Thankfully Not In Charge

We had some interesting discussions at our small group last night. One area was very interesting to me. We are discussing what happened in Zechariah and how our God Yahuah (Lord) turns to us when we turn to Him.

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.

It appears here that what God was (and still is) saying is that He just wants us to turn to Him. He will do the rest. It is God that fights for us and it is God that will deliver us from temptation. Moment by Moment we need only to turn to Him. It can be done it would seem. We need each other and we need to encourage each other. If we do this, we can overcome the evil of this life.

To the original point, for me, it would be impossible to do this on my own. It seems to me that we as humans often feel like somehow we have to be the ones to make ourselves righteous. That is not true, and I am so thankful it is not true or there would be no hope for me. We are to do our best, however. The good news is, through the grace and mercy of our Father, we can get there!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. It is to You we turn and not to man. We praise and thank the name Yahuah (Lord). We need You and Your kingdom. Send us now your overwhelming abundant provision for all of our many needs. Please forgive us our sins. We ask that You forgive those that have done wrong to us, and hold back the evil that they may have begun. Crush the evil that comes against Your people, and turn the hearts to You of those that do it. We are Your kids. We lift up our hands to You and thank You. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

God Does Not Turn His Back

Today was a most interesting day. It began by thinking of the many battles we are in and it continues in that same direction. In particular I was thinking of the coming Passover. The greatest battle ever fought and won had for weapons only words and the will of One Man – Yeshua (Jesus). I will likely expound on this more in a few days, but I want to draw particular attention to something I have heard wrongfully spoken from the pulpit on many occasions. It is the idea that God turned His back on Yeshua (Jesus) His Son. Nothing could be further from the truth. This comes from the phrase that came from His lips on the cross.

Matthew 27:46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

But what the casual reader may not know is the origin of this scripture. It is the first verse of Psalms 22. It is a Psalm – a song. Yeshua (Jesus) knew the power in praise, and He was demonstrating it for us to the vary last. He was SINGING! He only had enough strength to get out the first line, but it was enough to save us all. Here is the rest of the song in its entirety.

Psalms 22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We praise and thank the name of Yahuah! You alone are worthy to be praised, and we love You. Send us Your overwhelming provision, especially for those that are far from us. Forgive us our sins. Heal us up Yahuah (Lord). We are cast down inside. Deliver us from those that would steal from us. We need You now. in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Simple Building

Today I was moved as I spoke a friend about a death in the family to think of the coming Blood Moons and that we could all soon be home. It is humbling to think of how great our God Yahuah (Lord) really is. In that vein I wanted to simply provide a scripture and encourage everyone to go out and build someone up today.

1 Thessalonians 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.

Let us be the brother or sister that causes another to be built up today.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King. We praise and thank the name of Yahuah (Lord). Send us Your overwhelming provision today. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us from the darkness that would steal from us what You have given to us. Crush them to powder and scatter them in the whirlwind. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

We Keep Moving

One thing that is impressed upon me about our Father in heaven is that He is relentless. He just keeps moving forward. It really does not seem to matter what the rest of the world is doing. As I look back at that sentence I smile because the rest of the world is His creation! Anyway, our Father loves us and presses forward. We see this when we are told that He will finish the work begun in us.

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

Not only does He continue to work in us, He works around us as well. This is one reason why David called out to Him. David knew that Yahuah (Lord) was always there, ready to hear us when we call.

Psalms 20:1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.

Today, if there is a particular need you have, call out to Yahuah (Lord) our God and He will raise you up.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We praise the name of Yahuah (Lord), and give You thanks. You are our King. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our transgressions, for as You say in Your scriptures, sin is transgression of the law. Heal us up from within. Deliver us from temptations, and deliver us from the evil that would steal from us what You alone have given to Your people. We ask this in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Waiting Upon Yahuah

Many of us have heard a certain scripture from the prophet Isaiah quoted as comfort and encouragement. Today I would like us to look at this scripture and think about what it means for us.

Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Let me begin by explaining the title today and how it fits in here. In scriptures in the Old Testament when we see the word “LORD” where all of the letters are capitalized (the “ORD” frequently is smaller, though still in caps), it literally is the name of God. Some say Yaweh and some say Yahuah. I choose the latter. It is not Jehovah because there is no “J” in Hebrew. If you want to try something interesting, put God’s name in every passage where you see the word “LORD” like this. It will change what you see. Back to the scripture here.

Where it says “wait” here in Hebrew also means to bind together. It also has a sense of eagerness in the watching, as if there is an expectation. When I take the fullness of this word into this passage, it says that if I will believe and trust in Yahuah (Lord), waiting and watching with eager expectation while I am bound to Him, my strength will be renewed like the eagle. What a great blessing!

Today, let us bind ourselves to our God, Yahuah (Lord), and watch Him work!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We praise and thank the name Yahuah (Lord). May the whole earth praise the name Yahuah! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us for our sin, for we are frail and human. Heal us and guide us in Your ways. Deliver us from the evil that steals from us and grind them to powder. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Restoring The Land

We are given a ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

We are meant to extend reconciliation to all men. But not just to mankind. God is also restoring His earth. There will eventually be a restored or made new earth.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

God will restore everything. That includes the land. Today, as I enjoy the Sabbath, I try to think about what that means. Someday the planet on which we live will once again be set free in the presence of the Creator as He once more walks with His creation upon the earth.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be King. We thank and praise the name Yahuah (Lord). Send us now Your overwhelming abundance. Forgive us when we sin. Heal us and deliver us. Let not the hands of evil men take from Your people that which You have given. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Waiting And Trusting

We all from time to time get the chance to learn first hand some life lesson that we see in the scriptures. Recently I had the opportunity to learn about trusting in God. There are a number of things in my life that I would like to change. Although I have asked for these things to change at various times in my walk, and they changed some, mostly these few things did not change. After our bible study on the “LORD of hosts” phrase in the bible, I felt a renewed desire for change. I cried out to Yahuah (Lord) in prayer in the middle of the night and again the next morning. Now one day later one of those things that I have prayed for change about many times has changed. God changes things, if we will trust in Him and wait for Him to move in our lives. We see this in scripture.

Zechariah 2:1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.
2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.
3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,
4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:
5 For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord.
7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.

Here we see that in His own time, Yahuah (Lord) is planning to deliver His people and return them to the land. We are His people. He is restoring His people today. If You are seeking deliverance from something, cry out to Yahuah (Lord) today, asking in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name that He would grant You deliverance. Then trust in Him and watch Him work!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High King! We offer up thanks and praise to the name Yahuah (Lord). You alone are worthy to be praised. We ask that today You send Your overwhelming provision. We ask that You forgive us for our sins, for we have sinned against You only. Heal our hearts and minds. Let Your healing power sweep in and heal us from the inside through to the outside. Deliver us from the evil that would tempt us. Deliver us from the evil that would steal from us what You have given to us. Crush them to powder and spread them in the whirlwind that all men might know that You alone have done this, that You alone, Yahuah (Lord), are the One True God. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Thankful For Repentance

At a bible study last night we studied from the book of Zechariah. His message from God was about how the ancestors of the people had prophets from God sent to them to tell them to turn back to God and away from their evil doings, but they did not. God was using Zechariah to deliver that same message.

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.
4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord.
5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

As we discussed this one of the things that came out was Yahuah’s (Lord) willingness to turn to us when we turn to Him. I think of my own life and the times when I do not do what God has said to do, or I do something else, and then I think of who God is. He is Yahuah (Lord) of hosts (everything). Yet He cares enough for each one of us that He will turn to each of us if we turn to Him. I am so thankful that He does not just write us off. He loves us and wants to care for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We give praise and thanks to the name Yahuah (Lord). Send us Your overwhelming provision today. We ask that You forgive us. We turn to You. Please turn to us, Father. We are desperately in need of Your love and mercy. Heal us from our past and our afflictions. Deliver us from the evil that would steal from us. We need You. You are our All in All. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Trust In God

Sometimes I hear about people facing challenges and they call out to their friends for help. It is good for us to help each other. Scriptures encourage us to do just that.

Galatians 6:10As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

But even more important is to call out to our Father, Yahuah (Lord) for His deliverance. He is our Deliverer and will help in time of need. This is what David always did, and He praised Yahuah for His help.

Psalms 20:1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.

David knew to put His trust in God.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We give thanks and praise to Your name, Yahuah (Lord), Maker of heaven and earth. Send us overwhelming provision today. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. Protect us from evil that would try to harm us. Let us not be dismayed but trust in You. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

We Can Build Something Better

Once I heard a wise man say, “We should strive to leave things better than we found them. as a legacy to our children.” As a younger man I thought of this as a wonderful ideal. As an older man I see this as an almost absolute need for the future to have any hope of being better than our present. I believe it is also the charge we have since the Garden of Eden. We are all on a mission to get the earth and mankind back to where we started. Acts spoke of this in part.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Here we see there has been prophesied from the beginning a restoration of all things. I do not suggest that we of our own power are to try to make things right. Our Father in heaven will restore the earth through His Spirit. But if we believe that it seems reasonable for us to be in cooperation with His Spirit. And a primary place to begin is something that each of us individually has control over already – ourselves. We need to take what actions we can to transform ourselves into the people God wants us to be. But how?

Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Today we can continue the process of build ourselves up in the pursuit of the restoration of all things by following this advice.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King of this universe. We praise and exalt the name of Yahuah (Lord). Send us Your abundant provision today. Heal up those with broken hearts. Deliver us from the evil that would steal from us and rob us of what You have given. Those dark forces, whether spiritual, physical, or personal that eat away at the things You have given us to possess, in small bites or in whole, let them be crushed by the power of Your might. Let Your judgement fall to set things right. We love You and need You at all times. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.