Lift Up Your Heads

Life does have its challenges does it not? We can and sometimes do let that get to us. When we feel beat down from the grind of life we oftendroop our shoulders and hang down our heads. But we have a glorious deliverer in our God. He alone is worthy of all praise and honor. He alone delivers us in times of trouble. He alone is returning to earth to rule and reign physically among us.

Psalms 24:7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

Our God tells us that He is returning. He tells us that He alone is the one that will come to rule and reign. He will deliver His people once and for all on that day. In the mean time, He will watch over us to protect us without fail, 24/7/365.

Psalms 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Let’s rejoice today in our God, Ruler of heaven and earth, and our Friend.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. Please let Your kingdom rule in this earth today. Send us Your abundant provision. Forgive us when we do wrong, and build us up. Guide us in Your ways. Heal and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

We Know We Are Cared For

The sun shines brightly today, although the temperature is brisk. We are about to finally head into winter it would appear. As I sit here thinking about all that will be entailed over the next few months, I am encouraged by what God tells us in scripture. The picture of who are God is to us is really amazing when we think of the harshness that the world can offer. A number of these are in the Psalms.

Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Here the Psalmist tells us that all of our days have both goodness and mercy in them. Still other scriptures speak of His protection and provision.

Psalms 21:1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
7 For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

Psalms 34:7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

Psalms 113:7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

These scriptures paint a pretty clear picture that our God watches over us and cares for us. He delivers us from our enemies. He provides food and shelter. Today we can know that our God is with us. He will provide.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised and honored in Your house. You alone are worthy. Send us Your kingdom Father. Give us today Your overwhelming provision that it would overflow our ability to hold it. Forgive us our transgressions. Give us wisdom that we might walk in Your ways. We love You. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Always There

God always responds to us when we call out Him. David spoke of this often in the Psalms.

Psalms 145:18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

David not only told us this about God, he also practiced regularly calling out to God. Something in David caused him to know that God was real, and that God was there for him. David knew he needed God.

Psalms 147:1 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

If we will take the time like David did to get to know God, to talk with Him and to call on Him, we can get to that same place. According to David Jacob did this as well.

Psalms 147:19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.
20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.

Let’s take time to be with our God today, and everyday. He is our El Shaddai, the one that will always provide for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised Your kingdom is filled with Your glory, and we ask for Your kingdom to come to the earth today Lord. Send us Your overwhelming provision. Help us to release any negativity we have toward others, and forgive us our iniquities. Heal our hearts and minds, and deliver us from the evils of this world. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name.

There Is The Sunrise

We serve a very personal God. As I write with the predawn dark cloaking my back yard I think on this. When we face challenges we can know that our God rides with us through them and many times carries us through them. He wants to be our friend just as Moses was.

James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

If we are willing to believe in God and trust Him like Abraham we can also be the friend of God. The closeness that God desires is hard to understand at times. Jesus spoke about this closeness.

John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Clearly Jesus wants to be one with us. That is as close as it gets. That means that He is watching out for us. He is leading us (when we let Him) and He will make sure the day dawns and our lives go on. We can live knowing He will not fail us. He never leaves us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise and we love You. Let Your kingdom reign in this earth. Send us provision so great that we cannot contain it. Forgive our transgressions. Help us to recall Your ways and Your commandments. Heal us and deliver us today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

We Know

Last week there was an interesting conversation around a campfire. The discussion was about the new covenant and the old covenant, and how these two interact with each other.

Hebrews 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

As we were discussing these things we talked about the great miracles the children of Israel had seen. There was the plagues in Egypt, the Egyptians setting them free and giving them gold, silver, precious gems and livestock, the parting of the Red Sea, the destruction of Pharaoh, the manna, the quail, the water from a rock, and so on. Yet they struggled with trusting God would keep them alive.

Numbers 21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

The difference we have, or one of the differences, is that we have the ability to know within us. The children of Israel saw God act, but only Moses took the time to know Him.

Psalms 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

We have been given this great gift of the Law written in our hearts and minds that we might know the truth and the way that we should go. Our God has given unto us a more perfect covenant in the new covenant. We do not have to figure out of God is with us or not. We know.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. We ask that You send Your kingdom today among us. Give us overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us when our faith falters and we do not trust. We are desperately in need of Your guidance and help. Heal us and deliver us. Let Your power be seen in the earth through us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Never Stop Searching

When we are early believers, we can be very big on searching out things in the scriptures. We may also accept what others say that we respect. Over time, it can be easy to let things go by the wayside and assume that what we know is right. We can become weary in searching out the scriptures for the truth. It is easier to let the leaders at our church decide what is right and what is wrong, and do those things. This happened before in history.

Exodus 20:18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

The presence of God is an awesome thing. If we trust in God to take care of us, that He is on our side, then we are in wonder at His presence like a small child at the presence of their father. However, if we do not trust that He is on our side, we can become afraid at His presence and move away. We can ask for another person to tell us what God is saying. This is what happened to the children of Israel. There is a definite result on our walk with God if we do this.

Psalms 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

Moses knew God in a very close way such that he understood why God did what He did. He knew God’s ways. The children of Israel knew Him from a distance and saw what He did. They were observers, not so much active participants. There response was was out of a fear from a lack of trust. They know Yahweh was God, but they thought He would either kill them or let them die. God tried to teach them through the signs and wonders that He was on their side.

The God we serve is on our side. He has given us specific commands and ways to live. If we understand that He is indeed our everything to keep us alive, including our joy, we will never stop searching and seeking. This is what God truly wants from us, His kids.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You along are our worthy King. Let Your kingdom be on this earth Lord. Give us Your overwhelming abundant provision. forgive us when we stray from Your ways. Teach us to walk more closely with You. Keep us in Your safe keeping. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Life Is About Choosing

Choose life. That was the message Moses gave to the children of Israel as they were preparing to cross over to the promised land. He said that they (and we) had the opportunity to choose for their lives to be blessed or cursed. He told them to choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

It seems like a simple matter, right? And yet, from time to time we will choose the wrong way to go. We will not choose God’s blessing and will go off and do our own thing. We end up choosing the curses. The good news for us is that if we repent, God forgives us and gets us right back on the right track. He gave up His Son that we might have this forgiveness. He also gave Him up that we might make the right choices because the words our in our hearts and minds as a part of the new covenant.

Today, let’s encourage one another to choose life.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Let Your kingdom reign today all around us. Let us be lights for Your kingdom to show people the way. Give us Your overwhelming provision today Father. Forgive us when we argue with our friends and families and say mean things. Help us all to heal, inside and out. Deliver us from evil and from evil men. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Don’t Fade Away

Growing up my earthly father taught me a saying. Might is not always right, but right is might. I have thought on that statement in life many times when I have been faced with challenging situations. As believers this statement is encouraging to me because our God is the Almighty One, and He is also the source of all that is righteous. The result is, the One backing us up has both might and right on His side. I do not say this so that we could boast. Our Messiah warned against that in speaking to the seventy (notice it was more than His twelve disciples).

Luke 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

It would be easy for us to become caught up in the moment of victory. For many of us this would represent some of the few victories we believe we have experienced. However, if we will walk in God’s ways, that need not be the case. If we walk in God’s ways we will in fact experience victory on a regular basis, victory in many shapes and sizes. God created us to lead. He created us to lead creation. He will continue to empower us to lead creation in His ways. We need only follow Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of all honor and praise. Let Your kingdom come to earth today Father. Let Your kingdom guide our hearts and minds, ruling the air. Let Your royal decrees awaken within us, inscribed on our hearts and minds, that we might have the power to say and do them. Give us Your overwhelming provision today. Forgive us when we fail You. We need Your grace and love, more than ever perhaps. Send Your healing and deliverance. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Pushing Forward

As believers we can and we will be a people that God calls to every day. He has in store for us a certain eternal future, and He wants to give us that future. However, we have to walk into it. God does not force us to move forward. God does not pull us as in chains into something we will not do. He only brings us to a point of choosing, telling what is best for us to choose.

Dueteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Moses spoke these words to us as the children of Israel were preparing to enter into the promised land. The promises that God made were amazing, if we would just keep His ways.

Deuteronomy 30:9 And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

It is the same promise of having the words in our mouth and heart that Paul refers to about our salvation.

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

So we can see that we need to be saying the things God says, and that creates the possibility for us to do them. That was the message of Moses and Paul, straight from God. Today, push forward by saying what God says, and not what You fear.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Let the kingdom You have prepared and the kingdom where You dwell come to earth today. Give us our provision today, overflowing that we might give to others. Forgive us when we do other than what You have said. Destroy our enemy before us, and keep us in your loving arms under Your wing. Send healing and deliverance to Your people today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

It’s Not The Size Of The Mountain

Yesterday I was thinking about how it is necessary to cross some very high mountains to get from the Midwest to the west coast. It reminded me of the challenges we have in life. The can seem like some pretty tall mountains to cross. But our walk with God is not dependent on how big our mountains and problems are. It is dependent on our willingness to commit our lives to Him and trust that He commits to us. Scriptures speak of this in several ways.

Psalms 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

God set the mountains and the waters in their place, and He rides above them. If we ride with God, we ride above them too.

Mark 11:22And 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.

Here Jesus said that a mountain itself will move, if we have the faith to believe it. In both these scriptures there is much else to consider. However, it is clear that God has power over the mountains in our life, and if we submit to Him and walk with Him, we do too!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You Are our King. Let Your kingdom come to the earth today Father. Send to us abundant provision today. And please forgive us when we fail You. Lift us up. Send us Your healing and Your deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.