When We Are Courageous

This morning I read a few emails from a pastor about some serious prayer requests. As I thought about the requests, I realized that the people for whom we were praying were facing challenging times ahead. It also made me think of all we must do to survive each day. In reality, regardless of our situation, it takes courage just to move forward through our day. And we can get that courage from knowing our Father, and spending time with Him.

Psalms 8:1O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Today, let us be encouraged, knowing our Father is watching over us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us do Your words, that we might be Your lights in this world. Give us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Restore unto Your people their health and peace, inside and out. Restore unto Your people their land and their prosperity. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken from them or held back in any way, their goods, their finances, and their blessings, and more besides. Rise up at this time, O King, and bring change into our lives such that all men know You alone have provided these blessings. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Comfort Comes

We are having a snow storm today. I just finished working out, and I can tell how old I am. After working out, my body feels the transition from working out to not working out. There is a certain exhilaration in that transition. I refer to it as a type of comfort. Work out, then comfort. Perhaps this is built into us. It also happens when we study the scriptures.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

So we are comforted when we have a true balance through working hard to know our Father and His scriptures.

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

Rising Up For The Rest

In preparation for writing today, I considered the possibility of how we are tied to what is in our minds. The idea came up for me as I thought about the date that I write in my notebooks. I reference the Gregorian calendar. This calendar is know to not coincide with our Father’s calendar. So, what would it be like to only think in terms that align with scripture? I do not know, but what I do know is the framework we use sets us up for what we actually see. As an example, the days begin with the beginning of the evening, or sunset. However, we treat them as beginning in the middle of the night. All of this is to say, our Sabbath is an appointed time in scriptures. Yet we can be persuaded to think otherwise if we ponder what has been set up by men.

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.

Let us remember our Father today, and rest with Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us serve as Your lights here in this earth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our transgressions of the Law (sins). Heal and cleanse our hearts and minds. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back from Your people in any way, and more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Changing Our Future

Watching the snowfall today, I thought about my past. For most of us, there is a thing or two we would change about our past – an unkind word spoken, a chance to help someone that we did not take – something that we think would have been a better choice. Unfortunately, there is no way to change the past, to date. But we can, and we are, changing the future all the time. We do that by changing what we do each moment. According to scripture, one way we create the future is by the way we speak.

Dueteronomy 30:11 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.

Here we see Moses says we can do God’s commands by using our mouth. If we say the commandments, we can do the commandments. God verifies this to Joshua.

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

Notice that Yahuah (Lord) is telling Joshua the he (Joshua) will make his way prosperous. Joshua does this by meditating (muttering to one’s self) continually on the Law day and night.

It may sound odd, but if we believe the scriptures to be true, then it seems that muttering God’s commandments to ourselves causes us to be prosperous and have success. I suggest the rest of the scriptures are also included.

We can change our future, and in fact, we do everyday by our words and actions.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us live as Your lights in this earth. Send us now Your overwhlming provision. Forgive us our sins (transgressions of the Law). Heal our hearts and minds. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back from Your people in any way, and more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Thankful For All

We are looking for the future of the time when we are face to face with our Father. That is good. But we can be thankful in this present state for all He is doing for us now. In times like these, I feel compelled to look up and say thanks!

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Praise Yahuah (Lord)!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Bless the name Yahuah! Let us serve You and be your lights. Send us now Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Bind our wounds, inside and out. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or held back in any way from Your people. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus).

Battles And Visions

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

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

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

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

Building Change

Today in prayer I was asking our Father about how to be more like Him. To embark down that road requires a person to be willing to look themselves squarely in the mirror and acknowledge their own faults. That can be tough, or at least it is for me. But as I thought about that issue, it seemed to me that perhaps that is a big part of our existence and purpose. We are to try to change for good, always seeking to make course corrections that get us back to our Father and His ways. We have to facilitate in ourselves the building of change. Mostly it is about choice, or choosing, I believe. In the face of even sin, if we will lift up our voice and proclaim the Father and His ways, He will deliver us from the present evil. This is in part what Yahuah (Lord) meant when He spoke to Joshua.

Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

We need to listen to what the scriptures tell us about how our Father chooses to work in the earth. Then we will be prosperous and have good success.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us shine for You before men. Send us today Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Restore unto Your people our health, for we are weak indeed. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way, and the more besides. Make it greater than in the days of the Exodus. Rise up, my King, and show Yourself strong on our behalf. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Help Is Available

When faced with challenges we can think about who can help us, where will we get help, how will we get help, and so on. One way to head all that off is to start our days deciding to reach out to our Father. If we will reach out to Him, He hears us and responds. Always. How do we know He responds always? Scriptures say it is true.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

If we know that He will always be with us, then perhaps we can take this one step further. Perhaps, one we make our own petitions, we can also make petitions for others. We can even ask our Father to use us to help others. In this way, we see the hand of our Father working, and our hearts are encouraged.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Bless the name Yahuah! Shine the truth of Your scriptures through us, Father. Send us today Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds, and cleanse them. Deliver us from the present evil. Restore unto Your people the prosperity and wealth one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold, and more besides. Let this be a day to which men point and say, “Surely the God they serve is mighty above all.” We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Warm Blankets

When snow falls it is often referred to as a blanket. Often I have thought about how this seems at least a little odd. Fluffy whiteness everywhere can be viewed as a soft and fuzzy blanket. Most often have thought of a blanket as a source of warmth and comfort for sure. Growing older I have come to learn to see the snow as a source of comfort at times, and other times not so much.

But the truth is, it can be a comfort for us if we let it. It can be a comfort because God made it for us. Comfort because scriptures us it to describe the washing away of our sins.

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

If we can learn to take what we see, and reach out to our Father with it, it can comfort us. Even in the winter, there is the snow that reminds us of scripture and His great love.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us be Your lights on the earth. Send us now Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Restore our health and safety. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all prosperity that has been taken or held back from Your people in any way. Rise up, O King, and strike down the evil that tries to oppress Your people. WE ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Committed To The Rest

This Sabbath I tried to remain very committed to the rest. By that I mean taking time to be with our Father, and not doing work. For the most part, It worked out. And God seems to be honoring my efforts, failed or not. It is not because of me, but because of Him!

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.

Our Father has our back.

Nuff said.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us shine brightly for You! send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us on the inside. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has 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.