Faith Travels With Humility

When we think of our faith, there are many scriptures that come to mind. It is interesting that the one most noted for faith was Abraham. He truly believed in God and believed that God was on his side.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham uprooted his entire family and traveled to a far land because he trusted in God. Paul speaks of the need for faith also in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Many have thought that this passage was speaking of the doing away of the law. Here Paul is quoting the prophet Habakkuk, with the point being that it takes humility to have faith.

Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

The law never saved anyone. In fact, those that truly sought God knew this and often cried out. They knew that if they did not keep the law they were condemned. They cried out to seek God, not His rules, because they believed God wanted only good for them. On the other hand those that were proud and haughty thought they could just keep the law. They even added more to it so that their traditions were more strict than God’s law. In this way they thought they would keep the letter of the law, but they could not. Their pride got in the way of a humble relationship with our Father God.

We are frail beings. We are weak on our own. With God on our side, we can overcome anything and be blessed. This is the message God has for us. This is why He sent the Messiah to die for us that we might be reunited with God forever.

Today if you have a struggle, humble yourself, trust in our God and cry out to Him, and He will lift You up.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone can lift us up into Your kingdom when we are weary. Give us Your overwhelming abundant provision today Lord. Let Your reign come in our lives. Forgive us when we give in to thoughts of doubt and unbelief. Move us onto Your paths and into Your ways. Send us your healing and deliverance. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Peaceful Searching

As believers we can spend a considerable portion of our life in search of something. If it is a search for a closer relationship with our Father, that is a good thing. It is this search that helps us to better stay on the path He has set before us. if we keep looking into the perfect law of liberty and comparing it to our own lives, we can see where we are in relation to where God wants us to be. When we keep the Sabbath and spend time with God, we can use this time to do this very thing.

Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

God set this day apart from other days. This is a day dedicated to God and our relationship with Him. When we rest, we are to rest in Him on this day. It is this process once a week that helps us stay the course with our God.

Prayer
Father, I praise and exalt You as the Most High God. It is Your kingdom we long for each day. On the Sabbath, we can remember that the day will come when You will rule physically on the earth. Send Your kingdom Father. Give us our needs today, Lord. Send Your abundant provision. We need Your forgiveness and mercy for our failures. Please send Your healing and deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Chin Up

Have you ever had a day that seems like it was filled with one challenge after another, a day that just would not end? Perhaps you have had a week like that or a month or a year or more. The feelings we have in these times can be of defeat and cause us to walk through our walk with head down, slightly slumped over, almost in defeat. God wants us to feel and be victorious. But He understands that we are human. How do we know? Because this same experience has happened to many believers for centuries. We see this in scripture.

Psalms 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

Here we see the psalmist talking to himself (actually sining to himself) not to be discouraged.

Psalms 43:1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
2 For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

As we can see, the psalmist had this experience on occasion. As believers we do not have to be downhearted. We can encourage ourselves through psalms and hymns and spiritual songs that God is with us and for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of honor and praise. Send Your kingdom into the world and into our hearts and minds today, Lord, and dispel the darkness. We have needs today, Father. Please send us Your provision today. Forgive us when we give in to doubts and fears, and lift us up. Heal our infirmities, both on the outside and the inside, and those of our fellow believers. Deliver us today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Thankful That God Is Not A Man

This morning I was thinking about what to write, it occurred to me how men and God are very different. Mankind is known for turning their backs in times of trouble while God never leaves us. The scriptures speak of this many times.

Psalms 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
10 But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.
11 By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.
13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

It is sad when our friends walk away in times of trouble. It is not meant to be that way. We are meant to help each other and live in unity. But even when we fail each other, we can know that God does not leave us. He will not let our enemy triumph over us. Ultimately we win and He holds us up. I am so thankful that God is not a man.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. You alone can send Your kingdom to this earth. Please give us Your abundant provision today. Forgive us for walking away from each other. Heal us, both on the outside and on the inside. Deliver us from evil that would come to do us harm. Show us a sign for good. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Don’t Hand It Over

We as believers have an enemy that is constantly trying to cause us harm. We know this because Jesus stated this in scripture.

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 Messiah came to give us life. Abundant life. He did this because of His great love for us. As I was thinking of this scripture this morning and of how our God is always present to help us, it occurred to me that there is another situation that happens from time to time. There are the days when we are indeed fighting our enemy in spiritual warfare. We can give in at times and stumble, but we can turn and God will still forgive us and lift us up.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

The other times I spoke of are when we, without fighting, do things to just hand over the kingdom in our lives to our enemy. It is possible to do this by giving way to sin simply and without a struggle. For me there have been times when I thought I could not fight back because I believed the lies told me that I had no value. Many people struggle with self esteem issues. The truth is God never has and never will give up on us. In the middle of these types of battles all we need do is open our mouth and say no to our enemy and call out to our God. He will save us.

Romans 10:8 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.

Paul is certainly speaking here of calling out to God for eternal life. But this same act can work against our enemy when we are under attack. It works when we are tempted. It works because God has ordained it, that if we believe He is on our side and we call out to Him, He will come to our rescue. Today, if you are in a spiritual battle, do not believe the lies that you are no good. Call out to God and He will save you from that moment.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. You alone are worthy of our praise. Let Your kingdom rule in the earth today and in our hearts at every moment. Send us today Your abundant provision. Forgive us when we fail You. Remind us to call out to Your name. Send us today Your healing and deliverance. Be our Mighty God boldly today, that all men might know that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Continuing To Grow

This morning as I prepared to write I was impressed with an urgency to encourage us all to continue to grow. This may be short because that was the message, clear and to the point. A couple scriptures came to mind.

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

We continue to grow in our faith. Here Paul was speaking about telling others the good news of Messaiah.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Here Paul was speaking to how we should help each other to grow.

Today, encourage yourself and encourage others to grow in the truth of the Messiah and His soon return.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Please send us today Your kingdom. Give us overwhelming provision. Forgive us when we fall and help us back up. We want to see Your will in this earth, Father. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Led By The Heart

God has given to us a secret weapon for our walk with Him as believers. It is something that came as a result of our Messiah coming to earth to die for us, for our sin. He gave it to us as a contract signed in blood. It does not get more serious or intense than that. The children of Israel did not have it, and without it walking in God’s ways was difficult at best. What did He give to all believers?

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 also addresses this.

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

God wrote the Law inside us and in our hearts and minds. It is grafted into us. If we are believers, the Law is no longer an external thing but something inside of us. Only our Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) ever kept the Law perfectly. It is written in us now to help us do it. And perhaps the best part is that when we fail at it, He forgives us because we have the perfect sacrifice through the shed blood of the Messiah. We have a better shot at doing it, and a better sacrifice to cover for us when we don’t! What a great treasure buried in our hearts – the New Covenant.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God, our One True King. Let Your kingdom reign in our hearts and minds. Let it reign in this earth. We need Your provision. Send Your abundant provision today Lord. Even though You gave us this amazing new covenant of the Law written inside us, in our hearts and minds, we still mess this up. Please forgive us when we do. We love You. Send today healing and deliverance for Your people. Let the perfection of the kingdom that You live in, in heaven, let that perfection of the kingdom be here on earth today. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Looking For His Arms

This morning as I was drinking my coffee I was thinking about how we receive comfort from God, it reminded me of how a child looks forward to the loving arms of their father. When we face challenging times we can find ourselves feeling those those same feelings. As children, when we made mistakes our parents corrected us, but we still longed for their arms. It was that comfort that had a healing affect on us, whether it was from a scraped knee, a bruise, or the correction that they had administered to us. The comfort is something we were built to long for from our parents, and it is something we are built to long for from our heavenly Father as well.

Psalms 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

It is this longing that drives us through our walk with God. It is this longing that is relieved when we reach out to Him in prayer and praise. He alone is worthy of all our praise. If we live for Him and seek Him, we will find Him and He will be our God and we will be His people. That is why we have a longing for the Messiah. In Him we find the connection to our Father and He gives us rest.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Our Messiah then and now continues this message from the Father, that God wants to be with us and carry us through life, through the good and the bad. Today, if you are burdened, turn to God, be yoked together with the Messiah, and He will give you rest.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are the Most High God and our King. As our King we ask that You send Your kingdom to this earth. Come and reign in the earth and in our hearts. With You we can live in the comfort of Your arms. Please send Your abundant provision today. When we do that which separates us from You, please forgive us and draw us back to You. Keep evil from us Father. Heal us and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Stumbling

Last night when I got home from work it was my intent to fast for a few days. The events of the day and early evening overwhelmed me, and the next thing I know I was upset and decided to skip fasting. This is a good example of what can happen when we purpose in our hearts to serve God in a certain way. Fasting or not fasting is not the point really. The point is the determination to do something and then backing away from it. The good news is God still loves us when we make mistakes like this as well. There is a point to our service, and that is the message I believe God is trying to give us.

Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

When we focus on the wrong things it is easy to get off track. Our ministry is to God and His people, no to some ordinances for ordinances sake.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Send Your kingdom to this earth in a mighty way Lord. Let the angels go forth in the earth and minister to Your people. Send us Your provision to us in a way that will cause us to be a sign for good in the earth. Heal and deliver us. Show Yourself to be our Mighty God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Together

This week I had several opportunities to speak with other believers from other fellowships. We chatted in general about what is going on in our lives and about where life is going. Reflecting on these conversations, on the readings from the scriptures for this week, and in general on what is happening around me I see interesting patterns emerging. The one thing that seems to be standing out is the stark contrast between things of God and everything else. God is pure, His ways are simple, and He provides direction. Everything else always seems so convoluted and entwined that it becomes difficult to imagine the end. There are scriptures that talk about this.

Psalms 57:1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth

God is ever on our side. Choosing Him is choosing life.

The choice is simple.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King and our God. Bring Your kingdom to our hearts and minds, and to the earth. Give us our provision for the day Lord. Only Your abundance can keep us. When we wander from Your paths, do not be angry with us but forgive us and draw us back. We love You and need You in our lives. This is Your world and Your power is above all others. Show Your self strong on our behalf. Heal and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.