Tuesday, October 6, 2009

PEACE TO YOU!

Hey bloggers...

Thanks so much for the great comments on the last post...your words are very much appreciated...

I'm out of town right now, but I'll be back for Body Builders on Wednesday...still trying to get some writing done...



This is a picture that I took the first time I went to Israel back in 1981...the morning that we were leaving to return to the U.S., I got up early and walked out on the balcony of my hotel room before I started packing, and saw this beautiful rainbow over the city of Jerusalem...

It had rained during the night, and in the light of dawn this colorful sign in the heavens became visible...I grabbed my camera and snapped this...it's been a favorite of mine for years...very meaningful and symbolic to me at the time, and even more so now...I had lost it for the longest time, but the other day while was looking for something else, I came across it, and posted it on Facebook (for those of you reading this on FB, this is a feed from my blog which can be found at www.bloginthenow.blogspot.com)...

On many levels it was significant to me that I found this 28 year old picture when I did...the pursuit of peace is very important to me right now...the Scriptures say to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and indeed we should, now more than ever before...but this picture means more to me than the obvious...as you look at it, I pray for peace in your life...peace over your troubled circumstances...and I also post it as a reminder to you that God keeps His promises...shalom!




“Peace I leave with you; I’m talking about My own, personal sense of peace, wholeness and well-being; I’m actually transferring it to you. You see, My peace is unlike the peace that comes from this realm...the peace that is reactionary and temporal, dependent on outward circumstances to determine its strength and presence. My peace is other-worldly – settled, absolute – causing you to be in harmony with your whole life – past, present, and future – and ultimately with the whole of creation. It will empower you to refuse to let your heart (your inner world) become troubled, agitated, or upset, no matter what is happening around you, and you can be fearless because you will be at peace with the Father, with yourself, and with the universe."
(John 14:27 - John In The Now)

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

(((((PEACE)))))

Anonymous said...

I wholeheartedly agree with Pastor Debye's directive to not let money dictate our decisions. I believe we should all live by our God-directed instincts that are separate from our natural interpretations of financial provision. Only believe!

Dr. Bartlett is the author of the award-winning book Matrix Energetics: The Science and Art of Personal Transformation and is one of the primary innovators in the very fascinating area of energy medicine.
Dr. Bartlett shared a world of wisdom with the following paragraph:

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you what to do when your heart tells you differently, and pay attention to what shows up in the next moment and realize every moment is full of grace, miracles, majesty and possibility.”

Unknown said...

...and also to you...

karl cobos said...

Thank you Bishop for everything.

I really enjoyed the JITN quote of Christ's peace...definitely wanting to be flowing in that stability of HIS PEACE that is as absolute as HIS LOVE.

I just came across this...
"For this is like the days of Noah to Me: when I swore that the waters of Noah would never flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will NOT be angry with you or rebuke you.
Though the mountains move and the hills shake, MY LOVE will NOT be removed from you and MY COVENANT OF PEACE will NOT be shaken," says your compassionate Lord.
-Isaiah 54:9,10

Have a great morning!
-Karl

karl said...

Thanks Anon 7:31am:
...needed that, but I also pray for God's help in discerning if what my heart is telling me is of flesh or Spirit. I'm praying to be on the right path of possibility and provision with my heart pursuits...thanks!

Anonymous said...

From FB

Nonnie Lemmon said...

And Shalom to you! I love rainbows, and the way you described this one, reminds me of another that we (my sister, brother-in-law, and Otis & Daisy - their pups) appropriated a couple of weeks ago.

We were strolling in New Mexico; stopped at a scenic roadside area to stretch. A sign for Tucson was more visible, while the rainbow (off in the ... Read Moredistance) was almost hidden. I appreciate how you worded JITN's version, "I'm actually transferring it to you...", because we literally said those words (hands outstretched towards the rainbow and AZ.)!

JOY, unspeakable

Anonymous said...

From FB

John W. Brumlow said...

Rainbows are one of the many things that cause a feeling of gratitude for life to rise in me. I can probably thank the influence of childhood sunday school teachers for that. I take note of them and always think of God's promise not to destroy the earth with a flood again. Deeper walks have caused me to see many of those childhood Bible stories differently but I still love the warm feeling that a rainbow represents from my childlike memories.

JITN is an excellent representation of John the beloved. John's penchant for presenting Jesus as the Word of God in flesh is well described and made easier to meditate on by JITN. This verse has been worn out in my mind numerous times from a claiming point of view to a silent contemplation.

More than a year ago there was a feeling of dread within me that could not be identified. It brought me to this and other verses in the Bible for peace. I know more of what that was all about now and it really makes the way this reads dear to me. I especially like the other worldly reference. It seems that the peace needed to do what is to be done in the course of our life sometimes is built up ahead of time much like a flu shot builds the immune system. That process is like other worldliness in relation to the introduction of a pseudo agent that causes the immune system to build strength to overcome the real germ. More often than not the system becomes so strong that it doesn't even recognize that it has been attacked. Gotta stop or this will become a book itself.... Read More

Agreed in peace

Anonymous said...

From FB


Grayling Chestnut said...

The statements were all good. Thanks Bishop for that post. The peace I received from reading everything gave me great comfort. That is the peace and love that I try to demonstrate on Face Book. The unity within the body and with the Great I Am.

Anonymous said...

From FB

Linda M Curtis said...

any pic with a rainbow gets my attention

Anonymous said...

From FB

Donna and Eddie Higdon said...

Wow that's amazing Pastor Swilley! God does keep His promises and there WILL BE peace. In Jesus' Name.

Anonymous said...

From FB

Darlene Swilley said...

PEACEFULLY beautifully......

Anonymous said...

From FB

Amalia Amaki said...

Bishop, wow!...you know I have a thing for rainbows.

Anonymous said...

From FB

Mary Mattke said...

Beautiful! and a portent of things to come. . . .

Donald said...

I needed that. I am now faced with a situation that I have never been faced with in my adult life.
But, everything'll work out for the best, I guess.

karl said...

Donald...may your "mountain" be seen for what it truly is...a little molehill...and as you pass by it you'll think, "huh, did I just step in something?"...and wipe it off your shoe!

Anonymous said...

Bishop,

What do you about this idea?
Older Swilley, speak of God Love from the old?
You and Pastor D.E. speak about the Love of Jesus Christ through the Holy Sprit Now.
Judah makes the conclusion of the Love of Christ within the Heart of the Teens. That is growing in this future generation
With the only Conviction of how free they are within themselves when they can bring themselves to receive this Free Love that Light within them and to those they come in contact with by sharing this LOVE!

What do you think?

Love Concerns
Peace to you too
Love Concerns

Anonymous said...

Bishop,

What do you about this idea?
Older Swilley, speak of God Love from the old?
You and Pastor D.E. speak about the Love of Jesus Christ through the Holy Sprit Now.
Judah makes the conclusion of the Love of Christ within the Heart of the Teens. That is growing in this future generation
With the only Conviction of how free they are within themselves when they can bring themselves to receive this Free Love that Light within them and to those they come in contact with by sharing this LOVE!

What do you think?

Unknown said...

Anon@731..."shared a world of wisdom"...indeed! I don't think I've ever connected those four words together like I did today...grace, miracles, majesty and possibility...what a cool list for every moment of the day.

Karl, "praying to be on the right path"...I hear you...but I eventually gave up on that.

That may sound weird--but its all about a two-way relationship, not just me having to figure God out. I know that I listen, but the One I listen for seeks to be heard. I learned to trust that the God who IS Love, loves me enough to seek me (even in the lowest pit!), not just wait for me to seek Him.

So I press on...going through open doors and respecting the ones that close...and if I realize I busted through a closed door I thought was open, I assume it was Him who showed me and seek Grace and Mercy. [Bishop's posted pics of how muscle bound Grace and Mercy really are helped with that one!]

And...somehow...knowing about Rahab is most encouraging to me, too. Lots of people would agree lying is amoral. But Rahab's respect for God made her act a righteous thing...and protected her and everyone in her household.

My point? God is big enough to use, maybe even occasionally require, a "flesh" step. I know its dangerous to go there [and if it is best to deny this post Bishop, I get it]...but for me it now, blessedly, all comes down to relationship with Him.

Unknown said...

Speaking Shalom-Peace to you, Donald...

Johnny! "pseudo agent...to build strength to overcome the real germ...the system becomes so strong that it doesn't even recognize that it has been attacked"...I know you stopped to avoid a book post...but durn, Dude...I didn't want you to!! I totally concur...and testify...God innoculates!

River said...

First day in long time I have had peace & I pray peace to all of you.

Unknown said...

Hello Bishop. I know you are out of town, but you really need to check out the Steve Harvey interview that aired on TBN October 5, 2009. It is very much in line with what you and Pastor D.E. have been ministering. Attached is the link.

http://www.tbn.org/watch-us/archives

Enjoy!!!

Anonymous said...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Dear Friend,

I have a special word to share with you today regarding your economic circumstances.

So many people today are vainly wishing for increase while their seeds are still in the package instead of in the ground! They know God wants them to be prosperous, but they aren't sure how to be prosperous or what to do when they are prospering ... and though they may pray and even fast for a blessing, they fail to grasp what the Scripture teaches about prosperity.

To put it simply, in order to reap prosperity, we must sow the seeds we already have. A poor little boy gave his lunch to Jesus and it was multiplied to feed thousands. A widow gave her last food to Elijah and it was multiplied to feed her and her son during the famine. A rich Abraham gave tithes to God's high priest and became even wealthier.

Whether you have a lot or a little right now doesn't matter ... what matters is what you are doing with what you have. If you are waiting for better times to start sowing, you will never have a harvest or enjoy true prosperity.

The principles of the Bible govern your economic future. And I'm writing today to encourage you to follow those principles. To help you with learning those principles and putting them into practice, when you send your gift to support Ever Increasing Faith Ministries this month, we will send you my Purpose of Prosperity CD as a thank you gift. I know it will be a help in teaching you to follow the precepts and instructions of the Word and receive the blessings that result.

Betty and I greatly appreciate your faithfulness to support this ministry. Together we are taking the Gospel to the four corners of the earth, and God is blessing us with a great harvest for His Kingdom.

In the Matchless Name of Jesus Christ,

Apostle Frederick K. C. Price, D.D.

P.S. - For a love gift of any amount, I will send you the inspirational teaching The Purpose of Prosperity audio CD. In this series Dr. Price teaches, "there is a place in God where you can become financially independent; you just have to learn where that place is..."




Click here to become a Faith Partner


maybe that's another way to reach the unfaithful one's

karl cobos said...

Thank you Avatar, that was good, God's blessings on my remembering.

Definite agreement on Johnny's words about the system and "innoculation"...cool.

God's word for me came in a really cool way yesterday, after listening to a song on a CD called "our God reigns", I immediately turned on the radio and another song with the same title came blaring on..."OUR GOD REIGNS!"...over the heavens, over the earth, our God reigns, praise His name, all you still standing, all that was, all that remains, our God reigns!

word ver: pessitin
hmmm...someone who is pessimistic.
I rebuke any of that out of me!(ha)