Help Is Near

There are so many moving pieces in an old time piece, a person had to be a true craftsman before they dared open one up. Our Father Yahuah (Lord) is more than that even – He is the One True Original Craftsman. He not only made the watch (us), He made everything the individual pieces of the watch were made from initially. In our lives, we will find struggles and challenges from time to time. Things seem like they are malfunctioning or broken. That’s when we turn to the Great Craftsman and ask for help.

Psalms 119:49 Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

We can have hope today because our Creator is always near and ready to help. Praise Yahuah (Lord)!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need Your love in our lives, and Your kingdom. Bless the name Yahuah (Lord). Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Heal us up that we might believe. Deliver us from those that are destroying Your people, and laughing about it. They say You have no power, that there is no Yah. Rise up, O King, and strike their works and destroy them. Come with a strong hand and an outstretched arm to destroy that evil that all men might know that You alone have done this, that You alone are King. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

To my regular readers: My apologies for not posting on Saturday and Sunday. We were away in a location with no Internet availability. Thank you for understanding.

Psalms 103

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We praise the name Yahuah. Send us Your provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshuah’s name. Amen.

Holding On To Us

Here in the Midwest we are beginning to experience the changing of seasons. The leaves are turning. There is always the chance to wake up to a crisp white frost covered lawn. And there is a certain nip in the air as we see the daylight hours dwindle and the night time hours lengthen. For some, these are times of great fun as sports seasons cause some to rejoice. For some, it can bring a certain fear that there could be trouble ahead. For all, especially the latter, it is good to know that our Father longs to hold us close. He longs to hold on to us. Like most parents when we sense our children needing to feel close, our Father Yahuah pulls us close to Him.

Psalms 145:18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

And again, in another place we are under the feathers of His wings.

Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) spoke of this last point, in speaking over the city Jerusalem.

Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

In this latter case we see that it is possible to turn away from God’s help and protection. But if we will receive our Messiah when He comes to us, He will gather us and protect us. That is His real desire for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. We praise the name Yahuah! Let Your kingdom reign in this earth. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Let us be a sign for good to the whole world that You alone are King, You alone are God. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Help us to put the bad of the past behind us. Deliver us from the darkness that tries to overwhelm us. Crush the works of the enemy that tries to steal what You alone have provided. You are our only hope. We put our trust in You. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

He Is For Us

Last night I heard a speaker talk about a number of topics, and one of those was commitment. The speaker did an excellent job of telling stories that made his points. But the idea of commitment has stuck with me maybe more than anything he said. In thinking about life this morning, I began to think about how we as believers make a commitment to God and what that means. It is important that we each take a look at ourselves and our lives and see just where we are at in relation to God. We need to realize we are lost without Him, that we have to call out to Him to forgive our sins, that we have to ask to have Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) to be our Lord and Savior, and give Him control. That does take a commitment, and that commitment is important. However, the most comforting commitment in our relationship with God perhaps is His commitment to us.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

We are human. Our commitment to our Father Yahuah (Lord) will likely waver from time to time. But God is not human, and He never changes. His commitment is Rock solid. He goes with us, He does not fail us, and He does not forsake us. Our God never fails.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We praise the name Yahuah! Let Your kingdom reign in the earth. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Many of Your people are broken. Many of Your people are being destroyed. Many are having what You provided stolen from them, Father. This ought not be so, Yahuah (Lord). Heal Your people today Father. Take away the oppression, and let us all see more of the truth of Your commands. Deliver us with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. We need Your help Yahuah (Lord). Please hear our cry to You, and rise up to deliver us from our enemies, crushing their works to dust. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Comfort In Hard Times

Last night we watched a movie about some people in Israel. They were in what they saw as hard times. Through a series of events of walking away from God’s ways, and then turning back, they were able to see the hand of God in their lives. In the hard times, we can choose to see them as overwhelming, or we can choose to see them as Yahuah (Lord) working in our lives. Recently I had a friend who was in hard times himself. He and his wife and daughter were down to less than $100 and way behind on their bills. He told me that it was easy to become fearful of the inability to provide and the inability to pay his creditors. This guy works very hard at multiple jobs but his past debt is eating him up. When he looked at me he smiled and said to me that it would be easy to just give up, declare bankruptcy, and walk away. But he only wants to do what Yahuah (Lord) tells him, even if it gets tough. So, where is the comfort in all this?

There is a scripture that begins to detail these ideas a bit. It talks about our thinking.

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…

Another scripture speaks to the plans of mankind.

Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.
3 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

This scripture ties thinking to outcomes. We see that we plan, but Yahuah (Lor) executes according to His will. Yahuah (Lord) looks at the heart. He sees the good and the bad in all of us. He is moving us toward the good at all times. This may mean He has to modify our plan to cause us to work through and eliminate those negative things within us. He also does it to teach us to trust in Him. Our comfort is that we are not alone. We do not have to rely only on our own abilities to succeed in life. If we will let go and just trust that Yahuah (Lord) loves us and will intercede on our behalf, then we can take comfort in waiting for deliverance. Praise Yahuah (Lord)!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our only King. Your Kingdom is where we desire to live. We want to be with You at all times, and to know You are there. We bless the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming blessing. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us from our enemies that seek to destroy, to steal, and even to kill us. Com quickly. Let us feel Your arms around us. Let us feel Your protection. Help us to have the courage to stand tall for You. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

We Can Trust

We have a Father in heaven that we can trust. While we may have often acknowledged this as true with our minds, it can be a very different thing when events occur in our actual lives. Even when we know that He loves us, adverse events offer us a chance to accept doubt and fear. That is a part of being human I suppose. In those moments we need a way to win over these thoughts. There is a way for that to happen.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Acceptable to our Father who wants us to trust Him would be words and meditations (mumbling to one’s self) things that are in line with trusting Him. The children of Israel did not know the end of the story when they doubted God and feared disaster. But we have their story. We have all the stories of scripture that show us that Yahuah will always take care of us.

Today, think on these stories. Think about what He has always done for His people. He will not change that now. He loves and cares for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need You, and we need You now. We praise the name Yahuah. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Heal us and deliver us from those that are taking what You provided. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Comfort In Knowing Direction

Often I hear believers make comments about wanting to know exactly what our Father Yahuah (Lord) wants from us. This has been something that I have also said with some frequency. Many times for me these words come when I am trying to sort through life. For those of us that have had these thoughts or uttered these words, there is good news. God often provides direction in scriptures that can be specific to what we are crying to Yahuah about. For me, I have such a case now. I have been wondering about the things we speak – what are things I should say, what are not, and what results should I see? Here is a portion of that answer, which I find very comforting. First, we need an underpinning.

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

This is one case where the King James translation seems most correct, based on the Greek words in the original manuscript. It is also in keeping with the entire Torah and ancient writings. God said to do things a certain way. If we do them a different way, that is turning to something other than Him, which would obviously be sin. To further make the case, what is the New Covenant? All believers today I suggest would agree that we are under the New Covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

For some that believe this does not correctly state the New Covenant because it is the Old Testament, I suggest that we go with the idea that there has to be two witnesses to something, and that this is one. Here is the second.

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Here we see the writer of the letter to the Hebrews clearly states that the New Covenant is the Law, the Torah, written on the hearts and minds of us believers. Yes, I know, not what we have been told by men today. To that I can only say what Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) has said.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The scribes and the Pharisees taught men to keep their interpretation of the Law, taking away from the Law that God Himself had given. That was their righteousness. Our righteousness must exceed that. How? We follow our Messiah’s example and try to fulfill the Law in our own lives. When we stumble, we ask forgiveness. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, which James says are our transgressions of the Law. All that has been said here to say this. We are to speak the Law, the good things of Yahuah (Lord), and from that we will see and receive great joy and blessing.

Proverbs 10:17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
22 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

We can keep the instruction of the Law because it is within us. We have the power to hear it and do it by speaking it regularly. If we say many words, it appears that there will be no lack of transgression of the Law (sin) as we see here in the Proverbs. On the other hand, we have the power to speak blessing, to speak the Law, and feed many.

I suggest we may want to consider speaking good things at all times, speaking the Law and all that which aligns with it. This is a direction that we can know and travel. We can do this!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need Your kingdom here. We praise and bless the name Yahuah! Send us Your overwhelming abundant provision today, Father, such that we cannot contain it. Forgive us our sins. We need Your help to do the right things. Help us to speak Your Torah, Your commands, that we might be able to hear and to do Your will. Let Your blessings flow that we might feed many. Heal up the hearts of those that hear our words, and heal their minds. Deliver us from the evil that is around us. Deliver us from the evil that even now is stealing from us that which You have provided. Crush the works of our enemies. Grind to powder their efforts and cast them to the whirlwind. Show Yourself strong on our behalf that all men might know that Yahuah is King and still reigns, now and forever!. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Hearing The Footsteps…

When we walk out our faith in Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus), we walk into many interesting situations of life, or at least we might. It is in those encounters that we learn a great deal about us and about our faith. We can also learn to listen closely. When we do, we hear our Father Yahuah (Lord) looking for us, like He did Adam and Eve.

Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

When we make mistake, when we stray from our Father’s path, He does not chase us to beat us with a stick. I comes to get us, trying to restore us to Himself.

Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) spoke in a parable, but it was an accurate description. It is exactly what our Father did in the garden. It is again what He did in Egypt during the Exodus. And it is what He is doing in our day, calling His people out of the harlot. Today, we can be comforted in knowing that if we listen, we will hear the sound of our Father coming to find us to bring us to His path.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. We ask that You send us Your kingdom today. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us from those that would steal from us what You have provided. In Yeshuah’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

We Have A Chance

Let all those that read this today know that there is one thing for sure we can count on – we have a chance. We are not cast down nor cast away forever. Sure, we all have made mistakes in life.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

If you find yourself often thinking that you are somehow less than everyone else and have no value, those thoughts did not come from our Father. All mankind has failed at some point. Once we turn away from sin to God, He removes our sin far from us.

Psalms 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

Our Father Yahuah (Lord) has created us as beings that need to turn to Him for mercy and strength at all times. And when we do, He in His mercy forgives us and removes our iniquity from us. He deals with us as a loving Father, not a task master. The one that is constantly condemning us and trying to makes us feel like we are not good enough to do God’s work is our enemy the devil. He is the one that tries to accuse us at all times. It is our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) that sits at the right hand of the Father and every time the accuser speaks, Yeshuah (Jesus) tells the Father, “No, I died for that.” And the gavel falls and Yahuah our Father decrees, “Not Guilty!”

Today, let’s turn back to our Father Yahuah (Lord) and He will turn to us. We can be His people and He will be our God.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. We bless the name Yahuah (Lord) and call upon You Yahuah to send us Your kingdom today. We need You in this earth and we need Your kingdom in this earth. Send us today and manifest today Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us for our iniquities. Heal up our inward parts, and our bodies. Deliver us with a strong hand and an outstretched arm from those that have taken and are taking from us what You alone have provided. We need You and we need You love and deliverance now. We cry out to You to come quickly! We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Grab Hold When You Get The Chance

When we call our to God, He hears us. Yahuah is a great and merciful Father. He always responds to the cries of His children. He wants us to be following Him in His ways. This is why He trains us up. But when we cry out repeatedly for His deliverance, when He brings it by, we must grab hold and not let go. As I thought about the scriptures, there was one that seemed to fit well here.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Today, let us remember to lay hold to that salvation, that deliverance provided to us, and never let go.

Prayer
Father, we exalt you. You are our King. We praise the name Yahuah (Lord)! Let Your kingdom be among us. Send us today Your overwhelming blessing so great that we cannot hold it all and it overflows to those around us. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds, anointing them with healing oil. Deliver us from the evil that would steal from us what you alone have provided. We ask all these things int eh name of our Messiah Yeshuah. Amen.