DIFFERENT CHAPTER 9 STIR UP THE GIFTS

 

DIFFERENT 

CHAPTER 9

STIR UP THE GIFTS

Acts 2:16-18 King James Version (KJV)

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

AWAKE

  
I am a seer and a prophetess. I am AWAKE. To be Awake is to be aware of oneself and God, SPIRITUALLY. I am aware of myself as a Spiritual Being. Not only am I cognitively aware in mind, but, physically aware of myself and God in the Spirit. What does that mean? It means that I am able to be used physically for a spiritual purpose.  My physical presence stirs things up in the spiritual world, because of the Spirit of God within me. Thus, I have begun my journey in the spirit, walking by faith and not by sight. However, this does not mean that I never falter, even as I follow Jesus.  Yet, I strive to die to my flesh daily, as my heart strives to place my faith in God's eyes and wisdom. I am His vessel and He continues to strengthen and grow me in the use of my gifts.

When, God instructed me to begin writing, He said that it must be a teaching guide; an instrument to awaken the sleeping; as well as a beacon, shining the way home to the lost; and that I must tell you of my own experiences, so, that others will become awake. Will everyone awaken as I did? Perhaps, not, yet, it is helpful to others to know what I have experienced; to know what it is to emerge from the darkness; and to live and walk as a Spiritual Being, a vessel of God, and Disciple of Christ Jesus.

As we know, the women who followed Jesus, were not given a voice. Their stories were omitted or told by men. We find little or no evidence of what they actually experienced as a Disciple of Christ. Yet, Jesus did not exclude women from His teachings or His presence. This was a lesson that would take time in learning and mankind is still having trouble learning it. It is no accident that God has chosen me as a woman to tell my story. It is time for women who love Christ to be heard in their own voice. As women and men, God wants to use us to tell our story to help awaken the sleeping. Let Him use you.

To my children, grandchildren, and others who may have inherited the gift of seeing, I pray that this helps to guide you and  bring you closer to God. I pray it helps you to abide in God's Holy Spirit who will teach you all things in the Will and Way of God, keeping you in holiness and righteousness. I pray that it helps you to surrender all and lay down your burdens, at Jesus' feet, so that you may live a more abundant life. In the name of Yeshuah, our Lord and Saviour, Amen. You will find that seeing only becomes a burden when you don't completely surrender yourself and your gift to God.

Music, writing, singing, dancing, and all forms of the arts require us to see with other than our eyes. We often use the arts to interpret what we see in others and in the world. When God uses gifts, He is doing the same thing. We become an instrument interpreting what He sees in order to make a difference.

While we are yet in our human form on Earth, we have not shed our corruptible flesh. As Seers, prophets, apostles, evangelists, teachers, ministers, healers, speakers of tongues, and all those possessing a gift of God, as God's vessels, we can become corrupted, if we do not abide in God's Holy Spirit. In doing so, we are taking our eyes off of following Jesus as He guides us in The Truth, The Way, and The Life. One of the first ways the enemy causes corruption is by trying to give our gifts to the world. The feeling we have of being burdened with our gift is from our fear of the world. This fear is not of God and not of love. It comes because we have not surrendered all, died to our flesh, and put all of our trust in God.

When we surrender ourselves and our gift/s to God, we are no longer burdened with chaos and confusion, anxiety and depression, despair, corruption, fatigue, etc. This I know too well. As He always does, God will prepare you for what He has in store for you. He may even send someone to you to help you prepare, as He did for me. Now, that I have learned that I must surrender all, His Holy Spirit teaches me; not always as I expect, but, nonetheless, He teaches me and I am grateful.

What proof do I have of my gift of seeing being from God and my talents being Divinely Inspired? Oh, there are many and if you will just open your eyes and your heart, you too, will have proof of your gifts being from God. However, like many of you, I too, had doubts. So, one day I asked God for proof, a sign, something to let me know that this wasn't just something self-contrived, or, something my brain did subconsciously as part of its creative and imaginary capabilities, or, perhaps as an involuntary response or reflex to stimuli in order to process and categorize information, or hallucinations due to some chemical imbalance within.

All of these things lead me to look at the world we live in today. We live in a strange world, where people who don't believe in God are considered to be normal and mentally sound. Whereas, someone who believes wholehearted in the Word of God and the gifts of His Holy Spirit, is often viewed as being obsessed and mentally unbalanced and unstable. However, we mustn't let worldly views deter us, poison us, or discourage our belief.

I guess this is why I'm sharing this part of my life with you now. The world can make you question who you are; what you are; and why you exist. So, this is why I turned to God and asked Him to explain what was happening to me.  What am I experiencing? Is this a gift from you?

Ask and you shall receive, when what you ask is within God's Will. It has always been within God's Will to teach us His Ways and draw us closer to Him. You see, so many times, we give God permission to use us, but, we continue fighting Him for the right, because, we simply don't know HOW and WHAT to surrender. People of faith often tell us to surrender all, surrender all, but, we don't even know what all we have and how to surrender it to God. Thus, I have had to learn the hard way and continue learning. No doubt, this was God's plan all along; for He needed someone to tell the story.

Perhaps, scientists will say that I have simply discovered a new fluke, or, capability in my brain, which doesn't mean that it is connected with God and the spiritual world. Perhaps, they will say that that is how I have chosen to interpret it. They may want proof that the effect can be reproduced within others. Has it been? How many other people out there are seers, but, they may not know it or they are too afraid to say anything to anyone? -Or, perhaps, their gift is simply ignored by those around them.

Seeing visions may be associated with many negative things. People often wonder, is it a result of mental illness and becoming delusional? Is it that I'm just having hallucinations? Could I be having seizures? Am I simply imagining having the ability to see things beyond that which tangibly exists around me? Is it because of some past trauma in my life?

Science and medicine may conclude that I have become so obsessed with my faith in God that I subconsciously will these things to happen and want them to be true so badly that I convince my mind that they are real. Could this possibly be, even when they first began to happen to me as a child? Or, maybe it's the result of too much television as a child which created an imagination gone wild?

These are questions that I wanted to be answered, also, but, could I trust man, to give me all of the answers that I wanted to know? -And, even if scientists and doctors gave me logical answers, could they be trusted to be absolute truth, since science and medicine do not even possess absolute Truth in these situations, without knowledge of the Spiritual and God? Then, it becomes a matter of FAITH. Who will you put your faith in? Who has brought you thus far? Who is the ANSWER to ALL there is to know? Where is your faith and how great is your faith?

God never fails. God has never failed me, yet, even when I have failed Him, He has come to my rescue and been there when I needed Him, time and time again. Therefore, I choose to put my trust in Him. So, when He gave me an answer, I believed; for it had been there all along, throughout my life. I see because, I see through His eyes and I have been chosen to see. I was born a seer and I have been seeing all of my life. I accept these as facts, not just as belief and assumptions.

VISION

Throughout the years, when I've questioned my spiritual sight, I've found myself testing it in various ways. I've closed my eyes and if it was God's Will, I began to see things I'd never seen before, I've waited to see if the seeing or vision will come into fruition--come to pass and become a reality. Will I see it again with my eyes open and to what purpose? Many times it has been déjà vu, as I've seen it come to pass within life itself. God was showing me that my seeing is a spiritual thing. However, scientists have labeled frequent or on-going déjà vu as neurological or psychiatric illness. This may be true in many cases, so, we cannot exclude it within our analysis. Each case must be evaluated for the well-being of each individual. However, we must also take into consideration that when something has no logical explanation, within man's understanding, man is tempted to label it as a deviant behavior. As Believers, we must know and understand why the Word of God calls such experiences visions.

Sometimes, my visions are from the past, things occurring in the present, or things to come in the future. God has His reasons and His plan for what He allows us to see. "Use me," I said to the Lord. Who knows the Mind of God? Who knows how He will use us?

My eyes do not have to be closed to see visions. God knows that I will easily be distracted by things in the world, by having my eyes completely open, so most of the time, my eyes are partly or completely closed. I may be asleep or awake. There have been many times, when I didn't understand what was happening to me, This is how it was in the beginning, when God always came in my sleep and showed me things. As I was awakened by the Spirit and no longer frightened of my gift or what I saw, we simply began to commune with one another.

There are times when I miss the intimacy of the night, hearing my name called, or knocks on the door. Yes, yes, as it was with Samuel (1 Samuel 3)! It is as real as God is! It is like unto a father calling to his child to awaken them. As a child, I felt love and joy in His presence and special for His having chosen to spend time with me. Yet, it was only the beginning; for His desire was to live within me, so that we would always be together.

Now, I need only to look inside of me to see what He wants me to see. No, we can't see everything that He sees and know everything that He knows. However, He will share with me images of others and their lives; what they are going through; sometimes, what they are saying. It may be related to something I have seen or heard or it may not be related at all.

This is why we must be AWAKE as a body and as Soldiers of the Cross. There is much we can do in the spirit and through The Holy Spirit. At times, I pray for those individuals I see, or, the place, or situation which I see. At other times, my gifts may be used to make a difference in other ways, such as in writing to you today, dispelling lies of the enemy, bringing hope to others, and building the Kingdom of God.

There are many of you out there today who have questions. Something is happening or has happened to you to make you question your mind and even your sanity. You may not be aware of imitating spirits of darkness who can also see and readily possess those filled with darkness, hatred, confusion or pride, in order to use them and confuse us even more.

Perhaps, you question the existence of God, or the existence of God within you. Perhaps, you also want a sign or wonder. People around you may be filling you with doubt. No doubt, you will also find that the answers you seek are within you as well as without. However, the most important answer has been with you all along. There is a reason you are here and a reason why you are who you are. You, too, have a purpose within God's plan for you and until you surrender yourself to God to walk in the spirit and not by sight, you will continue to have questions and doubts, not growing in faith.

My Brothers and Sisters, we must STIR UP THE GIFTS, by laying of hands.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 King James Version (KJV)

6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

SURRENDERING

So what is surrendering and what must you surrender? What does your body represent to you?  What value do you give to your hands, feet, arms, legs, back, abdomen, chest, buttocks, penis or vagina, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, nails, fingers, toes, teeth, etc.? What do you spend or how much are you willing to spend upon your body?  How much time do you give to your flesh (self) and how much time do you give to God? How do you use your body in the world today? How do you see and interpret things? What and how do you feel? Can you truly hear, or, do you only hear what you want to hear?  What about your health? What does your health mean to you and how much do you value it? What are you willing to surrender and sacrifice to God? Will you surrender your pride, your will, your children, house, job, finances, family, friends?

Now, what won't you give up? What do you struggle giving up over and over again? What will keep you from following Jesus or make you look back to the ways of the world that are outside of holiness and righteousness? Do you have gifts or talents that you feel you must control? Do you love something or someone more than you love God? Then, can God use you as He wishes to use you?

When I asked God for proof of my gift being from Him, I lowered my eyelids just enough to block out most light and distractions around me. I saw visions of babies and small children. The visions flickered and played out like a video, playing little vignettes of each child's life before my eyes. I don't know the children. I don't know where they are or who their parents are, but, I knew that they were God's children that He was showing me. He wanted me to see them and I prayed for them and their lives. "Bless them Lord, wherever they are." Then, I asked God, "What have I done, Lord, by seeing them and blessing them?" "You have given them hope and connected with them to strengthen them. Life is not disconnected. Life is a line, a thread connected and intertwined between souls, connected to the source of Life."

Joel 2:27-29 King James Version (KJV)

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

So, why wouldn't God use us as seers? Seers are magnifying glasses, which magnify specific parts of God's plan to bring it into the Light and into fruition.

When I was a child, I needed a musical composition for school. I decided to use a different technique to create the piece. I would tell myself to dream of the music, when I went to sleep and ask God to help me. So, I did just that. I went to sleep and I saw the notes within my head and heard exactly how it was supposed to sound. I was using not only my mental and physical capacity for music,  but, the gift of music as it was given to me spiritually. In the morning, I hurried to write and score the music. Is this the same divine inspiration that was given to the great composers and artists of the past? -Some who experienced or used the same technique?

Certainly, many see this as simply mind over matter, wishful thinking and the power of the mind. However, our gifts go much deeper than the mental and physical. It is proven that when either faculty is impaired, one can still create and perform, because they are driven by something much deeper. As a result of the connection to the spirit, music and the arts are a universal language which speaks to everyone's spirit, because, they are manifestations from the spiritual world into the physical world. Through the arts, we are given a visual demonstration of how the Spirit of God spoke and His Word created man and the universe.

Psalm 18:46-48 King James Version (KJV)

46 The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

The enemy will always try to corrupt and imitate that which is good, therefore, God must protect that which belongs to Him. He gives knowledge to us as we are able to handle it. One might question the knowledge of nuclear power, but, so far, we haven't blown ourselves or the planet up and become extinct. Yet, what would science do if it could possibly control or reproduce a seer? Of course, we've seen science fiction movies proposing just this scenario with an antagonist and protagonist; good vs evil. Most of the time good wins out over evil. Still, is this something God wants to happen?

As you become awake, you must think about the risks of being used by the enemy and falling into darkness, where your gift becomes counterfeited. Your gift is no longer a manifestation of God's Holy Spirit; for good has no place with evil. You may believe you are still guided by God, but, you are not. You are no longer following God's Plan, but, instead, the plans of man.

However, would God allow seers to help those of the world under His conditions? We might think that the world and man has a lot of changing to do for this to occur, but, we can never try to guess God's mind. We must do what Jesus did; listen, follow, imitate, and obey, putting all of our faith in God. All that we do must be done in love, exalting and giving GOD all the glory!

At first, when God would make me aware of my gifts, I would become anxious and frightened. Not knowing that this was Satan's darkness rushing and coming behind God, trying to extinguish my light. Later, he would use other tactics along with fear to cause confusion and chaos to hinder me from using my gifts and working to make me an unworthy vessel of God, keeping me from holiness and righteousness. The adversary will always try to make you feel less than what you are, or, prideful to make you feel more than what you are. Either way, you are corrupted. In both instances, you are constantly comparing yourself to others, when God has made only ONE of YOU. What He gave to you is for you and you alone. It is impossible for your gift to be better or worse than that of someone else. ALL gifts are of God! When you feel inferior or superior, it is a LIE.

You must come to believe, not, just understand that you can do nothing without God. Everything that you are and have came from God. Then, you must surrender ALL that you have to God. When you use your gift, let it be to the Glory of God and because of the Glory of God. Use your gift/s in love, because of God's love for us and your love for God and your neighbors. Always give God the glory for His gifts within you. Let no one puff you up with vain pride and glory.

I was at a family reunion, where I was asked to sing. Afterwards, I received many compliments. One family member, having sensed my discomfort, from having received her compliment of my voice and singing, a woman whose wisdom was of God, told me, "Just say, To God Be The Glory!" I heeded her wise words and then saw that the efforts of the enemy to fill me with pride, embarrassment, or discomfort, were in vain.

I am encouraged as I write this to you, knowing that someone will be encouraged from the words God has given me to speak. Words that have sprung from the life He has given me to live for Him. As you awaken to life in the Spirit, you will no longer be of the world. Being no longer of the world, can sometimes be a struggle, just as allowing God to use us. At times, you might feel as if you live in an isolated capsule, alone. This is where awakening and functioning physically depends upon spiritual maturity.  Jesus walked! The Son of God walked within the world because He had conquered temptation and remained untouched by the world's sin and corruption.

What we must be aware of is that the world belongs to God! We are neither awake to give the world over to darkness and evil, nor to sell or neglect our inheritance. We are awake to reclaim our inheritance and to be worthy vessels of God; good stewards over the land and creatures He has entrusted to us; and a help to one another. Let God use YOU! My Friends, Brethren...STIR UP THE GIFTS!


your servant and soldier, united with the One, Loving God, Christ, and You

mishael


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SELF REFLECTION: A Look in the Mirror

Once again, when we look at Jesus' parables, He is challenging us to examine where our heart lies. Closely examining your heart, answer the questions below.

DISCUSS your answers with a mature Believer who can guide you in your spiritual relationship with Jesus and our Father, and/or have group discussions to learn from those who have different experiences and perspectives.

QUESTIONS: Write down your questions and discuss them with a mature Believer or submit them to this blog.


 Ask yourself these questions and answer them as pertaining to you alone.

1. What proof do you have of your gift/s being from God?
2. Do you believe that your gifts and talents are Divinely Inspired? 
3. Has a mature and gifted Saint laid hands on you to stir up the gift of God inside of you?
4. Do you ever feel that your gifts or talents are a burden to you? Why or why not?
5. What problems do you believe your gift/s have caused you?
6. Do you try to suppress your gifts or talents? Why or why not?
7. Do you struggle in surrendering your will to let God use your gifts? Why or why not?
8. Do you lack trust in God using your gifts? Why or why not?
9. Have you tried to use your gift/s for the world? 
10. When did you first realize that you had a gift/s?
11. How did you feel?
12. When did you begin using your gift/s? What happened to you? Did you understand?
13. Have you tried to learn more about your gift/s?
14. Have you sought guidance to help you grow and learn to use your gift/s?
15. Have you told others about your gift? Why or why not?
16. Are you afraid, ashamed, or too embarrassed to tell others about your gift? Why or why not?
17. Do you compare your gift to others with the same or different gifts? Why or why not?
18. Do you believe your gift is better than that of someone else? Why or why not?
19. Are you aware of yourself as a spiritual being?
20. Do you live and function as a spiritual being?
21. How has this effected the way God uses your spiritual gifts?
22. When you first became aware of your gift did it frighten you? Why or why not?
23. Has the enemy tried to corrupt your gift/s? 
24. Do you give God ALL the Glory, when you use your gift/s?
25. Do you treat your gift/s as if it/they belong to God?
26. Do you use your gift/s for self or the world? Why or why not?
27. Do you feel that you are or have been corrupted? Why or why not?
28. What can you do with your gift/s to reclaim that which belongs to God?
29. What is surrendering and what must you surrender? 
30. What does your body represent to you?  
31. What value do you give to your hands, feet, arms, legs, back, abdomen, chest, buttocks, penis or vagina, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, nails, fingers, toes, teeth? 
32. What do you spend or how much are you willing to spend on your body?  
33. How do you use your body in the world today?
34. How much time do you give to your flesh (self) and how much time do you give to God?
35. How do you see and interpret things? 
36. What and how do you feel? 
37. Can you truly hear, or, do you only hear what you want to hear?  
38. What about your health? What does your health mean to you and how much do you value it? 
39. What are you willing to surrender and sacrifice to God? Will you surrender your pride, your will, your children, house, job, finances, family, friends? 
40. What won't you give up? 
41. What do you struggle giving up over and over again? 
42. What will keep you from following Jesus or make you look back to the ways of the world that are outside of holiness and righteousness? 
43. Do you love something or someone more than God? Then, can God use you as He wishes to use you?
44. Have you given the world over to darkness and evil, by accepting it as it is?
45. As a Disciple, how can God use you and your gifts and talents to help change those within the world? 
46. How has God used you and your gifts in the past?
47. Do you feel you are making a difference? Why or why not?

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REFERENCED SCRIPTURE

1 Samuel 3 King James Version (KJV)

1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

4 That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.

17 And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.

18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.

19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

21 And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

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2 Timothy 1 King James Version (KJV)

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:

17 But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.

18 The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

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Acts 2 King James Version (KJV)

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

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Joel 2 King James Version (KJV)

1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.

5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

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Psalm 18 King James Version (KJV)

1 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24 Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

28 For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

31 For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.

42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

46 The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.