Seeking Courage

When we look at the challenges to take on life at times, we can remember the challenges faced by the children of Israel as the left Egypt. They and many generations before them had been slaves. All the knew was what it meant to be treated badly. Suddenly they were free and had many possessions. But they were in a desert. They had no food and water. They struggled. We can struggle too. But we have an advantage. We know their story. We know God was always there then. We know he is always here now. And we have our Messiah that promises to care for us.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Today, let’s learn from the past, and use that knowledge and trust in our God Yahuah (Lord) to obtain the courage to stand.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King, and we need Your kingdom. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our mistakes, and help us to learn to not make them again. Deliver and heal us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Beautiful Days

This morning as I thought about times when I needed or received great encouragement, I tried to think how I would categorize such times. I would have to call them beautiful days. As I searched the scriptures it occurred to me that this was a very good name for these days. In those times, it can be easy to see things as lost, like the timber burnt in the fire with nothing but ashes left that are easily blown away by the wind. Our hopes, dreams, and desires can feel like that as well. But that is when God stands up to help us.

Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

God changes the sad times into good times the He, Yehuah (Lord) might be glorified. We have to hold on in these times and remember who He is. He is the one that helps us to follow in His ways.

Psalms 143:7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
11 Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.

When we call out to God to help us walk in His ways, He hears us. We must trust in Him to help us. If we can do that, if we can trust and believe in Him, He will deliver us from all our enemies.

Today, let’s lift up our hands to Him, and trust in His ways. He alone is worthy to be praised!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the One True King. We love You, and we desperately need Your kingdom here on the earth. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. We need Your forgiveness, for we are but human. Please forgive us our transgressions. Keep us from the temptations of this world, and deliver us from the darkness of it. Heal us. We love You. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Stuck In A Rut

Again we had more snow overnight. As I took my daughter in my van to the end of our long driveway it became clear it would be a challenge not to get stuck. I tried to stay in the half filled tracks, but at the end slipped sideways. After she was on the bus, I tried going back and forth until I was back in the tracks. I did make it that far, however, the snow had become packed under my van. There I was, stuck in a rut. I was able to shovel enough to get out after about thirty minutes or so, and my wife got off to work once I was out of the way. Then, on the way back into the driveway and headed for the garage, well, you guessed it. Again, I got stuck in a rut. As I proceeded to dig out the entire section of driveway that led up to the garage, I began to pray and talk to God about my situation. That is when it occurred to me that what I saw in the situation depended at least in part on what I wanted to see.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

As I thought about this scripture, it occurred to me that it could be applied to how we view life. If we look at life with a heart that wants to see the world around us as bad or disappointing, then we will see just that for sure. But with a heart towards God, trying to find His ways to walk in them, then when we will be able to see God in the world. I stopped shoveling to look around. What good could I see? I saw a winter wonderland of snow covered trees. Everything was white and fluffy and beautiful. It made me smile, and I thanked God for this wonderful place to live and the snow to shovel. And especially for the shovel!

Today, as life presents itself to you, try to look at life as if you are looking for God in the world, and you will see Him, and the beauty around us everywhere.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Thank You for the beauty in the world. Let that same kingdom that is in the heavens with You come to us here, and in our hearts. Send us Your overwhelming provision today. Forgive us when we falter. Help us to overcome this world. Help us to see the world through Your eyes. Heal our hearts and eyes that we might see like You. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

The Nature Of Encouragement

This morning as I considered what encouragement really is, a different thought came to mind. Perhaps our idea of encouragement is entangled in what the world around us shows to us as relationship. There are some generally accepted ideas about encouragement that we inherit from society. But I would suggest that like other aspects of our walk as believers, society’s view in general may not be completely correct on this point. For many of us we are taught from the time we are little that we encourage good behavior, usually through reward. We also are taught to discourage bad behavior, usually through punishment or reward withholding. These seem logical to us as a society. But what if God’s way is different? Take the example of the children of Israel in the desert. His initial response to “bad behavior” in the form of them accusing Him of trying to kill them by thirst (remember they are His children saying this) was to give them water from the rock.

Exodus 17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?
3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?

Unfortunately these particular individuals never learned their lesson, but their children did, and their children inherited the Promised Land.

The message I take away from these passages from scripture is this. God is on our side, always. When we make mistakes and say or do the wrong thing, He is still on our side. He will reach out to us to help us. WE need to continue to believe that He is on our side, and not accuse Him of doing something bad to us. He will encourage us to make the necessary course corrections to get back on His path. he will show us that way. In fact, He has given us a pretty good set of directions already in the scriptures. But He also wants to speak to us, one on one, like a loving Father to His child.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. You alone are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. We praise Your name, Yahuah (Lord) and long for Your kingdom in the earth. We ask that You send us today overwhelming provision, such that we cannot hold it all, and it overflows to those around us. We need Your forgiveness and ask that You forgive us for those things that we have done which are not pleasing to You. We need Your deliverance and Your healing. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Why Not Today?

We are on a road as believers to something and from something. If we are trying to get it right, we should be moving toward God and away from our old lives, our old selves. For the most part we do that, if we truly love God. For those that are taking the time to read this, you most likely do love God. Otherwise, why take the time to read something that professes to be a Daily Devotional, right? But like most people, we have our lives and jobs and families and friends… we are busy. It becomes easy to lose focus on just what God is doing. But it is possible to reestablish that focus on God. For me, that is why a Daily Devotional is so important. David spoke of this often.

Psalms 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

Solomon also spoke of these things.

Lamentations 3:21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

If we commit to halting our world just long enough to focus on God, we can re-establish that connection. We can take time to praise Him. We can restart that process of moving closer to Him and His ways. We get the opportunity to do that every day. Let’s do that today!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Our hope is in You, and in Your deliverance of our lives from destruction into the marvelous light. We want Your kingdom here on earth. Send us today Your abundant blessing. Forgive us when we stumble, or get distracted, or are somehow too busy to spend time with You. We need Your healing and Your deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Have No Fear

In thinking about what we are called to be and to do, it can be, well a little scary. We serve a perfect all powerful God who asks us to be like Him. And being human, we fail. It can be difficult to see how we ever really get there. But the good news is, very little depends on us, in the overall picture The heavy lifting, the promise of the future, rests with our God. He alone can help us to win.

1 John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We do need to keep God’s words in our hearts and actions. But it is not these things that oversome the world. It is our faith that overcomes the evil. Faith in what? We must believe that God is, and that He is on our side.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Today, let us believe in our God, and that He will reward us with the ability to overcome the evil of this world.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We long to have Your kingdom in the earth. Send that kingdom today. Give us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us for our transgressions, and help us to resist evil that it would flee. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Small Things Do Matter

When we are seeking God’s ways, we can find ourselves not completely certain of what our next step should be. If we find ourselves doubting God we need to remember who He is to us, and the things He has done in the past, and the things He promises to do in the future. We are talking about the God of miracles here – raises the dead, places a pillar of fire and/or cloud between His people and their sworn enemy, parts waters on more than one occasion, and so on and so on and so on. Even so, even if we do not doubt, we can still be uncertain. In those moments of uncertainty we can receive great encouragement from the events that occur around us.

Mark 11:20And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Granted, seeing this tree withered is not a small ting for most of us. But it would have been encouraging to Peter and the other disciples certainly. In our lives we all have had smaller fig tree experiences. The car that won’t start that does, the gas that is empty but the car keeps running, suddenly arriving at your destination when you were certain you were lost, the fever of your child breaking when you were most concerned – all of these are our fig trees in life. If we will allow God to show us these examples, and listen to these examples in the lives of others, we will most certainly be encouraged.

Let’s listen and watch for the small things.

Prayer
Father, we exalt you as the Most High God. You alone are worthy to be King. Your kingdom is where we want to spend forever, starting today. Send Your kingdom to earth today. Give us today Your overwhelming abundant provision. Help all of Your people begin to and then completely get out of debt, starting today. Forgive us when we make mistakes. Heal us and we will be healed. Deliver us and we will be delivered. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Good Days

There are days in our walk with God that even though we face challenges, they are good days. In the middle of financial woes we notice our spouse smiling. In the middle of a sickness we see our children playing with each other in some make believe moment. Or we feel the presence of our God in a quite glimpse of the world around us. These are the good days. And they are made good by those that help make them so. The truth is we can make more of our days better simply by deciding to make them so.

Mark 11:21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

It is in these moments that we rejoice and are strengthened in our faith in our God. When we choose to believe our God, great things become possible. We move to a place where we can experience the perfect things of God. Today was a good day for me. Perhaps if I can learn to change how I see things in life, more of them (perhaps all of them?) can become good days.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. We praise and thank You for all You are doing for us. Let the kingdom, Your kingdom, reign in this earth today Father. Send us Your abundant provision. Forgive us when we make mistakes. Help us to be willing to admit when we do so we can ask forgiveness. Heal us and deliver us. In Jesus (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Begin Anew

Each day that we are here on this earth is a new day, a new beginning. Each day we have the opportunity to reconnect with our family, our friends, and our God. Unlike the others, God never holds grudges, keeps a list of wrongs, or doubts our abilities to do good. He is always expecting us and encouraging us to make it.

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

If we will but believe and trust in God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, then we can make it. We can overcome what is around us with Him on our side.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of all praise and glory and honor. We are nothing without You. We need You and Your kingdom in our lives. Please send us today Your abundant provision. Please keep us safe and watch over us.Forgive us our wrong doings. Please give us the strength to resist temptations when they come. Please guide us today, and help us to help others in need. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Longing For The Presence

Recently another believer shared with me some information about how the bible was translated. He and his wife were bible translators for 15 years and know a great deal about the original languages. He said when in the bible, the Old Testament in particular, it says “LORD” in all capital letters, even though the “ORD” are smaller capital letters than the “L”, it does not really say “Lord” or “God”, but His actual name. It can be pronounced “Yaweh” or he thinks “Yahuha”. The latter sounds just like Jesus’ real name in Hebrew, which is Yeshua. Over the last month I have been reading this name in when I read the “LORD” in the Old Testament, and it is having a big impact on me. God is much more personal to me know than He ever was. This morning I keep thinking about how people sought out Jesus because power flowed out of Him to heal them. I have an image of him sitting on a hill side, maybe in the sand and dirt of the desert there, telling people about their heritage in the God of Abraham.

Luke 6:17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Our Messiah lived in troubled times, much like today. People were ruled by sometimes harsh rulers that did not always care for the rule of law. The religious leaders taught doctrines of men as though it was from God. Yeshua came to set things straight spiritually. He will soon return to set the physical world correct as well.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are the Most High God. We love You and worship You Yahuha, for You alone are God and King. Let Your kingdom come upon us and this earth. Give us Your overwhelming provision today. Guide us and keep us. Please forgive us when we get it wrong. We are weak and need Your help. Heal us and deliver us. Come quickly. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.