Reaching Out To Reach In

Recently I listened to a few different presentations on CD that were really very amazing. They told a story of how to keep going in the face of overwhelming odds. One of the ideas was to be someone that reaches out to others. As I listened to the speaker it occurred to me that this is really true in the scriptures as well. We are often encouraged to reach out to our fellow believers to encourage them.

1 Thesallonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Here we see Paul telling us to edify one another, to build each other up, just as we comfort ourselves in the faith, love, and salvation of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) in our everyday lives. And we are to walk mindful of those around us that we do not cause them to stumble.

Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Again, we see this encouragement to edify one another, to build each other up. Now, it is true that we need to be responsible for our own walk in Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). We each personally need to seek the Father and walk in His ways. But there is also this call for us to reach out to others. But let’s think about that for just a minute.

If I only consider my own attempts to walk after Yahuah (Lord) and do His will, then I take on the whole burden. Truly, if I am all alone and there is just Yahuah (Lord) and me, then I do well to cry out to Him and seek His assistance to walk after His commands. But when we can, if we reach out to others to lift them up, then we create this giant network of many points of contact for each of us that is encouraging each other. Instead of just us trying to help ourselves, which is only one person, one string, bearing the load, we end up with this mesh, this rope, this huge support structure where each of us has many voices shouting that encouragement to cross the finish line in the race… “Keep going! You can do this!!! You are a winner!!!” This is just a portion of the brilliance behind the second portion of the summing up of the law by the Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus).

Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Just as we each individually need encouragement and edification, so also do those all around us that name the name of Yeshua (Jesus). If we reach out to our brothers and sisters in Messiah with words of encouragement, with hope, and with the testimony the greatness of Yahuah (Lord) our God, then we are loving them, just as we love ourselves when we attempt to encourage ourselves.

By all of us reaching out, we are really reaching into our own hearts, and encouraging ourselves to stick by our Father’s commands, and to love Him. And when we trust in Yahuah, it really does not matter what the world sens our way. Our Father is with us always, to the very end, and beyond. Praise the name of Yahuah!

Deuteronomy 31:5 And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
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.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are the King we have searched for all of our lives. You are the One that is always there to comfort us. We bless the name Yahuah! Let the kingdom of our Yahuah reign now upon the earth! Send us today Your overwhelming blessing. Forgive us our sins, and help us to overcome the temptations to sin. Heal up our hearts. Deliver us from those that would steal from us what You alone have provided. We need You in our lives, Father. We can only trust in You to defend us. Come to our defense. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Unnecessary Fear

We will come up against those that will oppose us in life. In those moments, our mind can be filled with thoughts about how something unfortunate will occur to us. But we do not have to give in to those thoughts. We do not have to live in fear. If we will turn to our Father and seek his face and call out to Him, He will hear us.

Psalms 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

When we are faced with the opportunity to trust and believe, or doubt and fear, we can know that Yahuah (Lord) is there to respond to our call. David would actually sing at these times, because he knew Yahuah (Lord) would not forsake him.

Psalms 18:1 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

We can win this! We just have to be willing to try. We need to sing praises to Yahuah and to call upon His name. When we will call upon His name, He will deliver us. Praise Yahuah (Lord)!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You! You are King! We praise and bless the name Yahuah! Let Your kingdom reign on the earth today. Send us today Your overwhelming provision that we need. Forgive us our sins. We are weak vessels Father. Help us to be strong. Rise up against the evil that would harm us and steal from us. Heal us and deliver us now. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Walking With Our Father

For many of us there was someone growing up that made us feel comfortable to be around, safe from harm. For me that was my parents. It seemed that we would be okay, if we all just stayed around each other. For some that may not be the case. But with our heavenly Father, it is most assuredly true. He has provided for us a way to walk in and if we walk in that way, trusting in Him, then life works out. Our Father wants good things for us, which is why He has given us His commandments, and it is why He sent His Son, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) to die for us. We can know that He has chosen good for us and asks us to walk in that goodness that He has provided.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

If we choose to walk with our Father, we choose life. And we can walk in His ways for He has given us the strength to do it.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Our life with our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus) is one of peace and fulfillment if we will hear his voice.

John 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

We need to spend time with Yeshuah (Jesus) to learn to hear His voice. Our Father has made Yeshuah our Mediator. When we spend time with the Father and with our Messiah, we can learn to trust in His goodness and mercy toward us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. We bless Your name Yahuah! Today, I cry out to You for myself, my family and friends, and all the people of the earth, that we might see Your kingdom. We need You here now. Send us today Your abundant provision. We thank You for forgiving our sins. We thank You for providing for our families. We need an abundant blessing Father. We need it soon. You are our only hope. You are our only King. Heal us and deliver us. We aask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Remembering Why

This morning as I sit at my kitchen window I look out at grass green from overnight rain. As I think about this life we lead, and that we are in yet another Sabbath where we get to rest with our heavenly Father, I think of another overnight reign that changed history forever. When Yahuah (Lord) freed the children of Israel, delivering them with a strong hand and outstretched arm, smiting all of the firstborn AND the gods of Egypt in one night, He set the example that would stand forever to those that believe. When He did it a second time, sending our Messiah Yeshuah to die on the cross for us, we could now see that our Father was always planning to spend eternity with us. He was always planning to defeat the evil one and all of the false gods and dark spirits that try to steal from His people. And He will always bring His plan and His words to pass.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Today as I was considering our rest with Yahuah on the Sabbath, I realized how many things He has shown me and continues to show me, when I am open to listening to Him. One of those things I have learned is that He has given us the power over our own mind to dispel evil thoughts and think on Him alone and on His ways. Formerlly I thought we just had to put up with “the buzz” that entered our brain with distractions, condemnations, fear, and more. Not so. Our Father did not call us because we were perfect. He called us to help us, that we might follow Him, that He might deliver us from such things. When I remember this, I realize that there has always been a way to win in our heads and in our lives. It begins with calling out to Yahuah for His help. David knew this to be true.

Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

A Vision
In the middle of the night I was awakened. After praying and battling the enemy for a time, I was given a vision. I saw what was today’s “world”, today’s “society”, in a full color movie. It was not a specific location. Then there was a violent back and forth horizontal movement, as if the movie was being shaken back and forth. Nothing in the movie responded. But when the shaking stopped, the movie instantly when to black and white and the content seemed to be the same “place” only it was like the 1930’s or 1940’s or 1950’s. It was as if society was turned back in time. When I asked Yahuah what this meant, He said He was going to shake the world and the result set the comforts of society back in time. Then he gave me the scripture Isaiah 60. To Yahuah be all the glory and power forever and ever, amen!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We long for You to come in Your power and reign from Jerusalem! Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today that miracle we need, that provision in a day, that resets our ability to make Your truth known through our lives lived here. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds Father. Lead us in the way everlasting. Destroy the works of the evil ones that would steal from Your people all that You have provided. Rise up, O King! Come to our aid today, for we are the weak humans that You created, and we can only survive through Your grace and mercy. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yehsuah (Jesus). Amen.

The Truth Is Coming

Today as I thought about how so many people have so many messages, I wanted to scream, “Enough!” There are so many pulpits tied to so many mortgages and so many years of mortgaged dreams, that the slaves line up to be beaten again. “Enough!” My God is becoming weary of those that oppress the poor. My God is becoming angry with the “shepherds” that fleece the flock. The day of Yahuah’s vengeance on behalf of the poor, the fatherless, and the needy, is rapidly approaching.

Psalms 82:1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Yet, He is merciful. He is calling our nation, yes, and the world, to turn to Him, Yahuah Tsavaot (Lord of hosts), and He will again turn to us.

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.

How long, o men of evil desperation, will you plot against the poor and the widow? How long will you eek out a luxurious existence on the backs of the downtrodden? How long will you attempt to blot out the name of His chosen?

The name of Yahuah will stand in eternity, long after any remembrance of those that steal hope from His people is less than dust.

Beware. Yahuah is watching, and will soon rise up to defend His people.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. Let Your kingdom reign in this earth. We bless the name Yahuah! Send today Your overwhelming blessing of provision that we have not enough room to hold it. We are so much less than what we can and should be; please forgive us our sins. Heal us and we will be healed. Deliver us from those that would steal from us. Come with a strong hand and an outstretched arm to smite those that would attempt to blot out Your elect. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Thinking Straight

Challenges have a way of making us stop to think about who we are and who we want to be in our Messiah. We say we trust in Him and we want to trust in Him. But when the real hard times come, we are forced to think about life from the perspective of who He is and who we are. Will we believe, or not? Will we trust, or not? And if times get even harder, then what will our actions be? We have choices to make, and they involve us getting ourselves out in front of the emotions that pull on us and calling out to our Father, Yahuah of hosts. He always hears us and responds by taking care of us.

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;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

This is not only the source of a popular song, it is also a source for our believing in times of trouble. There is another good scripture with a similar message that I enjoy from the Psalms.

Psalms 113:1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

This day I am very thankful to have a Father in heaven that watches over us in the manner that Yahuah does. He raises us up to set us with the princes of the people.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We long for Your reign upon the earth. We need You to be with us. Praise the name Yahuah! Send us today Your abundant provision, for You alone are our King. Forgive us our sin. Heal our hearts and minds that we make long for only You and think of only You. You are our only hope, our only joy, our only deliverer. Come with a strong hand and deliver us today. We ask these things in the name of Yeshua (Jesus). Amen.

Fighting Sly

There has been throughout history this idea that when we engage in battle that there should be some gentleman’s agreement about how we fight. While it would be good to think that there is some level beyond which we will not slide, at the same time we are trying to destroy our enemy before he destroys us. For me, when it comes to the spiritual warfare I am describing, there are no rules. I want to destroy the devil and his chump minions and the more gruesome the better. I hate evil, therefore I hate the devil and his chumps.

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

So our Messiah Yshua was manifested to destroy the works of the chump devil. We are to be like our Messiah. I guess we should do the same…

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We praise and exalt the name of Yahuah (Lord). Send us today Your overwhelming provision. We are desperately in need of You. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name.

We Build The Future In The Present

We often are pelted by the enemy with our past mistakes, or times when bad things happened. He constantly wants us to look at the past. If we give in to that distraction, it can be overwhelming and we believe the near future will be equally troubled. It is good to look at the past for the purpose of learning what to do and what not to do should those same experiences come our way. However, the looking with fear does not accomplish anything good for us. It only paralyzes us from moving forward.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Whether the past holds good or bad, we need to leave it there – in the past. Yes, if you have something for which to repent, by all means do and seek forgiveness from our Father through the shed blood of our Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) and He will forgive. But then press on. There is much to be done and much to experience that will provide for us the life we are intended to experience.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King, and we want Your kingdom all around us here. We praise and bless the name Yahuah (Lord). Send us today Your abundant provision. Forgive us for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Heal up our hearts and bodies. Deliver us from those that would take from us what You have provided. Come to our defense with a strong hand. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). Amen.

Courage To Change

In life we have to be ready for what comes next. That will mean that from time to time we have to change. But change is rarely fun. We have a tendency to want to just have everything stay the same. But our God wants us to move on with Him.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We need to become what God has planned for us to become. And we can. We just need to trust that God will help us make the changes we need to make.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need Your kingdom here. We need hope that You hear us and will come to our aid. We praise the name of Yahuah (Lord). Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us from within. Deliver us from those that would steal from us what You have provided. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Help Is On The Way

When we walk through our lives with our Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) as our true leader, we experience many different situations in life. When times are good it is easy to get caught up in all the events themselves. All those good things can become our focus. The same can be said for when things are not going so well for us. We can feel like things are “bad” and focus on those things. But regardless of how these things all move forward in time, there is still one truth. In good times and bad, we still need Yeshua. We still need His love in our lives. We still need the knowing that He is our Provider. We still need to remember that He provided for us the way of escape.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Here Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, makes many interesting comments. He makes many references to the children of Israel passing through the desert. He tells how they got caught up in many things, including idolatry. They did this even though they had all experienced so many miracles in the pillar of fire and of smoke, passing through the Sea, and countless other wonders. Yet, when faced with the tough choices of thirst and hunger, they quickly turned to not trusting that Yahuah (Lord) was on their side. Granted, these are tough and seemingly life threatening. But they are only life threatening if Yahuah (Lord) does not come through. Again, I am not trying to make light of these here. I know I face challenges to waiver just like everyone. And I do not believe that we ever really know how we will respond in those tough moments. But in every waking moment we can choose to reach out to God, calling to Him for help in our human frailty, trusting that somehow He can and will deliver us from these trials and from our own weakness and temptation to give place to fear. He is Yahuah shavuot (Lord of hosts, Lord of everything). He will not fail us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You truly are King over all, and You created it all. We bless Your name Yahuah! You alone are our only hope. Help us. We need life from You. We need deliverance from the enemy that only You can provide. Send us today Your provision. Show us where the manna in the desert is. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. You are our only hope. Heal the saddened and down trodden. Lift up our heads. We ask these things in the name of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). Amen.