Fight For The Future

When I stopped to think about it, we really do not fight usually for where we are currently. WE are already in this moment. We always are fighting for where we need and/or want to be. That is the nature of spiritual warfare. We want to fight through to a better place.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Today’s message is simple. We fight for our future and the future of those we know and love.

Fight on!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We love You, and we praise the name Yahuah! Let Your kingdom reign. Send us Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. Come quickly to our aid, Father. We need You. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Close Quarters

When we are battling the enemy, it can seem like it is hand to hand combat with him close. It is true, I believe, that dark spiritual forces can be around us from time to time. We know that he is out to do us harm.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

It would make sense that to do that work he might have to get close. But there is one closer.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

So we can endure and fight the battles with our enemy because we know that there is one closer, even within us, the Holy Spirit. He will comfort us in these times. He will defeat our enemies.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Today let us fight the good fight, knowing we have already won, and that God is on our side, and even in us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. We love and appreciate You, and long for Your kingdom. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision that all our needs might be met, with none lacking. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. The thief is upon us, and we can hear his breathing and laughter against You. Rise up O King, and destroy this evil one and grind to powder his works. Return to Your people one hundred fold what He has stolen. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

When The Enemy Turns

There is a point in any contest where if you push hard enough and long enough, your opponent will weaken. At first they will attempt to not show it. But ultimately you observe them with slower reactions, missed shots, and a general sense of tiredness. The real key when you can see that you have the victory, you will see your opponent turn away. It happens in many ways in sports. In spiritual warfare, it is when you begin to see the small victories. And you can see them happen.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So, perhaps the question becomes, when does the victory actually occur? The answer is interesting. It is important for us to know that there is a victory that happens when we ask Yahuah (Lord) to intervene for us. At that moment, He begins to work. Since He never loses, then by default, at the moment the battle outcome is decided. It is merely a matter of waiting through the appropriate amount of time for it to come to pass in our “reality” we call the hear and now.

Our Father never fails, never loses, and always comes to our aid when we call. Period.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. It is Your kingdom, and Your kingdom alone that we want to inhabit. You are our only hope. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming blessing of provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds from the past. Deliver us from the enemy that has taken from us what You have provided and continues to do so. Rise up, O King! Rise up and defend Your servants, Your citizens, from the evil hoard that steals. Strike them and their works with Your mighty fist and outstretched arm. Grind their works to powder. Show us a sign for good that all men migght know that You alone are King. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Expanding The Territory

We are, I believe, in the days when a great many people will come to know our Father more than ever before. We can call this a revival, and certainly it is, but it is also the result of battle. There is a steady effort, and has been, to win the planet. That effort could be called a battle, and rightly so, for there are two sides in opposition – good and evil. Whether or not the coming revival makes the nightly news, or has a sense of the dramatic associated with it, it will move across America and the world. It is important, I suggest, for us not to only expect the dramatic to be satisfied that we are in this revival. It could well be a grass roots movement, started in various places like small brush fires, burning locally in the hearts of men and women looking for real answers. The battle is for the individual, each individual heart, to turn to the Messiah and Savior, Yeshuah (Jesus). And with each initial conversion, and with each renewed commitment to avoid sin, one more heart is changed and the territory expanded. Our Father wants to do this with us and for us.

1 Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

It would be good if we could make every day an expansion of our Father Yahuah’s (Lord) kingdom.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. It is good for us to have You as King. We long to be continually in Your kingdom. Bless the name Yahuah (Lord)! Send us today Your provision. Let today be that day when there is no lack. Move the hearts of the rulers, of those with the authority to decide, and send us Your blessings. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts, Yahuah. Deliver us from those that would openly steal what You alone have provided. Crush their works to powder. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Marching Into Battle

Have you ever watched war movies and thought to yourself, “Why would they line up in straight lines and shoot at each other?” When I see movies about the Revolutionary War here in America, it makes me think of that. It looks like a 100 man duel. War is not a good thing for the most part, in my opinion. But if one is going to fight, why not fight to win? It just always seemed odd to me. As I was pondering this point this morning, it occurred to me that there is something about marching into battle, or even this lining up in lines, that we can learn. It would take a certain discipline, a certain trust in someone or something, to be willing to do such a thing. There are stories like this in scripture.

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;
15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

Here the Judah was in trouble. They were about to be overrun. They gathered together as a nation and cried out to Yahuah. A prophet stood up and said just go and march out in front of the enemy and watch God win the battle for you. So here was there response.

2 Chronicles 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

The king, Jehoshaphat, believed God, as did the people. They believed the prophet, and they did prosper. The king put the singers to march out front. I suspect those would be motivated singers at that point. The sang, “Praise Yahuah (Lord); for His mercy endures forever.” The result was Yahuah (Lord) set His forces to lie in wait, to ambush, the enemy. Imagine being them, seeing tiny Judah come marching out against you, and they put all of the singers in front, singing. They were doing nothing to defend themselves. As you draw your weapons thinking it will be like shooting fish in a barrel, out jumps 20 foot tall beings with swords of light, and they cut down everything in their path! All because they had the discipline to believe Yahuah (Lord) and to believe His prophets.

Today, if the enemy seems to be trying to overwhelm You, pray to our Father and ask Him for direction, and then do what He says to do. March into battle singing, “Praise Yahuah; for His mercy endures forever.” Watch as He sets His angels to destroy the enemy and his works in your life!

Praise Yahuah; for His mercy endures forever!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. We need Your kingdom here. Praise Yahuah (Lord); for His mercy endures forever! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us for our sins. We are a frail people, but we want to learn and do Your ways. Heal us up on the inside. Cleanse us. Deliver us from the enemy that is stealing from us now. Set ambushers to destroy those works! Let all men know that You alone have done this, and that You alone are King, that You alone are God. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Not Always Comfortable

Last night we camped out in our back yard in a tent. It was an interesting time. The air mattress my wife an I were using went flat in the night. Our dog, having never seen such a thing before was jumping around inside so we had to lock her in the house. We had difficulties getting the bedding ready to begin with and it was very late by the time everything was settled. And our daughter kept rolling toward off her mattress on to our. When I woke up the three of us were buried in a mound of comforters and sleeping bags, warm and toasty but on the hard ground beneath the tent. That hard ground made for not so comfortable a bed. But we made it through the night.

Thinking about it this morning I came to realize that our lives and our walks with God are much like that. We have plans, but then life happens, and we make it through as best we can. But our physical bodies may not enjoy the experience. We may have to endure some things.

2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

I realize that Paul was talking about something more significant than camping out. But we can look at our lives and we can see what are those things that He has put in our lives for us to endure, that we may be perfected. In my life there have been many things that did not go as planned. But God has never failed me or my family. He has always carried us through. He always will. Sometime our spiritual warfare is just enduring this moment.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our True King. We love You, and we desperately need Your kingdom here in our lives. Bless the name Yahuah. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins, Father. We are weak. We need Your strength. We love Your commands, and we long to walk with You. Heal up our hearts and minds. We need Your healing touch. Deliver us from the enemy that is stealing from us and crush his work in our lives. Show Yourself strong on our behalf. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Daily Battles, Daily Grace

As we all know as believers we will face trials and battles everyday. And though we fight hard, sometimes we give up ground. Sometimes we lose the battles when we give in to temptations. While this is not good, it is not the end of the story. Our Father renews His mercy and grace toward us everyday.

Lamentations 3:22 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.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

Paul noted that we all have need for grace. This is because we all fail. It is possible for us, when we fail more than once, to become discouraged. We need not give up in despair. We can get back up.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The point is – let’s not give up. We can seek forgiveness. We can get back up and go after the prize. We can win our daily battles. We can pray for others no matter what. We can call out to our Father Yahuah for the soon return of our Messiah.

We can win, if we just don’t quit.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are the only King, and we want to want to serve only You. We need Your kingdom here. We love You, and we praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. We do not ask these things because we deserve them or because You owe us anything. We ask because we are Your children, and we fall down. We need Your help to get back up and to stay up. We need You. Heal us. Deliver us from those that would steal from us. Keep us safe. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Like Lives Depend On It

Last night I attended a business function that had an unusual story tied to it. The guest speaker was to have his wife with him. Unfortunately she could not make it because her Mother’s sister had passed away suddenly. She had entered the hospital for what was to be a simple one hour procedure, and never left the operating room. She was young, and there were no anomolies, yet she was dead. It made me think of just how short life really is for all of us. As I thought on that this morning, a scripture came to mind.

Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
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.

Today, let us pray for our loved ones, ourselves, those we know, and even those we may not care for as if our lives depended on it. They just might. Yahuah is faithful to respond.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. We praise the name Yahuah. Your kingdom calls to us. Send today Your overwhelming abundant supply for all we need and beyond that we might help others, too. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. Be with those that have lost members of their families and comfort them. Crush the works of those that would steal from us what You have provided. In Messiah Yeshuah’s (Jesus’) name we pray these things. Amen.

We Have A Sword

In the book of Revelation there is a scripture that says that Yeshuah rides on a horse and is coming to rule the nations.

Revelation 16:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LORDS.

We also see that there is a sword that comes out of His mouth. But what is that sword? And why would it be coming out of His mouth? There are a couple other scriptures that reveal at least a portion of the answer.

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

This is the well known scripture about the whole armor of God. In this scripture we see several interesting points about what is being communicated. The word “sword” in the sword of the spirit is the Greek word “rhema” which means utterance. It is followed by saying to pray. We have the power to do battle by the words that come out of our mouth. This power comes in part from the resonance of the sounds of these words with the truth that Yahuah (Lord) has already built into His creation. When we speak these words, these right words, it cause creation to reverberate and to move in the direction that Yahuah (Lord) already ordained from the beginning.

Something interesting is implied here. Perhaps the words coming out of our mouths do battle for evil or good, depending on the words. Looking to the positive side, what words should be coming out of our mouths? Most likely we would want to say the same things that are coming our of the mouth of Yeshuah (Jesus) in our Revelation scripture. Do we have any indication of what those words might be, based on scripture? We do. Blessings and curses are real in scripture, and in our lives as well I would suggest. There is a scripture that tells us what should come out of our mouths for blessings to occur.

Deuteronomy 30:5 And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
7 And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.
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.
17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
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:

The words coming out of our mouths guide our hearts and minds. It is these words that do the work and fight the battle. If we choose to speak Yahuah’s (Lord’) commands, we move our hearts and minds closer to Him. If we speak something else, we move away from Him. We get to choose.

Today, let us speak His commands. Let us choose life!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be King, and You are our King. Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your kingdom come to us here. Send us today Your overwhelming blessing that is so great we cannot contain it. Forgive us our sins. Help us to speak Your commands that we might do them. You have given us the new covenant of Your Law written in our hearts and minds. Let us speak the Law that it might guide us. Help us remember to watch what comes out of our mouth. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from those that would steal from us what You alone have provided. Come with a strong hand and outstretched arm, with the sword of the mouth, and crush the works of those that would steal from Your people. Cause their substance to flow to Your people, and let it begin today like a flood. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Pressing On, Pressing In

We are at war with the enemy of our souls. He comes after us in many ways, daily. The other day I listened to a recorded message about how we need to have clean brains. This is good. We need to keep moving forward, trying to reach the mark.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Even Paul had to work at following God and doing good every day. While we are alive, we will all need to keep working at who we need to be. We will all have to be trying to get better at what we do in our walk with our Messiah. We can only get better by acknowledging our wrongs to God, asking for forgiveness, and asking for wisdom in how do do better. He will always help us when we turn to Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need Your kingdom here. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us from all evil that would beset us from following You. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah. Amen.