Is Your Soul Prospering?

Everyone wants to be blessed but fewer want to be obedient.

God told Abram (later to be called Abraham) in Genesis 12:2 "I will make your name great and you will be a blessing." God not only wants to bless you but He wants you to be a blessing to others around you! And many times, God will bless you just to see what you'll do with it.

I dearly love each one of my children. I will do everything I can for their good. But some of my blessings are based upon their obedience. Some of the blessings they want may not be what I deem to be good for them, so sometimes I have to protect them from what they may want. Why? Because I know how they'll use it if I were to give it to them.

The devil has blinded the world so much when it comes to the Lord's blessings. The world seems more concerned with what they'll have to give up instead of what they'll gain.

Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it." When God blesses your soul, you have peace in the middle of crisis.

God is a covenant God. He has not changed since the day He made a promise to Abram. Allow Him to prosper your soul today!

Coincidence or Intentional?

Earlier this year, I commited to giving offerings during the 3 Jewish festivals: Passover, Shavuot & Sukkot.

This week, Shavuot was celebrated in Israel. And, you've probably noticed increased violence in the Middle East over the last few days, too.

When you deal with the church, you're dealing with God's grace. But when you deal with Israel, retribution is swift because it is the apple of God's eye. Despite what we may think about Israel and their actions, they cannot be intellectually understood but are to be discerned. And should our leaders and President mishandle Israel, America will pay the price. Don't take my word for it--read the Bible for yourself.

God is not a happen-stance God, nor a God of coincidence. He is, however, intentional

An article written in World Net Daily was passed on to me last week. You can see it here by clicking on this link. Although the natural disasters may not be related, the author certainly makes an interesting argument. I've also pasted it below.

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Bible prophecy may have a bad name in the light of Harold Camping's misguided date-setting, but the biggest sign of the end may have been overlooked in all the rapture hysteria of last weekend.

Once again, we've seen the U.S. hit with a series of deadly superstorms following Barack Obama's pledge to return Israel to pre-1967 borders.

Just days after Obama insisted Israel must give up lands it won through military victory with its enemies, some 200 people were killed by a tornado in Joplin, Mo.

There's a pattern here.

We saw it in Katrina, when George Bush forced Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. In fact, as everyone from Israeli rabbis to U.S. senators have noted, it seems to happen every single time the U.S. pressures Israel to divide the land.

The phenomenon was best documented by Bill Koenig, author of "Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel."

Koenig points out that nine of the 10 costliest insurance events in U.S. history followed dramatic calls by U.S. officials for Israel to make land concessions in bids for peace with its neighbors. He points out with startling detail how six of the seven costliest hurricanes in U.S. history followed such events. He points out how three of the four largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history followed such developments.

Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, even terrorist attacks have hit America often within 24 hours of calls by U.S. officials for Israel to withdraw from Jewish land.

What does this have to do with prophecy?

It goes right back to Genesis and God's pledge to bless those who bless the children of Israel and curse those who curse them.

That is a prophecy that has seen every empire of the world come and go – yet Israel remains. It may be chastened by God. It may be dispersed. It may be divided according to His will. But God has punished every nation that has come against Israel. Each one has been judged.

You can choose to believe it or not. It won't make any difference.

But he that touches the apple of God's eye will pay a price: "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye." – Zechariah 2:8

If you want to understand prophecy, don't listen to Harold Camping – keep your eye on Israel and study your Bible.

In God's economy, there is Israel and then there are the other nations.

It was through Israel He chose to reveal Himself to the world – eventually through the birth, life, death and resurrection of His own Son.

And His Son is coming back to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It's no surprise where He will return and where He will reign – in Jerusalem.

Trying to understand God and His Son Yeshua apart from Israel is a tall order – because that's how He revealed Himself to us.

His ways are not our ways, and our ways are not His ways.

We can only understand Him through His revelation.

I don't know exactly what date He will be coming back.

I'm not sure exactly when He is going to call out His children.

But I do know it's near.

I know it's near because Israel has been rebirthed as a nation – a prerequisite that simply wasn't in place until 63 years ago.

The Bible predicts all kind of turbulence and chaos surrounding Israel in the latter days. It will nearly be destroyed. But Israel's long-awaited Messiah will save it. He will destroy Israel's enemies. He will reign for 1,000 years.

As Zechariah 12:8-10 reveals: "In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

And one shall ask Him, "What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends" (Zechariah 13:6).

Don't Be a Giant Offender, But A Giant Killer

I wrote last Friday how I'm tired of wimpy prayers. I'm wanting the spirit of might to rest upon me.

You and I are not called to be a giant offender but a giant killer.

When David set out to face Goliath, he didn't care whether or not he offended the giant--he was there to take care of him once and for all. David said in 1 Samuel 17:45-47, "You come at me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

The iron shaft on the end of Goliath's spear weighed 15 pounds alone. Anyone willing to kill a giant who has that is no wimp, friend! But David had the spirit of might on him.

God gives us circumstances, or giants, to practice on every day. If David would've been scared off by the lion and the bear when he was younger, he wouldn't have been able to face a giant later in life.

So, how do you stand in the face of adversity? You ask God to give you the spirit of might.

Authority in Prayer

I'm tired of wimpy, namby-pamby prayers.

Mark 1:22 says, "The people were amazed at his (Jesus') teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority.." Some people mistake authority for loudness or being boisterous. When you speak with authority, you have power; what you say backs up who you are. You truly KNOW what you know!

When Joshua prayed, his prayers had authority only because Joshua had an intimate relationship with God and the Holy Spirit knew it! Joshua 10 tells the story of when the sun stood still. Word had gotten around to the Amorite kings how successful Joshua had been at Jericho. When the kings of the Amorite cities heard Joshua had made friends with the people of Gibeon, they became worried because they knew how big Gibeon's army was. So the king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, convinced the other kings to join him and attack the city of Gibeon.

Joshua received word from the people in Gibeon that they were being attacked and needed help and Joshua headed west with his army to assist. God told Joshua not to worry, that He would defeat the Amorites for him. God rained large hail stones on the Amorites and many of them died without even being touched by a sword. But Joshua needed a bit more time to defeat the last remaining fighters. Allow me to let my imagination take over for a second....

God, we've almost got the devil whooped, but it's getting late in the day and we need to get this over and done with before it gets dark. Can you give me a little more time and do something for me?

Joshua prayed in verse 12, "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." And God stopped the universe just for Josh to give him more daylight! Verse 14 says, "There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!"

Joshua already had the spirit of wisdom. You can read about his early beginnings as a spy for Moses and the children of Israel and see wisdom written all over him. But Joshua also had the spirit of might. How did he get these? By spending time with God, being led by the Holy Spirit and asking for it!

So, I'm no longer praying "sissy-fied" prayers. I'm praying with authority for wisdom and might!

A Monday to Remember

Thank you to the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country so that I may have the freedom to express my most intimate, spiritual lessons on my blog. And thank you to the countless mothers, fathers, spouses and children who have loaned their loved one to serve our country, not knowing whether they would return. I honor you all today and every day!

(Barbie will be the guest speaker at the Flowood Chamber's Ladies Breakfast this Wednesday.

Barbie has been encouraged to expand her business to other parts of the state and beyond its borders. If you know of anyone who may be interested, email barbie.bassett@comcast.net for more information.)

A Mother's Concern

The tragedies from the last few weeks' weather events are taking a toll not just on the victims but on the younger viewers. Yesterday I received this email from a parent:

"In 2008, a tornado came through our area. My daughter's grandmother had taken her to Northpark Mall. While they were there, a man came over the loud speaker and told everyone to take cover. The lights went out, people were screaming and she was very upset and scared. Since that time, we have done everything we can to tell her God is in control. When she sees disasters like Smithville (MS) and Joplin (MO), it is hard for her to understand why God does the things that He does. And honestly, as an adult, I sometimes wonder myself. Don't we all? It broke my heart the other night when we were enduring another round of severe weather when she turned to me and asked, "Momma, I'm losing my faith in God." Barbie, I cried. How do you explain this to a child? She watches you constantly and you seem to calm her down more than another other meteorologist on television. Please pray for her to overcome this debilitating fear of the weather. It is so bad, her teachers are concerned she may never get over it."

This viewer's daughter is not alone. Even our own 7 year old Gracie has gotten quite emotional over the last few weeks seeing the devastation on the news. So much so, I've become more alert to turning the television off!

I don't fully understand why God allows this to occur to seemingly innocent people. However, I think about how merciful He has been in many other cases. For instance, even though this spring has been full of severe weather, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has only had 1 reported tornado this year, which is unusual. I also think about how much more destruction we would be dealing with if God would to take His hand of mercy off us.

When Gracie gets upset, we stop what we're doing and we all say a prayer so she hears us ask the Lord to grant peace to the hurting and show us how we can help. Instead of asking why God allows bad things to happen, perhaps He is putting the rest of us in a position to minister to those who have been affected? Many questions we won't get the answers to this side of heaven.

Psalm 125:2 says, "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever more."

Even through the destruction and fear, God is still in control.

More To Come

My heart breaks for the people in Joplin, Missouri. My husband and I listened to the scanner traffic with the help of the internet last night. Some things I could decifer on my own in figuring out what the police, fire and EMTs were saying. At other times, I'd have to ask him what they were referring to. Each time, I just shook my head and walked away.

According to the NWS, the Joplin tornado was the deadliest single tornado with 89 deaths (so far) in the U.S. since June 10, 1953 when 94 people died in Worchester, Massachusetts. In the years 2000-2010, there were 605 tornado fatalities in the U.S. So far in this year, there have been 450+ fatalities.

I spoke at Leaf River Baptist Church in Pineville yesterday and talked about the intensity in which events will happen--not just with the government, bombings and financially, but with the weather. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and tornadoes have always been, but the frequency and strength are about to increase; some in places that have never experienced such disasters. Some people call me crazy for even mentioning that, but I've been asking the Lord for the spirit of revelation for quite some time. I'm quickly learning God will give you what you ask for!

So what do we do? We pray. We pray for those who have been affected in asking God to heal their hurts and hearts. We pray for Him to use us in some way in the tragedies. And, we pray for a hunger in reaching the lost like we've never before.

Jesus said in John 16:22, "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

Meantime, northwest Mississippi will run the risk of seeing severe weather Wednesday night and Thursday from the same system causing severe weather across the midwest. Please stay tuned to the weather updates and I'll be keeping you informed on WLBT, on Facebook and Twitter @BarbieBassett .