Fighting In The Faith

When we pursue our walk with God, we will inevitably come to a place to battle our enemy. We are fortunate above all men because the enemy is out to kill us all. However, we have our God to defend us if we call upon Him.

Psalms 64:1 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.
7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

Let us remember that we serve a living and true God. He will come to our aid when we call.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Mos High. Send Your kingdom to destroy the kingdom of the enemy. Give us abundant provision. Forgive us our sin. Send healing and deliverance today Father. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Knowing We Are Loved

In life most of us have an inner drive that compels us forward. For some, it is stronger than others. It is the drive to know that we are loved. This drive moves us daily, sometimes in good directions and sometimes in not so good directions. The former usually comes from a good understanding of who we are and who God is to us and for us. The latter usually comes from poor self image and low self esteem. As believers, we can be on either side of this scale, but it is good if we can move toward the positive side. We can. To do so we must learn to trust God that He is good and He is on our side. We can do that through reading the scriptures, especially reading them to ourselves out loud. Here is a good one to help us understand who God is to us.

Dueteronomy 31:6 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.

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:

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

In these scriptures we can see that God never leaves us. He delivers our enemies into our hands. He will finish the work He began in us. He does this because He calls us His children. We are the children of the living God. Just as we love our children, He loves us, even more so. Today we can trust that our God will watch over and provide for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. We need Your kingdom in our lives and on the earth. Please send us Your kingdom today. Give us Your abundant provision today. Forgive us when we do what we should not. Complete that work of holiness in us. Deliver us from the evils of sickness and disease. Let heavens ways be found in the earth. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Pushing Forward

As believers we can and we will be a people that God calls to every day. He has in store for us a certain eternal future, and He wants to give us that future. However, we have to walk into it. God does not force us to move forward. God does not pull us as in chains into something we will not do. He only brings us to a point of choosing, telling what is best for us to choose.

Dueteronomy 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:
20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Moses spoke these words to us as the children of Israel were preparing to enter into the promised land. The promises that God made were amazing, if we would just keep His ways.

Deuteronomy 30:9 And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
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.
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

It is the same promise of having the words in our mouth and heart that Paul refers to about our salvation.

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

So we can see that we need to be saying the things God says, and that creates the possibility for us to do them. That was the message of Moses and Paul, straight from God. Today, push forward by saying what God says, and not what You fear.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Let the kingdom You have prepared and the kingdom where You dwell come to earth today. Give us our provision today, overflowing that we might give to others. Forgive us when we do other than what You have said. Destroy our enemy before us, and keep us in your loving arms under Your wing. Send healing and deliverance to Your people today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Making A Good Life

When we try to spend time with our family, we are walking down the path that God has for us. God is very much about family. We are a part of God’s family. It is very good for us to be close to other believers. God speaks of this frequently.

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.

Today, when we have opportunity, let’s enjoy the company of our fellow believers.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. You alone have the kingdom that we long to live in forever. Send Your kingdom to earth. Give us abundant provision. Help us to get back on track when we get off track. Send Your healing and deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Peace On The Sabbath

We have been given so many gifts from our Father. One of the great ones is this very day, the Sabbath. When we keep the Sabbath, it reminds us of the time of peace to come. Depending on whose calendar we follow, this is year 6000. We are coming up on some very interesting times in the fall festivals of Rosh Hashanna, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Schemini Atzeret. God set these days up for us forever as a sign and a celebration.

Leviticus 23:23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
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.
33 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.
35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
37 These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
38 Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

It can be shown through scripture that Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, is when Jesus was born. Today, rest and know that our Lord is coming again for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt you. You alone are our God. Send us Your kingdom. Give us Your overwhelming provision today. Forgive us when we fall. Send Your healing and deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

When The Time Comes

Isn’t it interesting how much in our lives is based on time? We work, eat, sleep, and do most things based on a time when they will occur. In fact, the only truly universal measurement seems to be time – all societies use hours and minutes today. Since time is so universal, it seems logical that God would have something to say about it. He does.

Daniel 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

In this passage we see that the beast at the end of time changes the times and laws. Literally this is the High Holy days and royal law (the Law of the Torah). The timing of the High Holy days, the feasts of the Lord, is obviously very important to God.

As believers, we can follow God according to His timing. Then, we will be ready, when the time comes.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Thank You. You have done and given so much for and to Your people. Please send Your kingdom and reign in the earth. Give us Your abundant provision. Forgive us for our faults and failures. We need Your healing and deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Days Like These

In the past there have been many times that I would begin a sentence with “On days like these…” It was rarely when what followed was something positive. Over time I have come to realize that for me the reason I felt things were not positive was really something that I was either doing or not doing with regard to focusing on God. I was focused on everything around me instead. When I focus on God, I become thankful.

Psalms 95:1O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

When I can get myself to slow down and think of God, it makes me thankful and happy.

If you struggle today, take a moment and think about God first, and thank Him for what He has done. I think you will find this helps get back on track.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are the King of the kingdom we long to see. Please send Your kingdom today. Send Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us when we fall. Let Your healing and Your deliverance come to Your people today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Battleship

The last couple days have been very full. So much so that instead of writing in the morning I ma writing today in the early evening. As I sat a moment to rest and consider all that is going on and how God is with us, I am reminded of a battleship. Having never served in the Navy, I likely have an unrealistic picture. My vision of a battleship is a sleek powerful cruiser that has within it the explosive power to change somebody’s world. It reminded me of how we are to be in our spiritual warfare.

Luke 10: 17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

In this scripture we not only see that we are to have within us the power to dislodge and destroy the enemy, it makes Jesus happy when we do. He does provide a word of caution to not get puffed up thinking we are something special as a resul. We are to be like this. We are God’s battleships on the sea of mankind.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Thank You for being our King and Ruler. Send Your kingdom to this earth. Reign, Lord. Send us abundant provision today. Forgive us when we make the dumb mistakes that we know we will. Send Your healing and deliverance, especially from ebola. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Have Hope

Today as I was preparing to write I was thinking of all that God has been doing in my life and in the lives of those around me. There seems to be every day a need for many pieces and parts to come together for ongoing success, regardless of the topic – family, relationships, work, etc. Thinking of two recent, current events I realized that it takes hope to see things through.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The word for hope here in the Greek is elpis, and it means eagerly awaiting. When we have this kind of hope, it is based on trusting God. We can eagerly await for something because we know God never fails. We need this kind of hope.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

If we stay humble knowing that we cannot earn the right for good to happpen in our life, this humility can help us get to hope. The Law says if we do it we will be blessed. However, Jesus was the only man that ever did it perfectly. God’s blessing always came to those that realized they could not make it without Him – the humble. And our Messiah died an unjust death being without sin, making Him the eternal sacrifice for us all. Now we can know that God will bring good into our life when we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and forgiveness, and turn to Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise, glory to Your name! Send Your kingdom today Lord. Give us abundant provision today. Please forgive us when we do evil instead of good, and help us get back to Your path. Send Your healing and deliverance to those in need today Lord. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

It’s Not The Size Of The Mountain

Yesterday I was thinking about how it is necessary to cross some very high mountains to get from the Midwest to the west coast. It reminded me of the challenges we have in life. The can seem like some pretty tall mountains to cross. But our walk with God is not dependent on how big our mountains and problems are. It is dependent on our willingness to commit our lives to Him and trust that He commits to us. Scriptures speak of this in several ways.

Psalms 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

God set the mountains and the waters in their place, and He rides above them. If we ride with God, we ride above them too.

Mark 11:22And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Here Jesus said that a mountain itself will move, if we have the faith to believe it. In both these scriptures there is much else to consider. However, it is clear that God has power over the mountains in our life, and if we submit to Him and walk with Him, we do too!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You Are our King. Let Your kingdom come to the earth today Father. Send to us abundant provision today. And please forgive us when we fail You. Lift us up. Send us Your healing and Your deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.