Matthew 5:44 commands us to love our enemies. And Pastor Mike Signorelli of V1 Church says, “It’s much easier to quote this Scripture than to do it.”

But the verse doesn’t command us to ignore them or distance ourselves from our enemies. “It’s not just a prayer of tolerance; it’s a prayer of blessing,” Pastor Mike says.

Watch the video here to fully grasp the depths to which Jesus would go to love His enemies. {eoa}

I remember when my grandson, who was 3 years old at the time, got hold of a sheet of paper that had pictures of me on it, and he decorated it with all sorts of colorful stickers. When he came over to my house to surprise me with it, I couldn’t help but notice that in just about every picture, there was a sticker over my mouth.

I thought: Well, God, are You trying to tell me something?

It actually made me pay attention to the way I was talking. And that’s something we all should do, because there is no part of us harder to control than the mouth.

The Bible says that no man can tame the tongue (James 3:8). But that doesn’t mean we can never improve the way we speak. We just need to partner with God to bring about the change we want to see.

The words we say are so important because they impact the anointing of the Holy Spirit―that is, the power and presence of God—in our lives. The power of God is the most precious thing we have, and it’s something we need to know how to protect.

One of the ways we can hinder God’s anointing is by speaking with a mixture of faith and doubt. When we say a few positive, faith-filled words here and a few negative, doubtful words there, it weakens God’s anointing on our lives.

If we want to have God’s power working in us and through us each day, then we have to be in agreement with God not just part of the time, but all of the time.

Protecting God’s Power in Your Life

Without the anointing, everything is hard. And that’s not what God wants for us. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (, NIV).

God will never ask us to do anything without giving us the ability to do it, and He has equipped us with everything we need to live a powerful, victorious life. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth.”

Let’s make this practical. Here are a few ways you can use words to protect God’s anointing on your life:

—Don’t judge other people. For example, if you want God’s anointing to be on you for parenting, you need to be careful not to criticize other parents.

—Don’t complain. The Israelites wasted 40 years murmuring and complaining in the wilderness when they could have just obeyed God and entered into their promised land a lot sooner.

—Don’t ask God for someone else’s anointing, or to be like them. Embrace the abilities He has given to you.

Pay Attention to What You’re Saying

Think for a moment how your words could be affecting your life right now. How do you talk about yourself, your present circumstances and your future? When you talk with your friends, what kinds of things are you talking about?

Ask God to help you form a habit of speaking positive words of faith every day. Words like, “I love my life, and I have a great future. I can do whatever I need to do through Christ who strengthens me. And something good is going to happen to me today!”

Even when you’re struggling to believe it, say it anyway. Because your words have the power to change your mind and your attitude when they agree with the truth in God’s Word.

You’ll also find that you have the joy and peace that come through simply believing the promises of God.

Agree With God; Change Your Life!

In Luke 1, God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Zacharias that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son who would be anointed to be the forerunner of the Messiah.

Zacharias should have been so excited! But rather than believe the good news, he questioned the promise. So God supernaturally shut his mouth until the day his son was born.

If you want to live in the fullness of God’s anointing, fill your mouth with His Word. Don’t just carelessly speak what you think or feel or what other people say. You can have the promises of God fulfilled in your life if you will learn to come into agreement with Him, do what He tells you to do and say what He says. {eoa}

For more on this topic, order Joyce’s four-teaching CD series Change Your Words, Change Your Life. You can also contact us to receive our free magazine, Enjoying Everyday Life, by calling 800-727-9673 or visiting .

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Your Battles Belong to the Lord (FaithWords). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit .

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Kroger Co. for allegedly firing two employees for refusing to wear aprons with a multicolored heart-shaped logo.

The EEOC stated in its filing that the company’s Conway, Arkansas, store “violated federal law when it fired two employees who asked for a religious accommodation to avoid wearing an emblem they believed contradicted their religious beliefs.” The suit is based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discriminatory employment practices on the basis of religion.

Brenda Lawson and Trudy Rickerd are Christians. They believed the emblem endorsed LGBTQ values and that wearing it would violate their religious beliefs. One of the women offered to wear the apron with the emblem covered, and the other offered to wear a different apron without the emblem, but the company made no attempt to accommodate their requests, according to the EEOC. When the women still refused to wear the apron, Kroger disciplined them, which led to their dismissal, according to .

Kroger has launched a 2020 Pride campaign company-wide, which includes its 3514 grocery stores across 42 states. The chain is the second-largest retailer after Walmart.

“At The Kroger Co., we embrace diversity and inclusion as core values, and we ingrain these in everything we do,” according to the company website. The site also notes that Kroger recently received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index in recognition of its commitment to LGBTQ-plus inclusion and equality. Kroger also says:

“We’re one of the few retailers willing to openly advocate for and make real change toward LGBTQ-plus diversity and inclusion, and we’re proud to offer:

—Same-sex partner benefits and transgender-inclusive healthcare.

—An Associate Resource Group that provides an uplifting community for LGBTQ-plus associates and allies.

—Strong alliances with LGBTQ-plus suppliers through our partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division, and seeks monetary relief in the form of back pay and compensatory damages, as well as an injunction against future discrimination. {eoa}

Israelis welcomed the historic peace deals signed at the White House on Tuesday with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The flags of the United States, Israel, UAE and Bahrain were projected on Jerusalem’s Old City walls as leaders in Washington signed the deals.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin thanked the Gulf State leaders for their courage and invited them to Jerusalem.

“I hope that many more Arab and Muslim countries follow your lead and that we see a new era of peace among nations, P2P, People to People, Peace to Peace. I hope as well that this spirit of cooperation will help us build a future of trust with our Palestinian neighbors,” Rivlin said during a reception for diplomats.

Palestinians in Gaza acknowledged the peace accord a different way.

During a speech by the UAE’s foreign minister, rockets fired from Gaza rained down on the southern Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod. One rocket fell in the commercial center of Ashdod, wounding two Israelis.

Overnight, terrorists launched another 13 rockets at Israel. Eight were intercepted by Iron Dome. In response, IDF jets hit Hamas military targets in Gaza.

Hamas said the peace deal was “working against national Arab security and fueling disagreements in the region.”

Click here to read the rest of this story from our content partners at CBN News.

While Somebody Cares International is still providing emergency response to people pummeled by Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Sally is hitting the same coastal region of Louisiana and Florida. Cellphones and computers are abuzz, connecting the staff and volunteers of the Houston, Texas-based nonprofit with local churches and organizations that are ready to help.

There’s no time to waste. People are in distress.

“It’s the heart of God,” said Doug Stringer, founder of Somebody Cares, which has grown into its international reach. “When you’re able to go and be the heart of Jesus, it touches the hearts of people to receive the gospel message. Instead of seeing divisiveness, you see everyone working as neighbors, and you see the church of America engaged. That’s the real church in America.”

In Sulfur, Louisiana, for example, the parking lot at Celebration Worship Center has been turned into a drive-thru restaurant of sorts. A cross-section of people from Somebody Cares, local churches and the community are preparing and handing out meals for the seemingly endless line of cars moving through. By Tuesday night, 18,500 hot meals had been served.

Volunteers offer to pray with people as worship music broadcasts over speakers, setting the tone.

It’s a physical, emotional and spiritual outreach.

One of the volunteers in Sulfur, Louisiana today is Celebration Pastor Donnie Crane. Even though the roof on his adjacent parsonage was damaged and tarps were the best he could do at protecting his home, he opened the church to the community—leading local volunteers alongside Somebody Cares. Even worse, the parsonage burned to the ground after a fire started under the tarp.

Regardless, Crane continues serving food and loving people. (Watch a brief video featuring Stringer sharing scenes from Sulfur as well as Crane’s pastoral heart at this link.)

“When people ask him what they can do for him, he just asks them to keep helping his community,” Stringer said.

Stringer and Crane have met with Sulfur’s mayor and prayed with him. People keep returning to the church, saying they appreciate the friendly faces and lingering for a cup of coffee.

“There is an atmosphere of God’s presence there,” Stringer added during a telephone interview between conference calls about multiple ongoing disaster relief projects. “God’s organic church is still the greatest asset to any community. In every crisis, when we make ourselves available, God always multiplies what little we have into far more resources than we could ever get on our own.” {eoa}

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Kroger Co. for allegedly firing two employees for refusing to wear aprons with a multicolored heart-shaped logo.

The EEOC stated in its filing that the company’s Conway, Arkansas, store “violated federal law when it fired two employees who asked for a religious accommodation to avoid wearing an emblem they believed contradicted their religious beliefs.” The suit is based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discriminatory employment practices on the basis of religion.

Brenda Lawson and Trudy Rickerd are Christians. They believed the emblem endorsed LGBTQ values and that wearing it would violate their religious beliefs. One of the women offered to wear the apron with the emblem covered, and the other offered to wear a different apron without the emblem, but the company made no attempt to accommodate their requests, according to the EEOC. When the women still refused to wear the apron, Kroger disciplined them, which led to their dismissal, according to .

Kroger has launched a 2020 Pride campaign company-wide, which includes its 3514 grocery stores across 42 states. The chain is the second-largest retailer after Walmart.

“At The Kroger Co., we embrace diversity and inclusion as core values, and we ingrain these in everything we do,” according to the company website. The site also notes that Kroger recently received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index in recognition of its commitment to LGBTQ-plus inclusion and equality. Kroger also says:

“We’re one of the few retailers willing to openly advocate for and make real change toward LGBTQ-plus diversity and inclusion, and we’re proud to offer:

—Same-sex partner benefits and transgender-inclusive healthcare.

—An Associate Resource Group that provides an uplifting community for LGBTQ-plus associates and allies.

—Strong alliances with LGBTQ-plus suppliers through our partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division, and seeks monetary relief in the form of back pay and compensatory damages, as well as an injunction against future discrimination. {eoa}

For evangelical Christians, it is difficult to look at major developments in the Middle East without wondering about biblical prophecy. Should we rejoice over the historic peace treaty between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain? Or is this leading to a dangerous, false peace that will only hasten the reign of the Antichrist?

Let’s first recognize just how historic this peace treaty actually is.

For 30 years, from 1948 until 1978, not a single Middle Eastern nation made peace with Israel. It was not until 1979 that Egypt made that historic move, ultimately factoring into the assassination of the courageous Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat.

The next Middle Eastern (and Muslim) nation to make peace with Israel was Jordan in 1995, 16 years later. Since then, not a single Islamic Middle Eastern nation has made peace with Israel. That is, until now, 25 years later.

Not only so, but this is the first time ever that two nations signed peace treaties on the same day. So, what previously took 47 years (from 1948 to 1995) took place in a matter of hours. This is completely beyond anything we have seen in the modern history of Israel.

Not only so, but this happened after President Trump moved our embassy to Jerusalem and after he officially recognized Israel’s possession of the Golan Heights. This makes the peace treaty all the more remarkable.

Let’s not forget that, for years we were told that for America to make such moves would be disastrous, leading to an all-out war with the Muslim world. Instead, the aftermath has been a path of peace.

That’s why Boaz Bismuth’s article on Times of Israel was titled, “The Event That Will Change the History of the Middle East.” He wrote, “Even in a pandemic, we can allow ourselves to rejoice at the first open, warm peace between Israel and Arab countries, and ignore the cynics who are seeking to downplay the importance of today’s events.”

Obviously, the Palestinians are anything but happy with the treaty. And the details of the agreement must be carefully analyzed.

But what cannot be denied is the magnitude of this treaty, which is being hailed as the Abraham Accords. As one of the official documents states, “this development will help lead to a future in which all peoples and all faiths can live together in the spirit of cooperation and enjoy peace and prosperity where states focus on shared interests and building a better future.”

Yet it is words like this that cause some prophecy-minded evangelicals to say, “Not so fast! After all, there will be no true peace in the Middle East until Jesus returns. Plus, there are prophetic Scriptures that speak of a false peace orchestrated by the Antichrist that will lull the world to sleep, leading to the slaughter of millions. Beware!”

Scriptures that would come to mind include 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (NIV), where Paul wrote, “While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

Also relevant is Ezekiel 38:11-12, where the hostile nations will say about Israel, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.”

Who could imagine the nation of Israel described as “a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars”? Who could imagine Israel putting its guard down?

Yet, according to some prophecy teachers, this passage will be fulfilled at the end of this age. In that light, shouldn’t the Abraham Accords, which Trump described as “the dawn of a new Middle East,” be viewed with great suspicion, especially if five or six other nations follow suit and join the peace process?

As someone who has been studying the Bible intensively for the better part of the last 50 years, I can say with absolute confidence that I do not know.

I do not know if this will prepare the way for the Antichrist.

I do not know if this will ultimately hurt Israel more than it helps Israel.

But what I do know is that Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9).

What I do know is that Paul wrote, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom 12:18).

What I do know that it is better for Israel to have more friends than more enemies.

That being said, if sudden and dramatic peace came to the Middle East, I would be both hopeful and cautious.

Would this be the result of decades (if not centuries) of prayer and years of diplomacy? Or would it be the first step towards a dangerous, one-world government that will ultimately oppose God Himself?

Obviously, only God knows. But when it comes to making national decisions, they must be based on pragmatism more than prophecy. That’s because religious believers from all backgrounds have often misinterpreted prophecy before it unfolds, often wrongly predicting the end of the world or the return (or coming) of the Messiah.

But speaking of prophecy, this same Bible I have been quoting speaks of the day when nations like Egypt and Assyria (today, Iraq) will join together and worship the God of Israel after a time of great upheaval and judgment. As stated by the prophet Isaiah, “In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.'” (Isa. 19:24-25)

In fact, Isaiah prophesied about other Arabian nations turning to the God of Israel through the Messiah (see Isa. 42:11, 60:7)

And so, while only the Lord Himself knows the implications of this important peace treaty, at the least, let’s be glad that leaders are meeting together rather than killing each other. And let us see the Abraham Accords as a reminder of the day when all the nations of the earth will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord (Isa. 2:1-4).

May He hasten that day! {eoa}

My objective for this article is to illustrate how the Lord Jesus is the ruler of all kings and nations of the earth.

The need for this teaching is great. Most Christians only think of Jesus as their personal Savior instead of as the exalted Lord of heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18). This is the reason why much of the church thinks they can separate politics and religion.

Humanity will eventually face the question, “Do I believe the presidents, prime ministers, kings and elected officials of the earth have the final say, or do I believe Jesus does?” One significant portion of Scripture gives us a clear answer regarding this.

To understand the purpose of the ministry of Jesus Christ, we must understand several significant psalms: Psalm 2, 22, 24, 45, 72 and 110 (Psalm 110 is the most quoted in the New Testament).

In this article, we will specifically examine Psalm 2. This psalm will expand your view of the purpose of the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In light of all the civil, political and economic turmoil we are presently experiencing in the world, it is crucial to understand this psalm.

“Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed, saying” (Ps. 2:1-2).

Human history has shown that since the rebellious Cain, son of Adam, built a city, humankind has attempted to build civilizations in rebellion against God (Gen. 4:17). Examples of this are the Tower of Babel, ancient Egypt, ancient Babylon, ancient Assyria, the old Roman Empire, the Ming Dynasty and in recent times, Nazi Germany, Japan, the European Union, the Soviet Union, China and the greatest dynasty of them all, the .

King David asks in this psalm, “why do the nations rage” against their Creator? From reading Scripture, we find that the reason is, ultimately, since the fall in the Garden of Eden, humanity desires to be autonomous from God and not submitted to anyone’s authority. Consequently, the primary idol in the world today is not sex, money or power, but the “freedom of expression,” which has its foundation in total autonomy.

That being said, all of the nations of the world, in general, have one thing in common: They have devised plans, philosophies, religions and schemes against the Lord.

1 John 5:19 (NKJV) says, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

In his letter to the church of Ephesus, the apostle Paul taught that the world is under the prince’s control of the power of the air, which is the spirit that operates in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2:1-2).

The Bible teaches us that Satan’s goal is to exert dominion in this world over the nations through the political, economic, pop culture leaders, educators and philosophers.

Jesus did not deny this when the devil offered to give Him all the kingdoms of this world in return for worshipping him (Matt. 4:8-10).

“Let us break Their bonds in pieces. And cast away Their cords from us” (Ps. 2:3).

Verse 3 teaches us that the leaders and peoples of this world do not want any boundaries, laws or restraints from their creator. Unfortunately for the rebellious, God gave the world the Ten Commandments, not the ten suggestions! Thus, God’s design regarding marriage, family, gender, sexuality, economics and justice has to be followed to maximize the fullness of divine blessing.

“He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure” (Ps. 2:4-5).

In verses 4-5, when God sees the unrest and rebellion of the nations, He doesn’t get nervous. Instead, He laughs and holds them in derision. God then releases distress upon the nations through His spoken word or decree. We see glimpses of this taking place in the courts of heaven when God’s decrees go forth regarding the fate of the nations of the world (1 Kings 22; Isa. 6; Jer. 23; Rev. 5, 8).

And boy, we see much distress, turmoil and anxiety in all the world nations today, don’t we?

“Yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion” (Ps. 2:6).