With Us

Today I had a discussion with a friend. He relayed to me a story of a believer that had a close relationship with God, like friends. In the discussion what came out is that God is always with us. He experiences whatever we are experiencing. What this made me think about is that He is with us in good times, but He also is with us when we sin. That was a sobering moment. I thought about a scripture that might confirm this is true.

Deuteronomy 31:6Be 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.

What is interesting here is that Moses had also said that the people would walk away from God when times were good. God would do things to draw them back. But He never will forsake His people. Ever.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. Great King, send Your kingdom. Give us provision and forgive our sin. Heal us and deliver us. Be with us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Thankful For The Hidden Word

Today I will keep this short. This morning while driving and watching the sun come up I was in awe of God. He reminded me of a scripture, and I am very thankful for what it said.

Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

This word is what God reveals to us and also includes His scriptures. He helps us stay on the path.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We need You and Your kingdom here. Send us provision today. Forgive us when we forget to thank You. Heal us and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Assistance Please

You may have heard the phrase, “I am not my brother’s keeper.” As believers we have a different perspective. We are our brother’s fellow warrior. We are to battle evil together, shoulder to shoulder. We do that by being committed to God and His ways. We need to have the resolve to pursue righteousness. We need to be committed to praise and worship of our God. Interestingly enough, the strong pursuit of God destroys the works of the enemy. This is the power of light. It instantly dispels darkness. We can dispel the darkness by getting closer to God, who is Light.

1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we are close to God the enemy must flee. He and his darkness will be dispelled. Acting together as one, we can do this.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are the Lord of Light. Let the light of Your kingdom come to our world today. Give us Your abundant provision. Forgive us our transgressions. We want Your will to be like a wave of change in the earth. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Hand Holding Hand

This is a great image to consider. It can be parent and child, husband and wife, or in some cases teammates. But why does a child seek to hold a parent’s hand? Husbands and wives? Teammates? In side is is built the confidence that holding the hand of another makes us safer, stronger, better in some way. This is true for believers as well. Instinctively we know that there is somehow safety and strength in being together. And we are to be helping each other, as Paul tells us.

Ephesians 5:19 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.

There is something very powerful in the believers being unified and being together. It is the community holding up the one, and the one holding up the community.

Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Sometimes we forget. We get involved in personalities and emotions and forget who are God is. We look at each other, and get off track. If we can get past this tendency, then we can experience what the first century church did.

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

The question is this: Are we willing to become of one accord and hold each up, that we might see the power of God again today as they did then where thousands became believers at one time?

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. Send us the kingdom today that we might find unity. Give us today Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us when we speak evil of others, and help us to not. Guide us in Your will and Your ways. Heal us, our hearts and our emotions and our bodies. Deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

We Know

Last week there was an interesting conversation around a campfire. The discussion was about the new covenant and the old covenant, and how these two interact with each other.

Hebrews 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

As we were discussing these things we talked about the great miracles the children of Israel had seen. There was the plagues in Egypt, the Egyptians setting them free and giving them gold, silver, precious gems and livestock, the parting of the Red Sea, the destruction of Pharaoh, the manna, the quail, the water from a rock, and so on. Yet they struggled with trusting God would keep them alive.

Numbers 21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

The difference we have, or one of the differences, is that we have the ability to know within us. The children of Israel saw God act, but only Moses took the time to know Him.

Psalms 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

We have been given this great gift of the Law written in our hearts and minds that we might know the truth and the way that we should go. Our God has given unto us a more perfect covenant in the new covenant. We do not have to figure out of God is with us or not. We know.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. We ask that You send Your kingdom today among us. Give us overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us when our faith falters and we do not trust. We are desperately in need of Your guidance and help. Heal us and deliver us. Let Your power be seen in the earth through us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

King Of Second Chances

For those of us that live in places where there are presidents and senators and so forth, it can be difficult to grasp what it means to live under the rule of a king. As believers, we do just that – we serve the One True Living God, our King. He is like all the great stories of benevolent, fair, and just kings we ever read, only far better. He not only fights for His people, He always wins when He does. Our King is undefeated. As I sit and think about God our King this morning, and think of all of His attributes, one thing stands out above the rest for me today. He never gives up on us.

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

He always returns to save His people when they repent of evil. He sends wholeness, which is what salvation means, saving the whole man.

Isaih 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

Today let’s remember what a great King we serve. He is the King of Second Chances, and never gives up on us. If you are facing something, some challenge, and you believe God will not help you with it, give Him a chance today. Let Him be King over that thing in Your life today. Ask Him for His help as your King, and watch as He transforms the very thing you are troubled by in front of Your very eyes! Hallelu Yah! We serve the undefeated King!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You today. You alone are our King. We need Your kingdom in this earth today Father. Send us Your overwhelming provision blessing today. Forgive us when we do what we should not do and think what we should not think. Help us to be better people today Father. Help us to do Your will in this earth. Heal and deliver Your people. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

When All Else Fails

This morning as I looked at the wet fall garden with the painted trees as a back drop I thought about how we walk through life. We pray for direction and God provides that direction. When He responds may not always fit our desired time line. For some believers, like myself, it can be hard to wait. We are the kind of people that want to be moving forward. The thing is, what I realized in writing this, we are moving forward. When we ask God something (assuming we ask according to His will) then He immediately responds. That means He sets in motion what it takes to get to that answer.

1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

John said that if we keep God’s commandments and do things pleasiing in His sight, we will receive whatever we ask of Him. This is a substantial promise, and can be difficult for us to comprehend. But it is not the only promise.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Here John explains that what we ask need be according to God’s will. How will we know His will? If we look at the earlier verses, His will must involve His commandments. One thing we also know is that His commandments, the Torah (the Law), are also now the perfect law of liberty. Why can we say that? Because Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us. So we have a Law that is absolute, contains blessings and curses, and works absolutely; and we have been redeemed from the curses! How perfect is that?!

When all else fails and after we have prayed, we have to trust God that He is doing what He said He would do. We need to rest in His peace, knowing that He is on our side.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy. We need Your kingdom and Your help. Send us Your abundant provision. Let provision rain like the manna and quail of old. Let it overflow our vats that we might bless those around us. Forgive us when we make our mistakes. Guide us always to and on Your paths. This is Your will and Your kingdom, and we are citizens. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Temple Care

There were times in history when there was a temple in Jerusalem. From the artist renditions of the two temples that existed at some point, they appear to be very majestic in their construction and design. It must have been an awesome thing to have the presence of the Father show up and light the Holy of Holies. And it is difficult to imagine what it would have been like to have the sacrifices ignited by the fire of God, a supernatural even each time. Recently I was considering this as I watched a man teach on Sukkot and the temple. It occurred to me that there is a new temple now that is a bit different, but just as majestic.

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Our bodies and our spirit belong to God. They are meant to be holy. We must keep this temple that God gives to each of us holy. In these scriptures Paul was speaking about fornication in particular, which is obviously not good. But there are other things we can do to our bodies AND to our spirit that are not good as well. It can be movies we watch, music we listen to, jokes we tell or are willing to listen to, the food we eat… the list goes on. Don’t get this wrong, I am not talking about what we should not do. I am speaking more about what we should do. With God in us we should want to pursue righteousness. We will not get it right all of the time, but when we get it wrong there should be a conviction within us that drives us toward getting it right the next time we have the opportunity.

I write these things not as one who has achieved perfection in this area, but as one with the drive inside. Let us all pray for each other that we might become the holy temple of God.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are Holy. You alone are worthy of our commitment to be holy to You. Let Your kingdom reign in the earth today Father. Send us Your overwhelming abundant provision. Do it in a way that it shows it is You and not just the work of our hands. Forgive us our sins. Forgive us when we are really dumb and repeat wrong things. Let us be like Yeshua (Jesus). Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

How Do We Say Thanks?

Our God has given us a precious gift. He promised to make a new covenant with those that believe. When Jesus died on the cross, that new covenant was sealed in blood, and it is forever ours.

Hebrews 10:15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Paul was speaking of what was prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah.

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.

Paul spoke of this in his letter to the Hebrews. He said that there was evidence that the Gentiles also could have the new covenant.

Romans 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

So God has given this gift of a new covenant and life everlasting to all men through the work on the cross of His Son Jesus. We can see hear how we can say thanks to God. We live out what is written in our hearts and minds, now renewed.

Today, let us give thanks to God in word and deed.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. We need Your kingdom here with us and we want to live as citizens of that kingdom. Give us Your overwhelming abundant provision today Father. Forgive us when we go against what you have written in our hearts and minds. Help us to follow You. Thank You for this amazing gift. Help us to use this gift to guide our lives in words and actions. We need Your Spirit in us to walk in Your ways. Guide and keep us in Your will. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

A Common Battleground

We need to be aware as believers that we all have a common battleground. We find this indicated by Jesus as recorded by John.

John 10:10 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.

Our enemy is out to take everything from us, even our very lives. But Jesus said that He came to give us life, abundant life. As we read this scripture, what is the battleground? It is us. It is each one of us and we are in this battle at all times, whether we choose it or not. Our enemy is relentless. The good news is we serve an all powerful God. Our enemy was already defeated at the cross by the work of our Messiah, Jesus.

We are meant to live lives that show this victory. Yet, there are times when we are faced with what may seem to be overwhelming challenges. What are we to do? Regardless of what happens around us, we get to choose. We can choose to trust and believe, or not. I do not say this lightly or as someone that always gets it right. On the contrary, I say it as an observer and as a student of Jesus and scripture.

Perhaps the most important thing any of us can do is to pray for ourselves and each other that we can have the courage to trust and believe that God is on our side.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King. We need Your kingdom in the earth. Send us today Your abundant provision, Your abundant life, both for us and for all who believe. Forgive us for our transgressions. Heal us and deliver us. We need Your will to be done in this earth. Guard us and keep us as it seems to spin out of control. Help all of us to trust and believe that You are on our side. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.