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord! Let’s shout our loudest praises to our God who saved us! Everyone come meet his face with a thankful heart. Don’t hold back your praises; make him great by your shouts of joy! For the Lord is the greatest of all, King-God over all other gods! In one hand he holds the mysteries of the earth, and in the other he holds the highest mountain peaks. He’s the owner of every ocean, the engineer and sculptor of earth itself! Come and kneel before this Creator-God; come and bow before the mighty God, our majestic maker!
Psalm 95:1-6 (TPT)
Indeed, the lyrics and title of Running are holy and anointed! This worship song by Planetshakers is a strong reminder about who our Lord is and why we are meant to be with Him, follow Him and honor Him eternally. As faithful children of God, our destiny and purpose are with Him. We are meant to come into His presence, be ready to follow His commands and preach His Word in this very divided world we are currently living in. Musically, Running is motivating and solemn at the same time. It is an ideal song to worship the Lord during Sunday worship services or during prayer events with the spiritual family.
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While I was able to visit the United States several times in my life, I never got to visit the state of Iowa. Very recently, Iowa made waves in the news as their governor Kim Reynolds signed into law a significant piece of state legislation that prohibits transgender girls and women from participating in sports events of females – specifically from kindergarten through college –, according to a CBN News report.
In the presence of many young ladies and little girls, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds formally signed into law House File 2416 which prohibits biological males from competing in females’ sports. (photo source – @IAGovernor)
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the CBN News report. Some parts in boldface…
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill Thursday that prohibits transgender girls and women from participating in female sports from kindergarten through college.
During the signing of House File 2416, Reynolds was surrounded by a group of cheerful young female athletes. The measure received approval from the state’s House and Senate, passing with a vote of 31 to 17.
“This is a victory for girls’ sports in Iowa,” Reynolds said in a statement. “No amount of talent, training or effort can make up for the natural physical advantages males have over females. It’s simply a reality of human biology. Forcing females to compete against males is the opposite of inclusivity and it’s absolutely unfair.”
Under the new law, schools at all levels must designate sporting events as male, female, or co-ed. Students wanting to compete in sports must play with others that match the gender listed on their birth certificate.
Numerous groups shared their support of HF 2416 and applauded Gov. Reynolds for defending female sports in Iowa.
“Protecting girls’ sports isn’t political; it’s biological reality,” said The Family Leader, a conservative group based in Iowa. “Allowing genetically male athletes to compete in women’s sports puts our girls at an undeniable physical disadvantage and threatens their athletic opportunities. Our high school girls and college women deserve to compete on a level playing field, and today, that playing field is protected.”
“Trans girls are boys, not girls. Trans women are men, not women,” remarked State Senator Jeff Taylor (R-District 2) during a hearing about safeguarding women’s sports.
Christiana Holcomb, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), praised Iowa for passing the legislation.
“When the law ignores biological reality, female athletes lose medals, podium spots, public recognition, and opportunities to compete,” Holcomb said. “Comparably fit and trained males will always have physical advantages over females – that’s the reason we have girls’ sports.
However, Iowa Safe Schools, an LGBTQ youth advocacy group, called the measure “a solution in search of a problem” to score “petty political points at the expense of Iowa’s children,” the organization tweeted.
Iowa became the 11th state to ban transgender athletes from competing in female sports. Others include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
While I am clearly not a resident of Iowa and it has been many long years since my time of sports officiating has ended, I must say that the new law of Iowa makes perfect sense and it should help the collective American efforts to push back against the wrongful allowing of biological males competing right along with their female counterparts in sports events that are meant for female competition.
I personally saw lots of local sports events which had competitive categories specific to age-groups (apart from the normal men’s open and women’s open categories) which are further split by gender. Take for example, in a foot race that attracts several hundred participants, the athletes belonging to the 20-24 age-group who emerged as the top 3 finishers of their gender result the awarding of medals and prizes to the top 3 males and top 3 females under the 20-24 age category. Winners of different genders under the same age-group are not to be awarded in a mixed-gender approach.
The trend of transgendered females – who are biological males identifying as females – competing with true females (biological females) in female sports events is very wrong and clearly unfair. As such, I strongly agree with Iowa’s new law and I can say that the other states that implemented the ban on transgender athletes from competing in female sports did the right thing. Transgender athletes’ participation will ruin not only female-focused sports events but sports events in general as we know it.
Let us be clear here. God created human beings only in the form of male and female. There is simply no in-between and no alternatives to the male and female. Read the holy scriptures below. Key parts related to gender in boldface for you readers…
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28 (NKJV)
So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
Genesis 2:20-23 (NKJV)
The holy story of God’s creation of humans with male and female as the genders is definitive and clearly truthful. “Transgender” refers to an individual whose gender identity differs in some way from his/her birth or biological sex. To put it clearly, transgenderism is an abnormality and like homosexuality, it is also an abomination. Transgenderism is clearly unnatural. In addition, there is a Satanic Left effort in this world that exists to not only cause gender confusion but also distort humanity as well. For added insight, watch the video below…
For added insight about the unfair inclusion of biological males in females’ sports events, watch the videos below…
Going back to the CBN News report, I strongly agree with Governor Kim Reynolds that the law she signed is a victory for girls’ sports in their state and that having biological females forced to compete against biological males is both unfair and the opposite of inclusivity. I also strongly agree with The Family Leader group that the protection of girls’ sports is a biological reality and not political. Iowa state senator Jeff Taylor pointed out the obvious – Trans girls are boys. Trans women are men.
We should praise and thank the Lord for this Iowa breakthrough. We should pray to Him that more states around the United States as well as nations around the world will follow Iowa’s example and set the record straight – females’ sports are strictly for biological females.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What can you say about Iowa’s approved law banning transgender girls and women from participating in sports events of females? Do you agree that biological females should always be protected from the biological males trying to compete against them in sports events that are meant for females? Do you think that the transgendered people are being discriminated? If you are a parent and you know that your athlete daughter will be competing with a disadvantage in a sports event that includes biological males as her competitors, how would you feel?
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Let us be very clear here…deception must be overwhelmed in order for the truth to be realized. I’m talking about the years-long campaigns of lies, distortions, violence and exaggerations by the enemies of the State of Israel being magnified by all of those “free Palestine” activists, Leftists, social justice warriors (SJWs), the United Nations members and Amnesty International.
The side that always hates Israel often repeats lies that the State of Israel is guilty for committing apartheid (a term best associated with the apartness between white and black people in South Africa) which is completely false! In fact, it is the corrupt and terrorist-linked Palestinian Authority (PA) that practices apartheid according to the findings of a legal expert as reported by CBN News. This is something that the world should pay more attention to.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the CBN News article. Some parts in boldface…
CBN News reported on backlash caused by an Amnesty International report accusing Israel of being an apartheid state. One result of the fallout shines the light on a major issue basically ignored by this group that purports to end abuses of human rights.
The amnesty international report concluded that “Israel’s cruel policies of segregation, dispossession and exclusion across all territories under its control clearly amount to apartheid.”
Apartheid refers to the South African policy of separating blacks and whites, which existed for more than 40 years. It ended in the mid-1990’s.
“Amnesty and the UN, which is going to be joining the effort by describing Israel as an apartheid state isn’t getting it wrong, they’re getting it an opposite of the truth,” says legal expert Prof. Eugene Kontrovich.
“Israel is a country where Arabs participate in all walks of public life, hold positions in the government,” he says. “In Israel, Arabs and Jews mingle, in cafes and on busses, in all public places. But right next door, in those areas of the Holy Land run by the Palestinian Authority, real apartheid is practiced.”
Kontorovich points out the PA has a law that calls for the death penalty if a Palestinian sells land to a Jew. Back in November, CBN News asked the Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister about that law.
“Land in Palestine is not a real estate issue. Land in Palestine is a political issue. So therefore, the Palestinian law does not allow land to be sold to non-Palestinians,” Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told CBN News.
Another controversial government policy is referred to as pay to slay. That program rewards terrorists convicted of killing Jews.
“Israel is not sponsoring a program of pay to slay against Palestinians,” Kontorovich says. “The Palestinian Authority government supported by Western governments … funds a pay to lay program to pay for the murder of Jews.”
Kontorovich says through all its laws and policies the PA has created a Jew-free zone.
“When you at the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, it’s not that there’s no separation between Jews and Arabs, there’s just no Jews. Because they have created a Jew-free state and they have enforced this through official methods.”
Posted below for your viewing is the very video about the CBN News report.
For a deeper understanding about the Israel-Palestine conflict as well as the web of deception and evil forces that are determined to destroy Israel and uplift Palestine (which has a history of terrorism), watch the following videos below.
Going back to the highlighted CBN News report, I urge you readers to NEVER allow yourselves to be deceived by the Palestinian Authority, its evil partners and terrorists. All these blaming and lies against Israel are deceptions recycled all over and over. Israel is the truly the land of the Israelites, not the Palestinians.
For insight about the Palestinian people and the land of Israel, watch this Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) documentary which is credible and truthful.
For more, let’s go to the Holy Bible and take a close look at God’s promises to Abraham as well as the inclusion of Isaac and Jacob as the true inheritors with regards to the land of Israel. Read the following scriptures below…
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
Genesis 12:1-9 (NKJV)
Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”
And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” So they gave Jacob all the foreign [a]gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.
And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.
Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.
Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.”
Genesis 35:1-12 (NKJV)
And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac,
I will give to you,
And I will give the land to your descendants after you.
Genesis 35:12 (NASB)
And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.
Genesis 35:12 (NLT)
God continued,
I am The Strong God.
Have children! Flourish!
A nation—a whole company of nations!—
will come from you.
Kings will come from your loins;
the land I gave Abraham and Isaac
I now give to you,
and pass it on to your descendants.
Genesis 35:11-12 (MSG)
As seen in the above verses, it is totally clear that Abraham’s illegitimate son Ishmael (whose mother was Hagar) was never meant to inherit the land of Israel. God had other plans for Ishmael and Hagar while His blessings for Abraham were meant for the rightful heirs Isaac and eventually Jacob. For greater insight, look at the scripture below…
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”
So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
Genesis 21:9-14 (NKJV)
Israel today is a great and blessed nation. It is the true homeland of the Jewish people and the foundation of the State of Israel was a promise fulfilled by the Lord. As this divided world is filled with evil and constantly influenced by Satan, it is no surprise that there are sinister forces that want to destroy Israel. Iran has sponsored terrorism for many years and they won’t give up with their support of Israel’s enemies. The Palestinian Authority has its own agenda, shenanigans, connections with evil forces (note: look at their connection of support with the Marxist terrorist group Black Lives Matter) and legacy of violence against Israel (note: remember what Yasser Arafat did decades ago? Remember when Bill Clinton as United States President accommodated Arafat knowing he committed terror many times?).
Under the watch and guidance of the Lord, the Abraham Accords were established during the days of United States President Donald Trump. The Abraham Accords is indeed working as Israel established new peace deals with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Morocco and the Kingdom of Bahrain. For insight, watch the videos below.
Truly God is faithful and He always keeps His promises to the faithful. I believe that the Abraham Accords will keep progressing and the Palestinian Authority as well as its violent allies (notably Iran as well as the Democrats and Communists of America) will become less relevant in due time. The people in Palestine will become better off without the PA and its evil partners. In due time, the apartheid of the PA will be realized even more and eventually come to an end. Along the way, we must always look up to the Lord and maintain unwavering faith in supporting Israel and the Abraham Accords. Keep on praying to Him!
If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful (not religious), you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel, love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You can do your part supporting Israel by donating to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, then pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut.
Pray to the Lord for the Abraham Accords to keep progressing and establishing more peace and stability between the Jewish people and the Arabs! Pray to the Lord for the Palestinian people to be freed from the corruption and violence of the Palestinian Authority! Pray to the Lord for the fall of the anti-Semitic forces, the fall of the terrorists, the fall of the Leftist forces, the fall of the BDS Movement and the fall of the other enemies of Israel so that all those who oppose Israel will realize their errors, repent to the Lord and submit themselves to Him! Pray to the Lord for the continued protection and progress of the State of Israel no matter how their political landscape changes. Thank God for His Love, His Blessings, His Protection and for sending His Son Jesus who is our Lord and Savior!
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/
I am very delighted to learn that the State of Israel continues to provide much-needed assistance to the Filipinos with regards to the COVID-19 crisis. To be specific, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported that another group of medical experts from Israel arrived here in the Philippines recently to take a look at the local response to the pandemic and to enlighten local officials and frontliners. To be clear, this is a follow-up to the previous Israeli health experts who arrived this past June for very similar matters.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA report. Some parts in boldface…
Another group of Israeli medical experts arrived in Manila on Monday to observe the country’s pandemic response and share their best practices in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients.
They were the second group of Israeli experts to arrive in the country following the initial team who visited Manila last June to offer advice on ways to implement a successful vaccine rollout.
The four-member team is composed of infectious diseases and Covid-19 specialist Dr. Guy Choshen; Shira Peleg, head nurse and nursing manager at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center’s Emergency Department; Eyad Jeries, trauma coordinator at Galilee Medical Center; and Chaim Markos Rafalowski, disaster management coordinator at Magen David Adom.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the four will visit hospitals and hold a dialogue with the country’s pandemic response cluster from July 27 to 31 to share their local clinical guidelines for Covid-19, infection control protocols, hospital management, and other practices.
“They are all part of the treatment of Covid-19 in Israel so I’d like to welcome them all and we do hope that they can share with us their best practices in Tel Aviv so we can actually beat this Covid-19 pandemic as fast as we can,” Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said in a speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Director Maria Soledad Antonio of DOH-Bureau of International Health Cooperation said the country particularly looks forward to knowing how Israel was able to achieve a low coronavirus mortality rate.
“Baka mamaya may makuha pa tayo sa kanila na mas mai-improve ‘yong kaso lalo na ngayon. At present naman pinapalakas natin ang health system natin (We might get more information from them on ways to improve our situation now in terms of treating patients. But at present, we continue to boost our health system),” she told reporters.
“Sila ay mga batikan sa pag-handle ng pandemya, sila ang nauuna, one of the countries na nauuna (It’s a fact that they are one of the best in handling the crisis, they are one of the leading countries on this),” she added.
Chosen, meanwhile, was elated to visit Manila, seeing this exchange as a great example of strong cooperation between the two nations.
“I think it’s not a common practice in the last year of pandemia to see a coalition of friends, of colleagues, holding hands together, sharing information and trying to solve problems together in contrary to what you usually see, you see nations fight each other. And this is a great example of cooperation between Israel and the Philippines. Hopefully, there would be more in the future,” he said in his arrival speech.
From this point on, the local officials, frontliners and others should pay close attention to what Israel’s medical experts say, point out and emphasize. Organizing vaccination (and the storage for the vaccines), isolating infected patients and assigning the frontliners on each and every location is indeed very challenging due to the archipelago of the Philippines. If there are any major breakthroughs that will happen during the current mission of the Israeli medical experts, I’ll share them here.
For the newcomers reading this, here are some videos to help you know Israel better…
The latest exchange between Israel and the Philippines is a reflection of the stronger ties between the two nations. We should all be thankful to our Lord for making this happen.
Before I end this, here are two holy scriptures for you all…
Jesus looked at them and replied, “With people it is impossible, but not with God—God makes all things possible!”
Mark 10:27 (TPT)
Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Genesis 18:14 (NKJV)
If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful (not religious), you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel, love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You can do your part supporting Israel by donating to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, then pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Welcome back, fellow Christians and the seekers of Lord Jesus! Previously, I wrote about why one must be planted in a local church and why church hopping does not help. For one thing, the Lord always has a plan for each and every one of us who are His children, and that includes getting planted in a local church. It is the Lord we must prioritize when it comes to being planted in a local church and surely He knows best! Let’s start with a few scriptures from the Holy Bible below…
For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God.
Psalm 92:13 (NLT)
Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (TPT)
For this article, I will emphasize more as to why you must stay planted in a local church led by the direction of the Holy Spirit. For those who just got planted by the Lord in a local church in recent times, let me discuss more about being planted.
The terms plant, planting, and planted relate to God’s garden in the Book of Genesis. Physically, a garden is composed of many natural things, most notably plants of varied species from the grass to flowers, to the trees. Of course, in order to establish those, planting must be done (in the case of God, His vast power goes beyond what mortal people could do). It should be noted that God placed Adam in His garden with a true purpose and with His trust. Read the holy scripture below…
The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
Genesis 2:8 (NKJV)
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
Genesis 2:15 (NKJV)
In relation to what the Heavenly Father did with Adam and the garden, following His direction on getting yourself planted in a local church always comes with good intentions and benefits for your dedication and worship of Him. The church is not merely a building for worship and certainly not a corrupted religious hierarchy, rather it is a community of God’s faithful children who follow His Word, live by His Word and worship Him in multiple ways. If you are already a child of God (note: read Lord Jesus’ words about getting born again in John 3:3), then you have been anointed and are righteous. That being said, you should have been planted already in a local church (you should have lots of spiritual brothers and sisters by now) and you certainly keep staying planted. Learn from the following scripture below (with a specific line in bold)…
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Psalm 92:12-15 (NKJV)
So why stay planted in a local church that God told you to join before? As seen in the above scripture, those who are planted in a place of worship as well as in a community of His other children (your spiritual siblings) shall flourish. You certainly would not want to miss out on that! You certainly do not want to live a troubled life, live with uncertainty and find yourself falling into poverty.
In addition, staying planted is essential because God knows where you are planted in. As I mentioned in my previous article, doing church hopping (moving from one church to another like a nomad) is a waste and your worship gets reduced into a ritual or a tradition. When God tells you to join a local church and stay there until He announces something new for you, you simply follow Him. There are indeed benefits with staying planted and enduring worship of our Lord with other church members that you will get to know.
While staying planted, you will want to align yourself in something strong as Lord Jesus builds up His church. The church is undoubtedly the safest place in the last days. That being said, it is destiny for you to commit yourself when God calls you to be planted. Learn from the scripture below…
But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
1 Corinthians 12:18 (NKJV)
When you stay planted, you need not worry at all. This is because God knows the best and suitable environment for you. You must allow yourself to accept His planting of you, similar to how certain plants acclimatize in a new location. Anyone who studied plant species, soil, the environment, harvesting and gardening can point out for you what containers, what type of soil and how much water are needed for specific types of plants. Our Heavenly Father knows everything and when He prepares something for you, you only need to have faith in His plan for you. You can easily trust Him and accept His plan or instruction for you without hesitation! Learn from the next scripture below…
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Knowing that you can always trust the Lord and follow whatever He plans for you, you can always move forward with pure certainty that you will flourish when you stay planted in the local church He wanted you to be part of. To make things clear, flourishing does not happen instantly but you can always believe that God’s timing is always reasonable and His plan or promise for you manifests, the outcome is always positive and worth the wait! Flourishing takes time similar to how plants sprout and grow before producing crops or beautiful leaves or produce pollen, and the like.
That being said, you also have the luxury of time to get to know more of the pastor of your local church, keep tithing at least 10% of what you make, interact and pray more with other members of the church, take part in the local bible study activities or the local prayer groups, etc. As you keep pursuing the Lord while staying planted in the local church, you should have no trouble with being patient. You should not worry at all, nor be distracted by the enemy and his pawns. The local church has God’s presence after all. Learn from the following scripture…
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 (NASB)
With the Heavenly Father’s love, care, protection and blessing for you established when you stay planted in the local church He chose for you, you will bear fruit! You will mature more spiritually as you keep pursuing Him and live with His Word! As you grow, you will also learn from Him what unnecessary elements you need to let go of in order to keep progressing more and keep moving forward on the path with Him. Learn from what Lord Jesus said in the scripture below…
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
John 15:1-7 (NKJV)
The very powerful words of our Lord and Savior Jesus in the above scripture clearly emphasize that cutting by God needs to be done which will lead to new growth. Once again, the parallels between Lord Jesus being the true vine and plants of the physical world are clear. Look at plants near your place. By looking closely, you should find plants that have some parts that bore fruit and other parts that did not. With regards to faith, we need to maintain ourselves in accordance to what the Lord requires so we can keep on growing spiritually, become stronger as Christians and become more edified (as we live by His Word). Whatever weak parts or weaknesses you have as a Christian right now, you must tell it to the Lord immediately and let Him help you so you can keep on growing in faith and eventually getting edified! Learn from the scripture below…
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV)
The above scripture is in reference to the spiritual gifts from the Lord given to His children whose individual purposes He knows best. Some members of your local church will be chosen by God to become a pastor, or an evangelist or teachers of Christianity in the years to come. As for me, I got born again in 2018 and as I kept pursuing the Lord by absorbing His Word and living by it, I am now a preacher. What further plans God has for me, I will soon find out. Going back to the above scripture, verse 12 had the word “equipping” which, in its Greek form, implies a recovered wholeness as when a broken limb is set and mends, and also a discovered function as when a physical member is properly operating.
Furthermore, take note that the work of ministry is the enterprise of each member of the body of Christ and not the exclusive charge of select leaders. That being said, verses 11 and 12 reveal the task of the gifted leader is to cultivate the individual and corporate ministries of those he or she leads. When it comes to staying planted in the local church the Lord wanted for you, Ephesians 4:11-12 makes clear sense!
By staying planted in the local church, you will realize your purpose under the Lord through the community that you and many others are part of. This should remind you, once again, that church hopping is not only wasteful, it will also prevent you from realizing your role in the local church. You certainly do not want to miss out on what God has planned for you which can only be realized after you get planted and keep on staying planted in the local church. Ultimately, the Christian is not to be alone and he/she carries the spiritual family role and has responsibilities to live up to under the Lord. Remember, being part of the local church also means you are part of the church of Lord Jesus, God the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. Stay planted and progress with the Lord!
From this point on, I would like to reach out to the lost and the unsaved people reading this. Are you frustrated with religion? Have you been living in bondage for too long? Did the non-believers fool you and abused you? Were you victimized by a religious fanatic? You can save yourselves by submitting to the Lord willingly. No force and no coercion here. You have time and freedom to decide to receiveJesus as your Lord and Savior. For those who have decided to get born again now, please read the instructions and follow the prayer that I learned from our pastor.
Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:
Dear God,
I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now, I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.
Congratulations! You are now a child of God! You have received Holy Spirit in your heart! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and don’t look back to it. Remember that idolatry is evil, Purgatory is a lie, penance is a deception and Satan always used religion and unbelief to prevent people from being saved by the Lord.
With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward and the best is yet to come! You also have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that is strictly off-limits to others (even to your household members or biological family members).
With your new life realized, make an effort to get yourself copy of the Holy Bible (start with New King James Version), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a local Christian church near you and find your place in the spiritual family. Be planted when the Lord shows you the way! Worship the Lord together with them and always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God. When you are at home, be in your room with the door shut and have fellowship with our Heavenly Father. On a personal level, practice Christian Habits here and there.
The Holy Bible is the ultimate authority and nothing else comes close. The Holy Bible is the Word of God. Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father. He rose from the dead and made His earthly presence felt once more to those who believed in Him. Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and He promised to return in the future. His return is what we must always remember and keep living with holiness under the watch of God. Living as a Christian is always about the personal relationship with the Lord, and it is certainly not about religion.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
We all want the good life. In fact, we need the good life! As we live in the flesh in the middle of a very screwed-up world that has long been ravaged by Satan, it is clear that without God, without the Holy Spirit and without Lord Jesus, we cannot survive both physically and spiritually. Unbelief misled many people to believe they can survive and prosper on their own but ultimately, they end up being unhappy, lost and unsaved spiritually. For its part, religion (along with its traditions, rituals and idolatry) misled people into believing they are Christians when in fact they end up wasting their lives following a whole bunch of rules from many man-made doctrines (described as blessed sacraments) which ultimately keep them away from the Lord. Religion also misled people into believing the falsehood that being religious, idolatrous, traditional and ritual-oriented is the same as being faithful to the Lord.
As Christians led by faith, we all had to go through the process of conversion (getting born again in accordance to what Lord Jesus stated in John 3: 3), studying and living the Word of God (the Holy Bible), submitting to Him and establishing personal relationships with Him. We are His creations and there really is no other way apart from living in holiness and doing our responsibilities as Christians, as citizens of God’s Kingdom and as His children.
The Lord will not abandon us (refer to Jeremiah 29: 11) and He knows well we need to have a good life. We are His children after all. To live the Christian life here on Earth does not necessarily mean living an easy life but being blessed, guided, directed and protected by Him. It naturally means not suffering the emptiness, the sadness and hardship of the lost and unsaved people around us. They need help and saving. They don’t realize it but they need to know the Lord and start having faith in Him.
As I mentioned some time ago, the Lord blesses the faithful abundantly. God is our source and His promises of prosperity are true and He always keeps His promises (refer to Genesis 39: 2-6, Psalm 1: 1-3, Hebrews 6: 10-12, Deuteronomy 8: 18, Jeremiah 17: 7, Genesis 13: 2, Leviticus 26: 3-5, Psalm 35: 27 and Psalm 37: 3-11). As faithful children of the Lord, we can enjoy riches and luxuries and never feel ashamed nor worried as we know that the blessings came from the Lord who worked legally through the existing financial systems of this screwed-up world we live in. In short, God always finds a way and His timing always makes sense. We need to be patient with Him and still believe in His works to bless us no matter how bad or how good our situation is.
Of course, as blessed children of His, we must never ever let riches and abundance separate us from Him. God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit must always be prioritized. The Lord is our source and therefore we would not be enjoying the blessings without Him. As such, we must never ever fall into the temptation of covetousness which leads to greed. To be covetous means to obsessively acquire wealth and things that ultimately will not satisfy the lust of acquiring more than what is realistically needed. Covetousness also means the corruption of the soul and getting separated from the Lord. Earthly things that are acquired without prioritizing the Lord are clearly not blessings from Him. Learn from the following holy scriptures below…
He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he loves abundance, with increase. This is also vanity
Ecclesiastes 5: 10 (NKJV)
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, not covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 (NKJV)
Speaking to the people, Jesus continued, “Be alert and guard your heart from greed and always wishing for what you don’t have. For your life can never be measured by the amount of things you possess.”
Luke 12: 15 (TPT)
“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Acts 20: 35 (NKJV)
As you can see, it is written in the Holy Bible that covetousness and greed are destructive. Becoming materialistic is bad! To be dominated by covetousness and greed means giving in to the love for wealth and material things which also means cutting yourself away from God, our ultimate creator and source! Lord Jesus’ words about guarding our hearts from greed clearly shows that we should not only be mindful of what is happening but always resist the temptation of acquiring too much and going beyond our needs. There are many people around us who believe in the falsehood that acquiring too much and obsessing for more all the time is part of the good life the Lord has in store for them. That is simply distorted and untrue! There are truly limits on what we need and how much in blessings we can receive. The abundant blessings we receive from God is great enough, and we certainly should not become covetous. God truly does NOT want us Christians to live in poverty (a curse from Satan) and He surely wants us to be disciplined with the way we live, the way we use His blessings and the like.
How to keep ourselves in check and be more responsible with the abundant blessings we receive from the Lord? You can start with tithing, the guaranteed giving back of 10% of your income to Him through your local church. Next, you can be a blessing to others by cheerfully giving something (in cash or in kind) to someone you are willing to share the Lord’s blessings with. If you know a fellow Christian at church trying to raise money for a planned bible-led outreach, then you have the opportunity to donate to that person so he or she can succeed in preaching the Word of God and saving lost souls. Cheerfully giving back to the Lord and blessing others are effective ways to prevent yourself from becoming selfish, greedy and covetous. Lord Jesus’ own words that it is more blessed to give than to receive is in reference to our time as well as our money, and that supporting the weak (the less fortunate) is something He desires for us to do for it is His nature to give. When we become blessings to others, we do it cheerfully and do it in accordance to the character of Lord Jesus. These ways are truly part of the good life from the Lord.
Of course, in opposite to the covetous and the greedy, there is a bunch of people out there who cannot help but be extremely obsessed with anti-materialism. These are lost and unsaved souls who do more than just tell you to avoid being materialistic. They will express their wrongful beliefs that money is the root of all evil (note: money itself is actually neutral and is a useful tool in receiving blessings from the Lord), that you are not meant to prosper (note: this puts them at odds with God and they don’t realize it), and that the only people to support (by means of donation) in the entire world are the impoverished (note: God’s provision is NOT exclusive to the impoverished).
I even encountered one of these anti-materialism fanatics. She is so obsessed with her wrongful beliefs, she seems willing to someday leave her children with not much left to survive with only because she believes money is cursed and wealth is immoral. She also made clear her personal beliefs that prosperity from God is not true and that poverty is not a curse. She does not know the truth written in the Holy Bible. This is the result of her living a life dominated by religion, idols, traditions, wrongful theology and rituals. As such, these lost souls and unsaved souls blinded by anti-materialism obsessions need saving and they need to be prayed for.
As such, being blessed by the Lord and being disciplined (rejecting fully covetousness greed) and being responsible (having our needs met and being able to give back to Him and bless others we could) with what we received are part of the good life from Him.
More on the good life from God, it is undeniably true that Lord Jesus offers us peace and joy that the world itself cannot match nor replicate. Pay close attention to His words in the following bible scriptures below.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14: 27 (NKJV)
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John 15: 11 (NKJV)
John 14: 27 is about the ultimate form of peace that only Lord Jesus can give to those who truly believe in Him. By comparison, worldly peace made by governments, or a truce between rival factions, or special agreements made between powerful groups are all temporary, ultimately fragile and each are bound to break down in due time (which can lead to another bout of fighting, even wars). With Lord Jesus’ peace, you can be assured that the said peace is eternal and will never get corrupted. This is why we should not let our hearts be burdened with pain, worry and doubts under Him.
As for John 15: 11, it emphasizes that our joy becomes full through experiencing Jesus’ own joy within us. To be full of happiness, hope and rest with Him is easily connected with His telling us not to have troubled hearts.
Being born again, we Christians must always keep the Holy Spirit in our hearts and eternally be faithful to the Lord, living by His Word (the Holy Bible). What we study in the Holy Bible, we apply the lessons in our lives.
By comparison, a person who does not have the Holy Spirit in his heart is very vulnerable to temptation and evil. Satan knows this and he knows that for as long as people do not believe in the Lord or are living with religion (along with idolatry, traditions, wrongful theology and rituals) that prevent them from achieving true faith in God, they are easy to be manipulated to serve his evil purposes. The enemy knows how to cause chaos around people and then reach inside the lost and unsaved souls to bring out more wickedness. Satan obviously does not want people to know the Lord and he manipulates them to suffer and live the painful life instead of having a blessed, good life from God. Take a close look at the following bible verses below…
“Evil originates from inside a person. Coming out of a human heart are evil schemes, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, treachery, debauchery, jealousy, slander, arrogance, and recklessness. All these corrupt things emerge from within and constantly pollute a person.”
Mark 7: 21-23 (TPT)
What is the cause of your conflicts and quarrels with each other? Doesn’t the battle begin inside of you as you fight to have your own way and fulfill your own desires? You jealously want what others have so you begin to see yourself as better than others. You scheme with envy and harm others to selfishly obtain what you crave—that’s why you quarrel and fight. And all the time you don’t obtain what you want because you won’t ask God for it!
James 4: 1-2 (TPT)
A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!
John 10: 10 (TPT)
As you can see in the above scriptures, having the Holy Spirit in our hearts and dedicating ourselves to the Lord are truly essential. Without the Holy Spirit in us, we would have been very vulnerable to the temptations and manipulations of the enemy. Satan rules over people who are not edified under the Lord and it is easy for him to manipulate the unsaved person into giving in to wickedness, temptations, strife, violence, greed, immorality and destruction to name some. To put things in perspective, Satan gained dominion when Adam rebelled against God and, as written in the Holy Bible, this led to a downward spiral for humanity. Committing sinful and unrighteous acts became too common among people before the Great Flood happened.
Before gaining the Holy Spirit in our hearts upon getting born again, our hearts contained no holiness. We were vulnerable to wickedness, to the impulse and lust of the flesh, and we were too easy to be manipulated by Satan to commit sin. Now that we know the truth in the Holy Bible and we know better, we Christians can defeat Satan by having strong faith in the Lord and doing His Word in our lives. Strong faith and being a doer of God’s Word are essential for us to gain the good life from Him. Always remember that Lord Jesus is the definitive Savior of us all and He always restores believers who previously suffered from the darkness caused by the enemy!
Now pay close attention to the following holy scriptures below…
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3: 3 (NKJV)
“Don’t keep hoarding for yourselves earthly treasures that can be stolen by thieves. Material wealth eventually rusts, decays, and loses its value. Instead, stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value.”
Matthew 6: 19-20 (TPT)
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6: 31-33 (NKJV)
About the above scriptures, let me declare to you – my readers and fellow faithful Christians – that becoming born again is truly the greatest miracle that happened in my life. In my old life, I gone through decades of pointless religion and even several years of being faithless. I responded to the Lord’s call when my dearest friend in life invited me to her church, and then weeks later I accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. What He stated in John 3: 3 is undeniably true! My life has turned around for the better and I now know my true purpose under the Lord.
Matthew 6: 19-20 confirms the existence of wealth in the kingdom of God which we, His children, will inherit. What blessings we receive from the Lord while living in the flesh here on Earth are not only temporary but are just a fraction of kingdom wealth. Kingdom wealth is so much greater than all of the wealth of this screwed-up world. As such, Matthew 6: 31-33 confirms that the Lord is watching us all the time and He definitely knows our needs and in due time, He will keep blessing us. That being said, the very least we Christians must do is seek God’s kingdom and achieve holiness under Him. Pursue God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and then the good life He planned for us filled with peace, prosperity, stability and happiness will manifest.
At this point, I would like to reach out to the lost and the unsaved people reading this. You can save yourselves by submitting to the Lord willingly. No force and no coercion here. You have time and freedom to decide. For those who have decided to get born again now, please read the instructions and follow the prayer that I learned from our pastor.
Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:
Dear God,
I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now, I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.
Congratulations! You are now a child of God! You have received Holy Spirit in your heart! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and don’t look back to it. With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward! You also have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that is strictly off-limits to others (even to your household members or biological family members).
With your new life realized, make an effort to acquire a copy of the Holy Bible (New King James Version is recommended), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a church of born-again Christians near you and find your place in the spiritual family (God’s family). Worship the Lord together with them and always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God.
The Holy Bible is the ultimate authority and nothing else comes close. Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father. He rose from the dead and made His earthly presence felt once more to those who believed in Him. Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and He promised to return in the future.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.
Hey everyone! Welcome back to this newest edition of my ongoing Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series. I should state that Christian music that strongly lead people to our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus (our Lord and Savior) and the Holy Spirit is truly essential given the fact that we – His children – live in a world that is truly divided and screwed-up. No matter what happens, we must never, ever lose faith in the Lord. Always remain faithful and live up to the responsibilities and the tasks He assigned us with.
More on Christian music, some of my favorite praise-and-worship songs include You Are Holy, How I Praise, Happy Day, Because of Who You Are, I Need You More, and King of Kings. Each song is truly holy as I analyzed their respective lyrics and discovered their connections with the truth emphasized in the Holy Bible. Those songs were also written by composers who were anointed by the Lord.
Now I can say that there is another praise-and-worship song that I’ve been listening to a lot in recent times for it truly is great and really holy. That song is called Yahweh Oh, an original worship song of the mega church Church of God, World Missions Philippines. Written by Notnot Maranan, Yahweh Oh was performed by COG Worship during the September 20, 2020 Sunday worship service of the said church at their venue in Dasmariñas City, Cavite Province, here in the Philippines. COG Worship, by the way, is also responsible for Go Beyond. Also take time out to visit their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/cogworship. To see the said performance of Yahweh Oh, watch the short clip below and enjoy.
As seen in the above short clip, COG Worship’s musicians were truly anointed by the Lord as their performance of Yahweh Oh was very lively and powerful. So powerful, it can stir any Christian’s heart to pursue the Lord and have unwavering faith in Him! The performance has to be seen as a whole! I really love the song and COG Worship’s performance, both of which fulfilled what was written in Psalm 68: 4 in the Holy Bible! That being said, below are the lyrics (note: UPDATED April 21, 2021)
Yahweh oh oh oh
Yahweh oh oh oh
Yahweh oh oh oh
Whoa (Sing it!)
–
Yahweh oh oh oh
Yahweh oh oh oh
Yahweh oh oh oh
Whoa (Yahweh!)
–
Yahweh!
Yahweh!
Almighty God
We want to praise You
For all the things You’ve done
–
For us
You’ve shed Your blood
To take away all our sins and shame
–
To You be all the glory
And the praise
–
We raise our hands
And shout Your Name!
–
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord
Yahweh oh oh oh
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord
–
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord
Yahweh oh oh oh
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord (Yahweh!)
–
Unfailing God
We want to thank You
For Your unending love
–
For us
Your promises
They come alive more and more
In our lives
–
To You be all the glory
And the praise
–
We raise our hands
And shout Your name!
–
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord
Yahweh oh oh oh
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord
–
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord
Yahweh oh oh oh
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord
–
We will worship
‘Til tomorrow comes
Forever we’ll sing our praises to You
–
In Your presence
You have changed our lives
Now we’re ready to go
–
Yahweh oh oh oh
Great are You Lord
Yahweh Yo Oh Oh
Great are You Lord
Whoa Whoa
–
Before analyzing the holiness of the lyrics, let me start with emphasizing Yahweh which is the Hebrew name of God our Heavenly Father in the Holy Bible. Yahweh is not only the most well-known name for God in the Old Testament, it also shows His covenant lordship over Israel. In Exodus 3: 14 (New King James Version), God told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He also told him that he shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”
Right there, God revealed His divine name and declared His character and attributes, reinforcing that the issue is not who Moses is, but rather who is with him. This name is related to the Hebrew verb meaning “to be,” and therefore, the absolute existence of the Heavenly Father is implied. As such, we the faithful Christians must always be mindful the Lord is always with us and watching us over.
God then told Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.” (Exodus 3: 15 NKJV).
For lyrics analysis, we start with: Great are You Lord. God’s greatness is undeniably true and there are many verses in the Holy Bible that confirm it. Below are a few to pay attention to. Believe in His greatness, you will.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145: 3 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3: 16 (NKJV)
For You Lord, are good, and ready to forgive. And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
Psalm 86: 5 (NKJV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1: 5 (NKJV)
Next lyrics for analyzing are: We want to praise You, For all the things You’ve done. For us, You’ve shed Your blood, To take away all our sins and shame. As Christians, it is essential to worship our Lord who is the ultimate creator. He created us not to be lost in this divided world and certainly not to be evil. We were created to be holy, to worship Him, serve Him, and deepen our personal relationship with Him. Becoming born again (which involves deciding to submit yourself to the Lord, confessing your sins directly to Him, dedicating yourself to Him, being guided by His Word and living with His holiness) is inevitable to everyone who walks here on earth for it is written in the Holy Bible. By getting saved, we receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts and become new creations under the Lord. As Christians, we should ALWAYS worship Him, thank Him, honor Him and follow His instructions. This is why we have Sundays that should be dedicated to the Lord. Learn from the holy scriptures below.
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3: 3 (NKJV)
Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place. Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, and the let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
1 Chronicles 16: 23-31 (NKJV)
We lift up our hearts and hands To God in heaven.
Lamentations 3: 41 (NKJV)
Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.
2 Corinthians 5: 17 (TPT)
Next lines for analyzing: To You be all the glory, And the praise, We raise our hands, And shout Your name! As children of God, we have responsibilities related to faith. Faith in our Lord requires more than just dedication…it has to be very strong and maintained as such eternally. Apart from worshipping Him, we should also study His Word and do what we learned. Be doers of the Word of God, eternally! God always keeps His promises to the faithful, and He truly rewards the faithful abundantly. In return to His love, blessings and constant care for us, we give Him all the glory and our praise. We should also do our part in spreading God’s Word to others by preaching, praying and help save the lost and unsaved souls so they can return to Him (by deciding on their own to get born again). Help them truly know Lord Jesus and help them learn why He is the definitive Mediator between us and God in Heaven. Learn from the holy scriptures below.
Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures all generations.
Psalm 100: 1-5 (NKJV)
For God is one, and there is one Mediator between God and the sons of men—the true man, Jesus, the Anointed One.
1 Timothy 2: 5 (TPT)
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the LORD.
Psalm 134: 2 (NKJV)
And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His Mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, and because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
Ezra 3: 11 (NKJV)
Let them give Yahweh the glorious praise he deserves and declare his praise in the islands!
Isaiah 42: 12 (TPT)
Now here are the last lines from the lyrics for analysis: In Your presence, You have changed our lives, Now we’re ready to go. Those lines strongly resonate with me, especially the part emphasizing the change that the Lord made. It reminds me that my getting saved (becoming born again) is undoubtedly the single greatest miracle in my entire life. To the newcomers reading this, I lived through decades of religion and about a decade of unbeliefbefore getting born again and my dearest friend in life became the Lord’s holy instrument in saving my soul. Since getting saved, several positive changes followed in my life along with the blessings and I am no longer lonely now that I am part of a spiritual family. I do confirm that change in my life under the Lord has been very tremendous and it was only a few years ago I got born again. As such, the lines In Your presence, You have changed our lives, Now we’re ready to go always connected me to the song. Truly Yahweh Oh was written by someone anointed by the Lord.
So there you have it! Yahweh Oh is indeed a great and very holy worship song. By default, it is an upbeat song meant to energize anyone who is faithful to the Lord and, in my honest opinion, it is comparable with other energetic worship songs like How I Praise and So Good (both from Planetshakers). It was written to lift up the hearts of the faithful to keep on pursuing Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God. It is also a great motivator for Christians to keep on preaching and reaching out to the billions of lost souls and unsaved souls all over the world. As for you reading this, I highly recommend listening to Yahweh Oh right now! One more holy scripture for you before closing…
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
1 Peter 2: 9-10 (NKJV)
In closing this CMA piece, posted below is (UPDATED April 21, 2021) the official music video of Yahweh Oh (produced by COG Worship) for your viewing and faith. Also included below a raw video of a rehearsal by some people of Church of God – Cabuyao with the blessed song performed by their band. As you enjoy these videos, always remember to raise your hands, shout His name and always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!
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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.
Hey everyone! Welcome back to the latest piece of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series. This time around, I’ll be reviewing and analyzing another Christian worship song which carries the ultimate name of our Lord and Savior Jesus.
The song featured now is none other than In Jesus’ Name, a very beautiful and popular worship song around the world written by Darlene Zschech and Israel Houghton. The said song is best identified with Darlene Zschech as the performer. Before getting to the lyrics, let’s start with the official live performance video below. Watch and enjoy the song, and remember to praise Him always.
Now below are the lyrics of In Jesus’ Name.
God is fighting for us
God is on our side
He has overcome
Yes He has overcome
We will not be shaken
We will not be moved
Jesus You are here
–
Carrying our burdens
Covering our shame
He has overcome
Yes He has overcome
We will not be shaken
We will not be moved
Jesus You are here
–
I will live
I will not die
The resurrection power of Christ
Alive in me and I am free
In Jesus’ Name
–
I will live I will not die
I will declare and lift you high
Christ revealed
And I am healed
In Jesus’ Name
–
God is fighting for us
Pushing back the darkness
Lighting up the Kingdom
That cannot be shaken
In the Name of Jesus
Enemy’s defeated
And we will shout it out
Shout it out
–
Before analyzing the lyrics, let me start by stressing that the name of our Lord Jesus is not only eternal but truly the holiest and above all names! Learn from the holy scripture below which should help you realize why Lord Jesus’ name is highlighted in the song.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV)
In the above scripture, the exaltation of Lord Jesus is in consequence of His humbling Himself by means of His redemptive work. His exaltation is absolute and His lordship is universal although it will not be universally recognized until His promised return.
Now I can start analyzing the lyrics starting with: God is fighting for us, God is on our side, He has overcome, Yes He has overcome, We will not be shaken, We will not be moved, Jesus You are here.
As written in the Book of Genesis, God created all of us and everything. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
When God created man and woman (Adam and Eve), He blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and have dominion over the creatures in the different realms. Through Adam and Eve, God intended to manifest His character and authority (image), and express His dominion over the Earth and display His indisputable power over the works of darkness and subdue His archenemy Satan. As such, God is not only omnipotent but also good natured, a just creator, a very organized planner and a very loving and caring father to His children. Through Adam and Eve, He blessed them and trusted them to take care of the Earth (which points to Him giving them dominion over it). Refer to Genesis 1:26-29 for context.
As we all know, Adam rebelled against God (the Fall of Man) and this led to a downward spiral on the lives of many on earth. Sin became so common among the people. Idols and idolatry spread. Slavery was part of the societies’ systems. Traditions, rituals, unbelief and religion hindered people from realizing faith in God.
Through the generations, people who proved to be very faithful to God and became willing instruments of His received His guidance, blessings and protection. I’m referring to Noah, Abraham and Moses before the arrival of Lord Jesus. Ultimately, the Lord sent His only Begotten Son Jesus into our world to live among people to spread the good news of faith, died on the cross to redeem everyone, came back from the dead and made final personal interactions with those who believed in Him, and ascended to Heaven (to join our Heavenly Father) with a promise to return to Earth. It was also Lord Jesus Himself who stated that one must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God (read John 3:3) and as such, becoming new creations under the Lord was realized (read 2 Corinthians 5:17).
All of these details make sense with the first section of the lyrics and the truth is clear: our Heavenly Father will always fight for us (we His faithful children who got born again and became new creations), be on our side, be victorious in battles we cannot fight (which is why we must always be faithful to Him), and along the way we will never go down for as long as we remain very faithful and always remember and honor Lord Jesus who redeemed us all. And then there is the truth in the holy scripture below…
“And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NKJV)
Next are the following lyrics: Carrying our burdens, Covering our shame.
The words Carrying our burdens in reference to our Lord sparing us from hardship is directly related to the holy scripture below which carries the words of Lord Jesus…
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)
The words Covering our shame is related to the times when God covers His people and proves His compassion when dealing with their guilt. Refer to the very notable holy scripture below. It’s the first of multiple scriptures of the same nature.
Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
Genesis 3:21 (NKJV)
Genesis 3:21 showed how compassionate God is towards Adam and Eve after the Fall of Man happened. Because they sinned, Adam and Eve realized they were naked and made coverings composed of leaf to hide their shame from Him but God went on to provide them with garments of skin which were more protective, thick and provided them warmth. The said garments were symbolic of God providing cover for the shamed. Under the New Covenant, we are required to be clothed in Christ rather than with our good works (refer to Galatians 3:7).
Next are the following lyrics: I will live, I will not die, The resurrection power of Christ, Alive in me and I am free, In Jesus’ Name. In my honest view, these words from the lyrics are related to the following holy scriptures from the Book of John. Each with words from Lord Jesus Himself.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
John 10:27-30 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 (NKJV)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26 (NKJV)
When people get born again, it means they have decided willingly to submit themselves to the Lord, repent to Him, receive the Holy Spirit into their hearts and start new lives as Christians as well as children of the Lord. They also became new creations of the Lord, free from sin and the past of darkness or emptiness. With Jesus as Lord and Savior, they are also spiritually alive (related to the mentioned eternal life). Eternal life is more spiritual and is not limited to living in the flesh. Too many people who are living as lost and unsaved souls obsess with the concept of immorality being about living in the flesh, not realizing the eternal life they can have with Jesus as their Lord and Savior. As such, the lyricsI will live, I will not die, The resurrection power of Christ, Alive in me and I am free, In Jesus’ Name do make sense with the Holy Bible.
And now we can go to the final batch of lyrics from the song which read: God is fighting for us, Pushing back the darkness, Lighting up the Kingdom, That cannot be shaken, In the Name of Jesus, Enemy’s defeated, And we will shout it out, Shout it out.
Not only is God on our side and fights the battles that are too great for us – His children – to handle, He will ensure victory which will be symbolized by His light overwhelming the darkness that hounded many. It is through powerful faith in the Lord in which we can be secured by Him, worry nothing, fear nothing and enjoy the eventual victory coming from Him. Really, no matter how hard or how easy life gets, never ever lost faith in God. If you are feeling disoriented, go back to God’s Word by reading the Holy Bible, praying in tongues to Him and edifying your spirit. We can also help Him in other sensible ways like preaching His Word to others who don’t realize they need spiritual saving. We live in a screwed-up world and there are many lost and unsaved souls who believe that Satan is very powerful and has an army of demons working against them and their loved one. The truth of the matter is that Satan is actually a loser and he only looks powerful through deception, lies, manipulation and trickery. The lost and unsaved souls don’t realize that being faithful children of God will enable them to resist Satan and defeat him. Satan lives eternally only because Adam gave him dominion as a result of rebelling against God in the Garden of Eden.
Of course, Adam’s error has already been corrected by Lord Jesus’ redemption of humanity which paved the way for the establishment of His Body (the Church), the truth (with the Holy Bible), the restoration of humanity (getting born again and becoming new creations) and the realization of the Kingdom of Light (God’s kingdom) which we the faithful can help Him establish here on earth. The moment Jesus redeemed the world, He defeated Satan and a new standard was set! A standard involving faith, not religion, not unbelief, not idolatry, not traditions and not rituals. This holy truth is sadly not realized by the many, many lost and unsaved souls around the world but we the children of God can help them get saved in the name of Lord Jesus. Let us remember His words from the scripture below…
John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, He is coming with the louds and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the LORD, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:4-8 (NKJV)
As such, the song In Jesus’ Name is truly holy and I strongly recommend Christian church musicians (and their musical directors) reading this to make it a point to play the song not only during Sunday worship services but also on other church activities whenever applicable. In Jesus’ Name is not only a beautiful song but also very biblical.
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