Learning To Move Forward

We are given a life that is filled with possibilities. They appear in many different ways. From these, and even from some as yet unknown, our life unfolds. It unfolds based on choices we make, and on God’s plan for our life. This morning I noticed that there was a sense of renewed hope, that expectation of something good about to happen. This is a good thing.

Psalms 30:4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Our Father will show us the path to take. We have to look for His directions. They come like a small voice.

1 Kings 19:11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

We can have the direction we need if we will listen.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Bless the name Yahuah (Lord). Send Your kingdom among us. Give us Your our provision today. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us that we might serve You more. Help us to hear the still small voice of Your direction. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

The Winning Team

Recently in several business gatherings people brought up the results of the progression of the baseball teams toward the Pennant. It is always interesting to see how this change of subject in many meetings result in smiles, lifted countenances, and a sense of camaraderie, even if it is a gathering of strangers. Thinking about this observation this morning, it seemed like we should see that same experience more frequently than than the fall, and in one place specifically – wherever believers gather on a regular basis.

Let’s think about this for a moment. When these gatherings happen around baseball, the baseball believers do not consider the odds. They do not look at past track records. They do not consider current injuries or other obstacles their team faces. All they can see is the prize. Their love for their team and the fact that they are even in the running causes them to eagerly anticipate what that victory will feel like – they have hope. Their belief in their team winning, and their trust that they have and will apply the ability to win, is the substance behind that hope – faith.

We are on the ultimate winning team. Scriptures tell us, and God has confirmed it in His Spirit within me. The letter to the Hebrews addresses this.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Here we see the connection between faith and what we expect. If we expect great things, then that is what our faith really is in – great things. If we expect the worst, then that is what our faith is in – the worst. This leads us to want to better understand what faith is.

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.

So here we see there are two named elements. The first is the reality of the possibility, which hear is God. The second is trust, that what we believe in will respond to us. Here, that means that God will reward us for seeking after Him. Even when your team is down by five in the bottom of the ninth, and there are two outs, and the pitcher is coming up to bat. We need to be that kind of a fan for our Father, Yahuah (Lord). We need to have that never give up attitude. How do we get that attitude? That will be addressed in greater detail later, but let me just say that it has to do with what we put in front of our eyes, what we say with our mouth, and what we listen to on a regular basis.

We are on the winning team. Always.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. It is Your kingdom that we long for here. We bless the name Yahuah. Send us Your overwhelming provision yet today. Forgive us our sins, even those that are only in our hearts and minds. Cleanse our hearts and minds, and heal us. Deliver us from the evil that is stealing from us. Restore that which has been stolen from us – make the enemy return it one hundred fold. Only You can do this. Only You provide for us. Only You are our deliverer. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Going The Distance

In our walk with God, when we are faced with some challenge and begin to do battle, we do not really know just how long that battle may take. The challenge is not in starting the battle so much. Most of us are aware there will be challenges, and we take them head on. What we are more challenged with is fighting to the end. Scriptures have something to say about this.

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

That was our Messiah talking. He was referring to these days, I believe, the days here near the end. Where we are on the timeline I cannot say for sure, but it seems to be falling into place for the end to be near. Our Father loves us. He wants the best for us. He is preparing us to rule and reign with the Messiah. We must not give up.

We must go the distance.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. Only You are able to bring the reign that will cleanse the whole world. We need Your kingdom here. We praise Your name Yahuah. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Let us know that You are on our side and with us each day. Forgive us for our sins. Heal our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the evil in this world. Helps us to walk in Your paths. We need You now. Come help us when we cry out. Deliver us from the enemy that steals from us. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Struggles With The Present Reality (Or Is It?)

For many of us in our walks we encounter challenges to progress. That progress can be spiritual or physical or both. Much time can be spent wrestling with these things. recently, facin such challenges, I stopped for a moment. I pondered the truth of what I viewed as “the current reality” and was pleasantly surprised at my findings. We can spend a great deal of time thinking about a situation, and if we are not careful, we can let ourselves fall into many negative spirals about the “reality” we face. But here is the interesting part. Those are thoughts. The question is, on what do we base them?

I do not advocate for ignoring reality. Nor do I suggest that somehow we can cahnt some positive affirmations and the world is transformed. I do suggest that scriptures are clear about what we say and expect coming to pass. And these things we say are to be connected to the commandments of Yahuah (Lord).

Dueteronomy 30:6 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:

WE control the outcome of our situation in many ways by what we say, assuming it lines up with what our Father says. That is the TRUE reality. Everything else is a façade, and we need to endure it passing by because our Father does not lie.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We need You. We need Your reality. We praise the name Yahuah! Send us your overwhelming provision now. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us from those that are stealing, killing, and destroying us. Come quickly to our defense. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Atonement For Today

This week holds a very important day for believers, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Some would say that this day is for the Jewish people only. For those that believe the scriptures are the most reliable source of truth, we will find that nowhere in the scriptures will we find that the Feasts have ended. In fact, in Zechariah 14 we see just the opposite. So, depending on which calendar you follow, either Wednesday was or today is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 23:26 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.
29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

For us today, we take time to think about what Yahuah has done for us. We fast and pray, meditating on Yahuah’s commands. We know that we cannot keep the Law, which means we will sin. And we know that we need to consider, this day more than others, how Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) paid the price for our sins. He alone has saved us.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Today, let us take time to consider our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) and what He has done for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We bless the name Yahuah. We ask that You forgive us our sins today. Heal us and help us to overcome the evil of this world. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

What (And How) We See

Today’s title was a bit clunky at best. The Father woke me up early a few times to pray. Finally, wide awake at 5AM, I am writing. As I was praying I was talking with Yahuah (Lord) about recent developments in our lives, as well as the implications from scripture. It caused me to think about the various dilemmas seen in scripture from time to time by those waiting for deliverance. What we see depends in part on how we choose to view the data we are faced with at the time. Take for example the children of Israel in the desert when Pharaoh decided to chase them down.

Exodus 14:1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi–hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal–zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.
3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so.
5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:
7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi–hahiroth, before Baal–zephon.
10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

This is one of many examples, but this is a good one. The children of Israel saw the enemy upon them, and allowed themselves to be afraid. From a position of fear, the situation looked hopeless. However, according to the scripture here, Yahuah (Lord) had instructed Moses and he already told the children of Israel that Pharaoh was coming and that Yahuah would deliver them from the troops of Egypt. Yet, they chose fear. Granted, in that situation the choice of fear is definitely a present moment decision that could be easily made. But maybe that is the point. Maybe in that moment Yahuah wants us to remember who He is and cry out to Him from faith and not from fear. Is that not what David did?

1 Samuel 17:22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.
31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.
32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

David went on in to battle with no armor and armed with five smooth stones and a slingshot – all he knew to use. He trusted in Yahuah to make up the difference. David did not deny that there was a large enemy in front of him. What he did do was correctly frame what the situation was. The men in the army thought that Goliath had come to defy Israel. That is not how David looked at the situation. The enemy was not challenging the Israel, he was challenging the armies of the living God, Yahuah.

When we face challenges that seem overwhelming, we need to remember to properly frame what is happening. The enemy comes against us not for us primarily, but to challenge Yahuah. We also need to remember all of the times that Yahuah has delivered us in the past. We need to take what we know and are good at and face the enemy, fully expecting Yahuah to make up the difference. This is also the view that Moses had. It is why the psalmist wrote the following of Moses.

Psalms 103:6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

All the children of Israel could see is what was immediately in front of them. What Moses saw was from the perspective of who Yahuah is – Moses knew that God’s way is a way of testing and deliverance. Because of that he could stretch out his hand with the rod and expect God to make up the difference.

Today, when we face what seems like overwhelming odds, we need to understand that this is not what God has promised. It is therefore an attack, and we need to see it as an attack on God Himself. From that perspective we need to call out to Him and ask Him to stand up for us against the attack and the attacker. He is Yahuah (Lord) our God and He will smite the enemies of His people.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We long for Your kingdom here. Praise the name Yahuah! Bless the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming abundant provision such that we cannot contain it. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds that we might stop looking at ourselves and look at You. Deliver us from our enemies that would steal from us what you alone have provided. We need Your strong presence as we stand against the enemies that would defy You, the One True Living God, Yahuah our King! Come and do this work quickly. We ask this in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Preparation

As believers we are on a mission to serve the living God of creation, Yahuah (Lord). He alone is worthy of the service of all the creation, especially mankind. One day, when Messiah returns, we will actually be again in His presence. Life is very much about preparing for that great day, and the rest of eternity. We but need to prepare the ground – our hearts.

Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Our Father does not push us away. He always responds to us when we try to prepare through repentance and calling out to Him.

Psalms 3:3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
4I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Let us do the work of preparation today. Let us turn from doing our own things our own way, and turn unto Yahuah (Lord).

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King over all. We want and need Your kingdom here on this earth. We bless Your name, Yahuah. Send us today Your overwhelming provision, so great that it overflows to those around us. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. We need Your help to get us through to day and everyday. Give us favor in the sight of all men. Move the hearts of those that rule over us and have the power to make decisions that affect us. Let them decide for our good and let it be bountiful toward us. Come quickly with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

What Does It Take?

When we have tasks to accomplish, we are faced with choices to make. The challenge is knowing what choices to make. As believers, we have access to the ultimate source of wisdom and knowledge. We can ask Yahuah (Lord) for wisdom, and He will give it to us.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

It is important to note that there is a condition for this wisdom. It comes in the next verse.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

And with that comes a promise to be “exalted” or raised up. Our Father is trying to move us forward into His will and His ways. We can only hope (eager expectation) in Him and His deliverance. We have to know that we know that we know that He hears us.

He will lift us up.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our God and King. We bless the name Yahuah! We praise the name Yahuah! We love You, Father. We need Your kingdom here, now. Send us Your overwhelming blessing that overflows, such that we might bless others. Let us be light in the darkness. Forgive us our sins. Heal us up. Help us. Deliver us from those that would steal from us what You alone have provider. Take from them what they have taken from us and return it to us. Help us to be Your people and walk in Your way. Come with a strong hand and outstretched arm and break in pieces their work, grinding it to powder. Hold us close. We love You and need You. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

We Get Another Chance

Earlier this week I met with a friend of mine to share about our walks and what God is doing with us. He mentioned something he had heard from another friend about how we get to revisit the same trials until we have victory. This person asked God why we keep revisiting the same trials, like a circle. God told him it is not a circle, but a spiral upward. Each time we revisit the “same event” we are actually farther down the road with God, and have an improved opportunity for victory. We learn day by day to walk the walk of faith in Yahuah (Lord).

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.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

We get the opportunity to have Yahuah (Lord) build our house (us) with us, side by side. We can make it if we try. If we will turn to Him at all times, He will lift us up to victory.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King and the Champion of our souls. We long to have You and Your kingdom here on the earth. We call to You, and bless the name Yahuah. We call to You and ask You send Your overwhelming provision that we might bless others. We call to You and ask that You forgive our sins. We call to You and ask that You heal us. We call to You and ask that You deliver us from those that would steal what You alone have provided to us. We call to You for Your deliverance with an outstretched arm and a strong hand. We call to You and ask all these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Watching The Father

Today was an interesting day. I had a plan. God had a different plan. Throughout the day I would receive clues about the Father’s plan, and I noticed them, and then saw them come to pass. It began when I went to get out of bed and had a miraculous healing of my leg. Wow! God is awesome! He is teaching me to “see” what He is doing, and then to step into that! The Father loves us and wants only the best for us. If we can learn from our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus), we can learn to do what we see the Father doing, and say what the Father tells us to say.

John 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

I am only just scratching the surface here, but I am very excited to watch what the Father unveils in the coming days!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King! We bless the name Yahuah! We ask that You send us Your overwhelming abundant provision. Heal the broken hearted. Deliver us from those that would steal all that You have provided. Crush their evil devices to powder. Bring their words upon themselves so that they know that You alone are God! We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.