Living In Preparation

We can live in a state of mind that allows us to be at peace with God and man. That state of mind requires only that we turn to our Father Yahuah (Lord) and surrender everything to Him. It really is simple, and yet at least for me I have made this very difficult at times. Our heart will be with and grow where our treasure is.

Luke 12:29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

If we can build ourselves up in our Father and His will by seeking Him first, He will give us the Kingdom, with blessings. He wants to give us the kingdom. And we get to that place by turning our hearts toward Him. We need to meditate on Him and His ways and what He offers.

Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake,
30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Each day we need to seek that day to see what our Father is doing, and to do His will.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. Bless the name Yahuah! Let Your will be reflected in this earth as it is in the Heavens now. Send us today Your overwhelming provision such that it overflows to those around us. Forgive us our transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have transgressed against us. Heal and cleanse our hearts and minds. Restore right relationships between us. According to Your everlasting mercy, pour out Your blessing today that we might be a sign to those around us. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Seek Ye First

This morning as I was in prayer I found myself thinking about this scripture.

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In searching this out, it seems that the kingdom of God is all that He has said to us. Our Messiah preached the kingdom of God long before His death.

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.

There is good news (gospel). God is on our side and wants to provide the ability for us to follow Him. We must take time each day to determine what this means that specific day. It puts our Father first. There is no “pat answer” to this question. The answer will be unique for each one of us. That is the message, that God loves each one of us individually. We need only turn from our own ways and to Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your will be among us in this earth. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our trespasses and help us to forgive those that have trespassed against us. Heal and cleanse our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the present evil. Restore unto Your people all that is good, that has been taken or held back in any way, and the more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Rise up, my King, and deliver us now. Amen.

Beginning The Beginning

To set things aright, it is important to begin at the beginning. But even more important than that is to begin eventually. This idea can be a struggle for those of us compelled to always be on time. For those of us that are not always on time, we can appreciate the importance of eventually starting what we have committed to start.

Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.might: or, army
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.for they…: or, since the seven eyes of the Lord shall rejoiceplummet: Heb. stone of tin

Today, let us start with what we have been charged to do, and our Father shall do all by His Spirit.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your will be done among us. Send now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have transgressed against us. Restore the hearts and minds of Your people Father. Restore unto Your people all the good things that have been taken or held back in any way from Your people. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Complete Rest

Recently my wife and I had a discussion about the Sabbath. It centered around the idea that no commerce was to take place on the Sabbath. In the scriptures they locked the gates of the city to keep the foreign vendors out.

Nehemiah 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
20 So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.
21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.about: Heb. before
22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.greatness: or, multitude

We have lost so much of our understanding of these things. It is difficult for me to try to sort out the right from the wrong regarding what is allowed on the Sabbath day. What we will do is continue to search out what our Father is doing, and try to put Him first.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Bless the name Yahuah! Let You will be done here. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our trespasses, and help us to forgive those that have trespassed against us. Heal our hearts and minds. Restore unto Your people all that has been taken or held back in any way that which is good. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

When We Can

We are always on the journey of our life with our Father. On this journey it can be easy to get causht up in the day-to-day. Often I have said to friends and family, let’s do thus and so when we can. But that time seems to slip away and it never gets here. This can also be true with the things we want to do for or with our Father. We have to find a way to live each day.

Luke 12:22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Let’s take this moment to think about and seek the kingdom, and the moments that we have with one another.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your will be done in this earth. Send us now Your abundant provision. Forgive us our transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have transgressed against us. Restore our hearts and minds, and chase away the evil. Restore all that has been taken or held back in any way from your people, that which is good. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Looking For God

In our daily walk it is important to be aware of what our Father is doing. We can call this looking for God or something similar. The point is to focus on what our Father doing and what we are to be doing as a part of that. We are here for a reason. Each of us is different. Our Father wants us to be successful at the reason He has us here. One of the things we are to be doing is showing our thankfulness for all He has done. We can do this through praise.

Psalms 145:1 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

Let’s praise our Father while it is called today!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. Praise the name Yahuah! We need Your will here on this earth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, that we might extend it to others as well. Forgive us our trespasses, and help us all to forgive those that have trespassed against us. We need Your help to forgive and forget. Help us to be like You, to not keep a record of wrongs. Cleanse and heal our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the evil that would lead us away, or cause us harm. Restore unto Your people one hundredfold of all good things that have been taken or held back in any way from Your people. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Marching And Deployment

As believers we are voluntary servants. At any time we can choose to go a direction other than what God intended. But as willing servants, we must be willing to receive our marching orders, and be deployed wherever our Father sends us. Many times I have stated that I was willing. However, when I stop and think about the potential reality of this as my family is prayerfully considering moving over 1,200 miles from what is now home. It begs the question, why are we here? There seem to be many answers to this in scripture.

Luke 19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

It is important to note that this is a parable. Too often I have heard people take the parable as literal, like Lazarus and the fiery divide. The point is we are to be doing something. It appears that occupying means producing increase, preferably the greatest increase possible. This is what we are meant to do. Let’s do this!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Praise the name Yahuah! Send Your will to this earth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision such that we cannot contain it, and it overflows to those around us. Forgive us our transgressions, and help us all to forgive those that have transgressed against us. Heal our hearts and minds. Rise up and deliver us from the evil that would beset us. Restore unto Your people all that is good that has been taken or held back in any way, and the more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Now Is The Time To Build

We can build when we can build. This may seem like circular logic, but it is actually quite profound. The point is, while we are able to build – the environment, the resources, our own strength, and anything else needed – we should use all that God has provided to build. This is evident in many places in scripture.

Proverbs 24:27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

There is an order to things, a sequence in which they are to be done. While it is possible to do them, we need to do them. Our part is to pray and seek God’s direction, then step out in faith and do what we believe that He has shown us to do.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your will be among us. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our trespasses, and help us all to forgive one another for the times we have been trespassed against. Heal our hearts and minds. Be with us Father. We need You. We need Your help and deliverance. Restore unto Your people one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way from Your people that which is good. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Don’t Turn Back

Repentance is turning from one thing to another. We often, likely most often, think of repentance as a good thing. Turning from evil to good is in fact a good thing. But a person can turn back to their old ways. In fact, sin is turning from the right thing to the wrong thing. The scriptures actually define sin.

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

We can see from this that doing something other than what God has prescribed in the Law is sin by definition. This is how we can have sin that we are not aware of if we do something contrary to the Law without knowing it. That said, it is important that we remember as believers not to give up, give in, or turn back, to keep going in the face of difficulty. We are meant to be the winners, and will be if we just hold on. It is our Father doing the work and He will not stop until He finishes it.

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

Let’s remember today to press on.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! You alone are worthy of our praises! Let Your will be among us. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins, and help us all to forgive those that have transgressed against us. Heal our hearts and minds. Restore unto Your people all good things that have been taken or held back in any way. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

A Time For Everything

In thinking about life, we have many things that we face as believers. This has always been true, as scriptures tell us.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;to be…: Heb. to bear
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Perhaps if we can remember this, we can remember to dance even when times are more challenging. Let’s remember to dance!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let Your will be with us here. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our trespasses, and help us to forgive all those that have trespassed against us. Heal us from within. Deliver us from the evil that surrounds us. Restore unto Your people one hundredfold all that is good that has been taken or held back in any way. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.