Rising To Battle

It is easy for many of us, in the United States at least, to wake up each morning and go through our daily routine. There is nothing wrong with that routine. It is good, however, if somewhere in that routine, preferably at the beginning, we spend some time with our Father the King.

I have a friend that was telling me that for months when he got up, he would first spend time praying and journaling to the Father (yes, he also had coffee). He said when times arose and he would miss a day he could tell. Then through a series of events, he missed a week. When he went back to his journal he was stunned! he had no idea how much time had passed. He said at that point he noticed how easy it was to put off writing till later in the day, which easily led to the next day. He was determined to get back to his first thing in the morning practice. When he did, he noticed how his life improved. All because he spent time with the Father. I believe the scriptures support the idea that our Father waits for us to wake up each morning after watching over us each night, just to spend time with us.

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.

Today, as we rise to the battle, let’s remember that our Father is with us and on our side, each and every day.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. Only You are worthy to be praised and honored. Bless the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds. Thank You for the work You are doing with us today. Deliver us from the destroyer. Restore to us one hundred times one hundredfold, and hundreds of hundreds, that which has been taken from us. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Sequence

As I was thinking about the days behind and the days ahead, it occurred to me that they have relationship to each other. Tomorrow follows today as today followed yesterday. For many of us we tend to think of this as a line. It is an easy image to consider. It is like the stacked blocks in the fountain in my garden. The stone above a certain stone came after it, and that same stone came after the stone below it. It is this sequence that builds the walls and fountains from bricks, builds the weeks months and years from days, and builds us into the people we are meant to be from the events that occur in our lives and our responses. It can seem like a daunting task if we consider all the possibilities. But we do not build alone.

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.

We know then that our Father is with us, and He is building us. He will get the job done.

Philippians 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 us therefore work toward becoming the people that God has meant for us to be.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Thank you for the work You have done, are doing, and will do in our lives. We are desperate for You in our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the thief that steals. Restore Your people to the place where You have set for them. Make them the head and not the tail. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Unfinished Beginnings

Occasionally We may find ourselves discovering something, some work, some hobby, …something that we began but did not finish. I just had one of these experiences here. It at first frustrated me, then I was puzzled, and then I smiled. Reflecting on my forgetfulness I thought about how we are an unfinished work in the eyes of our Father – or are we? Perhaps not.

Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

God did not just remember it, He declared it from the beginning. To Him, the things is completed, we are a finished work. WE just have to walk through time and the circumstances coming our way to do the things we are instructed to do. From His perspective, there is no time, so we already have made it.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. Restore us, Father, both physically and spiritually. Grant us the ability to be free from all bondage today. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Allowing Ourselves To Be Comforted

Today as I reviewed the flurry that has been the last few weeks, I find myself considering life’s possibilities. What exactly has transpired for my family and I, and for others we know is something worthy of consideration. I believe. We must find our way to the correct way of viewing our lives if we are to succeed in life. By that I mean we are in a battle for our thought life. We can give place to the thoughts that want us to constantly cast ourselves down. Or we can fight to see ourselves as our Father sees us.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We have the power to be the sons of God. Yeshuah (Jesus) was the first born of many, and we can be a part of that many. We can be like Him. It is an ongoing work. It takes time. It takes perseverance. It takes the willingness to be humble enough to seek forgiveness and help when we fall. Yeshuah (Jesus) never lacked anything, and was able to provide for many. We can be like Him. We must call upon Him, and He will deliver us. We have the power in our hearts and minds and mouths to be the sons of God.

Deuteronomy 30:9 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.

Let us be comforted by our own words, and comfort others.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We praise the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts. Heal our minds. Deliver us, for only You can deliver us. Restore Your people that we may sit in the gate. Show us a sign for good that all men might know that You alone are God. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Honoring The Sabbath

Taking the day to honor the Sabbath of our Father, by not working and spending time with Him seems simple enough. But there are those among us that are required to work. There are still others among us that have a type of work that is a bit more self directed. In that scenario, we know that we must work to eat. It can be a challenge to resist the temptation that tells us if we do not take advantage of that day that we will surely not be able to pay our bills and feed our families. As I look at the whole of it, it seems to come down to finances. We are in bondage due to money and debt. Today, as we rest, let us call to our Father to first open our eyes to see the bondage, and then set us free from that bondage.

Exodus 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

We rest.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our true King. We long for Your kingdom. Bless the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us inside, Father. Restore our hearts, restore our soul. Deliver us from the evil that surrounds us. Restore to Your people the power to gain wealth to show that the kingdom is real and to promote it. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

We Search

For some, life is just a routine of one day after another. As long as it is pleasant, that is good enough. For others of us, we seem to always be on a search. We are always trying to get to that next place where we belong. Or maybe the first place where we actually feel like we belong. We are on a journey. Perhaps that sense of the need to search is God inspired. Perhaps He has given to us a great blessing, that of knowing that we need to organize our lives around Him. Often we can feel the most complete when we have spent time with Him. David spoke of this.

Psalms 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

God will respond when we call unto Him. David knew that his search was the search for the presence of our Father. When we long for Him and seek Him diligently, He will be found of us, and we shall be able to end our search. He is the lifter of our countenance, and we feel like we belong.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Bless the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. Restore us, Father. Restore our hearts and minds. Restore our lands and financial well being that is stolen everyday from Your people. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

The Seventh Day Of The Feast

Today is the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It marked the crossing of the Red Sea, I believe. It was the last day of the feast that the children of Israel had asked to celebrate when Moses asked the Pharoah to let them go into the wilderness to keep a feast. We keep it today to remember how they fled in haste, with no time to let the bread dough rise – no leaven. It is also symbolic of the ultimate deliverance from the oppression of our enemy when we completely flee sin.

Exodus 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.
5 And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month.
6 Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.
7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.
8 And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt.
10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.

We must fight to get the leaven, the sin, out of our lives. If we will put up this fight, our Father Yahuah (Lord) will fight for us. He will destroy the enemy in our midst. He will consume them and help us to overcome. He has already done the hardest part of this through the death and resurrection of His Son, our Meassiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Today, and everyday, let us remember well the freedom we are meant to have, and the price with which it was purchased.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are the only King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us now overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Pour into Your people again, as You did in the Exodus. Spoil the evil, and give to Your people. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

What Are The Odds?

We can get behind in our daily battles with the enemy. We that happens, it can seem like a great challenge to get back to the place we were, the get “caught up” to where it seems like everything is not so overwhelming. And we don’t really plan to get behind. We lose a little ground one day, then the next, and soon there are several days where we have not done all we feel we could or should to spend time with our Father. Sometimes it seems it cannot be helped – emergencies come up. Other times we let small things get in the way, thinking they are nothing. If we can remind ourselves, good times and bad, that this is really a battleground, then we will likely be more like David to cry out to the Father at all times.

Psalms 119:164 Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
166 Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.
167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.
168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.

David knew that the battle belonged to Yahuah (Lord). He knew that his only hope was in the Father. But that hope was enough.

Psalms 63:6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

David was certain of one thing. Whether he stumbled or not, if he would get back up by calling out to God, God would uphold him. That made the odds 100% to his favor that he would win, because Yahuah (Lord) was on his side.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. We love and appreciate You. You alone are worthy of our praise. We praise the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the one that steals from us. Restore to Your people one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Begin With The End

One of the great sayings of our time is to begin with the end in mind. In our walk with our Father, I think that also applies. We need to remember where we will ultimately be each moment of each day as we proceed through life. It can be a challenge because we are here and not there. We can easily access the present, or at least our interpretation of it. It can be a challenge to access the future. That takes faith. We need to understand exactly what faith is that we might use it to access the future reality in the present.

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.

We have to believe God exists and that He is on our side. From there, we can build a future.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us now the provision we need. Forgive us our sin. Deliver us from the evil that is around us, that steals from us. Restore us, Father. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.