Speaking Good

At a glance the grammar in the title today looks a bit off. Actually, it is right on track. It is not the quality of the speaking that is being addressed, but rather the content. We have great power in what we say.

Mark 11:23 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.

This is a powerful statement from our Messiah about not just our prayer life, but also our speaking words backed up by believing. Unfortunately for us as humans, it seems that we often become focused on the negative side of life. By focus I mean we will move to believing the negative, both more often and more strongly. This is what happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness. They believed Yahuah (Lord) was there, but they thought He was out to kill them. Somehow that is programmed into us, probably as the result of Eve believing the serpent in the garden. So the question becomes, how do we overcome that bent towards the negative.

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

This same power of belief can be built within us by taking hold of what we speak and speaking good to ourselves!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your kingdom be with us. Send us now Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the evil that steals and destroys. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Run To The End

It is very easy for us to get complacent with life. We might decide that things are good enough or bad enough that it does not matter what we do next. When I find myself thinking that way, I remember friends of mine that are in sales. It is the end that becomes most important. Sports is the same way. The end game is very important because we can win or lose right up to the last second. Why would our spiritual life be different? It isn’t. We need to run to the end.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

We all run the race. Let’s recommit to run to the end!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. WE praise the name Yahuah! Let Your kingdom reign here. Send us today Your overwhelming abundant blessing. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our bodies. Deliver us from the evil that steals and destroys. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

The Next Level Foundation

Frequently I have heard and at times even mentioned myself something to the effect that we want to take our walk to the next level. As I reflect on my own use of the phrase, it is not completely clear what I meant. I think that within us all is buried that desire to be as close to our Father as we can be. We are drawn to Him. As a result, we want more. This “next level” idea comes from that, possibly. That is all great but one question we might want to ask and answer is, what does it take to do that? We must have a foundation, and it needs to be a good one. Here is one example of a good foundation.

Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The Law and the Prophets are our foundation for the new covenant, which is the Law written in our hearts and minds.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your kingdom reign with us. Heal us internally, and deliver us from the thief. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus).

We Exalt Him

It is good for each of us to take time to determine whom we will exalt. By that I mean, who really do we put first in our life? For me and for many, too often the answer is not our Father God. It is easy for the answer all too often to be ourselves, or even some person that has great accomplishments. Perspective is important. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the day to day, we need to remember to put God in His proper place – first in our hearts and minds.

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

It is not easy to remain mindful of our Father at all times. The needs and challenges of this world are many and distracting. But if we try, we can be still and know that our Father is there. He knows what we need before we ask. If we place Him first, He always takes care of us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. We praise the name Yahuah. Come reign among us, and change this world now. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts, heal up our minds, that we might serve You better. Deliver us from the evil that steals and destroys. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Use The Stones They Throw

It seems inevitable in life that there will be naysayers that come along to tear us down with their words. They hurl them like stones from a catapult, sometimes intentionally. They think they do us service. They do not. But we can pick up these very stones, adjust them, and use them to build something even bigger and stronger, with our Father’s help.

Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

If we choose to fuel the drive for good within us from the negatives thrown our way, we will have all the resources necessary to drive us closer to our Father and farther on His path for our lives.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds and set them apart to You. Deliver us from the thief. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

A Voice Heard

Today in Indiana it is a voting day. It was interesting to see how many people turned out at the polling places. As I observed the ritual (in which I also participated) it reminded me of times in scripture when men cried out for a king.

1 Samuel 8:1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer–sheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

This is a topic which I have considered for many years. It is one I struggle with as a citizen of the United States. Perhaps we should give it thought at times like these. Are we making the same mistake made by the children of Israel beck then? I do no have the answer, only the tears from weeping about our similarities.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are king. We praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the thief. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Foundation For Building

It is said that the most important part of a building is its foundation. The newly finished home may look lovely, but if the foundation is weak and crumbles over time, all that is built upon it will crumble as well. On the other hand, if the foundation is sound but the house itself is poorly built, the above foundation building can be repaired or redone, even if it needs to be completely reconstructed. We are like these buildings.

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Our foundation must be that we have a Messiah, Yeshuah (Jesus). This may be why the spring feasts – Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Shavuos. These festivals clearly point to the death and resurrection of the Messiah, tieing it to the Passover, the deliverance of the children of Israel from slavery, and the connection between the giving of the Holy Spirit in Acts with the giving of the Torah. If we break these apart, we weaken the foundation of Messiah Yeshuah.

We each need to ask ourselves, what are we building? What are we building upon? In this way we can help to ensure our foundation is secure.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our minds and our hearts. Deliver us from the death that is all around us. Deliver us from the mischief of those that would take away from Your scriptures what You have placed there. Deliver us from the thief that steals and destroys. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Expectations And Manifestations

We all are subject to the same guidelines when it comes to the universe and how it operates. We were all created by the same Master. There is only one Master, our Father Yahuah. The scripture warns us of watching out for whom we serve.

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

When we pray, we want something from our Father, for us or for others, or both, more often than not. That is not only okay, it is a good thing. It is acknowledging Him as our Master. When we keep His commands, we serve Him. When we follow His lead, we serve Him. We should expect what we ask to come to pass, if we are spending time with Him to know what He wants for us.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Our eager expectations (hope) are based on believing that He is God and He is on our side. Our hope, our eager expectations, become what we are waiting to see happen. These are the manifestations.

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.

We must believe He is, and He is on our side. Life tends to manifest what we expect.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Heal us up from the inside. Deliver us from the evil that steals and destroys. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold. Yahuah, we ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Line Upon Line

From the beginning, there exists in scripture the concept of building. For Adam and Eve, they were to populate the earth. This means that over time, the population would grow in numbers – it would build. Noah was charged with building an ark to same a remnant of mankind and the animals. That building of an ark reminds me of another scripture that came much later.

Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

This scripture shows that we need to work out our salvation, which means we need to follow our Father and His ways. An interesting point here in the scriptures. In verse 11, the use of the word “Lord” is interesting. If this were in Hebrew, that word would literally be our Father’s name, Yahuah. Some might say Jehovah. Without great detail, I suggest it is Yahuah. Therefore, we could substitute His name as well as the Hebrew for Jesus and get the following translation.

Philippians 2:11 And that every tongue confess the Yeshuah Messiah is Yahuah, to the glory of Elohim the Father.

If we build, and we build with truth, we build something that will last forever, because God is on our side.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Help us to be cleansed. Deliver us from the thief. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been stolen. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Sequence

As I was thinking about the days behind and the days ahead, it occurred to me that they have relationship to each other. Tomorrow follows today as today followed yesterday. For many of us we tend to think of this as a line. It is an easy image to consider. It is like the stacked blocks in the fountain in my garden. The stone above a certain stone came after it, and that same stone came after the stone below it. It is this sequence that builds the walls and fountains from bricks, builds the weeks months and years from days, and builds us into the people we are meant to be from the events that occur in our lives and our responses. It can seem like a daunting task if we consider all the possibilities. But we do not build alone.

Psalms 127:1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

We know then that our Father is with us, and He is building us. He will get the job done.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Let us therefore work toward becoming the people that God has meant for us to be.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Thank you for the work You have done, are doing, and will do in our lives. We are desperate for You in our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the thief that steals. Restore Your people to the place where You have set for them. Make them the head and not the tail. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.