Missing The Mark

There are times when we as believers will err. We will make mistakes. We will miss the mark. It can be challenging for us when we do this because we want to do the right thing. We want to serve God. We want to be good to people. We just don’t. In those times we can become very down on ourselves. But this is the wrong focus, according to scripture.

2 Corinthians 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Yes we are to have sorrow for our sin. But when we take it to an extreme we do not allow God to work in us repentance, which is turning to Him. We stay stuck on ourselves.

Today, if you have been discouraged over something you said or did and won’t let it go, turn it over to God and turn to God. He will give you peace.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are worthy to be praised. Bring Your kingdom in this earth, our lives, and our hearts today, Father. Forgive us our trespasses. Please send healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name.

Quietness

The rest of the week is filled with many noises and distractions. The Sabbath is a day when we try to keep things more quiet. By that I mean we make a deliberate attempt not to get caught up in any “busy-ness”. I find myself trying to look at the things I see around me on the rest of the days of the week with a thought about God. What is He doing in this? I wonder why He made this this way? These may seem like fairly simple thoughts, but for me that is the point. They get me to look at the world around me as it relates to God. It helps me to get on and stay on track.

Ephesians 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are majestic. Bring Your kingdom to earth and into our lives. Forgive us our misdoings. Send us your healing today. Send us Your provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Independence

For those of us in America, today is a special day. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Talking recently with a friend of mine, we were discussing the uniqueness of America. Most people do not realize why America is special. It is not because the people are different or more special than people from other countries. America is different because it was the first place where there was no King. It was a government then that was truly for the people. Today, there seems to be winds of change blowing that are taking away some of this specialness.

Another thing many people do not know is that our founding documents were largely base on the bible – Deuteronomy to be specific. I am late posting today because I am with family, so I will be brief. Here are a few words of wisdom from that book.

Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
9 The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You above all others. You alone are King. Send us Your kingdom today. Forgive us our sins. Help those in need. Send us Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Catching Us

When I woke up this morning I saw a picture in my mind. I am unclear if it was after I woke up or while I was yet asleep. The picture was brief, but it was a picture of God catching me as I was falling. There are many reasons why we as believers can feel like we are falling. We can feel overwhelmed financially, emotionally, or even in our health if we are sick. We can feel like or know that we made a bad choice in a certain situation. God is always there to come to our aid.

Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

God is forever on our side. We have only to call out to Him and He takes action. We may have to wait to see the result of our prayers, or we may see them immediately. If we hold on and trust God, we will see Him take action. We can be thankful that God always catches us.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You are the good and mighty Kin of the universe. You alone are worthy of praise and honor. We need Your kingdom here on the earth. We need you here today, now, moving among Your people. Send Your kingdom today amongst us. Send today Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Doing Good

As believers we are involved in spiritual warfare everyday. It is possible that even unbelievers are. but we are for sure. The scriptures point to several ways in which this is true.

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.

Paul tells us that we should not weary in well doing because we will reap a reward. We will be victorious if we just do good. He follows this up saying that we should therefore do good to all, especially other believers. He offers a similar message in his letter to the Hebrews.

Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Here Paul speaks of sacrifices. Sacrifice in the Old Testament was performed and when it was God showed up. There was no fire on the alter. God would show up and set the sacrifice on fire. This is clearly a reference to God showing up, and He shows up when we do good.

We literally defeat the enemy to some degree every time we do good for someone. Today, let’s help someone, and defeat the enemy just a little more!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You are our King. We need Your kingdom on the earth a desperate way. There is much darkness and oppression around us. But You are the Light that set men free. You alone can defeat the enemy in a way that is absolute. Forgive us when we do not do good and give aid to the enemy. Lift us up. We praise Your name above all names. Send today Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Living Proof

Many times I have heard believers discussing events in their lives, wanting life to “move on”. I, too, have had discussions with other believers about the way getting to some point in life seems to be taking a long time. This morning as I was waking up, I realized in a new way that we are God’s handiwork. We are involved in God’s process of restoration of the earth.

God created everything, including man. He saw it was a good thing. He established a pattern of life with six days of work and a day of rest with Him. Man chose to believe and trust the enemy, the serpent, more than God. That brought in death and corruption. But even then God had a plan to use a man to reverse it.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

The earth was years in bondage until Jesus came and through the obedience of the cross delivered the world from death. Our lives here on earth have a beginning and an end. However, as believers, we have a life after this where we spend eternity with our God. We are being prepared for the future, just as we prepare in our youth for our life as we grow older. If we will allow ourselves, we will have opportunity to continue to learn throughout life, and also to pass on what we have learned. We are all on the journey to becoming the bride, if we will hold on trusting in God.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise and worship. We ask that you would send Your kingdom today Father. Forgive us when we err, and cleanse us from unrighteousness. Please send today Your deliverance, healing, and supernatural provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Walking It Out

Going through life to try to do the right things in following our God can be challenging. We may do well sometimes and not so well at other times. In all cases one thing is true. God never changes.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

If God never changes and we are experiencing challenges, what shall we say this is? Likely there is not one perfect answer here that fits all situations. But there are some indicators in scripture.

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
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:

We can be encouraged to know that the changes are likely from God. He is moving in us for our good. When we see changes, good or bad, we should pray and seek God’s wisdom. He will guide, comfort, and encourage us in the direction he wants us to go.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. We long for Your kingdom in the earth. We praise Your Holy Name. You alone are worthy of our praise. Help us when we get off track. We need Your grace, love, and encouragement, today and everyday. Please send today Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Fair Food

Today our family went to the fair with my wife’s parents and her sister and her family. It was a fun time as we have not all been in the same place together in years. One of the great things about the fair is the rides, and of course the animals. But one of the most fun things is the amazing fair food. There are elephant ears, mini-doughnuts, fresh fries, and on and on. Probably most of it is not really good for you because it is fried. But there is one thing that it is – comforting. I guess that is why they call it comfort food. The oil and the carbohydrates make a person feel comforted for the moment. As I thought about this today at the fair, it reminded me that we have an even better comfort available to us at all times. Our comfort and hope is in God.

Psalms 39:7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

This verse from the psalms is particularly comforting to me. To be able to have God deliver me from all my transgressions makes me feel that there is a hope. We can know that God is not only on our side, He is actively working toward helping us every day be the better followers of Him that we long to be. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High God. You alone are worthy of all our praise. Send Your kingdom today Father. Forgive us and deliver us from all our transgressions. Send Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Teaching, Learning, Resting

As I was thinking about the Sabbath today, it occurred to me that it is more than just resting. I can imagine that on that first Sabbath, God took some time with Adam and Eve. It was family time. They were new and probably had many questions. God would have been telling them more about who they were, what the creation was all about, and on and on. They probably laughed together as well. The Sabbath is all of these to me, and more. We see Paul speak of this in his letter to the Hebrews.

Hebrews 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

Here the word rest means literally to colonize. God stopped creating and spent time with His kids grouping them together. In this chapter there are three different words used for rest. Most of them mean to repose down like what we would do today on a chase lounge chair. This one for what God is doing is used once. Then the other one appears in verse nine.

Hebrews 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Here the word for rest is actually Sabbath meaning the seventh day of the week. When we put these all together we see that We are to relax, spend time with God gathering us together, and do this on the seventh day of the week. God still wants to spend time with His kids (even though there are many more of them today) teaching, explaining, and hearing us praise Him.

Let’s do that today on this Sabbath.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as our King. Bring Your kingdom to the earth. Help us and pick us up when we fall. Show us Your ways. Help us put aside the ways of the harlot we see in the book of Revelation. Show us Your truth and help us to walk in it. Send today Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.