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Why God’s Spirit Will Teach and Transform Your Life

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Forty-Two

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Why God’s Spirit Will Teach and Transform Your Life

Today, we dive into the subject of the teaching work of the Holy Spirit in a Jesus-followers life. God communicates with His kids. He leads and guides them into all truth and reality. But, how does He do that? One writer offered these thoughts along this line. He said, “The Spirit-to-spirit conversation that characterizes hearing from God are described in many ways. Listen to how the Bible describes God speaking.
To Samson: “The Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan” (Judges 13:25). To David: “He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple” (1 Chronicles 28:12). To Simeon: “Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts” (Luke 2:27). To Jesus: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted” (Matthew 4:1). To the apostles: “The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:12). To Paul: “Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem” (Acts 20:22). To us: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). We often use similar language as the Bible: “The Spirit led me to…” At other times, we may describe God’s inner messages as a nudge an inner voice, a prompting, an impression, a check in my spirit, a deep knowing, a weight. Perhaps you’ve heard someone say, ‘I was suddenly prodded to notice or I was reminded of or I sensed.’ Maybe it was, ‘This thought popped into my head or this verse came to mind or I’ve had this nagging, persisting thought, or I couldn’t shake the impression that.’ The point is, God does speak to us personally, specifically, today. We may have many ways of expressing that—some of them shaped by our spiritual pilgrimage, church environment, and so on—but the wondrous truth is the same: We have heard from God!1 The Holy Spirit of God will communicate and teach you. That’s our focus today: Why God’s Spirit Will Teach and Transform Your Life. All on this week’s Light On Life.

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The Real Scoop on Teaching Angels and Heavenly Host University

[Tweet “Receive the Holy Spirit as your teacher. Look to Him as your guide into all truth.“]

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Why You Need To Know What Jesus Said about The Holy Spirit Within

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Forty-One

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Why You Need To Know What Jesus Said about The Holy Spirit Within

We’re continuing this week on how the Holy Spirit works in us and why we need to be in the know concerning that. You know the more we know, the better we are able to cooperate with God in His great plan. One such area where the Holy Spirit works in us is to show us how and what we should pray for as we ought. You know there is a great gospel song that says, “No one ever cared for me like Jesus.” But in Romans 8:26, Scripture says, “No one ever prayed for me like the Holy Spirit.” How many times have you cried out to God but were at a loss for words? God plainly says there is hope even in those times: the Holy Spirit not only knows what needs to be said, He says it for you [He intercedes for you]. As the following story shows, calling on the right person is the key to solving your problems. One day Sue’s television quit working properly. She called the repair shop to report the problem, but got frustrated trying to explain what was happening. All she knew was that her television wasn’t working right and needed to be fixed. When the repairman arrived, he took off the back of the television and examined it for a few minutes. Then he said, “Ma’am, what you’ve got here is … blah, blah, blah,” and rattled off a string of strange terms. “I’m going to call the store to see if we have these parts in stock.” After the repairman talked with the parts manager, Sue overheard him say, “Great! I’ll pick up the parts and fix the television this afternoon.” Later that day, Sue’s television was as good as new, even though she had no idea what the repairman had done. She knew enough, however, to ask for help. The repairman and the parts manager understood the problem and Sue’s need was taken care of because these two men knew the problem and what it would take to fix it. This is exactly what the Holy Spirit does for believers. Sometimes, all we can do is call for help. We don’t even know what to ask for. When we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit not only understands our problems, but He also carries our problems to the Heavenly Father, speaking in a language that only they understand. The next time words fail you in prayer, remember that the Holy Spirit is right there with you—interceding in prayer for you.1 Prayer is just one of the areas where the Holy Spirit works huge in our lives. You know, there are other areas and that’s why our focus today is Why You Need To Know What Jesus Said about The Holy Spirit Within, all on this week’s Light on Life.

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#S4-017: Why You Need to See the World As God Sees It [Podcast]

[Tweet “God never wants a repeat of what happened in the Garden. He wants to retire the Angel with the flaming sword who drove man out of the Garden to protect the Tree of Life.“]

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How The Holy Spirit Works In Your Life

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Forty

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How The Holy Spirit Works In Your Life

How the Holy Spirit Works in the life of a believer is our focus this today as we continue to look at John fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen. You understand that from John thirteen onward, that is the last nine chapters up through chapter twenty-one center on the last two weeks of Jesus life. When you understand that Jesus handpicked and groomed these disciples to take His place because He was going back to the Father, you will realize that the information He shares becomes extra vital in nature. Jesus talked a great deal about the Holy Spirit to these men. Just as they had worked with Jesus in ministry so now they were going to work with the Holy Spirit in a similar way. One of the things that Jesus wanted His disciples to know is that the same Holy Spirit that came upon Him in Matthew 3:16 and was responsible for the miracles in Jesus ministry would now come to settle down in the disciples. The indwelling Holy Spirit or the Holy Spirit within a believer is the topic today. One writer said the following concerning Him, the Holy Spirit. “Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit we are helpless to fulfill the holiness expected of us because of our relationship to a holy God. Norman Harrison describes the results of this process: This indwelling Spirit, who is one with our spirit, is more than a presence with us. He is a moulding, transforming power. To the end of Jesus’ ministry, His followers, even His remained unstable, cowardly and undependable. When, however, the Spirit was come, these same men became at once the embodiment of fidelity, courage and conviction. True, Jesus had left them, but His Spirit within made them as new men. So does He desire to work in every believer. Amen to these words — Emphasis on the word ‘IN.’ This is well said today. We need to recognize how He moves in us and so that’s why we’re talking “How The Holy Spirit Works In Your Life,” all on this week’s Light On Life.

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Prepared Places: Lessons from the Life of a Baptist

[Tweet “Hearing the Lord may be a challenge, but don’t quit, hold back, or run away.“]

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How to Understand the Three Dimensions of Man: Spirit, Soul, and Body

Encore Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Nine

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How to Understand the Three Dimensions of Man: Spirit, Soul, and Body

The Bible informs us that there are three dimensions of man: spirit, soul, and body. We also know that the Holy Spirit of God indwells all believers. So what is the communication like between God who is a spirit and man? It’s somewhat like the communication that occurs with radios, TV, or WiFi. There must be a link between the receiver and the transmitter. When we listen to a broadcast, there are many sound waves all around us, but the only way for us to become aware of them is to have an appropriate receiver able to catch them and make them audible. We would never know that anyone was talking to us from a distance if we expected our heads to pick up the sound waves. There is only one way in which man can know God, and that is through man’s own spirit. God is a Spirit and can be known only by a spirit. We must not expect to feel Him with our fingers or see Him with our physical eyes. It cannot be done. Yet that which can be perceived only by the spirit of man is just as real as that which can be perceived by his physical senses.1 That’s why we are talking about How to Understand the Three Dimensions of Man: Spirit, Soul, and Body – all on this week’s Light on Life.

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Conscience and the Inward Witness: A Look at the Spirit Led Life

[Tweet “Give place to prophecies because that’s one way He moves when the Church come together.”]

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The Link Between Love, Joy, And Abiding In Jesus

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Eight

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The Link Between Love, Joy, And Abiding In Jesus

This week, we delve further into the depths of the Word as we explore the profound love of God and the overwhelming joy of the Lord. In a world filled with conflict, both on a global scale such as wars, and on a more intimate level like internal political turmoil, the message of love and joy is incredibly relevant and crucial. We have previously discussed the concept of Vine life and the importance of abiding in Jesus, focusing on the initial seven verses of John fifteen. Now, our discussion expands to encompass verse eight and delves into the aspects of love and joy that are integral to abiding in Him. The celebrated American poet James Weldon Johnson began his work “The Creation” with a striking scene: And God stepped out on space,and He looked around and said: “I’m lonely—I’ll make me a world.” These lines are lovely if seen simply as poetry. Yet they reflect a fundamental theological error. [Here’s at least one point we need to make. Don’t just swallow everything because it sounds nice. Stay with the Word.] God has never been lonely. Quite the contrary. From before all eternity, God has enjoyed the mysterious communion we know as the blessed Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of these three divine Persons within the Godhead loves and delights in the other two in perfect, unbroken fellowship. So God has never needed anyone else; the Father, Son, and Spirit have never been alone. Why, then, did they create a world? [Well, God is love First John 4:8 tells us that and so all His actions are clothed in love because that’s who He essentially is.] [Now,] we may never know all the reasons, [God created Planet Earth] but [since He is love, love is one and] at least one [other] is clear. [This writer says] For the pure joy of it.1 Love and joy, what a combo and what a marvelous connection to Jesus. The Link Between Love, Joy, And Abiding In Jesus, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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[Tweet “God is four things according to the Bible. God is light. God is fire, God is spirit, and God is love.”]

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How Your Prayers Can Be Answered One Hundred Percent

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Seven

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How Your Prayers Can Be Answered One Hundred Percent

We are to that point in John’s gospel where Jesus makes what is to us one of the most outstanding of Bible promises: a vehicle by which prayer is answered one-hundred-percent of the time. If you haven’t experienced answers to prayer on this level, then this podcast is for you. Andrew Murray, the famous Scottish born, South African preacher, a prolific author of 240 books wrote the following on the subject of answered prayer. He said: A beautiful little book, Expectation Corners, tells us of a King who prepared a city for some of his poor subjects. Not far from them were large storehouses, where everything they could need was supplied if they but sent in their requests. But on one condition—they should be on the outlook for the answer, so that when the kings’ messengers came with the answers to their petitions, they should always be found waiting and ready to receive them. The sad story is told of one despondent, one who never expected to get what he asked, because he was too unworthy. One day he was taken to the king’s storehouses, and there, to his amazement, he saw, with his address on them, all the packages that had been made up for him and sent. There was the garment of praise, and the oil of joy, and the eye-salve, and so much more; they had been to his door, but found it closed; he was not on the outlook. From that time on he learned the lesson Micah would teach us: “I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (Mic. 7:7).1 Our God will hear us, that’s a Bible fact and the reality that He will answer is also a Bible fact that Jesus referenced in John fifteen. And, that’s the reason we are focusing today on the subject ‘How Your Prayers Can Be Answered One Hundred Percent’ all on this week’s Light on Life.

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Why Creation Waiting Is A Good God Thing

[Tweet “Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, are put in the church by God to equip the saints”]

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Eight Ways to Fulfill God’s Purpose for Your Life

Encore Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Six

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Eight Ways to Fulfill God's Purpose for Your Life

Purpose, God’s purpose, that is, is what we want to take a look at this week. On the heels of this idea on purpose comes the following illustration. The guest was a body builder a while back on “The Merv Griffin Show,” the guest was a bodybuilder. During the interview, Merv asked, “Why do you develop those particular muscles?” The bodybuilder stepped forward and flexed a series of well-defined muscles from chest to calf. The audience applauded. “What do you use all those muscles for?” Merv asked. Again, the muscular specimen flexed, and biceps and triceps sprouted to impressive proportions. “But what do you USE those muscles for?” Merv persisted. The body builder was bewildered. He didn’t have an answer other than to display his well-developed frame. I was reminded that our spiritual exercises—Bible study, prayer, reading Christian books, listening to Christian radio and tapes—are also for a purpose. They’re meant to strengthen our ability to build God’s kingdom, not simply improve our pose before an admiring audience.1 I like this story; it shows that we need to be intentional about our life and our purpose in God. Eight Ways to Fulfill God’s Purpose for Your Life that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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25 Wisdom Ways to Embrace As a Jesus Believer

[Tweet “Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, are put in the church by God to equip the saints”]

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Why You Need Jesus to Accomplish Anything Great

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Five

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Why You Need Jesus to Accomplish Anything Great

The fact that we need Jesus goes without saying. We need Him for salvation, that’s the gospel but the need doesn’t stop with salvation. If after coming to Jesus, we aspire to build the Kingdom, if our heart yearns to do anything great for God, we still need Jesus. He boldly declared in John’s gospel that apart from Jesus, disconnected from the vine, we can do nothing. We have been looking at ‘vine life’ the past couple of podcasts and this week is no different. In studying further along this line, I ran into this tremendously insightful testimony. This gentleman declared that two years ago, worn out by three years of spiritual battle, I found myself asking the question: “Jesus, if Your Spirit abides in me in the person of the Holy Spirit, who is my comforter, why do I so often feel alone and You seem so far away?” What came to me in response were Jesus’ words in Jn. 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jesus was saying, “Living spiritually requires something more than just not sinning or doing good works. In order to live in the kingdom of heaven, you must abide in Me. Your identity is in Me.” If I’m not abiding in Jesus, then where is it that I abide? I asked myself.

I began to notice that when I was tired or anxious, there were certain sentences I would say in my head that led me to a very familiar place. The journey to this place would often start with me walking around disturbed, feeling as if there was something deep inside that I needed to put into words but couldn’t quite capture. I felt the “something” as an anxiety, a loneliness, and a need for connection with someone. If no connection came, I would start to say things like “Life really stinks. Why is it always so hard? It’s never going to change.” If no one noticed that I was struggling and asked me what was wrong, I found my sentences shifting to a more cynical level: “Who cares? Life is really a joke.”

Surprisingly, I noticed by the time I was saying those last sentences, I was feeling better. The anxiety was greatly diminished. My “comforter,” my abiding place, was cynicism and rebellion.

From this abiding place, I would feel free to use some soul cocaine—a violent video with maybe a little sexual titillation thrown in, perhaps having a little more alcohol with a meal than I might normally drink—things that would allow me to feel better for just a little while. I had always thought of these things as just bad habits. I began to see that they were much more; they were spiritual abiding places that were my comforters and friends in a very spiritual way; literally, other lovers.

The final light went on one evening when I read Jn. 15:7 in The Message. Peterson translates Jesus’ words on abiding this way: “If you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.” Jesus was saying in answer to my question, “I have made My home in you, Brent. But you still have other comforters you go to. You must learn to make your home in Me.” I realized that my identity had something to do with simply “staying at home.1 Can you say wow! to this insightful story? We’ll talk a little bit about this and with it dive into the idea of Why You Need Jesus to Accomplish Anything Great. That’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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#S3-017: Why Is the Name of Jesus So Powerful? [Podcast]

[Tweet “You need Jesus to accomplish anything great. Great means significant, or impactful. Great means the Kingdom was better off with your contribution.“]

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Why It’s Amazing for You to Abide in Jesus

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Four

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Why It's Amazing for You to Abide in Jesus

In John fifteen, Jesus moves on from His “I am the true Vine declaration” and concentrates some of His focus on the concept of fruit bearing and abiding. What’s exciting about this is that learning to abide leads to great things for the Kingdom of God. Abiding in Christ will always produce fruit, even though it is not always apparent. Here is the story of a man who produced glorious fruit in a very unspectacular way. A century and a half ago there died a humble minister in a small village in Leicestershire, England. He had never attended college and had no degrees. He was merely a faithful village minister. In his congregation was a young cobbler to whom he gave special attention, teaching him the Word of God. This young man was later to be renowned as William Carey, one of the greatest missionaries of modern times. This same minister had a son, a boy whom he taught faithfully, and constantly encouraged. The boy’s character and powers were profoundly affected by his father’s life. That son was Robert Hall, the mightiest public orator of his day, whose sermons influenced the decisions of statesmen and whose character was as saintly as his preaching was phenomenal. [By comparison,] it seemed that the village pastor [had] accomplished little. There were no spectacular revivals, but his faithful witness and godly life had much to do with giving India its Carey and England its Robert Hall. You do not have to be famous, wealthy, or even educated to faithfully abide in Christ. God expects every believer to live for Him wherever He has placed him in life—regardless of the circumstances. Keep on abiding in Jesus —who knows who you will reach for Him.1 We are talking about the in’s and out’s of remaining connected to the Vine in this podcast entitled, ‘Why It’s Amazing For You To Abide In Jesus’ all on this week’s Light on Life.

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Why the Jesus Way Means Total Trust All the Time

[Tweet “Abiding in Christ ALWAYS produces fruit.’ Capitalize, underline and boldface the word ‘always.’ Always means always.“]

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Why Jesus Is the Vine Is Superior News

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Three

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Why Jesus Is the Vine Is Superior News

Jesus said I am the true vine. We are going to take a look at what this statement means for the Jesus follower. I promise you, this message, when understood, is wonderfully liberating. You will see what a great blessing it is for Jesus to be the Vine. Let’s talk about vines for a moment. Once, a young woman, a great lover of flowers, had set out a rare vine at the base of a stone wall. It grew vigorously, but it did not seem to bloom. Day after day she cultivated it and tried every possible way to coax it to bloom. One morning, as she examined the vine disappointedly, her invalid neighbor called to her and said. “You cannot imagine how much I have been enjoying the blooms of that vine you planted.” The owner followed her neighbor’s gaze and on the other side of the wall was a mass of blooms. The vine had crept through the crevices and produced flowers on the other side. How often we think our efforts are thrown away because we do not see fruit! We need to learn that in God’s service our prayers, our toil, our crosses are never in vain. They will bear fruit and hearts will receive blessings and joy, sometimes, somewhere.1 I’m telling you this ‘vine thing’ is a ‘great thing.’ Why Jesus Is the Vine Is Superior News— that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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Why Jesus Is the Powerful and Blessed King

[Tweet “The Church is not the vine, the body of Christ is not the vine, Jesus is the vine.“]

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Why Satan’s Broken Power Over Your Life Means You’re Free

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Two

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Why Satan’s Broken Control Over Your Life Means You’re Free

Recently, I came upon a story that illustrates how Satan’s broken power over followers of Jesus. The story goes like this: “While visiting Grand Coulee Dam, my family and I were surprised to see that the visitor’s center was dark. It was a sunny day, so we thought the center might have tinted windows, but as we got closer, we realized no lights were on. We went in and saw that none of the displays were working. It soon became clear that there was no power to the center. Due to a technical difficulty, the visitor’s center that sat only hundreds of feet from a hydroelectric dam had no power. How could something be so close to the power source yet not be “plugged in”?1 Now, you can take this illustration a number of different directions. You can focus on the ‘plugged in part’ — that we need to plug into God’s power and that would certainly be right and true. But, how about looking at this from another point of view. What if we saw that the power source is evil. What if I choose to stay disconnected from evil because as Jesus followers we are living in the world but not of it — believers who say, ‘No! Satan has no hold on me — I will not connect to the negative power that’s seemingly all around? I will stay disconnected. Jesus lived this way — he spoke to his disciples one day about this very thing. That conversation is recorded in John fourteen. We are going to take a look at it today. “Why Satan’s Broken Control Over Your Life Means You’re Free.” That’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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Why Your Identifying with Jesus Destroys Insecurity

[Tweet “All authority is given unto Jesus — therefore go. That means you are the authorized one — not Satan.“]

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Why Peace from Jesus Overcomes Fear in A Crazy World

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty

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Why Peace from Jesus Overcomes Fear in A Crazy World

Peace is something almost everyone yearns for. Some have found the source of it while others reach for it while searching blindly in the dark. Could it be that the reason for the failure to acquire peace is in how it’s being defined? Peace is far more than protection from annihilation. Peace is more than the cessation of hostilities. Peace is more than a state of mind or the tranquility of a countryside. Peace is commitment to a way of life which precludes war, poverty, slavery, prejudice, and fear. Peace is action. Peace is the fruit of love.1 That’s what one writers said that peace is. I agree that peace is a commitment — but it’s a commitment to a person not a cause. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” is how the scripture reads in Romans five. Those last five words, ‘through our Lord Jesus Christ’ is the difference maker. Everything good and righteous starts and ends with Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace. In today’s podcast, we take a look at the subject of peace Jesus style. Why Peace from Jesus Overcomes Fear in A Crazy World. That’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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Why Praying in Faith Means to Believe You Receive

[Tweet “The Hebrew word for peace is ‘shalom’ and in addition to ‘peace,’ the word can be translated as prosperity, well-being, health, completeness, safety.”]