A Different Kind Of Day

For a Sabbath, today started very differently. We awoke to one crisis after another. It was challenging indeed. But we got past them and made it to fellowship to study and discuss scriptures. One thing we discussed was the question posed to Nicodemus by Yeshua (Jesus).

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

Yeshua’s (Jesus”) response was interesting. He expected a leader of the Jewish people to understand the idea of new birth. We had a great discussion about this point. From the Old Testament scriptures we should be able to present the need for the new birth. Without going into great detail, we talked about the promise in Jeremiah of the new covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

But in the Hebrew there are buried many places where the Father (Yahuah) and the Son (Yeshua) are foretold to be united and to be one. Since Yeshua (Jesus) was speaking to Jewish people, they would have known these scriptures. Here are a few where I have replaced the name of God, “Yahuah”, in place of the English mistranslated “LORD” and have replaced “Yeshua” for the English translated “salvation.”

Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Yah (LORD) Yahuah (JEHOVAH) is my strength and my song; he also is become my Yeshua (salvation).

Jeremiah 3:23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Yahuah (LORD) our God is the Yeshua (salvation) of Israel.

Psalms 118:14 Yah (The LORD) is my strength and song, and is become my Yeshua (salvation).

There are many more. Nicodemus should have known about the new covenant. Religious tradition blinded him from deeing His Messiah, standing right in front of him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be called King. We praise and worship You. We bless the name Yahuah (Lord). We need You and we need Your kingdom. Please send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive our sins. Heal us and deliver us from the evil that lies in wait to steal from us. We ask these things in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Going In

We have been given a life most wonderful, a life worth the living. Now, I understand that while I am saying this, many of us face many challenges. Some of these challenges may even seem to great to bear. But the life that has been given to us is the life that is at peace with God. Our heavenly Father, Yahuah (Lord), wants to be with us at all times. He especially enjoys spending time with us on the Sabbath.

Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Here we see that our Father rested on the first Sabbath that there ever was in the earth. I believe one reason was to stop and spend time with His creation. He loves us and wants to be with us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We pray that Your kingdom will be here soon. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us when we sin. Heal us. Deliver us from those that would steal from us and destroy the work of their hands. Come to save us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

When We Rest

Today was the day that a number of people from our fellowship all went to Israel. We were happy for them, but there was a certain sadness inside me for them being gone. That sadness I believe was in part triggered by a built in longing to be in Israel. As we rest on the Sabbath today, I just wanted to leave a scripture for contemplation.

Psalms 134:1 Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
3 The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Bring Your kingdom and come now. We bless Your name Yahuah. Send us Your abundant provision now. Forgive us our sin. Deliver us from the evil around us. Heal our hearts. We weep for Jerusalem. Heal her. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Resting For A Time

Interesting things have been happening for me of late. For many years off and on I would have spiritual dreams. Of late they are becoming more frequent. Recently, visions during waking hours have been added to this. Last night I dreamed of being on a vacation. On this vacation I spent all of my week (seven days) resting. It was coming up on the last day and time for my return. The only way I could get to my flight on time was to skip the last event and have the airline send someone to pick me up. There were two or three older Jewish couple there waiting to return as well. They were laughing and joking with each other. A lady arrived on the scene and she was talking about how much she would enjoy the vacation. She had two weeks (14 days) for her vacation.

When I woke up I asked God what the dream was about. He reminded me of the chanting that was in the dream. Ezekiel 9….38. There is no Ezekial 9:38. There is an Ezekial 9 and an Ezekial 38. Interestingly enough, the last verse in Ezekiel 9 is Ezekiel 9:11. These are below.

Ezekiel 9:1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;
4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.
10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

Ezekiel 38:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10 Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Today on the Sabbath, these are worth considering.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need Your kingdom here with us. We praise the name Yahuah. Send us the overwhelming provision that You have set aside for us that follow You. Forgive us our sin. We long for You to be with us. Heal us and keep us on Your path. Deliver us. Come with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm to deliver Your people from those that would steal what You have given to us. We ask this in the name of Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Searching While We Rest

We are most blessed among all the people on the earth to have the opportunity to rest each week. Here, on the Sabbath, we have the time to recline and consider Yahuah (Lord), Creator of heaven and earth. He has given unto us specific times and seasons to mark His will and His ways. It is His Sabbaths and the appointed Feasts that are the good news, for as long as we keep them we declare our Messiah and Yahuah drives evil from our midst.

Nahum 1:15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

We are also to let the land rest every seventh year, a Sabbath of years to Yahuah. This is His command.

Leviticus 25:1 And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord.
3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.

When we do these things in obedience to Yahuah (lord), He is our Defender and our Strong Tower.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You the Most High. You are our King. We praise and thank You. We praise and thank the name Yahuah (Lord). Let Your kingdom reign here. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sin. Help us to build a hedge against evil around our hearts and minds. Heal us. Deliver us from those that would steal from us what You have provided. Crush them and take from them what they have and give it to Your people. Come with a strong hand and outstretched arm. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Resting In Him

Today I had the privilege and the blessing of watching as our Father did a miracle for a friend of mine. He was up against and even past a deadline. Yet, in a moment, out of nowhere came the answer and deliverance. This on the Sabbath. God delivers us even on the Sabbath. Yeshua taught us that.

Mark 3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Here we see that Yeshua tells us that healing is an act of the Father, and that healing and deliverance are for the Sabbath. And I saw it today.

Father
We exalt You. We praise Your name Yahuah (Lord). You are our King. Send us Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sin. Deliver us with a mighty hand. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

We Can Have Peace

Our Father has given us the Sabbath for our rest. And He has also given us a promise of peace.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

And there remains a Sabbath for us (translated “rest” in the letter to the Hebrews).

Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Today, let us rest and have peace.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. You alone are worthy to be named King. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us from those that would steal from us what You have provided. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Peter And The Dogs

The Sabbath is a time of rest and reflection. Today as I reflected on the scriptures I saw something in a different light. It was in Peter’s second letter.

2 Peter 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

In the past I always considered this to be referring to people that become believers that did not know God, going back to their old ways. Certainly this is not good. However, I believe what we are seeing here Peter describing people that know about the Father giving us His commandments, and then saying that they are not for today. Or saying that the Old Testament is not for today – “…to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” This is further supported by an earlier verse.

2 Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

He is comparing these people to Balaam who was willing to try to self the influence of the Father against the people of Israel, contrary to what Yahuah (Lord) had said. When we speak against God’s commandments, law and precepts, we become these people. Let it not be said so of us who serve the True and Living God, Yahuah (Lord).

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are the True King. We praise the name Yahuah. Send us Your overwhelming abundance today. Forgive us our sin. Help us to know and to follow You in Your ways. Heal up our minds and hearts. Deliver us from the evil that we see. Deliver us from the evil that would take from us what You alone have provided Yahuah (Lord). In Yeshua’s (Jesus) name. Amen.

Our Father Cares

For many of us when we think of the word father it comes with mixed emotions based on our past. Our heavenly Father is not like us earthly fathers – He is perfect. He is what all fathers here on earth wish they could be. He is what all of us here on earth wish our father was or had been. He truly loves us and watches out for us. Today as I rest on this Sabbath, I think of this aspect of our Father, Yahuah (Lord). My daughter recently prayed for a dog. Twice. Up to this point I had not been fond of the idea. Suddenly, I found myself wanting a dog as well. Yes, God works in mysterious ways. Anyway, the point is Yahuah (lord) heard her prayer, like He hears all our prayers.

Psalms 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Today we go pick up a dog for the family. It is somewhat challenging, but having this dog will likely make us all think about our commitments to each other and to having fun family times. We will rest today knowing that our God never fails. He even hears simple prayers, like those of a child for a dog. Praise Yahuah (Lord)!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King, and we thank You for that. Praise Yahuah, for He is worthy to be praised! Send us today overwhelming provision, overflowing to those around us. Forgive us for our sins. Heal up our hearts. Help each of us to think of those around us. Deliver us from temptations, and deliver us from the evil that would take from us that which You have given us. Deliver us with a strong hand. Stretch out Your arm now, and deliver us from the thief and destroyer. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

We Cannot Do It Alone

God gives gifts to men. The first was the earth and its fullness, to subdue it and rule over it.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
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.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Unfortunately, we messed up. But our Father did not give up on us. He made us leave what we today call paradise, but gave us a promise of a better future. He also continued to work with His children, us, to help us be His people and to bless our work. We are to pursue that better future. We are to be those better people. And we cannot do it alone. Yahuah (Lord) is there with us, just as Solomon described many years ago.

Psalms 127: A Song of degrees for Solomon.
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.
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

God gives us rest. God gives the increase, Solomon was saying, and it is silly to think we can do it alone. If we will trust Him and get our rest and keep His commandments, He will increase us in our goods and in our family. Praise Yahuah (Lord) who builds the house.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be our King. We thank and praise the name Yahuah (Lord). Let everything that hath breath praise Yahuah!. Send us now Your overwhelming provision such that we cannot contain it. Let us be Your dwelling place. Forgive us our sins. Heal us from all our diseases according to Your promises. Deliver us from those that would harm us, those that would take from us what You have provided. Confuse their works. Confuse their papers and their plans. Turn them on each other, but uphold Your people. Show us as a sign for good, that all men might know that You alone Yahuah (Lord) have done this. In Yeshua’s (Jesus) name. Amen.