Good Morning Thursday...
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. - Proverbs 3:1-7: Forget Not My Instructions “My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:1-7 Today in our Proverbs study we take a look at Proverbs 3:1-7. After addressing us, Our Father's first Word to us is "do not forget my law." Now the word "law" can be literally translated as "instructions." So a paraphrase of this first quote of proverbs could read: My Children, do not forget my instructions, But let your heart keep my commands. Now this is something we definitely see Yeshua, Jesus, telling His followers. His exact words were "If you love Me, keep my commands" (John 14:15) and " Anyone who loves Me will obey my teaching" (John 14:23). Our Savior here is confirming the Proverbs we are studying today. Remember, not Bread alone, but every word that come from the mouth of God. This lines up. Let's move on. In the second verse we find another promise of Our Father if we do these things: "For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you." So if we do not forsake His instructions and guard His commands, we will live longer lives and be full of His Peace. Next we read: "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man." Here we are reminded of the many times the Bible tells about the sojourner living among us and how we are to accept them and have them following God's teachings along with us. That is mercy. Then in the following verse we hear something we know Our Savior speaks often about, and actually commands us to do, proclaim Truth. We are to bind Mercy and Truth around our neck and write them on the "tablet of our heart." Think this is a reference to the tablets of the 10 commandments and the prophecy of Isaiah 31? I do. And He tells us that if we do these things, follow His instructions, show mercy, and live in Truth, we can expect to "find favor and esteem" not only with Our Father, but with man also. This reminds of the verse in Proverbs 16:7 where it states that if you are pleasing to God, He will make even your enemies be at peace with you. Now we come to maybe the juiciest part of this scripture, and one very well known among His Children: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.” Again we see Our Father giving us a repeated message that He seems to repeat to us many times through the Bible. The comforting part is this: we shouldn't and don't have to lean on our own understanding of things, but only need to Trust Our Father with all our Heart, then that burden can be removed. I call it a burden because once you are born again, we realize just how little we know. It is refreshing knowing we can depend on our Kind and Merciful King and we don't have to "figure everything out." Why don't we you ask? Well, He tells us in the next verse, "He shall direct our paths." How awesome is that? The Shepherd leads His sheep to safety when they are following His Ways! Next, we have Our Father give us this verse: "Do not be wise in your own eyes" I think this is a follow up of the previous verse, and as stated, we realize we are not so wise once we get to know the Awesome, Unimaginable Scope and Breadth of Our Father in Heaven. Although, through the ways of the world, some of our Brothers and Sisters seem to fall into the snare of thinking they are wiser than they are... either by the praise of men or merely their egos getting carried away. None the less, here were are being told to evaluate ourselves for this very thing, and do something that is a common theme in the Bible... Be Humble. Finally, we read: "Fear the LORD and depart from evil.” We have read this in Proverbs 1, 2, and now 3. Do you think it is an important piece of wisdom we should be keenly aware of? I agree. Fear, or Know The Lord and depart from evil. I believe if you are following Our Father's instructions evil will not be around you, so... is it possible He is telling us to repent? To turn back from our old sinful ways, and depart from evil. I have to believe this is a big yes. I believe it has a physical meaning as well, and does literally mean, get away from evil things when you see them coming. Also, don't hang out with others you know are doing evil. Prayer: Father, you are such an unbelievable blessing to Your Children. We thank You so much for Your Wisdom and for taking the time to teach us. Bless You for allowing us to Trust You and not having to have everything figured out in our own understanding or wisdom. We thank You for Your Scriptures, Proverbs, and Your Word which allows us to bind mercy and Truth around our neck as a beautiful chain of adornment. Father, please help us to never forsake Your Truth and continually help discipline us so that we get better and better at following Your Instructions. Thank you for your commands for they are righteous, just, and Holy, because You are Holy. Strengthen our Wisdom by knowing you Our Almighty King. Help us to see your precepts give us peace in our day to day lives, and by following You, gaining Your favor and the favor of our Brothers and Sisters. Praise Your Name. We love You, we thank You, and we ask all these things in Your Mighty Son Yeshua's, Jesus's Christ's, Name. Amen. God Bless Everyone and Have a Great God-Filled Day 😃🙌🔥
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Good Morning Wednesday.....
Father, Your Commandments are a Lamp to our feet. Help us to live aware, to choose wisely, to stay close to You, and anchored in Your Truth! Thank You for Your Great Love and Mercy. Thank You that You wait for us and You strengthen us. We come to You today, choosing to walk in Your Presence and Light. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. - If - Then, Proverbs 2. The Knowledge of God. “My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;” Proverbs 2:1-7 NKJV As we open with today's Scripture in chapter 2 of Proverbs, we see that Our Father is addressing His Children. While it may say son, sisters... He is talking to you as well. This word "son" is derived from the Hebrew Word for the builder of a family name, in the widest sense, of a literal or figurative relationship. So please, sisters, don't feel left out. Our Father is talking to all of us, His Children. From verse one to seven we can see that we are getting one giant promise from Abba (Father). He is telling us, if you do this, then you can expect to receive this. If you will do this, then you will find this. These if-then statements are more than just "old timey" sayings, they are the Promises of The Creator of All Things, who never goes back on His Word, and cannot tell a lie. He made the rules and He always follows them. We, Brothers and Sisters, are the ones who have a difficult time following the rules. With that said, here, the Mercy of God Almighty is abundantly clear. The King knows we have this "rule-following" problem, so He solved it. How did He do that? Through the Life and sacrifice of Our Lord and Savior Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Jesus Christ, The Original Way Maker! 😎🙌🔥 Now, here is a nugget: Remember yesterday we looked at where the beginning of all knowledge came from - Fear of The LORD, YHWH, Yahweh, Our Father, right? Well, today in verse five we read "then you will understand the fear of The LORD and find the Knowledge of God." Isn't that awesome? In Proverbs 1, Our Father tells us the fear, or to know, Our Father is the beginning of all knowledge and here in proverbs two He is telling us that, not only if we do these things will we learn to know God, but we will also "find the knowledge of God!" Wow! Now that's what I call a promise. Who doesn't want to know the knowledge of God? I mean, I have to think you are doing pretty good in your walk with Our Father when that happens. Apparently, if this does happen, it means you have been listening, studying, praying about, and applying these proverbs towards gaining understanding and knowledge of Our Father's Wisdom. I have to think Enoch, who "walked with God and then was not, for God took him," knew his proverbs pretty well. Today's verse concludes with Our Father telling us where this wisdom and knowledge comes from, who He is giving it to, and what His Wisdom will be for us, if we follow Him. Here let's take a look at verse 6 and 7: For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;” So, these gifts come from our Father, He will store them up for those following them, and they will protect His Children. Is our Dad good or what? He gives us everything we need, and He does it in such and amazing way, speaking to us constantly. Prayer: Father, thank You for telling us how to get to know You, how to receive Your gifts of discernment, understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. You always protect us and guide us along "the righteous path" when we listen to You and Your Word. Father, as we go through this beautiful day You have made, help us to think on Your Wisdom and Knowledge, which You are leading us to in these Proverbs. You have all Wisdom and knowledge, and we know here you tell us you will give us these amazing gifts if we "walk uprightly." Father, help us to walk uprightly. We love You and thank You for all You do. Praise Your Name, Bless You, and in Your Son Yeshua's, Jesus Christ's, Name we pray and ask these things. Amen. Good Morning Tuesday.......
Father thank You for this NEW day. You have blessed us with another WONDERFUL 24 hours to see Your WISDOM and TRUTH. May we use this day to show this world Your Fruit, Your Light, and Your Glory TODAY! In the Mighty Name of Yeshua, Jesus, we pray. Amen! - What's A Proverb? Well, if you are gonna begin a study in The Book of Proverbs, it is probably wise to start at the beginning... of Proverbs. Before we begin, it also might be wise to define the word "proverb." A proverb according to dictionary.com is: a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice. So, man's definition doesn't capture the illustrious beauty or wisdom of God's Proverbs as given through His servant Solomon, but what I found interesting, and thought did capture something, was the origin of the word "proverb". Apparently it comes from two latin words: 1.) pro - (put) forth 2.) verbum - word I found this amazing. God's Proverb literally means: To Put Forth The Word. What Word is Solomon putting forth? The Word Of God! Now I think that is giving us a little more bang for our buck rather than the dictionary.com definition. Putting forth The Word...That definitely captures what we will be studying much better. God's Proverbs are God's Word. God's Word is Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Talk about capturing the illustrious beauty and wisdom, Jesus Captures it ALL. Solomon may have been wise, but Jesus is God. That's pretty powerful. We are about to study the embodiment of Our King as written in His Book. Wow, talk about a privilege. Let’s go! Proverbs 1:1-7: “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity; To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD (YHWH, Yahweh) is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:1-7 Here we see in the opening line, it is being made clear who is writing this eternal wisdom for us to soak up, Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. Next, we get a statement of the purpose of what is being written. It is being written so we can not only learn, but also know God's Wisdom, Instruction, and perceive His Word the correct way... His Way. I believe God is telling us in the following verse (Verse 4), that once we know how to perceive these wonderful attributes, we can then receive with an open heart the "instruction of wisdom, justice, judgement, and equity." Once we receive these wonderful gifts with study, prayer, and action, it will give "prudence to the simple," and it will give young people "knowledge and discretion." Following in verse 5, Solomon makes a series of statements that I think we can all agree, are facts. " A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles." Here again, if we give study, prayer, and action to this Word Our Father had preserved for us, I believe we will then be able to understand these proverbs and the enigma, or beautiful mystery, simplicity, kindness, and Love contained therein. And to boot...we will also know what the wise mean, and understand "their riddles." Now that is pretty awesome. I know I want to understand, and this is what I found: The more we study this "Word being put forth," the more we see this understanding of the wise and their riddles coming into our grasp, the more we see the true Power of The Word showing up in our lives. This brings us to our final verse. It is one of my favorites, probably one of your favorites, and I am sure it is one of Our Father's Favorites. Certainly, it is one of the most quoted proverbs in Our Father's Word by far. Verse 7 states: "The fear of The LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” I once did a word study on "to fear" and one of the distinct meanings stuck with me... it also meant "to know" or - to be acquainted with. This made complete sense to me because having a relationship with and truly knowing God Our Father, IS the beginning of all knowledge. It held true for Adam, our great to the thousandth power granddad, and now thousands of years later it still holds true for us. Praise be to His Name! Now we will close on the second part of verse 7, and I think we should all heed this as a warning because... really, who wants to be a fool, right? Exactly. So what do we have to do not be fools? Simple... don't despise wisdom and instruction... and that's what these proverbs are all about, wisdom and instruction. And let's remember, this is not just anyone's wisdom and instruction... It is Our Loving Father's. Let us not turn from the Word of God, His Wisdom, or His Instructions, so that we may truly perceive, receive, hear, increase, attain, understand, and know the true will of Our Father in Heaven and His Mighty Son Yeshua. We ask for your help in this Father for we are Your simple children, we desire to know Your Truth, and we love you with all of our being. We know we need wisdom in this tricky world and we also know that we need prudence. Father, please help us to attain Your Wisdom and the understanding that You will for us to have. We ask for this help with thankful and humbled hearts and in Your Son Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. God Bless Everyone and have a great God-Our-Father-Wisdom-Filled Day! Good Morning Monday...
Father thank You for this NEW DAY. Please impart in our hearts YOUR WILL. We ask for Patience, Kindness, Humility, and Truth so we may show You and Your Son's Light in this fallen world. IN YESHUA’S, JESUS’S NAME, we pray. Amen. - Who Is So Wise? Who is so wise as Solomon? The Word of God Almighty says there was none wiser. Call me crazy, but I believe God. Here's how The Word of God puts it in 1 Kings Chapter 4: “And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men— than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.” I Kings 4:29-34 One might ask, why did Solomon receive all this wisdom? Well, God tells us in 1 Kings Chapter 3: 7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 1Kings 3:7-14 So, Solomon came to God "as a child," humble before His Father, and then "asked and received" because his heart was in the right place. If I am not mistaken Our Savior spoke something real close to that, right? (Matthew 7:7 & Matthew 18:3) Well, if Solomon knew these things before Our Savior even came in the flesh... I would have to agree, he was pretty wise. But I would also argue Our Savior has always been around giving Wisdom, Life, and Teaching. The Good Shepherd doesn't really take breaks and His Sheep Know His Voice. 🔥 Over the next few days we will try to open our hearts and minds to the Wisdom contained in Our Father's Proverbs, as written through Solomon, and how it can be applicable in our lives today. Before we pray, let us examine one proverb that I think everyone would agree is indeed Wisdom. “The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD (YHWH, Yahweh) is the maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:2 Prayer: Our Father, Yahweh, who is in Heaven, we humbly bow our heads before You today. First we thank You for all the beautiful gifts You have given us... especially Your Word and Your Proverbs of Wisdom. We know you make all things for Your good, so let us not hold ill towards anyone, rich or poor. Father, as we go through this week we ask you to open up our eyes, ears, minds, and heart to Your Word and the Wisdom that you imparted your servant Solomon to write for us, Your Children. We ask for Truth, Wisdom, Discernment and Understanding, so that we may not only understand The Message You are trying to give to us in Your Proverbs, but also how to make them applicable in our lives. We love You, we thank You, and pray this prayer in the Name of Your Son, The King, Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Amen. Good Morning Sunday.......
Father thank You for this NEW DAY. We THANK YOU for continuing YOUR GOOD WORKS yesterday, today, and forevermore. May we continually thank You for Your Salvation YESHUA, JESUS and being OUR GOD!!! In Yeshua's, Jesus Christ's, Name we pray. Amen! - How Did Yeshua (Jesus) Do It? Today let us take a few moments to look at the words of Our Greatest Example in following and obeying Our Father, Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Today we will look at some prayers and actions of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. As we take in The Word today and examine how Jesus prayed, what Jesus prayed for, and where He addressed Our Father, let us examine our own prayer life and let the words of Our Savior Strengthen Us. May we all be not only strengthened by His Words, but also may His Words soften our hearts toward our brethren and help us to pray for our enemies. Today we will be using the CJB, NKJV, and NIV for clarity purposes. Prayer: Father God, we ask You to open our hearts and minds today so that we may understand the words of Your Son in His prayers to You. Help us to see what is really being said and not just what is "on the surface" Father. As we read these words we ask You to move inside us, light a fire, and let it burn continually. We love You, thank You, and praise You all the days of our lives. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Mighty Name we pray. Amen. Now, without further ado... The Prayers and Actions of Yeshua: “It was at that time that Yeshua said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You concealed these things from the sophisticated and educated and revealed them to ordinary folks. Yes, Father, I thank you that it pleased You to do this.” Matthew 11:25-26 CJB “After He had sent the crowds away, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. Night came on, and he was there alone.” Matthew 14:23 CJB “And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.” Matthew 15:36 NKJV “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35 NKJV “And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.” Mark 6:46 NKJV “Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will. ” Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.” Mark 14:32-39 NKJV "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Luke 5:16 NIV Now, what can we take from these passages?: Yeshua was alone most of the time when He went to prayed. 1.) Pray alone when seeking Our Father 2.) He reveals to the innocent and ordinary and Yeshua thanks Our Father for this 3.) When He was with people, He was feeding them. 4.) When He was alone He pleaded with His Father, but still submitted to His Will. 5.) When He was with His disciples they stayed awake, when Yeshua left, they fell asleep. Praise God Our Father for His Beautiful Message in the Life of Yeshua, Jesus Christ! May we all glean from The King. God Bless each and everyone of you on the other side of this screen. Have a great God-Filled day and continue to be a Light of God Our Father and Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Good Morning Sabbath......
Father thank You for this NEW DAY. Thank you for giving us, OUR GOD, a PEACEFUL REST to those who abide in You. We cherish each day you give us and ask that you soften our hearts so that we may be prepared to ACCEPT THE GIFT You have given us of Your PEACE and REST. In YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's Name we pray. Amen. - Purposeful Rest “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31) The sabbath or seventh day in the creation story of Genesis was about rest. Our Father stopped all His Work on this day and told us it was set-apart, spoke good of this day, and spoke good to this day. Even though Man and Woman were the height of His Masterful Work, God had given something special on this day and wanted Adam, Eve, and all of us to enter into this specialness. The special part about this day is that He invited our first parents, and now us, to enter into His Rest. The interesting fact is that there was something different about this day that wasn't spoken in the same way as the previous six. “And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.” (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) The seventh day had no "morning and evening." Here we see that there doesn't seem to exist any formal conclusion to this seventh day. Could this be a clue? Is The Creator of All Things telling us that once we enter into His Rest... it is eternal? What we do know is this; God lifted up this day, set it apart, and rested, not because He needs rest, but because He wanted to spend some special time with us, His Children. In the creation story, the seventh day of the week was in fact the first day for Adam and Eve. On this day God Almighty called them not to a simple day, but a state of being. He not only wanted them to be rejuvenated and rest, but to learn this "rest" and relationship with Him as a concept for life. I believe Our Father wanted us to gain many lessons, and maybe one of the most important lessons, here speaking about this day. One lesson is that this rest is not just a perk, but a necessity in our relationship with Him. He wants us to take our rest in Him and our relationship with Him wherever we go and whatever we do, always. Everyday and everywhere we go we can bring His Peace, Comfort, Care, Attention, Rest, and Love... but it starts with the Seventh Day and His Sabbath, just like our first parents Adam and Eve. It is good to look at this day not just as a day, but a lifestyle that is not just physical. This day is also holistic, touching our sprits, minds, and heart. This rest has the ability to move us from the inside out. This rest can have a major impact on our physicality, but it originates in our spirit and from Our Father's Spirit. In a world where everyone is moving so fast at a frantic pace, we need to realize that this day is not just a day, or an event, or a place, but it is Our Father and Savior Himself. When He is The King of Our Hearts, we indeed shall have rest. Prayer: Glorious and Kind Father, thank you so much for Your Provision, Your Sabbath, and Your Rest. We know You give us peace when we seek and obey You. We ask you today Father to help us with this rest and peace that You offer. Help us to receive this wonderful provision You have provided us and help us to let You Reign In Our Hearts today and forevermore. We Love You, We Thank You, and We Praise Your Holy Name. We ask these things in Your Mighty Son Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. Good Morning Friday...
Father thank You for this NEW DAY. Please impart in our hearts YOUR WILL. We ask for Patience, Kindness, Humility, and Truth so we may show You and Your Son's Light in this fallen world. In Yeshua's, JESUS CHRIST's Name. Amen. - The Great Joy: From L.O.S.S. to L.O.S.S. From: L.O.S.S. (Love, Obedience, Sacrifice, and Sin) To: L.O.S.S. (Like Our Sanctified Savior) L = Love Love is the Ultimate Goal of Our Father, for in fact, "God Is Love." He wants us to be like Him, so naturally this is what we will become when we are acting, in character, The Way He Would Act... with Love. “...God Is Love.” I John 4:8 O = Obedience Obedience is behavior that is in accordance with directives given by someone with more authority than ourselves. This authority or the one giving directions, and thus requiring obedience, has achieved that position of respect from past performance or "proof of work." We need not look very far in The Word to find out Who Has All Authority and The One Who Asks For Our Obedience. Further than that, The One Who Asks for Our Obedience Prefers Our Obedience Over Sacrifice. Let's check in with The Word on this: “In the beginning God...” Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God Created...” Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God Created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 Authority just got established pretty fast there.. 2nd Witness? God says...: “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’” Isaiah 46:9-10 Now that we have established that God Is The Authority, Who is that authority given to? Let's take a look: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All Authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18 What can you tell us about this Paul? Paul says: “and you are complete in Him, who is the Head of All Principality and Power.” Colossians 2:10 Great. Now we have established that God Is The Authority and He Has Given All Authority to Yeshua, Jesus Christ. In Fact, They Are One. So, Yeshua = All Authority and Power. That is Who Our Obedience Should Be To. Pretty simple. Jesus has All Authority and Power and our Obedience should be His. Let's check in with The Word and see if this is correct and how God feels about this: “So Samuel said: “Has The LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of The LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...” I Samuel 15:22 “Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear The Word of God and Obey It.”” Luke 11:28 S = Sacrifice Sacrifice is defined as: an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. I think we can all agreed that Jesus Our Savior and God Our Father are definitely more Worthy and Important. In effect, any sacrifice we make should be to Him. What should we be sacrificing as believers and followers of Our Messiah? That question leads us to the next letter in our anagram... S = Sin Sin. Sin is transgression against God. Sin in a literal translation means "missing the mark." Sin is an act of treason against God Alone. Once Jesus wakes us up as believers sin begins to be the thing that we sacrifice. Sacrifice the Sin. We are all born in sin (Psalm 51:5) and we all needed a way back to Our Father. Our Savior Has Made The Way. Since God Is Holy and sin cannot stand in His Presence, we learn through Yeshua, Jesus Christ to identify this sin and sacrifice it. In the Biblical Application of "the first shall be last and the last shall be first (Matthew 20:16)" and also the Hebrew Application of reading right to left, let's take a look again at the anagram of L.O.S.S.. LOSS - Love, Obedience, Sacrifice, and Sin. We all begin first in Sin. Yeshua, Jesus wakes us up and we begin secondly to Sacrifice that Sin. Once we begin to repent and Sacrifice the Sin in our lives, we begin to perform thirdly Obedience. Once we perform Obedience we are heading finally towards Love. What Love? The Love Of God and The Love of Yeshua, Jesus Christ. “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21 You see God Our Father has established a Perfect Way. This world does everything backwards to His Ways. The world tells us LOSS is bad, Our Father establishes LOSS, in this world, as Good: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” Philippians 3:7-8 “Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21 “And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”” Mark 9:35 “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Hebrews 11:24-26 As we can see, LOSS is not necessarily a bad thing... the world just tries to convince us it is. If we can learn to put off sin, sacrifice that sin, be Obedient to Our Father and Jesus, then we will be hitting the mark. Then we will know True Love. What great LOSS that is! Once we firmly learn to deal with LOSS, Love, Obedience, Sacrifice, and Sin in this life, then we can experience even Greater LOSS. What Greater LOSS is that? Humbly, Joyfully, Compassionately Living life with LOSS - Like Our Sanctified Savior! Love Obedience Sacrifice Sin To Like Our Sanctified Savior May the Peace, Joy, and Love of God Our Father and His Son Yeshua, Jesus Christ be with each and everyone of you on the other side of this screen. From one LOSS to another LOSS, May we all learn the great joys of LOSS in this life and be prepared for gain in the next! Good Morning Thursday......
Father thank You for this NEW day. Please continue to fill our HEARTs & MINDs with your LOVE & TRUTH and TRANSFORM our ordinary day into an extraordinary day. Shine Your Light in us, through us, and over us. May we make a difference in this world, for Your Glory and Purposes TODAY! In King Yeshua's, Jesus Christ's, Mighty Name we pray. Amen! - Who Are You? A Masterpiece! Each of us is created in an undeniable uniqueness. Even identical twins who look almost just alike, once you spend time with them, you realize their unique personalities. So the question arises: Why do we compare ourselves to others? No matter what we do, nothing can make us like other people, and frankly... we aren't suppose to be. Our Father knows exactly what He is doing. When He Created each of us not only did He create us with a purpose, but He also took the time to create every perfect detail to bring forth that purpose. Each of us has these very unique features because God Almighty wanted to use this uniqueness for His Glory. Most, but not all people I am sure, go through a phase in life where they heavily compare themselves with other's things, skill set, waist size, or personality traits. We spend time thinking how things could be different or the things we want to change about ourselves. But those things that any of us would want to change were handpicked for us by The Creator of The Heavens and The Earth. When we take a look outside, we don't critique the terrain, get irritated because of the mountains, or complain about the wildlife. Normally we just accept it for what it is, God's wonderful creation. We like it because it is beautiful and just accept it, maybe even because it is different or because of certain imperfections. Yet, we complain about our own imperfections. I think when we do this we are dishonoring Our Father and saying to Him, "Your masterpiece is flawed." Have you ever worked on something tirelessly? Maybe trying to make something absolutely perfect you spent hours and hours on? Well, that's how YAHWEH, God Our Father sees each of us, I am pretty sure. He made each of us as unique and perfect Masterpieces. When we stop to think about it, our finger prints, hairs on our head (or not), and even the most microscopic of details are not the same from person to person. Our God thought and planned even the freckles on our face and the bend in our knees with much care. I see many comparing themselves and measuring themselves against others on a daily basis. We have to understand... A Masterpiece cannot be duplicated or replicated... It is a One Of A Kind just like Our Father and His Son Yeshua. Let us be conscious today not to compare. We have to accept what God says about us and quit challenging Him. The world will tell you many things, but most of it isn't true. Let us remember what is true and quit believing the lies of the enemy...that we aren't good enough or lack something. May we all Behold what Our God says about us through His Word. That is who we are. You are God's, and God, The Most Powerful Being Whom Ever Existed... He calls you beautiful. Can I get a witness? Sure...Here's 5: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” Psalms 139:13-14 “You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of The LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God.” Isaiah 62:3 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” II Corinthians 5:17 “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says The LORD Almighty.” II Corinthians 6:18 Good Morning Wednesday.......
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 Yeshua’s, Jesus Christ’s, Name we pray. Amen! - Setting The Record Straight - The Original While reading a book about Bible Facts and gleaning some things I have been researching, I became intrigued. As intriguing as some of the information was, it just wasn't all true. The book had a particular section on angels that stated: "angels are the original superheroes." This is far from true. It goes on to say: "They are warriors sent by God to carry out His Judgement." Now this statement is true. There are plenty of places to confirm the second statement, but the first stating that angels were the original superheroes is just blatantly false. With this said, there was One Very Special Angel that is revealed in God Our Father's Word. This Angel appears in many places throughout The Bible and reveals Himself to many great men of God. He is titled The Angel of The Lord, The Angel of Yahweh, or The Angel of God. Many people have coined the places where this Very Special Angel shows up as the "Theophanies." And remember, The Word Angel just means messenger. We will take another look at this in a moment. Now if we take a look at this Very Special Angel, we may just find An Original Superhero. I still remember the day I began to understand who this Angel was and it was a game changer for me. My prayer is that it may open The Scriptures to you as well. There are many places and people in The Bible where you can find interaction with The Angel of Yahweh such as : 1.)Abraham-Gen18:1-10,22:11-16 2.)Joshua-Joshua 5:13-15 3.) Jacob-Genesis 5:13-15, 32:24-30, Hosea 12:4 and many more. As we take a look at this Amazing Warrior of God, let's check out just one of the passages where He Appears. “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “ Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.” Joshua 5:13-15 Before we move on, I just have to point out that the response the The Angel of Yahweh gives to Joshua was priceless, I mean priceless. It literally made me laugh out laugh. How cool can you get, right? Sorry, moving on. A few things to take note of: Every place in The Bible when any other angel shows up you hear them declare two things: "fear not" and "get up and don't worship me." This doesn't happen when The Angel of The Lord shows up. He neither says "fear not," nor "get up and don't worship me,"... in fact, He allows it. But wait!!! No one is to be worshipped except God! Well, the fact that God Himself allows this is a very telling clue. When Jacob wrestled with The Angel of The Lord, he declared he had "seen The Face of God," and named the place Penuel. The Word Penuel even means Face of God. When Moses saw The Angel of Yahweh at the burning bush he was told the same thing as Joshua in our verses above, "take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is Holy." Why would they need to take off their sandals? What has made the ground Holy? Who makes things Holy? So what have we learned? When people see The Angel of Yahweh they 1.) fall down to worship 2.) The Angel of Yahweh Allows the worship 3.)The Angel of Yahweh doesn't have to announce Himself as the other angels do 4.)The Angel of God Commands the Army of Yahweh 5.) When men see The Angel of God they say they have seen The Face of God. I think you can see where I am going with this, if not, maybe this next verse will clue you in: Jesus said: "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" Matthew 26:53 Look at that! Yeshua Our King, Jesus, says that He also commands The Angel Armies of Heaven. For prudence sake I would say that The Son of God is indeed The Commander of The Army of Yahweh. So who is this Most Awesome, Mighty, and Cool Angel of Yahweh? You guessed it, The King! Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our Savior! I mean wow, right? Oh, and as I mentioned earlier angel means messenger, so The Angel of Yahweh means The Messenger of God. I don’t think any of us would argue that Yeshua was The Greatest Messenger of God... of All Time. Just to drive in the fact let's see one more verse to back this up: "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in His Hands." John 3:35 Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it. Two or three witnesses and everything shall be established. If Our Father has placed everything in Yeshua's Hands... That makes Him The Commander of The Army of Yahweh. Isn't that Awesome? Jesus Christ IS The Angel of Yahweh, The Messenger Of God! We know a king commands an army, and we should know that Yeshua is Our King. Our Father "has placed everything in His Hands!" What an Amazing God and Father We Have! I tell you, the mysteries of The Bible and Our Father's Word are truly amazing. Just a few years ago I had no clue that Jesus showed up so many places in The Bible, not just the New Testament, but from The Beginning to The End. I mean He Is The Aleph and The Tav, The Alpha and Omega, right? Whether He is "Walking in the cool of the evening" in The Garden, giving Jacob a limp, or allowing Nebuchadnezzar to see Him as a "fourth man in the fire" with Daniel and friends, having the Babylonian king state that He "Looks Like The Son Of God," He Is Everywhere! I just wanted to set the record straight. Bible Fact books are great, but not always trustworthy. The Word of God IS ALWAYS TRUSTWORTHY. While there are plenty of verses in The Bible where I could reference even more of this Truth, the fact is, angels were not the original superheroes. It's just not true. But, The Angel of Yahweh... now that's another story. As we know there can only be One Original and 100% no doubts about it, Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our King and Savior... HE IS THE ORIGINAL SUPERHERO! With that said, and in closing, I think there is no better verse in The Bible to give witness about Yeshua, Jesus Christ, being the original superhero than this one. To be The Original, you have to be there "In The Beginning," right? Can I Get a Witness?!: “In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word Was God.” John 1:1 God Bless everybody and have a Wonderful Angel of Yahweh-Filled Day! Good Morning Tuesday.......
Father thank You for this NEW day. You have blessed us with another WONDERFUL day to see Your WISDOM and TRUTH. May we use this day to show this dark world Your Fruit, Your Light, and Your Glory TODAY! We ask this in Your Son and Our Savior's Name Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Amen! - 3 Divine Facts About Yeshua, Jesus Christ, The King Good morning Brothers and Sisters. As an encore to yesterday's "3 Divine Facts About The Holy Bible," because it was so well received, today let's take a look into three divine facts about Our King, Savior, and The Only Person To Ever "Get It Right," Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Our Father made sure and left us all the verification of His Mighty Son any of us will ever need. If you have ever wondered, "is it all true," I encourage you to keep looking beyond just these three divine facts, because I have no doubt you will come to the same conclusion so many of us have... Jesus Christ is King. God Bless everybody and have a wonderful divine Yeshua-Filled Day! Without further delay, here are 3 divine facts about Yeshua, The Son Of God and Our Eternal Savior. 1.) Yeshua, Jesus Christ, Is The Most Written About, Studied, and Influential Person Who Ever Walked The Face of The Earth. Yesterday I shared how I open up my conversations about God with an interesting Bible Fact. Again, put into perspective, one begins to understand the immeasurable and unmatchable impact The Bible and Yeshua, Jesus Christ, have had on, and in, the world. Just in case some of you missed the opening I use for "3 Divine Facts About The Holy Bible," I will include it here bc it usually precedes my statement about Jesus. The opening to my conversations about God, The Bible, and Jesus go hand in hand, so here is my customary opening for them all: If God Wrote a book, what would it be? Probably the best selling book in the history of the existence of man... it is. And if God Had A Son, who do you think He would be? Probably the most written about, most influential, and most studied man in the history of the existence of man... He Is. This really goes hand in hand with our previous devotion on facts about The Bible. It being a fact that The Bible is the most accurate book in history, it would only make sense that we recognize Jesus, for He is indeed called The Word of God, the same name given to The Holy Bible. One doesn't have to search to far on the internet to get confirmation of this. If you are a believer, it is apparent the infinite reaching breath and scope of Jesus's life and ministry, but even if you aren't a believer it is nearly impossible to intelligently argue against. Not only have more books been written about Yeshua Our King, Jesus, than any other person in history by far (and this is excluding The Bible), but one only needs to look to His critics to confirm this, and His Influence on this world. Traditionally most all media sources are critical of The Gospel, including Time Magazine, but that can't stop them from reporting The Truth on this matter. Check out this extensive study conducted by Time Magazine on the most influential people in History... Who is Number One? You guessed it... Christ The King: http://ideas.time.com/2013/12/10/whos-biggest-the-100-most-significant-figures-in-history/ 2.) Following Yeshua's (Jesus's) Resurrection From The Dead, He Appeared To A Multitude Of Eye Witnesses as Proof Of His Existence and Historical Accuracy Since we have established The Bible as The Most Accurate Body of Historical Writing on the face of the earth, I think we have to begin here. Just in The Bible Alone we have 7 weeks worth of eyewitness testimony. After His resurrection alone, Jesus appeared to hundreds and possibly thousands of people. Recorded in The Bible, after His resurrection, He once appeared to 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Hard to have 500 people hallucinate the same thing, as a matter of fact, it's just not arguable. Going further than just The Bible, we have a number of historians that reported on Jesus, including Josephus, Tacitus, and many others. In court cases the strongest evidence one can have is an eye witness. The more witnesses, the stronger the case. In the case of Our Savior... His Case is "iron clad." In The Bible we are told that "on the testimony of two or three witnesses everything shall be established (2 Corinthians 13:1 among other places)." I think Our Father was doing just a little more than establishing His Son with the large number of witnesses... He was writing it in Stone (pun intended). This is indeed a truly amazing and indisputable fact about The Son of God. 3.) Yeshua (Jesus's) Followers Were Scared, In Hiding, and Had Immense Fear of Death By Roman Torture After His Death and Burial. What Is The Only Thing That Can Change Men's Hearts From That Kind of Fear? Belief and Resurrection of Their Master, The Messiah. It has been established by many psychologists, behavioral specialist, and other professionals that the 180 degree change in attitude Yeshua's followers displayed is guaranteed proof of not only Jesus's Ministry, but also iron clad evidence of His Resurrection. One doesn't have to be a professional to figure this Truth out. What could change a bunch of hiding and scared people fleeing from a death sentence, not only to come out of hiding, but to also boldly speak out in front of all their persecutors? Well, I think seeing Your Master "in the flesh" after hundreds of people, including some of them, witnessed His death would do it. Just let this sink in for a minute... Those same scared and fleeing men and women suddenly had such a conversion that not only did they come out publicly unafraid, but were willing to all die in the face of opposition. Not only were they willing to die, but willing to die in extraordinary ways of torture... and never give up His Name. The disciples are recorded as: being boiled alive, skinned, decapitated, being clubbed, being sawed in half, and stoned among other various tortures throughout their ministries, following Christ's Resurrection. John is the only one who was not killed, but he was boiled in hot oil. Wow, Praise God Our Father for the numerous proofs we can see about Our Lord and Savior Yeshua, Jesus Christ, Living, Dying, and Coming Back To Life... For Us! These are just 3 of the many, amazing, and life changing facts about Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our Savior, or as some of us believers like to appropriately call Him, The King. Once again, I think it very strange that we don't learn this history in our schools and for this simple fact: this information all comes from the most accurate and credible history book on the face of the earth. Nonetheless, with just these 3 facts we should all take a moment to reconsider our trust in The Son of God, Yeshua, Jesus Christ. I believe the whole world should as well. There are many, many verses in The Bible that speak about Our Messiah's amazing Life, Instruction, and Resurrection, today let's conclude with 3: Jesus Christ, Yeshua, Died: “And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.” Acts 10:39 NKJV Jesus Christ, Yeshua, Rose From Death: “But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” Acts 3:14-15 NKJV Jesus Christ, Yeshua, Is Alive After Conquering Death: “They were still talking about it when — there He was, standing among them! Startled and terrified, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But He said to them, “Why are you so upset? Why are these doubts welling up inside you? Look at My Hands and My Feet — it is I, Myself! Touch Me and see — a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I do.” Luke 24:36-39 CJB |
SERVANT OF YESHUA 7
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