Sitting here icing my neck during my surgery recovery reading God’s Word and feeling absolutely blessed! I’m about to release a song I wrote right after my surgery called You Lift Me Up. #godisgood

Isaiah 55:11

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Zechariah 4:6-10

SIX LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES TO LEARN FROM AN EAGLE AS YOU ENTER
1. Eagles fly Alone and at High Altitudes.
They don't fly with sparrows, ravens, and other small birds.
*MEANING*; Stay away from narrow-minded people, those that bring you down. Eagle flies with Eagles. Keep good company.
2. Eagles have an Accurate Vision. They have the ability to focus on something as far as 5km away. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.
MEANING; Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacles and you will succeed.
3. Eagles do not Eat Dead things. They Feed only on Fresh Prey.
MEANING; Do not rely on your past success, keep looking for new frontiers to conquer. Leave your past where it belongs, in the past.
4. Eagles Love the Storm.
When clouds gather, the eagle gets excited, the eagle uses the storms wind to lift itself higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagle uses the raging storm to lift itself above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the branches and leaves of the tree.
MEANING; Face your challenges head on knowing that these will make you emerge stronger and better than you were. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers are not afraid to rise to greater heights. Achievers are not afraid of challenges, rather they relish them and use them profitably.
5. Eagles Prepare for Training;
They remove the feathers and soft grass in the nest so that the young ones get uncomfortable in preparation for flying and eventually flies/ when it becomes unbearable to stay in the nest./
MEANING; Leave your Comfort Zone, there is No Growth there.
6. When the Eagle Grows Old,
His feathers becomes weak and cannot take him as fast and as high as it should. This makes him weak and could make him die. So he retires to a place far away in the mountains. While there, he plucks out the weak feathers on his body and breaks its beaks and claws against the rocks until he is completely bare; a very bloody and painful process. Then he stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, new beaks and claws and then he comes out flying higher than before.
MEANING; We occasionally need to shed off old habit no matter how difficult, things that burden us or add no value to our lives should be let go of.
NEVER GIVE UP
Pst Peter Eli-Bariki
#RevivalFire #upperoom #Leadership #EaglesNation See less

Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain. - Hosea 10:12

John 3:16 🏻

A prayer inspired by Deuteronomy 30:19. Shared from BibleWise (getbiblewise.com)

Thursday with Vince https://rumble.com/v7fbn12-texas-takes-center-stage-at-gop-convention-episode-368-091026-vince.html

Rise and walk in the strength Jesus gives.

Share this with someone who needs encouragement to rise and move forward in faith.

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Waiting for His Counsel (The Trap of Soul-Leanness)

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Matthew 23:13, 15-22

Jesus begins his Woes speech against the Pharisees. Their continued behavior in opposing Him not withstanding, they were still behaving as enemies of God. Because they were enemies of God. Now no one can literally stop another person from entering the Kingdom of God.

These leaders however, in the interest of protecting their power, can burden the people with religious laws God never intended. By this behavior, they can block others from responding to the Gospel with no intention of ever entering themselves.

And here we have to mention that verse 14 is one of the verses that is in dispute for the simple reason that many of the older manuscripts do not contain it. There is no reason to doubt it as the same teaching is found in Mark 12:40

[40] who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.” and,

Luke 20:47
[47] who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

So here's another verse that liberals like to use as proof the Bible isn't to be trusted when it doesn't get close to doing so. And since Jesus uses the same words elsewhere there really should be no controversy. What the Pharisees were doing was using the Law to seize the homes of widows for personal enrichment.

Jesus’ clear warning is that they will receive harsher judgment than those who disobeyed in ignorance. Without sounding flippant, as I do not intend to do so, their judgment will be endless torture, pain, and loss for everyone who rejects Jesus. How much worse then is it for those who use religion the same way the Pharisees did?

Next Jesus condemns the proselytizing the Pharisees do as they travel the word passing their own distortions of truth on to a group of new Pharisees who are as morally bankrupt as they were.

Then Jesus hits their habit of swearing by the temple. The Pharisees were guilty of making vows, then breaking them and justifying doing so by ridiculous methods. They could swear they will fulfill a promise, much like this,

“I swear I will do such and such by the temple of God.” Then when it didn't get done excusing it with, “but I didn't swear by the gold of the temple”. An oath to these people was extremely important but these people were essentially not only making excuses for lying but justifying it as well.

He repeats Himself but then uses swearing by the altar versus swearing by the gold on the altar. The conclusion is this “Let your Yes be Yes and your No's be no.” In other words your character should be able to be judged based on the words you swear by, not by the object being sworn by. An oath adds nothing to the words of an honest man.

Jesus isn't giving instruction on how to swear an oath, He's telling us our promises, our words don't need an oath. And He's not done. Stay with us tomorrow as he continues just ripping the Jews to pieces, metaphorically speaking.





[13] “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation
[15] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. [16] “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ [17] You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? [18] And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’ [19] You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? [20] Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. [21] And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it. [22] And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.


[

Matthew 23:13, 15-22

Jesus begins his Woes speech against the Pharisees. Their continued behavior in opposing Him not withstanding, they were still behaving as enemies of God. Because they were enemies of God. Now no one can literally stop another person from entering the Kingdom of God.

These leaders however, in the interest of protecting their power, can burden the people with religious laws God never intended. By this behavior, they can block others from responding to the Gospel with no intention of ever entering themselves.

And here we have to mention that verse 14 is one of the verses that is in dispute for the simple reason that many of the older manuscripts do not contain it. There is no reason to doubt it as the same teaching is found in Mark 12:40

[40] who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.” and,

Luke 20:47
[47] who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

So here's another verse that liberals like to use as proof the Bible isn't to be trusted when it doesn't get close to doing so. And since Jesus uses the same words elsewhere there really should be no controversy. What the Pharisees were doing was using the Law to seize the homes of widows for personal enrichment.

Jesus’ clear warning is that they will receive harsher judgment than those who disobeyed in ignorance. Without sounding flippant, as I do not intend to do so, their judgment will be endless torture, pain, and loss for everyone who rejects Jesus. How much worse then is it for those who use religion the same way the Pharisees did?

Next Jesus condemns the proselytizing the Pharisees do as they travel the word passing their own distortions of truth on to a group of new Pharisees who are as morally bankrupt as they were.

Then Jesus hits their habit of swearing by the temple. The Pharisees were guilty of making vows, then breaking them and justifying doing so by ridiculous methods. They could swear they will fulfill a promise, much like this,

“I swear I will do such and such by the temple of God.” Then when it didn't get done excusing it with, “but I didn't swear by the gold of the temple”. An oath to these people was extremely important but these people were essentially not only making excuses for lying but justifying it as well.

He repeats Himself but then uses swearing by the altar versus swearing by the gold on the altar. The conclusion is this “Let your Yes be Yes and your No's be no.” In other words your character should be able to be judged based on the words you swear by, not by the object being sworn by. An oath adds nothing to the words of an honest man.

Jesus isn't giving instruction on how to swear an oath, He's telling us our promises, our words don't need an oath. And He's not done. Stay with us tomorrow as he continues just ripping the Jews to pieces, metaphorically speaking.





[13] “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation
[15] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. [16] “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ [17] You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? [18] And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’ [19] You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? [20] Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. [21] And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it. [22] And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.


[

Watch ORTHODOX MORNING PRAYERS & READINGS for Thursday, Sep. 10, 2026: https://robertdhosken.substack.com/p/watch-orthodox-morning-prayers-and-4d0

How to JOIN US “LIVE”? Go to: https://Agape-Biblia.org/Morning-Prayers.htm daily at 7 a.m. ET. We’re retired missionaries in our 80s, preparing for eternity! Are you?

Good morning. God bless you!

1 Kings 2:1-25

1 As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon,
2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man.
3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,
4 and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
6 So act...

“Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then, the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle.”
-Bishop Philip Brooks

Proverbs 8:17

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“You Will Know Them by Their Fruits”

Jesus says:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.”
— Matthew 7:15–16

Jesus isn’t telling us to determine someone’s heart or condemn people. He’s teaching us to discern what is genuine by what a person’s life consistently produces.

What does “fruit” mean?

Fruit includes things like:

1. Character
Does their life increasingly reflect love, humility, patience, self-control, honesty, and holiness?

2. Teaching
Does what they teach agree with Scripture and point people toward the true Jesus and His Gospel?

3. Actions
Do their actions support their words, or is there a persistent pattern of hypocrisy, manipulation, exploitation, or unrighteousness?

4. What they produce in others
Does their ministry lead people toward repentance, faith, truth, love, and obedience to Christ—or toward themselves, fear, division, greed, and dependence on them?

5. Consistency
Everybody who follows Jesus can stumble. A bad moment isn’t the same thing as a persistent pattern of bad fruit. We’re looking at the direction and pattern of a life, not demanding perfection.

Jesus specifically warns about false prophets

Notice that Jesus says they come “in sheep’s clothing.”

That means deception may not always look obviously evil. Someone can sound spiritual, quote Scripture, have a large following, or claim to speak for God—and still need to be tested.

That’s why Scripture says:

“Test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”
— 1 John 4:1

And the Bereans were commended because they examined the Scriptures to see whether what they were being taught was true (Acts 17:11).

What is good fruit?

Paul gives us a beautiful picture:

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
— Galatians 5:22–23

So the question isn’t simply:

“Does this person call themselves a Christian?”

It’s:

“Does their life increasingly reflect Christ?”

And ultimately, the standard isn’t another person’s personality or your personal opinion.

Jesus is the standard. Scripture is the test. Fruit is the evidence.

And remember: we examine fruit for discernment, while leaving final judgment to God.
#jesus #bible #faith

Thank You, Jesus, for everything.
Thank You for the battles You brought me through, the doors You closed, the ones You opened, and even the moments I didn’t understand.

Thank You for grace when I didn’t deserve it.
Thank You for mercy when I failed.
Thank You for forgiveness when I repented.
Thank You for strength when I had none left.
Thank You for carrying me when I couldn’t carry myself.

Thank You for the cross.
Thank You for the blood.
Thank You for the empty tomb.
Thank You that You are risen. 🏻
Thank You that death did not have the final word.

Jesus, You are my hope when the world feels hopeless.
My peace when everything feels chaotic.
My refuge when I’m afraid.
My strength when I’m weak.
My Shepherd when I don’t know where to go.

I don’t want the world more than I want You.
I don’t want applause more than I want obedience.
I don’t want recognition more than I want Your presence.

Have Your way in me, Lord.

Break what needs to be broken.
Remove what needs to be removed.
Heal what needs to be healed.
Correct what needs to be corrected.
Strengthen what needs to be strengthened.

Make my life point to Jesus—not me.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30

Today and every day:

Jesus first.
Jesus always.
Jesus forever.

Come, Lord Jesus. Amen