Strong’s G2021 – Epicheiréō, ep-ee-khi-reh’-o; from G1909 and G5495; to put the hand upon, i.e. undertake:—go about, take in hand (upon).
In my times of studying the Bible I will often look up what the meaning and use of a word is in my Strong’s Concordance app. Strong’s gives all words a distinct number proceeded by a “G” or “H” for their Greek or Hebrew use in the Bible. Sometimes I look up Strong’s numbers to see their word and meaning. I don’t believe in numerology as a way of fortune telling or to have a “good luck” number. What I do strongly believe is that God has used certain numbers in His Holy Bible to draw our attention to some of His divine principles. 40 is a time of testing. 3 points to the trinity. 7 – perfection. 10 – completion. 12 – governance.
All I’m saying is that in studying Bible numbers, words, names and stories my main goal is to see a clearer image of God’s character, to know and understand Him better.
When I decided to look up the Strong’s meanings for the Hebrew and Greek words associated with 2021 my desire was to find God in them.
Back in 1992 when I first became a “born again with God’s Spirit” Christian I truly believe He dropped certain prayers in my mind and heart. These thoughts were not “normal” desires of anything I ever thought to ask of God. One of them that was very pervasive and has stuck with me since that time goes something like this, “LORD please keep your hand upon me. Don’t let me drift away from You. Please don’t let me go.”
When I first became a born again with God’s Spirit Christian God flooded my heart and mind with thoughts of Him and a desire to know Him more. I believe God also made me aware of the fact that I would not maintain this intense feeling of “infatuation and enamourment” with Him. Looking back, I see my repeated prayers asking God to “keep his hand on me” as a gift from Him to remind me seek Him above all else. For that reason scriptures that speak of God’s Hand being upon His chosen ones has always touched my heart profoundly.
Because of making my living working on the water for 42 years of my life, depending on His protection and guidance, this passage has been a dear one,
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
In 1993 while browsing in a Christian book store in Gulfport Mississippi where I was spending the summer shrimping I found this scripture verse with my name on it. I laminated it and placed it where I could see it every time I walked out the door of the cabin of my shrimp boat.
When God filled my heart with a supernatural love and desire for Him it didn’t come with an erased memory. God left my previous sinful life in my mind in full 8k resolution. I believe God wanted me to remember the consequences of my choices even while placing in me a desire for better ones. Another scripture passage God used to transform my early Christian experience is Psalm 51. I can still see me sitting on a couch speaking to a nun of my desperate situation believing God was to be forever angry with me. She told me to read Psalm 51 and soon after that conversation an undeniable desire came over me in the middle of the day, “go kneel down and pray.” I didn’t even know what I was to pray for but I did anyway.
Psalm 51:10-11
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Those words too are pleading God to stay near me even when my human nature tries to lead me astray. An old hymn, “Come Thou Fount” has always reminded me that our human nature wants to go it’s own way.
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let that goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
A Bible verse of the day from one of the apps I study had this scripture today,
Jesus reminds us to maintain our “spiritual connection” to Him. It’s a connection we must maintain at all costs. It comes above work, family and even our religious service to Him. Jesus didn’t have much good to say of the “religious” practices of His time on Earth, often condemning them as hypocritical. Jesus points out in John 15:5 that the “I in him” (Jesus in us) is important.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
The time stamp has rolled from 2020 to 2021 as the pic shows. Probably most of the world is hoping and praying for a better year than what last year was. The greatest thing anyone can hope or pray for is to know God better and to know that He know you. I truly believe God works in peoples lives in ways to direct their thoughts and actions. Lately I have likened it to child’s “dot to dot” activity drawing book. In Bible study, a though leads to study something in God’s Word. Then another random thought to study something else and so on, maybe over days or weeks. Then the day comes when all those things that peeked your interest come together like a “dot to dot” picture and you realize it wasn’t a random thing after all. The Holy Spirit has been leading you to learn something deeper about God’s character and ways of dealing with mankind.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
In our ever changing world we must Keep Our Eyes on Jesus and The Cross. Jesus must be our 1st love and His Blood provides our atonement for our sins and protection from the enemy. The blood of the Passover lamb did no good until it was applied to the doorpost. The main reason Jesus came to Earth was to shed His Precious Blood. We must remember to claim and apply His Blood to the door posts of our heart and mind and over everything in our lives.
In The Word 