Yom Shi-shi, Shevat 21, 6001 – January 20, 2017

Becoming Selfless

Recently the concept of selflessness was introduced to me from another perspective. Often we are taught as a Christian premise that we are to be selfless in our actions and in prayer. Then we set about to act toward others or pray for others from our position and understanding. This is good. But is it selfless? Are we not still praying from our perspective? Perhaps not always, but frequently I would suggest, we are still in the picture in some way. How do we get to a position of selflessness? There are two things I am finding help.

First, we need to establish our own relationship firmly with the Father. The concept I was introduced to that has helped me is the idea of powerlessness. We are powerless. If we can establish that through meditation on scripture and communing with the Father, then we can get to what I call emptiness, allowing ourselves to be filled with the Spirit and ready for prayer. Here is a scripture that is helping me in meditation.

Matthew 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Our Messiah was helping us to see that the Father created the world, and that we are powerless within ourselves to change anything. By meditating on this we can find that true humble position with the Father of needing Him for everything. And we know He will respond.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

As we meditate on this scripture, we know that our Father is ready to respond to us because we are out of the way. Now we are ready to add power to the request through our actions and prayer, knowing He will respond. Here is the next scripture that supports our belief that He will respond.

Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Here Yahuah (Lord) has spoken through Isaiah to tell us that when we fast as a selfless person, He loosens the one we pray for from wickedness, removes the weights of life lets those that have felt oppression go free, and broken the yokes upon them. Note here it is prayer for the works of the Father, most likely on the behalf of others. But as we get to the end of the passage, we see that the one praying also receives the kingdom and blessings of the Father.

True selflessness is the ability to see past our needs, knowing that the Father knows and will take care of those for us. It is setting ourselves aside completely, solely focused on helping others by crying out to the Father for His intervention on their behalf. Our motive needs to be the kingdom, and the righteousness of the Father.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King! Praise and bless the name Yahuah! Help us to be selfless, that we might call to You for Your kingdom to be here, for Your will to be here. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our transgressions of the Law (sin), and help us forgive others. Heal the hearts and minds of those oppressed. restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way from Your people, and the more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.