Good Morning Sunday.......
Father, thank You for this NEW DAY. Please continue to FILL our HEARTS & MINDS WITH all that is YOU. Father, bless Your children, SO at every opportunity today YOU ARE SEEN, HEARD, AND FELT through us TODAY. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Name. Amen! - A Servant’s Wisdom & The Source Part 7 Wisdom: “Discontent makes rich men poor while content makes poor men rich.” ~ Unknown The Source AKA The Word This Wisdom Came From: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 NIV “Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need. I can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13 WMB “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” I Timothy 6:6-12 NKJV Prayer: Dear Father God, Abba, Thank You for waking us up and revealing to us, Your Children, The Truth. There is none like You O’ Father, none so Faithful, Loving, Kind, Merciful, and Holy. Help us to know what is most important Father, You. Father, please remind us continually and help us to know how to put You first. So often Father this world easily distracts us with other things that do not matter, thank you for showing us what matters through Your Son and in Your Word. Help us to understand Your Instruction, Your Wisdom, and all the ways You want us to prosper as we journey through this temporary life and move towards Your Eternal Life. Without You we have nothing. With You we have everything. Show us Your Ways Father... Show us Your Love. May We Bless You with Our Mouths, May we Love You with our thoughts, May we Glorify You with our actions, May We Rely On Your Promise, and put You First. Thank You Father... for everything. In Our King and Savior’s Name Yeshua, Jesus Christ, we pray these things to You Abba. Amen.
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Good Morning Sabbath...
Father Thank You for this NEW Day. Thank You for Your REVELATION. Thank You for Your Gift of Life, which IS OURS IN Your Son YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST. We praise You, we worship You, and we pray to You in Yeshua, Jesus Christ’s Name. AMEI! - The Truth: Our Father's Love Is Eternal & Unfailing It is Our Father's Amazing Love that had Yeshua, Jesus Christ, call the apostles, turn water into wine, reject the devil, and meet the woman at the well. His Love Brought Our Savior To The Cross. An Amazing Truth for us to understand is that God Our Father's Love Has No Limit, Nor Will His Love Fail Us. Brothers and Sisters, today Our Father Has A Message For Us ALL: You Are Loved! 😃🔥🙌 This is a fact. This is The Truth. And this Truth remains certain and constant for each and every individual on the face of this earth... whether they know it or not. Let us bathe in Our Father's Love. His Love Never Fails. He is Father To All. The True and Living God Almighty Absolutely Loves His Children, and we are His Children! It can be an easy thing in this world to associate with Our Father those who have disappointed us, rejected us, and those who have caused us suffering. Maybe some of us even believe that God will do the same thing. But here is The Truth: He Is Not A Man like those in this world. He Does Not Lie. He Does Not Go Back On His Word. He Is Never Wavering. He Is The One Who Makes Good those things which man cannot. He Never Changes. He Says, He Does, and He Makes Good. Let's take a look at His Word: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19 NKJV Our Father's Love Is Truth. Our Father's Love Is Clean and Pure. Our Father's Love Is Good, and Our Father's Love Is Faithful. As we take a look in His Word today, let us pray that if there be any of us who will doubt this Truth, that His Word today will take root in our hearts, minds, and spirits. It is an amazing and life changing Truth to believe and know that Our God Does, and He Eternally Will... Love Us. He Is Capable of All Things, but to Love Us Is His True Pleasure. As we mindfully read His Word today, let us all make them Our Truth. If any of us doubts at any time about Our Father's Unfailing Love Towards us, may we remember The Truth and hold fast to the reality that no matter what... We Are Loved. Our Father Sends This Message Today and He Wants You To Know This For Certain... YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE LOVABLE. YOU ARE SPECIAL. And... YOU ARE HIS. THE ALMIGHTY GOD, CREATOR OF ALL THINGS, HAS CHILDREN... AND YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE CHILDREN! Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we ask You today to open our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits to Your Unfailing Love. Through Your Scriptures, Through Your Holy Spirit, Through Your Perfect Son, and Through Your Work In Us... Help Each And Everyone Of Us To See You and Your Unfailing Love For Us. Help Us To Be A Conduit of Your Love to this world. Father if there be any out there who do not believe The Truth, raise us up to Shine Your Light and Give The Truth of Your Love, Your Regenerating Compassion, Your Unfailing Mercy, Your Permanent Forgiveness, and Your Ultimate Sacrifice... for us. We Thank You, We Praise You, and We Bless Your Holy Name. It is in Your Son, The Prince of Peace's Name, Yeshua Jesus Christ we pray. Amen! “Now hope does not disappoint, because THE LOVE OF GOD has been poured out in our hearts by The Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates HIS OWN LOVE TOWARDS US, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:5-11 NKJV “Behold what manner of Love The Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John 3:1 NKJV “In this THE LOVE OF GOD was manifested toward us, that God has sent His Only Begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” I John 4:9-11 NKJV “Bless The LORD (YHWH, Yahweh), O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His Holy Name! Bless The LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So The LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of The LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His Commandments to do them. The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His Kingdom Rules over all. Bless The LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His Word, Heeding the voice of His Word. Bless The LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless The LORD, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless The LORD, O my soul!” Psalms 103:1-22 NKJV SHABBAT SHALOM (Sabbath Peace) and Happy Sabbath everybody! Have a Great-Love-Of-God-Filled Day! Good Morning Friday...
Father Thank You for this NEW DAY. We have GRATEFUL HEARTS for all You Do. Thank You for the extraordinary gifts in our lives and the EXTRAORDINARY LOVE you share with us in YOUR WORD FATHER. Lead us away from false prophets, strengthen us to endure trials, and lead us toward YOUR NARROW GATE. In praise, we pray in YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's Name. Amen! A Big, Humble Thank You to our late Brother, John W. Ritenbaugh, and berean.org for today’s devotion. "Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received The Message with great eagerness and examined The Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true." Acts 17:11 - Being Nourished By God: Humility - A Choice “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” I Peter 5:5-6 NKJV The most important thing that we can take from these verses is the understanding and the knowledge, the belief and the conviction, that humility is a choice. Peter says, "Humble yourself!" We can choose to go the right way, and when we do, we have humbled ourselves. Humility is not a feeling but a state of mind wherein a person sets his course to submit to God—regardless of his feelings. This is a terribly hard thing to do. Along these lines, fasting makes us think about where our life-sustaining provisions come from. They are not inherent but have to come from outside of us—even the physical food, water, or air. We do not have self-sustaining life. Spiritual provision is from exactly the same source. The necessities that sustain spiritual life and produce the kind of strength that we want to have—the sense of well-being that we desire, along with a clear conscience—all of these vital "nutrients" come from God. They are directly tied to our submission to Him because "God resists the proud, but gives grace [favor, gifts] to the humble." If we are waiting for a "feeling" to come along before we submit to God, we will be waiting a long time. It may come; it may not. However, we may use feeling in the sense of a decision that is reached. When we say that we "felt" we had to go in a certain direction, we may not be speaking of an emotion at all. In that case, our "feeling" is correct and would be a right understanding of I Peter 5:5-6. Nevertheless, our part in settling the disagreement with God is to be humble before Him. The separation will not be bridged until we do what Adam and Eve did not: humbly submit! Extra Fuel For The Spirit AKA Instruction From The King: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14 Good Morning Thursday...
Father thank You for making this NEW day. We ask that You OPEN our HEARTS AND MINDS to the infinite TRUTH, GRACE, WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, AND MERCY SUPPLIED to us in YOUR WORD, OUR ALMIGHTY GOD. In YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's Holy Name we pray, Amen. - Following The Word: As Easy As 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Remembering scripture and what God Our Father wants from us is as easy as 123456. Here, let's take a look at Psalm 1:1-2-3: “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in The Law of The LORD (Yahweh), And in His Law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalms 1:1-2-3 NKJV Now let's add a 4-5-6. Let's look at Psalms 4:4-5-6: “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in The LORD (Yahweh). There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” LORD (Yahweh), lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.” Psalms 4:5-6 NKJV In these wonderful verses written by "a man after God's own heart," David, we see God using David to give us simple and easy to follow instructions. These instructions will always lead us to Yeshua, Jesus Christ, The Word of God, The Truth, and following His Instructions. A summary of these verses could be: Blessed is the man who seeks counsel from God, His Word, and His Commands. He thinks about Him all the time throughout his day. Try with all you have to be righteous. Follow The Instructions of God. Don't spend time with people you know are doing wrong or persecuting people. Always Trust Your Father The Creator of All Things. God is all that is good, so be still and know He is in control. If we do this, we will prosper, have peace, produce much godly fruit. If we follow Our Father’s instructions here, He Will Lift His Countenance Upon Us and we can show His Light to the World. This is following in the footsteps of The Perfect Example, Yeshua Our Savior, Jesus Christ The King. When we get into good habits of reflecting on Our Father’s Word, His Son, throughout the day, it's as easy as 1-2-3-4-5-6. Soak up the Psalms, let it fuel your spirit, have a wonderful God-Filled Day, and... Shalom Everybody! Prayer: Father, please help us to meditate on Your Word day and night. We know all good things come from You. Help us to see this in Your Word, Your Creation, and our lives... the lives that You Have Provided. As we go through our day, may we meditate on You and Your Word, so that we may be like a tree planted by rivers of waters that brings forth fruit in its season and never withers. Help us to put our trust in You, so that when someone asks, "Who will show us any good?", we can show them You. You Are Good. We Love You, We Thank You, and in Your Son Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Name we pray. Amen. Good Morning Wednesday...
FATHER thank You for this NEW DAY. We ask that you cover us with YOUR MIGHTY HAND. Let us understand YOUR MIGHTY WILL, so that we may see YOUR INFINITE GLORY. We ask this in YOUR PERFECT SON YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's NAME. Amen. - He Is... (Part 22) Our Father Is God. He Wants Us To Know Who He Is. He Shows His Character, Wisdom, Omnipotence, Power, Mercy, Justice, Omniscience, and Glory All Through His Word... Just For Us. His Greatest Gift...He Sent His Son So We Could Get To Know Him Better. He Let Him Be Sacrificed So We Would Know How Much He Loves Us. He Is A King. He Is The Creator. He Is Our Reason For Being. Today, let's go through The Bible and see just who He Says He Is. When He Tells Us Who He Is we can grow, understand Him more clearly, draw closer, and try to imitate Him and His Perfect Character better. As we go through Scripture, searching out His Character and Names, I encourage you to let Him Speak to you. Listen to The God of All Creation, Our Heavenly Father, talk to you and tell you exactly what He Wants To Do For you. Let's jump right in and listen to Him Tell Us Who...HE IS. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that HE IS, and that HE IS a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 Our Father's Nature Never Changes. HE IS, WAS, AND WILL ALWAYS BE. He Is Who He Is. That's what He Told Moses. I Am Who I Am. That's what His Name means, YAHWEH, I Am Who I Am. His Name Means...HE IS! He Has Come! He Is... Yeshua, Jesus, Salvation “And she shall give birth to a Son, and you shall call His Name יהושע (YESHUA, JESUS, SALVATION) for He shall save His people from their sins.” Mattithyahu (Matthew) 1:21 TS2009 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.” Matthew 1:21 NKJV He Is... True Food (Meat) and True Drink; “For My Flesh is TRUE FOOD, and My Blood is TRUE DRINK.” John 6:55 NABRE “For My Flesh is MEAT indeed, and My Blood is DRINK indeed.” John 6:55 KJV He Is... The Light of The World, The Light of Life; “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I Am THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have THE LIGHT OF LIFE.” John 8:12 NKJV He Is... The Door of The Sheep; “Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP. All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I AM THE DOOR; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.” John 10:7-9 ASV “So Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself AM THE DOOR FOR THE SHEEP. All others who came [as such] before Me are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not listen to and obey them. I AM THE DOOR; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will GO OUT [freely], and will FIND PASTURE.” John 10:7-9 AMPC He Is... The Good Shepherd That Laid Down His Life; “I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. THE GOOD SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP.” John 10:11 WEB He Is... The Sent of The Father; “Do you say of HIM WHOM THE FATHER HATH SANCTIFIED AND SENT INTO THE WORLD: Thou blasphemest, because I said, I Am The Son of God?” St John 10:36 DRC1752 “So how can you say that THE ONE whom THE FATHER HAS MADE HOLY AND SENT INTO THE WORLD insults God because He said, ‘I Am God’s Son’?” John 10:36 CEB He Is... The Resurrection & The Life; “Yeshua said to her, “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE! Whoever puts his trust in Me will live, even if he dies;” Yochanan (John) 11:25 CJB To Be Continued... God Bless each and every one of you on the other side of this screen. May each and everyone of you have have a He Is..., Yeshua, Life-Filled Day! Good Morning Tuesday.......
Father Thank You for this NEW Day. Please grant us TRUTH, WISDOM, DISCERNMENT, UNDERSTANDING, and KNOWLEDGE. Father we ask this so that we will not be conformed to this world, but TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our MINDS. In YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST'S Name. Amen. - Yeshua Said, Not Peace... But Rather Division: The Sheep And The Goats Our Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus Christ, makes a few statements that you don't hear many Christians talking about. Today, let's touch on just a couple of those statements. Let's begin with The Word: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” Matthew 25:31-33 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.” Luke 12:49-51 Here we see Our Savior speaking about how when He Comes, all of mankind will be divided into two groups: the sheep and the goats. The sheep represent His People, those who love and obey Him and Our Father. The goats on the other hand... are not. He goes on in Matthew 25 to say that the sheep are recognized because: they fed the hungry, gave clothes to the needed, cared for those in prison, and helped the sick. Now, it would be easy here to believe that our "works" are saving us, but this would be a false belief. How do we know this? This is why: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” Ephesians 2:8 So what gives? Faith or works? Well, what Yeshua is explaining is that True Faith ALWAYS results in good works, works that please Our Father... His Commandments... His Instructions. Helping the needy, broken, and destitute are part of following His Instructions. Loving Him and Loving each other... it's all there. There is no doubt that we can't do it all by ourselves, but that is why The Body of Christ, The Church exists. The Church can do it together along with Our Savior. When we have Saving Faith it changes something in us. Pretty soon we are studying, giving, witnessing, serving with a local group, sharing with those we Love, and taking part in different ministries as The Body of Christ. Something to think about: If Our Savior and King came back today, which group do you think you would get divided into? Would you be on Jesus's left or His Right? Would you be a Sheep of His, or a goat of the enemy? Search your heart. If you have doubts and don't know, or if you think maybe you are on the wrong side... Call to Him Today! He Is Merciful, He Is Just, and most of all He Loves You and Has Been Waiting For This Moment With You! May Our Father and Our Savior Bless You All Mightily Today! Shalom! The Word of God: “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” James 2:15-19 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15 “This Book of the Law (Instructions) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 Good Morning Monday...
Father, thank You for this NEW day. We ask that you OPEN our HEARTS and MINDS to Your Word and implant in us Your Goodness. As we walk with You today, gently remind us of Your Presence in our lives. Please watch over our loved ones, Your People Israel, and TRANSFORM our lives TODAY! In Your Son and Our Mighty Savior’s Name, Yeshua, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. A big thank you to our late Brother John W. Ritenbaugh and berean.org for today’s devotion. Gotta love those Bereans! Have a great day everyone and may Our Father Bless you all... Mightily! 😎🙌🔥 "Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true." Acts 17:11 - He Will Never, Never, Never, Never, NEVER, Leave Us! “ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 Consider the last phrase in this verse: "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." According to Adam Clarke, this verse is peculiarly emphatic in that this short sentence contains five negatives, making a literal translation scarcely possible. However, it would run something like this: "No, I will not leave you. No, neither will I not utterly forsake you." If we had to write that into English, it says: "I will never, never, never, never, NEVER leave you." What an exhortation! What a promise from the great God! "I will NEVER leave you!" "Get off your duff," God is telling these people, "and get to work! Throw off your apathy. Do the things that need to be done." With all the bad things going on in the church and the world, some of us may feel "punch drunk"—having to hang on, just keep on going. However, God wants us to take the time to somehow readjust our focus. This is no time to drop the ball. We have a wonderful promise that He will never leave us. Christ is alive, and He loves us. It is His will that we be in His Kingdom. He wants to make the most of us that He possibly can. So be patient! Guard against being emotionally drawn to insignificant things. Every single one of us has a part in this drama unfolding on earth. Men come and go, but Jesus Christ is the real Leader, and He is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." He is permanent. His preeminence and leadership are forever. What is more, He is faithful in following the patterns that He has established in His Word. Take heart! Fight the problems that arise. Do not give into the apathy that the world induces. Do not accept the easy deliverance, which the carnal mind and this world offer. God will help, as only He can. And when one's problems are over, we can say, "I didn't do it. The Lord is my Helper." The Word of Our Father, God Almighty: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for The LORD (YHWH, Yahweh) your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 “...and behold! I Am with you always...” Matthew 28:20 Good Morning Sunday...
Our Father Who Art In Heaven, please take Your day and use us, Your humble servants, for Your Good and Perfect Will. Father give us the Grace and Peace Only found in You and in Your Son Jesus Christ, Our King and Messiah. We ask this in Yeshua, Jesus Christ Name. Amen. - Is It Time? Overboard! Life can be tough. Storms will come. When we get weighted down, tossed about like a ship at sea, and maybe even fearful because a storm is raging in our lives... What do we do? Well, first we pray. Next we look at Scripture. Finally, we walk in THE WAY Our Father Is Leading Us With His Word. We are Our Heavenly Father's "Vessels" or "Ships" while we are in this world. We bear His Light, Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Spirit, while we are here in this temporary reality. As we sail through this life, as we encounter storms, we as believers must learn how to "steer our ship" in THE WAY Our Father Shows Us. We opened in prayer, now let's take a look in God's Word and see what Paul encounters during one particular storm in his Life. As we look in The Book of Acts this morning, let's see if Our Father Has A Message that may help us out in our storms. I bet He Does. Let's take a look: “And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.” Acts 27:18-19 Very interesting. Here we see Our Father and Savior's Servant Paul in the middle of a storm, his ship being "tempest-tossed" or tossed about by the storm, and what does he and those with him do? They "lighten the ship." Notice how in verse nineteen Paul notes how they lightened the ship... "with our own hands." Sometimes our spiritual "storms" in Life can be difficult. Sometimes these storms can be so loud and violent that it is difficult to hear anything else. Here in Acts Our Father Has Planted An Important Spiritual Truth In This Physical Illustration. Paul was in a bad storm, his ship was in danger of sinking because of this storm, so he and those with him decided it was best to lighten the load and eliminate the risk of sinking in the waters. Our lives, storms, and "ships" in this Life are really no different. As the storms in our lives are raging, if our ships are in danger of sinking, what should we do? "Lighten the ship." How do we do this? Well, first we must evaluate any unnecessary baggage that we may be carrying around in our lives. While this baggage may not be a sin, it does weigh us down. If our ships are weighed down too much when headed into the storm... we risk sinking our ship. If any of us is facing a storm, if we are being tossed about by negative feelings, negative relationships, negative habits or negative thoughts, it may be time to throw those things weighing us down overboard. Struggling with negative feelings? Maybe it is time to evaluate why we are having those feelings. Struggling with negative relationships? Maybe it is time to evaluate those relationships. Struggling with negative habits or thoughts? Maybe it is time to evaluate those habits and also evaluate what is causing us negative thoughts. Some negative feelings need to be cut loose. Forgiveness is usually where we can unload this extra weight. Some negative relationships need to be cut loose because they are weighing us down and holding us back in our walk with Our Father and Our Savior. Some bad habits can cause negative thoughts and eliminating one can can lighten our load on both. For example, maybe the bad habit of "binge watching" TV is weighing you down, and because this can definitely be a hindrance to hearing from Our Father and Savior, it is causing negative thoughts. As the storms in our lives are raging, as our ships are in danger of sinking, maybe it is time we evaluated those things in our life that are weighing us down, and maybe it is time, "with our own hands," to take them and yell... OVERBOARD! Yeshua, Jesus Christ, walked on water. He obviously kept His Ship light and eliminated things that would weigh Him down. He spent much time in prayer with Our Father. He followed the commandments, and did good to others. We know Peter tried to get out of the boat and walk on water also, and he did as long as his focus was on Yeshua, but as soon as he looked around at the raging waters and became fearful, he started to sink. Our Savior tells us that Peter's problem was Faith. His lack of faith was causing negative feelings and he began to sink. “Immediately,” Our Savior reached down and saved Peter, but Peter first had to "step off the boat." Peter had to "unload his unbelief," and metaphorically, "with his own hands," make that choice to unload his weighty unbelief, throw it overboard, and take the first step. Once Peter made the choice, the decision to "lighten his load," even though the storm scared him into picking that weight back up, that choice, that decision to lighten the ship and take a step towards Christ, made all the difference. Even though Peter's ship got weighed back down, Our Savior was there to lighten Peter's ship again. Peter's decision to take a step towards Christ, lighten his load, throw his doubts to Our Father and follow Our Savior, is what kept him from drowning in the water. We all want to hear from God Our Father, we all want to have steady ships even in the storms of life. Maybe it is time to throw some things overboard, so when storms come in our lives we aren't to heavy with burdens. May we all "with own own hands" lighten our spiritual ships. If we make that choice to lighten our load, give our problems up to Our Father, then we don't risk capsizing during our storms. The best part... Because we have made the choice to throw those unneeded things overboard, give it up to Our Father, and make the choice to take a step in the direction of Our Savior, even if we pick that extra weight up again, because we have taken that first step off the boat... Our Savior, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Jesus Christ, The King of All Kings, will be there to lift us up, lighten our load, and put us back on the course to peaceful, smooth waters. In a storm? Feeling heavy? Feeling like your ship may sink? Maybe it is time to lighten your load. Maybe it is time to yell... OVERBOARD! God Bless Everybody and have a Great Yeshua-Saving Filled Week! The Word Our Father, The One True and Living God: “Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:25-33 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” Revelation 3:8 “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’” Luke 19:17 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13 “Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to carry and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Good Morning Sabbath...
Father Thank You for this NEW DAY. Thank You for the immense JOY You give us. Help us to be Your LIGHTs in this dark world. Help us to show the kindness, compassion, mercy, and LOVE that You Have Shown Us Through Your Son YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST. We ask this in His Name, The Name Above All Names, Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our Savior. Amen! - An Exercise In Connecting With God Our Father: Joy #7 Step 1 - Prayer (Begin With Focus And Openness Towards God) Prayer: Dear Father God, please connect with us here as we seek in Your Word. Help us to show our Faith. Help us to find Your Peace and JOY. Be with us. Thank You. In Yeshua, Jesus's Name we pray. Amen Step 2 - Read Read the Scripture slowly. Be aware of any interesting words, phrases, or sentences. Read over The Scripture a second Time. Read: “Yet I will rejoice in The LORD (YHWH/Yahweh), I will JOY in The God of My Salvation. The LORD God Is My Strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.” Habakkuk 3:18-19 “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10-11 “But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with JOY and with The Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:50-52 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with JOY, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” Philippians 1:3-6 “that you may walk worthy of The Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with JOY; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” Colossians 1:10-12 Step 3 - Reflect Reflect on what stands out to you as you read. What is God trying to tell you? Step 4 - Respond Respond to The Word you just read. Talk to Your Father about how you feel. Tell Him what is on your mind. Tell him what is on your heart. As you go through your day today keep your eyes open to what you read, what you uncovered, or what you spoke to God about. You may find Him showing up in places you didn't expect. God Bless Everyone. May The God Of All Good Things Give each and every one of you PEACE and JOY on this day, Our Father’s Beautiful Sabbath. Good Morning Friday....
Father Thank You for this NEW Day. Please grant us TRUTH, WISDOM, DISCERNMENT, UNDERSTANDING, and KNOWLEDGE. Father we ask this so that we will not be conformed to this world, but TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our MINDS. In YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST'S Name. Amen. - Consider This... Again (Part 2) “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,” Hebrews 3:1 Consider Yeshua, Jesus Christ. What is it Paul is asking us to do? Consider. Let's take a look at the definition of consider according to merriam-webster: Consider - 1 : to think about carefully: such as a : to think of especially with regard to taking some action is considering you for the job considered moving to the city b : to take into account The defendant's age must be considered. 2 : to regard or treat in an attentive or kindly way He considered her every wish. 3 : to gaze on steadily or reflectively The old gentleman considered him attentively. — Edith Wharton 4 : to come to judge or classify consider thrift essential 5 : REGARD His works are well considered abroad. 6 : SUPPOSE I consider it's best that he left when he did. Paul is asking us to consider Yeshua, Jesus Christ. He explains He Is Our High Priest and THE Apostle. Consider that. Consider That Yeshua, Jesus Christ, Died, So You Can Live. Consider That He Was Never Been Wrong... About Anything. Consider How Much He Loves You To Come Down From Heaven, Deal With This Evil World, and Make A Way For You To Get Back To Him. When We Return To Him On That Final Day, There Will Be No Sickness, Crying, or Death. He Never Had To Do That, Leave His Perfect Home, but He Did... Because He Loves You. Consider that. Consider That He Came The 1st Time As A Lamb, But The Next Time He Comes... He Is Coming As A Lion. Consider That We Don't Always Understand Him At First, because We Have Little Understanding When We First "Wake Up." Consider that later we will understand. Consider That Yeshua, Jesus, His Name... Means Salvation. Consider That After 2000 Years Of Opposition, No One Has Been Able To Silence Him. Not Even Death Itself! 😃🙌🔥 What is it that Our Father Is Calling You to consider? His Love? His Sacrifice? His Perfect Example? His Death? His Resurrection? His Divinity? May we all take some time to CONSIDER the simple yet profound statement Our Father used Paul to write in Hebrews. May we all Let Our Father and Our Savior reveal to each one of us how we need to Consider Him. Prayer: YHVH, Our Father Yahweh Who Is In Heaven, Thank You For Your Beloved and Perfect Son. Thank You For All The Endless, Fruitful, Amazing, and Mysterious Things You Have Given Us To Consider About Your Son Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Jesus Christ Our Savior. Almighty Father, Reveal to each and every one of us what we need to hear in Your Word about Your Son. Bless You Father. Bless Your Perfect Son Jesus. We Love You and Thank You Eternally For Your Perfect Word and Gift. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ Name We Pray. Amen! Something To Consider, The Word of God: “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,” Hebrews 3:1 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed.” I Peter 2:24 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” Ephesians 4:13 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4 “But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” Revelation 5:5-7 “Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7 “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.” Romans 6:9 “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, The Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my Salvation.” Isaiah 12:2 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 |
SERVANT OF YESHUA 7
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