Battle Within

For many believers, there is a common, yet separate, spiritual battle. That is the battle within the heart and mind. It takes many shapes from time to time. It can be self-esteem, self-worth, struggles with the past, etc, but in general it is the battle for the mind. It occurred to me this morning that there must be a reason. Perhaps that reason has something to do with what we might accomplish for our Father if we were to use our mind and our mouth to achieve more for His kingdom.

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.

As a scientist, I am going to try an experiment to get back more complete control of my mind and my mouth using scriptures and other verbal statements to promote the kingdom. I will report back here at some future date the progress.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Praise the name Yahuah! Please overshadow our frailties and shine Your light in this earth. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our transgressions of the Law, for they are sin. Cleanse our hearts and minds. Heal us inside and outside. 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. Rise up, my King, and in Your mercy, heal and deliver us. WE ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

It’s Not About Us

A common mistake that we as believers can make in spiritual warfare is becoming confused and thinking that our ability in spiritual warfare has something to do with us. That somehow, because we are human and prone to err, we are not worthy and therefore not capable of winning in a spiritual battle against the enemy. This thinking is wrong on so many levels. I mean, think about it. If where we are at as humans is so bad, how bad can it be to be the devil who tried to overthrow God’s kingdom by killing Him? Pretty sure that most of us are better than that! But even that comparison is wrong for this situation. It is not about us. It is about who our Father is, Creator of the Universe, and yes even the Creator of the devil and his dummies! Obviously our Father is in charge.

Psalms 47:5 God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

So, we can fight when we need to fight, without worry or fear. God will be God, and fill in where we fall short.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your will come to the earth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds. 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.

To The End

We serve a living God. There are those that do not believe in His existence. For them, they have other interests. And yet, if we do not serve the Father, Yahuah (Lord), then we are subject to serving other spiritual beings, by default. Joshua told this very thing to the children of Israel.

Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;

This same declaration was made to the children of Israel again by Elijah.

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

And when we serve Yahuah our Elohim (Lord God), He does mighty things to show Himself strong, as in the case of Elijah.

1 Kings 18:22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

Today, remember that even though we are men of like passions like Elijah, we can pray and our Father will move. It is our not a job to serve Him, but our very essence. And just like Joshua and Elijah and the children of Israel, we will all serve Yahuah our Elohim, or other Gods. Pray for those around us and far off, the we and they would all serve Yahuah our Elohim, for this is true spiritual warfare.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King, Yahuah our Elohim (Lord God). Praise the name Yahuah! Let us serve You that Your light might shine through us. Send us today, and manifest, Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins, for we are a people of like passions like James and Elijah. Restore life unto Your people, Yahuah. Give cleansing and healing to our hearts and minds.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). Rise up now, O King, and show Yourself strong. We ask all these things, again, in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Pushing Back, Pushing through

The world is full of so many happenings. Some good, some not so much. But we are not bound by the rules of this world in the sense that we have options to influence outcomes. That tool is one of our primary spiritual weapons. It is called prayer. And no matter our condition, we can use it effectively.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

If we can just believe, we can change the events around us so that they line up with scriptures. We must pray and believe.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Praise the name Yahuah!. Let us shine as Your lights in a dark world. Let us shine to each other Your truth and mercy. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Restore unto Your people health for the body, soul, and spirit. Restore unto Your people all that has been taken or held back one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold, and more besides. Rise up, my King, and come to our aid. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Battles And Visions

Perhaps we are meant to be spiritual warriors more than anything else. That is the thought that came to my mind today as I considered our purpose here on earth. I get this from the original command that the Father gave us when we were created.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Our original job was to subdue the earth and rule over it. Although we did receive the curse of working the soil at the fall, there is no mention of us not ruling over the earth. No mention of us not subduing it. I believe this mission remains in tact for us. And our Father gives us dreams and visions as one means of communicating with us what He wants for us to be about doing here. He also gives us scriptures. And He gives us gifts to minister to one another.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Bless the name Yahuah! Let us be Your light warriors here in this earth. Send us today Your overwhelmingly abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds, and cleanse them. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or held back in any way, and double besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Fight The Battle

It is good for us to fight the good fight of faith. It is good for us to want to do right. In war, it is best to fight on the opponent’s land. In that way all the damage is done there. Our enemy knows this. It is part of the reason he likes to cause battles in the home. But if we follow scripture, we can most likely overcome some of this battles before they even begin.

Proverbs 25:24 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.

Here we see that it is not good for there to be contention between the husband and the wife. We must find a way to hold up the scriptures and pray to our Father to keep the battle in the enemy’s camp, and away from our homes.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! It is you that we want to be like here on this earth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us that we might be whole, and deliver us from the darkness that tries to invade even our homes. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or constrained in any way from Your people, and more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Remembering The Words

Some mornings we can wake up feeling less than great. This morning was one of those mornings for me. Lately, much of my focus has been on the kingdom of God. I keep asking, what is it really? After reviewing scriptures and some research about what others say, I have come to realize that the kingdom of God is within us, and we are to focus on making that a reality every day.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

God wants to reign within us, in our hearts and minds. Note here that Yeshuah (Jesus) was talking to the Pharisees, and His death and resurrection had not yet taken place. Also, Yeshua (Jesus) preached about the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

An interesting point here is that Jeshua preached the gospel – but He was not yet dead and resurrected. That goes against much of what I had been taught that the gospel was teh story of Jeshua’s life, death, and resurrection. If gospel is correctly translated, “good news”, then the good news is that the kingdom of God was already at hand while He was alive. How can this be? Moses told us (and Paul later quoted Moses).

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.

So the good news appears to be that God is on our side. The leaders of the religious organizations of the day made up a bunch of additional rules, and that all the additions to the simple message in the Law and the Prophets were NOT what God had said. The good news is that our Father set up a system that includes amazing blessings for us. He also made it possible for us to work the system because what we say makes its way into our hearts and minds. This process helps keep us going. It is what Joshua used.

Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

And then to seal the deal, God made a new covenant not written on stone, but in our hearts and minds. The writer of Hebrews quoted Jeremiah in revealing the New Covenant to us.

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;

So when we have days that seem to be less than great, we can fight back with our mouths, saying what our Father has already said. Then we can have patience as our Father brings these things to pass.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us shine Your light in this earth. Send us today Your overwhelming abundant provision, such that we do not have room to contain it. Forgive us our sins. Heal and cleanse the hearts and minds of Your people. Deliver us from this present darkness. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or held back in any way from Your people, and more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Fighting On The Inside

Some of the greatest spiritual warfare we will ever fight is on the inside of us. We must learn from those that have gone before us that this battle is one of many, and likely it will be with us till the end. This was true in the time of the prophets, just as it was in the time of Paul, and today.

Romans 7:9 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

James likewise agrees.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Like the men and women of the bible, we are human. We will fail to follow our Father at all times. But if we turn back to Him, He will raise us up. That is perhaps the most important spiritual warfare any of us will ever do.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Bless the name Yahuah! Let us learn to be Your lights here, Father. Send us today Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Cleanse and heal our hearts and minds. Destroy the works of those that perpetrate evil on Your people Father. Restore unto Your people more than on the fathers that came our in the Exodus, and do so quickly. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Get Back Up And Fight!

With a great and mighty God, the One and only true King of the Universe, on our side, it might be expected that we would always come out the winner in every battle in our spiritual walk. And yet, we stumble, being human. With that in mind, what should we as humans do? What can be done? Well, the truth is, the war has already been decided, God has already declared us the victor in the long haul. It is never over till it is over.

Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
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:

We can put every defeat behind us, turn every defeat into a victory, if we will just get back up and fight. We need to remember that we were created to rule the Earth. We were created as the winners. We need only return to our Father, to seek Him out and do His will, and we will once agian show up as the winners.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Help us to dust off the dust from falling, to stand and be Your lights in this place. Send us today Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins, and pick us back up. Heal up our hearts and minds, and renew them. Deliver us from the evil here. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken, or in any way restrained from Your people, and more upon more besides. Rise up, O King, and gather together Your people, pouring out to them wealth and prosperity and life beyond any one’s imagination such that all men might know that You alone have done this, that You alone are King of all. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Fighting Against The Odds

We are for sure called to fight against the wicked one, especially when confronted by him and his chumps (evil spirits). It can be tough when we discover those that we may have trusted or assumed we could trust turn out to be doing some of his work (read “certain elected officials”). The challenge there is we are to pray for those that rule over us.

1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

However, I also believe we are not to condone these actions. We hopefully are not condoning such actions in our own lives. While we pray for them and for us, our actions must be always attempting to be Godly, moving us closer to the Father, acting like the Father. The scriptures so say.

John 5:19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

If we focus on the things of the Father, to do them, we will serve Him and the battle will be won.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! We praise the name Yahuah! Let Your will be done here an this Earth, just as it is done in the heavens. Send us now Your overwhelmingly abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Restore unto Your people their health. Deliver us from the evil one. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or held back in any way, and more besides. Do this to show us a sign for good to all that see, that all men might know that You alone are our Elohim, and that You alone have done these things. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.