Little Comforts

This morning when my daughter got up she did not say anything. I was preparing our evening meal in the crock pot while talking to my wife on the phone. My daughter just cam over and hugged me until I put my arm around her. Like all children, like us, sometimes we just want to feel the comfort of of our Father holding us when we first wake up. As I continue with the day, this make me think of the little comforts we all seek. Not the least of these perhaps is that comfort from knowing the Father watches over us.

Psalms 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

He also encourages us to do good, and will help us to do it. He sustains us.

Psalms 34:13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Today, if we are to feel comfort, we need only look up to see our loving Father holding us up, like a big hug from heaven.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You our King. Let the whole earth praise Your name! Put Your kingdom in the earth today Father. We love You. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us when we make mistakes. Show us a token for good that all men might know that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Work Of His Hands

Reading the Psalms today I was both very encouraged and in awe. Our God is a very just and true God unlike the things we held dear in the past. When we place importance on something, it begins to catch our attention. If we let it go long enough, it captures our heart. But we want our God to be the most important thing in our life, for He watches over us.

Psalms 111:1 Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
2 The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
3 His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.
6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.

God watches out for His people. He is very aware of His promises to us, and executes judgements in the earth on our behalf

Psalms 111:7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Jesus (Yeshua) told us to take care about what we hold as important, that it will be our treasure.

Luke 12:13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

God is our inheritance, and we are His. He will provide for every need we have. He will be our defender. But He wants us to know Him and trust Him in that way. He wants us to be rich toward Him, and He will give us what we need every day.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God, and our King. Be forever toward us our Ruler and Provider. Let Your kingdom be with us. Send us Your overwhelming provision today. Forgive us when we fall. Pick us up. Let Your judgements rain upon the earth. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus) name. Amen.

Right In Front Of Us

Believers like us often ask God to show us the way to go, what we are to do, or even for a particular gift or ministry. Several people I know have been doing that for some time, and I too have been asking God for a particular ministry. At the same time, have you ever felt like God had something for you, as if He was trying to show you something that was right in front of your eyes and you just could not see it? I know I have said those very words for the last few months. Today, suddenly God opened my eyes and I saw exactly what was in front of me that would enable me to work in the ministry of my hearts desire. You see my brethren, our God does truly love us and wants to care for us. And He will do it.

Lamentations 3:21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
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.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

Mercy is new every morning. Mercy is new every morning. That is worth repeating. Our God loves us so, and the good stuff supply is renewed to overflowing every morning. Wow. He wants to give us the desires within us deep.

Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Today was amazing for me, which is why the late post. Our God is amazing!

Prayer
Father,we exalt You. Thank You for all You do for us. I am overwhelmed when I think of it. Send us Your kingdom. Give us Your overwhelming provision today, and forgive us our sin. Guide us, keep us, heal us, and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Thankful Living

This morning as I was praying about some upcoming events I found myself once again thinking of all God has done for my family and others I know. It is really amazing to consider that the One that created the 40 foot trees in my back yard cares about the little things in my life. And what does He ask of me, really, in comparison? He asks only that I follow His ways. Now if He created everything, it seems to me to be a good idea to follow His ways because, well, He knows what will work and what will not work. He knows where the good stuff is and the bad stuff is. Just seems smart to me. But the point that really blows me away is that He cares about and for each one of us. This morning as I was reading in the Psalms I cam across one that really expressed my feelings.

Psalms 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

For me, it seems that one way to say thanks is to spend time with God every day, like a best friend. Try to follow what He wants me to do, and better yet, take the time to ask Him what I should be doing. Out of respect, asking Him and then following up like His opinion matters. In the end it is really not opinion, but real direction for life that leads to, well, life!

Today, let’s all try to live life like we are thankful, and spend time with our true Best Friend, our God.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised and exalted. You alone are the One True Source for our life. Let Your kingdom reign on the earth today. Send us today the overwhelming abundant provision that we need. Forgive us when we fall short of the life You want us to lead. Heal us, guide us, and deliver us, and we can change. Help us to change and be more like You. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Set Free

Two words. They seem small, yet for many they convey much. To the hostages held in foreign lands for long periods of time, these are tearful thunderous words of joy. Possibly served over fast food. To the prisoner they represent hope, and perhaps some fear of failure once free. To the believer, they mean something very great as well. These words were spoken often by our Messiah.

John 8:30As he spake these words, many believed on him.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Jesus (Yeshua) said knowing the truth will cause the truth to set us free. For the believer it is freedom from the oppression that comes with sin. Free from sin. Set free. But what is sin?

1 John 3:4Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
5And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Jesus (Yeshua) said we need to know His words and continue in them. That means to do them. We are human and will get that wrong, but He already dies for our sin and will help us to be free from each failure. That is what He died for – our freedom.

John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

One of the great things we can do to fight the enemy of our souls is to continue in Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) words, to do them. In that way we will know the truth and be made free.

Today, let’s all be set free.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Please watch over us and guide us through this world. Let us be a part of Your kingdom coming to this earth. Send us Your overwhelming abundant provision today, Father. Forgive us our transgressions. Heal us and deliver us and our loved ones. Set us free. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Holding Fast, Holding On

When we are faced with choices about what to believe, sometimes it can seem like a real challenge. When we pray for our children to grow and go to college one day while they are yet in elementary school, it seems afar off. There is not a great deal of demand on us to really have to believe and trust God for what we have sought Him for as it will be years before we actually face that moment. It can be different, however, when the time is at hand. This is what happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness. In spite of all they had seen, when it came to food or water they would complain because they were at the moment of need. In that moment, their actions were different than their previous actions and beliefs. This caused them to lose the prize of rest that God had for them.

Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Their unbelief showed up in their talk and actions at the moment of need. As I was thinking of this today it reminded me of situations I have been in recently and over the last year or so where I just had to give up on what I believed about the points of need I had and let God be God over them. As I did this He delivered us out of many situations where I thought there was no hope. We are well trained to believe that life has to go a certain way or something is wrong or will be wrong. God is still God. We must trust Him to be our Provider and our Healer. Today, if you are facing what seems like overwhelming circumstances, just remember we serve the same God that delivered so many miracles to deliver His children from oppression. He still does that for us today. Let us pray for each other that we hold fast and hold on.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We desperately need Your kingdom in this earth now Father. Please reach out to all of Your people that may be struggling with unbelief and help them to believe one more time. Help them to know deep inside that You alone are our God and the one that provides. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us when we fail You. Heal us and deliver us. Please help strengthen our belief today. We love You. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Lift Up Your Heads

Life does have its challenges does it not? We can and sometimes do let that get to us. When we feel beat down from the grind of life we oftendroop our shoulders and hang down our heads. But we have a glorious deliverer in our God. He alone is worthy of all praise and honor. He alone delivers us in times of trouble. He alone is returning to earth to rule and reign physically among us.

Psalms 24:7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

Our God tells us that He is returning. He tells us that He alone is the one that will come to rule and reign. He will deliver His people once and for all on that day. In the mean time, He will watch over us to protect us without fail, 24/7/365.

Psalms 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Let’s rejoice today in our God, Ruler of heaven and earth, and our Friend.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. Please let Your kingdom rule in this earth today. Send us Your abundant provision. Forgive us when we do wrong, and build us up. Guide us in Your ways. Heal and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

With Joy Abounding

This morning as I thought about fellowship yesterday I thought of all of the effort we put into trying to survive life. But are we really doing what needs be done? Perhaps the effort gets overwhelming when we are forgetting that God is on our side and that we are to be doing His will, not our own. It is like we get all wound up in the events of life and begin to focus on them. Our real focus should be on the things of God, on what He is doing and where He wants to take us. He wants us to be happy and at peace.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

We can have these things if we seek God and His kingdom.

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We are given a path of life that allows us to be happy and have joy if we will take that path.

John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

John 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

Jesus said that when He returns we will ask nothing from Him. The time to ask is while we await His return. And when we ask He will give it to us that our joy may be full. That is what we should expect if we keep His commandments. I long for that joy abounding, and I will keep believing and expecting His gifts to men.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You the Most High. You alone are worthy to be glorified. You alone are due the admiration of all mankind. Send Your kingdom to the earth today. Give us Your abundant provision. Let it overflow to those around us in need. Forgive us our sin. Let us be a sign for good that all men might know You alone have done these things and that You alone are God. Let all men see You are our King. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

More Than We Expect

Our God is in the business of doing great things. When we have needs, He meets them. Often, He does more than we expect. That is who He is as our Father. It can be difficult for us to understand this because we think in human terms. He is not so restricted. He is the Creator of all things. He gives us abundantly the good things He has. And He alone defends us.

1 Chronicles 14:13 And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley.
14 Therefore David enquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
15 And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.

David called our to God in His need, and God delivered Him. God provides for His people that they may rejoice in Him.

1 Chronicles 16:7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
8 Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
11 Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.
12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

If we remember to call out to God, and then praise Him for victory, we will live in the presence and shadow of the Most High.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. Let Your kingdom be established among us. Give us overwhelming abundance that we might bless others. Forgive us when we fail You. Raise us up and teach us Your ways from within our hearts. Heal us and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Longing With Tears

Yesterday was a tough day for me. My wife was involved in a a hit and run accident in the slippery snow. She was okay but shaken a bit. I became very upset myself at the person, who I never saw. While it is a crime to hit someone and then drive away, it made me think about myself generally today. I thought about a scripture I read where Jesus walked about and the it seems that perhaps just who He was in His presence healed people.

Luke 6:19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

As I read this it sounds as if they wanted to touch Him to be healed but the power went out of Him anyway, touched or not, and healed them all. Either way, that is not the pattern I see in my own life. As I thought about what Jesus was doing, it made me think of what He was like. He had compassion on all mankind. The only people He ever got mad at were the church (synagogue) leaders of His day because they were teaching people that lead people away from who God really was. I guess my point is for me it is difficult to care that way about all people. But I want to care for people that way. I want to be like Jesus. I want to be that gentle spirited person that just heals everyone and cause no harm. As I thought about the comparison between who I am and wanting to be the person like Jesus, the difference made me start to get a little misty, hence the title. I think we all really want to be better people. I know I do. Let’s pray for ourselves and each other that God might do mighty work in each of us that we might have His heart for all mankind.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. We love You. We need Your kingdom here. We need to learn to be kingdom residents. Please send today Your overwhelming provision. Please forgive our sins. We need Your healing and deliverance that we might serve You better. We want to be true representatives of who You are and show people Your nature. Please do that for us. Help us be like You. Guide us. Help all those that come around us that they might seek You and be healed by Your Spirit in us. We love You. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.