Moving Forward

In life we always move forward, even when it feels like we don’t. How can that be? Because time keeps going. By definition we are farther along than we were even moments ago. The challenge can be to make this moment be more valuable that yesterday. But we have help in that, if we will surrender and believe, our Father will help us to move forward.

Deuteronomy 1:30 The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

Life is not always easy or hard. It is always a series of events that Yahuah (Lord) is using to move us on with Him. When we put crud in the foundation, we have to remove it and start again. But our Father wants to be with us and always turns to us when we turn to Him.

Malachi 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Today, let’s return to our Father and He will turn to us and be our God, and we will be His people.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. The world is troublesome to us. We need Your kingdom. We need You. We praise the name Yahuah. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. Destroy the works of those out to destroy us. We are calling to You. Hear our cries today, Yahuah, and come to our aid. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

It Takes Hearing To Do

We all want to “do the right thing” as believers. Yes, there are times when a part of us wants to go in a bad direction, that part of us that still needs cleansing. If we are to do the right thing, however, we must be hearing the right things. There are places in the scriptures where the Hebrew indicates this.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

The word “Hear” in verse four means to hear and to then do. What we see in this word is that doing is tied to hearing. Why is this important? Because we can control what we hear, for the most part. There is a key area to address here.

Deuteronomy 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.

The only person on the planet that hears every word that comes out of your mouth is you. Each of us is therefore the single biggest contributor to what we hear, and therefore what we can do. This is why meditation is so important. It literally means to mumble to one’s self. If we will mumble the commandments of God to ourselves, we create the possibility that we can do them. Whatever we say we create the possibility that we will do.

Today, let’s strive to say good things that we might do the will of our Father, Yahuah (Lord).

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We love and appreciate You. We bless the name Yahuah. Let Your kingdom be with us. Send today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us from all the evil here. Protect Your children from the thieves that would steal what You have provided. Come with a strong hand and outstretched arm to crush those works of theft from Your people. We ask all of these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

We Can Trust

We have a Father in heaven that we can trust. While we may have often acknowledged this as true with our minds, it can be a very different thing when events occur in our actual lives. Even when we know that He loves us, adverse events offer us a chance to accept doubt and fear. That is a part of being human I suppose. In those moments we need a way to win over these thoughts. There is a way for that to happen.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Acceptable to our Father who wants us to trust Him would be words and meditations (mumbling to one’s self) things that are in line with trusting Him. The children of Israel did not know the end of the story when they doubted God and feared disaster. But we have their story. We have all the stories of scripture that show us that Yahuah will always take care of us.

Today, think on these stories. Think about what He has always done for His people. He will not change that now. He loves and cares for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need You, and we need You now. We praise the name Yahuah. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Heal us and deliver us from those that are taking what You provided. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

The Peace We Need

Having just completed the Day of Atonement, it is interesting now to be entering into the weekly Sabbath. It causes me to think about life and the plan that Yahuah has had from the beginning. His plan has always been to raise up and to save His people. He “grows up” His kids, right? This is seen in the lives of many of those around us if we will look. Those that struggle their way through tough times only to come out better in the end because they matured and understand that Yahuah (Lord) is on their side. The growing can seem tough when it is happening, but it is good in the end,

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Growing up can be tough, but somehow we get through it. We can prolong it by having to go through the same challenges over and over if we choose not to learn. Eventually we grow up. But as I was thinking about salvation, what exactly are we being saved from? Yes, from our sin and the results of it. But I believe there is something more to be said here. It has to do with peace.

In my own life I see opportunities to choose fear or to choose trust. This is not easy for me always. Sometimes, yes, but other times, the fear comes on pretty strong. For many that I talk with regularly, this seems to be commonly experienced. That fear is a part of the results of the fallen world and man’s separation from our Father. If we stop to think about it, if we literally physically walked with Yahuah next to us at all times, then we would have no fear, and we would feel a perfect peace. That peace that we would feel, in a way, that really helps to describe the salvation we seek. And since the truth is Yahuah does walk with us and lives inside us when we serve Him, then we do have access to that perfect peace. That said, it might be good to have and to follow instruction to receive this peace, right? Paul did just that for us.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

We can have that delivering peace, if we choose it. Today, let’s choose peace!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We love and we thank You. Bless the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision in all areas of life. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from those that would steal from us what You alone have provided. Time is short. Your people are being enslaved every day. Won’t you rise up, Father? Won’t You rise up Yahuah (Lord), and crush the works to powder of those that steal from and oppress Your people. Come today with a strong hand and outstretched arm. We ask these things in messiah Yeshuah’s (Jesus’) name. 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.

Pray For Children

For those of you that have visited here for the last few years you have heard me discuss a young boy that had eaten from a feeding tube his entire life. He was five then. He is now almost eight and is still struggling with these challenges. Today he has his tenth surgery and hopefully last to resolve these issues. Please pray for Caleb, and also for all of the little children facing surgeries today. Let’s ask the Father for His healing power and mercy.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Psalms 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Today, let us intercede for those in need of physical healing.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are the King We need Your kingdom. We need You. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the evil that is stealing from us what You have provided. Please move today for us. Please reach out to Caleb and all of the children that are having surgery today. Let these procedures provide such great results that even the physicians have to say it is a miracle. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Like Lives Depend On It

Last night I attended a business function that had an unusual story tied to it. The guest speaker was to have his wife with him. Unfortunately she could not make it because her Mother’s sister had passed away suddenly. She had entered the hospital for what was to be a simple one hour procedure, and never left the operating room. She was young, and there were no anomolies, yet she was dead. It made me think of just how short life really is for all of us. As I thought on that this morning, a scripture came to mind.

Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Today, let us pray for our loved ones, ourselves, those we know, and even those we may not care for as if our lives depended on it. They just might. Yahuah is faithful to respond.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. We praise the name Yahuah. Your kingdom calls to us. Send today Your overwhelming abundant supply for all we need and beyond that we might help others, too. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. Be with those that have lost members of their families and comfort them. Crush the works of those that would steal from us what You have provided. In Messiah Yeshuah’s (Jesus’) name we pray these things. Amen.

We Are Family

Over the last few days some of my fellow believers and I have been discussing via email different concepts in the scriptures. It reminded me of the times that I have heard of believers breaking off fellowship with each other over some belief where they differ. Somehow this just does not seem right. There should be a way that we can disagree and still be in fellowship with each other. But then, it also reminds me that our fellowship today is not like the fellowship after our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) ascended.

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Here we see that they went to the synagogue daily. They prayed and ate together daily. They sold their possessions and paid off each others’ debts. So I guess, maybe we have yet to enter into real fellowship, likely because of fear of being hurt. It is my prayer that such a revival would come again and land here in our country.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We want Your kingdom here. Bless the name Yahuah! Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Help us to forgive one another and love one another. Let Yoru Spirit move among us that we might give our lives to each other. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

We Can Take The Next Step

There is something that we believers can look to and be encouraged. We can take the next step in the right direction, always. Why is that? Because our Father is always there trying to get us to return to Him, to turn away from doing our own thing, and turn to His ways.

Zechariah 1:3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

If we turn to Yahuah of hosts, He will turn to us. This is why the Law is so important. No human on the earth today can do it perfectly. It is like a mirror. It always shows us where we went wrong. That causes us to mourn our sin, and cry out for forgiveness. When we cry out to Yeshuah (Jesus) for forgiveness, He forgives us. Without that mirror we might continue in our sins.

The good news for us believers is no person can keep the Law, though we try. All people can seek and receive forgiveness if they are willing to confess their sins and turn them and their lives over to the Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) who was crucified, bled, died, and rose again that we might have life forever with Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We praise the name Yahuah. We need Your kingdom here that we might dwell in unity. We need You. Send us today Your overwhelming blessing of provision. Forgive us our sins. Turn to us as we turn to You. Bless the workings of our hands today. Keep us on right paths. Heal up our hearts. Deliver us from those that would steal from us what You alone have provided. Crush the workings of those that oppress us and steal Your provision. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Comfort In Knowing Direction

Often I hear believers make comments about wanting to know exactly what our Father Yahuah (Lord) wants from us. This has been something that I have also said with some frequency. Many times for me these words come when I am trying to sort through life. For those of us that have had these thoughts or uttered these words, there is good news. God often provides direction in scriptures that can be specific to what we are crying to Yahuah about. For me, I have such a case now. I have been wondering about the things we speak – what are things I should say, what are not, and what results should I see? Here is a portion of that answer, which I find very comforting. First, we need an underpinning.

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

This is one case where the King James translation seems most correct, based on the Greek words in the original manuscript. It is also in keeping with the entire Torah and ancient writings. God said to do things a certain way. If we do them a different way, that is turning to something other than Him, which would obviously be sin. To further make the case, what is the New Covenant? All believers today I suggest would agree that we are under 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.

For some that believe this does not correctly state the New Covenant because it is the Old Testament, I suggest that we go with the idea that there has to be two witnesses to something, and that this is one. Here is the second.

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Here we see the writer of the letter to the Hebrews clearly states that the New Covenant is the Law, the Torah, written on the hearts and minds of us believers. Yes, I know, not what we have been told by men today. To that I can only say what Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) has said.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The scribes and the Pharisees taught men to keep their interpretation of the Law, taking away from the Law that God Himself had given. That was their righteousness. Our righteousness must exceed that. How? We follow our Messiah’s example and try to fulfill the Law in our own lives. When we stumble, we ask forgiveness. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, which James says are our transgressions of the Law. All that has been said here to say this. We are to speak the Law, the good things of Yahuah (Lord), and from that we will see and receive great joy and blessing.

Proverbs 10:17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
22 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

We can keep the instruction of the Law because it is within us. We have the power to hear it and do it by speaking it regularly. If we say many words, it appears that there will be no lack of transgression of the Law (sin) as we see here in the Proverbs. On the other hand, we have the power to speak blessing, to speak the Law, and feed many.

I suggest we may want to consider speaking good things at all times, speaking the Law and all that which aligns with it. This is a direction that we can know and travel. We can do this!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need Your kingdom here. We praise and bless the name Yahuah! Send us Your overwhelming abundant provision today, Father, such that we cannot contain it. Forgive us our sins. We need Your help to do the right things. Help us to speak Your Torah, Your commands, that we might be able to hear and to do Your will. Let Your blessings flow that we might feed many. Heal up the hearts of those that hear our words, and heal their minds. Deliver us from the evil that is around us. Deliver us from the evil that even now is stealing from us that which You have provided. Crush the works of our enemies. Grind to powder their efforts and cast them to the whirlwind. Show Yourself strong on our behalf that all men might know that Yahuah is King and still reigns, now and forever!. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.