Good Morning Thursday...
Father thank You for this NEW DAY. As You Walk with us today, please keep us focused on The NEW LIFE You have given us in Your NEW COVENANT. Please continue to fill OUR NEW HEARTS & NEW MINDS with YOUR EVERLASTING PEACE and straighten The NEW PATHS You put before us. IN YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's Glorious Name. Amen.
A New Covenant Covenant (n.) - A binding agreement; a compact (a formal agreement or contract between two or more parties). When Our Father In Heaven, hollowed be His Name, made this earth and all living things that dwelled in it, He declared that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). All things seamlessly worked together, symbiotically, just as they were made to do. Can you even imagine the beginning? No sin, nothing wasted, no thing out of place, just… well, paradise. That’s how God’s Word describes it, in fact, if one does a word study on “garden,” paradise will soon pop up (thanks Brother Brandon). Also, if one does a word study on “Eden,” you will find in Hebrew it means “delight.” So, Our Father created a NEW “delightful paradise” and everything worked exactly as it was supposed to, exactly as He created it to. It truly must have been breathtakingly gorgeous. Indeed, it was perfect, just like Our Father and Savior, but only for a while. What happened? With one word… man. Our Great (to the 70th power) Grandma and Grandpa choose to trust someone other than Our Father, someone whose native language is lies. Genesis chapter 3 describes the scene. This NEW, glorious, delightful paradise went from “very good” to contaminated and cursed, and all because Adam and Eve didn’t obey. At this point Our Father could have abandoned them, washed His Hands, and been done, but… He Is Just Too Good For That. Rather, Our Father chose to give a lesson. What kind of lesson? A Love Lesson. Our Father, The Creator of Heaven and Earth, decided He would make a Covenant of Love with a nation of people He would lead. The people He would chose would be a peculiar people. He would be their God and they would be His People. In this covenant, God would guarantee His People: protection, guidance, wisdom, and His most powerful and favorite tool… Love. In return this nation would Love, be obedient, and follow only Him. God chose this nation to reveal Himself to, and these people would in turn share Him and The Truth with the entire world. God had a plan from The Beginning to fix “the curse” that Adam (Man) had subjected the earth to. The Covenant that God made with this nation was Amazing, Beautiful, and the most Awesome thing that had happened since the beginning of creation, that is until the children of Adam decided to disobey again, and again, and again, and again, and… well, you get the point. Now not surprisingly God Our Father, He held up His end of the covenant, even when this nation was continually unfaithful, committing spiritual adultery over and over. Though they were unfaithful, God never was. Despite all their rebellion, unfaithfulness, and cheating, The King of Heaven and Earth never left them and He never forgot them. While His People seemed to forget The Covenant they had made with Him, seemingly overnight, over and over, He never forgot or abandoned them. Just as at the beginning, God had every right to abandon, wash His Hands, and be done with this people, and all people for that matter, for they had committed unspeakable evil. Again, He chose something different, something better. This time He would make a NEW Covenant with all people of the earth, and all nations. He would not void His previous covenant, but He would supersede it with a better one. So God Did. Because it was apparent that humanity could not be trusted, His NEW Covenant of Love would be better because He would guarantee it with perfection, because He would come to fulfill it Himself. The NEW Covenant would be one with all of humanity, with anyone that would make a choice to believe He would fix the wrongs humanity had created. In this NEW Covenant, He would come to humanity Himself, as one of them, He would “tabernacle (dwell) among them”(John 1:14), and fix the curse that had been placed on humanity through man’s rebellion and evil. How would He fix it? In The Most Amazing and Miraculous Way ever known to anyone, He, The King Himself would take the curse of humanity upon Himself. All the rebellion, all the ignorance, all the consequences of humanities evil actions which produced the curses in the first place, God would bear the curse upon Himself. In fact, He would allow Himself to suffer our consequences, making a way, The Only Way that things could possibly be fixed. With His Amazing, Incredible, Selfless, and Loving Sacrifice, God would then usher in a NEW stage where our cursed humanity and the severed relationship with Him could be fixed. He Created a NEW Covenant, a repaired relationship, and showed us Himself what loyalty looks like. Through this NEW era and NEW relationship, He created a people who would, once and for all time, finally be humble, faithful, and loyal to The King of All Creation. HALLELUYAH! He Has Created a NEW Covenant, and… HE … Is… RISEN!!! 🔥 At The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), we celebrate the arrival of God Himself in the form of Our King and Savior Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Jesus Christ. He came to us, and He did what we could not… He Fully Obeyed. At The Feast of Passover and The Feast of Firstfruits, we celebrate His Death and His Resurrection. But… with every single day, with every failure of ours, with every struggle we have, and triumph we are given, we should be celebrating God Almighty’s, Our Father’s, NEW Covenant. A covenant that we get to enjoy ONLY BECAUSE YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US, DIED FOR US. The promise that is The NEW Covenant, is a promise that Our King and Savior Loves, rescues, and redeems us. Our part? Be His Children, Love Him, Trust Him, and Obey Him as our Powerful King, Messiah, Savior, and God…as He originally intended. As our days in this world get more uncertain, may we take comfort, rest, protection, hope, and encouragement in what Our God and King has made NEW, His NEW Covenant. May we remember this NEW Covenant each and everyday, and truly commit to Living it faithfully, after all… God Himself Has Done ALL The Heavy Lifting. NEW Covenant… it just sounds so good, right? Thank You and Bless You YESHUA! Godly Questions To Ponder On: How has God Our Father been faithful to you in your Life? How have you endeavored to be faithful to your Creator and Father In Heaven? Are you in covenant with God Your Father and Savior? How do you live that out? The NEW Life and NEW Covenant Word: “BEHOLD, THE DAYS ARE COMING, says The LORD (Yahweh), when I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH — not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says The LORD (Yahweh). But THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, says The LORD (Yahweh): I will put My Law (Torah) in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know The LORD (Yahweh),’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says The LORD (Yahweh). For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34 “In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “THIS CUP IS THE NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD. THIS DO, as often as you drink it, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.” I Corinthians 11:25 “Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a Light to the Gentiles, That You should be My Salvation (Yeshua) to the ends of the earth.’ ” Isaiah 49:6 “So then FAITH COMES BY hearing, and hearing by THE WORD OF GOD.” Romans 10:17
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Good Morning Wednesday...
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’s Name. Amen.. - An Exercise In Connecting With God Our Father - By Faith #2 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. 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: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His Great Love with which He Loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His Grace in His Kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God Prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:1-10 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 everybody. May The God Of All Good Things Give each and everyone of you PEACE. Good Morning Tuesday...
Thank you Father for the blessing of this NEW day. Please continue to fill our HEARTS & MINDS with your TRUTH & LOVE so we stay FOCUSED on The TRUTH of “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" TODAY! IN YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST’s Name. Amen. - Serving In Babylon: Humility, Faithfulness, and Loyalty Daniel. He served his captors and oppressors faithfully and loyally, for he knew it was The Will of God. He served so well in fact that he continued to be promoted over and over again. His influence grew until he was leading the men with the most authority in the land, the kings, to proclaim The God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, Daniel's God and Our God, to be The Only One True and Living God. Daniel didn't choose his situation. If he did, being a faithful servant of God Almighty, one would think he would not choose the lawless nation of Babylon. Nonetheless, he served with humility, faithfulness, and loyalty because he knew he was actually serving God. His prayers for discernment served him well. Do you think if Daniel would have been openly judgmental, proud, out-spoken, and high minded he would have had such a powerful impact? Of course not. So let us not think that we can accomplish anything positive by acting in these ways either. Today, if Daniel was living and serving in the same manner, he would probably face a large measure of criticism. While we are not told this, he may have faced this in Babylon, after all, there is "nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)." Criticized or not, he continued faithfully and was rewarded with influence, influence he used to grow The Kingdom of God. Like Daniel, we must seize the opportunities that God Our Father Has Placed Before Us. We must serve wherever we are, in a manner befitting of a child of God Almighty. The God Who Loves, Forgives, and Rewards His Faithful. We can have influence over our current "Babylon" and we should engage our non-believing society with humility, faithfulness, and loyalty to God. If we do, we also can lead others to these soul cleansing attributes, and Our Father Will Use Us To Grow His Kingdom. This is what it means to "Be A Light." If we merely serve whomever God places us in front of, we will earn the right to be heard. Then, when we are heard, we can influence others to set their sites on God, to start walking away from Babylon, and start walking towards New Jerusalem. Prayer: Father God, Help us to embrace whatever situation you have put us in, so that we may serve you with Humility, Faithfulness, and Loyalty. Help us to gain influence and then lead others to You. Help us not to cut those living in "Babylon" off from our sites, for we know You Love them too. Please give us the proper discernment to know when to speak up and when to quietly stand by. Help us to wait patiently for the opportunity that you give us to “Speak Life” to others. Use us Father for Your Glory and Your Future Kingdom where Yeshua, Jesus Christ, Your Son and Our King Will Reign With Justice, Righteousness, and Love Forever and Ever. Bless You Father. Thank You Father. We ask these things in The Name Of The Righteous, Humble, Faithful, and Loyal King, Your Son, Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our Savior. Amen. The Living Word: “Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.” Daniel 10:12 “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3 “Let your Light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 “Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your Face to shine on Your Sanctuary, which is desolate.” Daniel 9:17 The Fruit of God By The Service of Daniel. The influence God Gave Daniel led to Kings of Babylon proclaiming The Glory of God: “Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before The God of Daniel. For He Is The Living God, And steadfast forever; His Kingdom is The One which shall not be destroyed, And His Dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” Daniel 6:25-28 “And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed The Most High and praised and honored Him Who Lives Forever: For His Dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His Kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His Will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His Hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?” At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor The King of Heaven, all of whose works are Truth, and His Ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.” Daniel 4:34-37 Paul Clears Up A Misunderstanding About Serving In "Babylon": “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.” I Corinthians 5:9-13 Good Morning Monday...
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!
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says The LORD (YHWH, Yahweh), thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 Our Father has an amazing plan for each and every one of us. Sometimes though, we can let sin get in the way of these plans. When we read the verse in Jeremiah 29 above, we see Our Father reassuring the people of Judah. Judah was disobedient and had gone overboard with sin, so naturally Our Father, being a Good Father, disciplines them. Judah was conquered by the Babylonians and sent into exile in Babylon. Our Father was disciplining them, but as we see in Jeremiah 29:11, He had not forgotten them. In fact, El Shaddai, God Almighty, had a transcending plan for Judah. This story should show us that Our Father has a transcendent plan for us as well. He Is Indeed Speaking To Us Through This Message. We all fall short of The Glory of God, but Our Father NEVER gives up on us. We are all ”God’s Workmanship Created In Christ Jesus For Good Works.” Let's get some witnesses from The Word of Truth: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 “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 Our Father In Heaven knew His Plans for each and every one of us from the beginning of eternity. He is continuously ”On The Job” to bring about these plans to fulfillment in our lives. Our Father may discipline us every now and then, but His Discipline is not meant to break us down, but to fill us up. All that God has planned is preparing us to fulfill His Amazing Plan for each of our lives. Can I get a witness? “Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds. You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood. And have you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him; For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline? Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God's children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all]. [Prov. 3:11, 12.] Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness. For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness–in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God]. So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, [Isa. 35:3.] And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.” Hebrews 12:3-13 AMPC God Our Father Is The Potter. He Is Reshaping Us Clay Pots: “And the vessel that He made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so He made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to The Potter to make.” Jeremiah 18:4 Our Father has designed plans. He has had this plan all along. His Plans are good. His Plans are meant for us to prosper, not harm us. May none of us fall into discouragement because of our past failures, and definitely not because of Our Father's Discipline. His Discipline Is A Blessing! May we all put our trust in The Creator Of All Things, God Our Father, His Amazing Plans, And ”Fight The Good Fight (1Timothy 6:12). Because God Our Father’s Plan(s) Will ALWAYS Stand, it gives us hope. We all may have tough times occasionally, and occasionally we may have to go through some discipline from God Our Father, but because we have The Best Father In Eternity, we can rest assured that we have a ”future and hope.” We may still be in Babylon today my Brothers and Sisters, and sometimes it can be tough dealing in this evil place, but don't give up. God Hasn't Given Up On You, And He Still Has Mighty Big Plans For You... And All Of Us! 🔥🙌 Prayer: Dear Father God, help us to press forward no matter what we may be facing. Help us to accept your discipline as The Blessing It Is. Help keep us patient as You FulFill Your Amazing Plans For Us. Help us to see You, and Your Plans, as our hope and our future. Father, we know You Never Give Up On Us, please help strengthen us to never give up on You. Bless You and Praise Your Holy Name Forever. Thank You Father. We Love You. We pray these things in Your Perfect and Mighty Son’s Name, Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Amen. Good Morning & Happy Sunday...
FATHER, PLEASE HELP US TO SHOW GRACE to others today. Let our words be full of KINDNESS and our actions be HELPFULNESS. Please help us to not respond selfishly, instead STRENGTHEN US TO RESPOND WITH LOVE. IN YESHUA Ha’Mashiach, JESUS CHRIST’S NAME we pray. AMEN! - A Servant’s Wisdom And The Source Wisdom: “To have what we want is riches; but to be able to do without, is Power.” - Macdonald The Source AKA The Word This Wisdom Came From: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 Prayer: Father God, help us to realize the spiritual riches that You have waiting for us, and also the worldly riches which we need to avoid. Help us to see our faults, not others... unless it can be edifying, helpful, and encouraging. Write Your Word on our hearts and minds, so that we call to mind those most important things, which You are teaching us, and let them flow when we are in conversations with others. Finally Father, help us to understand and know what it means to be “made perfect in weakness. (2Cor12:9)” Help us to be content, not in our walk with You, but with the unimportant things this fallen world tries to push on us. Each and everyday through advertisements, tv, useless talk, and political division we are subject to the evil things of this world, sometimes when we don’t even realize it we are. Please give us discerning spirits to “hold what is good” and “reject every kind of evil” (1Thessalonians 5:21-22). Guide us in Your Path to Life. You are so good to us, Thank You and Bless You Our Father Heaven. We ask and pray these things in Your Mightiest of Names, Our Savior’s Name, Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Amen. “Give to Your servant a listening heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and bad, because who is able to judge this, Your difficult people?” 1 Kings 3:9 “for he who is perverse is an abomination of Yahweh, but those who are upright are his confidence.” Proverbs 3:32 “... test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 Good Morning Sabbath...
Father thank You for this NEW day. We ask that you OPEN our HEARTS and MINDS to YOUR infinite GRACE, WISDOM, and PEACE, so WE may SERVE You in the manner most PLEASING to YOU. IN Your Mighty Son YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's name we pray. Amen - Abide In The King: Your Unique Peace “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His Name’s sake.” Psalms 23:2-3 When you read this verse from Psalms 23 what does it make you think of? How does Our Father restore your soul? Where is it that He gives you peace? What does He do that makes you forget the stress of this life, even if it is for only a little while? Where do you go to clear your mind or compose yourself? What, where, or how do you connect with Our Father in the strongest manner? When do you feel you are able to "hear" His Voice or feel His Will in your life? Does this happen for you before the sun comes up when everyone else is asleep? Is it reading verses on your lunch? What about in the stillness of your home before anyone arrives in the afternoon? Or is it in the chatter of family and friends around a big dinner table? How about while listening to music, singing in church, or maybe it is somewhere or something that no one would think of doing? Realize that God Our Father designed each and everyone of us unique. He made us unique and He made each and every one of us to have unique access to Him in our own uniqueness... no matter how busy we are. Our Father wants to give us rest and rejuvenation, but we must realize that it is Only Found In Him and His Son Yeshua, Jesus Christ. We were all designed to Abide In Him, so all we need to do is search our hearts and answer the questions above. If you are reading this, most likely He Has Already Shown You How. If He Has Not Shown You, all you need do is ask honestly and humbly. Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our King, Savior, and Perfect Example Said: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 Think back to the times when you undeniably felt The Peace Of God in your Life. Think back to the times when His Presence was the strongest in your Life. If you have had an experience with God, in whatever circumstances, setting, or activity, that means God Has Spoken to you... directly to you. We have all felt "led" to participate, or not participate, in an activity, to help someone, to fulfill a particular command, write something or compose a poem, or something else He has laid on our hearts. Now, we simply must choose to do those things, consistently and as often as possible. This is where we will find The Peace of God... Abiding In The King. Fuel For The Soul, The Word Of God: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know The Truth, and The Truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am The Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 “Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in The Son and in The Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.” I John 2:24-25 “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:17-21 Good Morning Friday...
Thank You Father for the blessing of this NEW day. Please continue to fill our HEARTS & MINDS with Your TRUTH & LOVE, so we stay focused, trusting that You Are Transforming us into a people who live a life shaped by radical, God-Centered Faith TODAY! IN YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST’s Mighty Name We Pray. Amen! Our Father Willing, tomorrow we will continue in our “New” series, but today, as always, Our Father Is Right On Time. Have had a lot of questions about “The Fear of God” recently and thought this devotion was a wonderful, short piece on the subject. I pray it edifies, strengthens, and blesses each and every one of you on the other side of this screen. Have a Great-God-Filled-Day everybody! A Big thank you to our late Brother, John Ritenbaugh, and berean.org for today’s devotion. - A Berean Breakdown: The Fear of God “(50) And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. “ Luke 1:50 A Christian is a person upon whom God has shown mercy, and here Luke also identifies Christians as those who fear God. In Luke 18:2, 4, Jesus reveals in a parable that it is the unconverted who do not fear God. His followers fear God. Elsewhere, the Bible identifies Christians as those who fear God. Notice Acts 9:31: "Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied." Later, Luke writes: "And they said, 'Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you" (Acts 10:22). Cornelius, a Gentile prepared for baptism, is called "one who fears God." Hebrews 5:7 describes Jesus' fear of God: ". . . who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear." Even Jesus, who knew God better than anyone who had ever walked the face of the earth, feared God. Note the special attention paid to the fact that God answered His prayers because He did. God is holy. He is different to a level so far above mankind that those who truly know Him do not lose that apprehension and awe that comes from the privilege of being in the presence of sheer, powerfully pure holiness. Fear plays a large part in a good relationship with God. Genesis 3:10 is the first time a form of fear appears in Scripture, and interestingly, it is in the context of sin. Adam responds to God, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." Elsewhere, the English word "fear" and its cognates appear in many contexts and forms: "feared," "fearful," "fearfully," "fearfulness," "fearing," and "afraid." These terms appear over 720 times in Scripture. We tend to be uncertain about fearing God because we think of fear as a negative characteristic. We feel that we should love Him rather than fear Him. However, as we study God's Word and experience life with Him, we come to understand that, at the foundation of loving God, godly fear modifies our highly variable faith in God and love for God in significant ways. All of those forms of "fear" express a wide range of emotions. Feelings such as dread, distress, dismay, trouble, terror, horror, alarm, awe, respect, reverence, and admiration may all appear as "fear" in Scripture. The fear that God desires in us is a good, positive, motivating quality. This fear is one that we do not naturally possess. Recall Psalm 34:11: "Come you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD." How do we learn the fear of God? Psalm 33:8-9 gives insight: "Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." Godly fear is one of a deep and abiding respect that grows as we learn—from within a continuing, intimate relationship—of His character, His purpose, and His powers. The unconverted do not have this relationship as a sustaining presence. Good Morning Thursday...
Father thank You for this NEW DAY. As You Walk with us today, please keep us focused on The NEW LIFE You have given us. Please continue to fill OUR NEW HEARTS & NEW MINDS with YOUR EVERLASTING PEACE and straighten The NEW PATHS You put before us. IN YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's Glorious Name. Amen.
One thing we can all be assured of when we experience The New Life that Yeshua (Jesus) offers us: Things will not stay the same. It is an absolute fact that our New Life, from Our Father and Savior in heaven, will make a change in us that not only changes our thoughts and beliefs, but also changes the landscape of the people we interact with, the places we go, and the things we do. Why? Because we are New People. We will go New places, where we meet New people, and do New things. Some changes will happen immediately and some may not happen immediately, but “New” will indeed be present. “But NEW wine must be put into NEW wineskins, and both are preserved.” Luke 5:38 NKJV To be a Child of God, surrendered to Yeshua (Jesus), filled with The Ruach Ha’Kodesh (The Holy Spirit), and experiencing God’s New Life for you, you absolutely 100% cannot stay the same… it is impossible. “For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.” II Corinthians 3:11 NKJV When we read through The Gospels it is clear that each and every person who had an encounter with Yeshua (Jesus) was changed, transformed, and undeniably made New. Now, Yeshua (Jesus) is a gentleman. He never forces Himself on anyone who doesn’t want His help, but to those who do “call on Him” they experience a very natural, consequential, and Life-renewing change. These things are intrinsic of having a meeting with God, with being in His Presence, with establishing a relationship with The Most Powerful Being In The Existence Of… Well, Everything. Guess what? The very same thing is true each and everyday for each and every person who meets Him. When someone really has a “Coming To Jesus” encounter and decides to submit to His Perfection, it changes them and they experience New. Yeshua doesn’t force it, it is not generic, and it involves using the best about that person, amplifying it, and putting it to use for the good of all mankind. We all have unique gifts, talents, perspectives, and these are no accident. These are the attributes that God Our Father and Our Savior will use to, day by day, transform us “by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)” While one must deny many things from our old life and self, through the help and power of The Holy Spirit, many of our gifts, through the help and power of The Holy Spirit, will become amplified, and some gifts may be revealed for the first time! It’s exciting! Our Loving Father and Savior has very intentionally given each and everyone of us gifts, traits, strengths, and perspectives that He will use in The New Life of each and every follower of His. While many things will “pass away” from our old lives, it would be a mistake to think that Our Father and Savior wouldn’t use the best parts of us that He Created for good. It is a New Life. A Life of being who God created us to be, what He designed us for, and allowing Him to show us the fullness of His Love and Life. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 NKJV Part by part, peice by peice, day by day, and little by little, we are made New People, New Beings, with New Purpose, with New and exciting things to accomplish for The Kingdom of God. But please keep in mind… there is only One Way to experience this New Life and be New People. One absolutely must take time to get to know our Savior, spend time with Him, research Him, read about Him in The Bible, talk to Him, and think about Him in our day to day lives. If we are doing these things, slowly but surely, we will begin to obey Him more and more. A consequence of more obedience, is more peace. With more peace comes better relationships, more understanding, and more New experiences. This New Life filled with peace and good works leads to becoming more like Yeshua (Jesus) in The Way we treat others, hear others, give to others, and walk with God. The old gets replaced with The New. As we head into this next year of amazing possibilities that Our Father and Savior has in store for us, we will experience New. How exciting is it to know that The Most Important Being In Existence is planning something New for us right now. Kind of amazing, right? May we all go into our New day today and ponder on what New things, New people, and New experiences Our King and Savior has for us today. “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” I John 2:17 NKJV Godly Questions To Ponder On: What are some New things in your Life that God is doing? Do you have New thoughts, New disciplines, New friends, or something else New about your Life right now? Is there a possibility that you are resisting something New that God has put into your Life? Why do you think that is? Is there something that you can do that will allow you to be more accepting and open to the New that God is doing in you? The New Life Word: “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as The Truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be reNEWed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on The NEW Man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:21-24 NKJV “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the reNEWing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 NKJV “But NEW wine must be put into NEW wineskins, and both are preserved.” Luke 5:38 NKJV “For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.” II Corinthians 3:11 NKJV “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” I John 2:17 NKJV “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.” Romans 11:29-31 NKJV Good Morning Wednesday...
Father thank You for this NEW day. We ask that you OPEN our HEARTS and MINDS to YOUR infinite GRACE, WISDOM, and PEACE, so WE may SERVE You in the manner most PLEASING to YOU. In Your Mighty Son YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's Name we pray. Amen. - Let’s Do The Math: 1 + 2 = True Love Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our King, tells us in The Gospel of Matthew: “Jesus said to him, “You shall Love The LORD (YHWH, Yahweh) your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV “Yeshua said to him, “‘You shall Love The LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole Torah and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 WMB Here in Matthew we read about Our Savior explaining, in no uncertain manner, that every commandment Our Father has given us is connected to Love. Today let's take a look at what Paul writes about Love in 1 Corinthians and see if we can define this True Love that Our Messiah teaches us. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Paul writes: “Love suffers long and is kind; Love does not envy; Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:4-7 In verse 7 Paul writes 4 things about Love: Love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." For the sake of brevity let focus on these four things. 1 - Love Bears All Things: We as believers are not suppose to be easily offended. Love puts up with a lot. When we allow perceived slights and offenses to get us bent out of shape, it undermines our Love. What's crazy about this one is, I see many people offended by something that didn't even happen... they made it up in their own head with assumptions. We must beware of this. If we Love, we bear through. Don't let anyone, not even yourself, undermine your Love. 2 - Love Believes All Things: Love always has the best thoughts about Our Father...and neighbor. Love never attributes anything less than Perfect when it comes to Our Father. What The Creator Of Heaven And Earth Says... is True. In regards to our neighbor, Love isn't overly suspicious of people. That is not to say that Love is gullible or naive, just not quick to suspect the worst of people. Let's go ahead and get a few witnesses on the "not gullible or naive," and also catch some serious Word Wisdom: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I John 4:1 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” James 1:16 “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” I Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7 3 - Love Hopes All Things: When it comes to Our Father, this means we Hope In Him. We trust that God Our Father will fulfill His Promises. He will bring His amazing plan of salvation and redemption to complete fulfillment. As for our neighbor, Love expects the best in people. Love believes that with the help of Our Father...Love Can Change Anyone For The Better. 4 - Love Endures All Things: Does Love give up easy? Of course not. If we Truly Love God and our neighbor, we must endure. Whether it be tribulations or trials, persecution or offenses, wounds or disappointments, we should never stop Loving. Our Father is much wiser than us. He often allows things to happen that we don't always understand in the beginning, only to show us something wonderful that we do understand later (John 13:7). Also, people will disappoint, wound, or hurt us. If we are practicing True Love, we endure these things. God Our Father can shine, amazingly bright, His Amazing Love, when we endure with Love. We only need look to Our King and Savior, Our Salvation and Messiah, if we need a picture of Enduring Love🔥. A greater Love this world has never seen. 1 + 2 = Love. The Two Greatest Commandments. They are Great because they are what our existence is all about. Everything we believers do is governed by: Number One - Love God Our Father Above All Things, with your heart, mind, soul, and body. Number Two - Love Your Neighbor As Yourself. Think about that... "As Yourself." How do we want to be treated? Wow. One day we will inherit The Kingdom of God with Our Savior, The Lion of The Tribe of Judah, and when we do, I am pretty sure Jesus Will Have Expected Us To Have Learned.... We Must Let Love Reign... Forever and Ever. Amen! Good Morning Tuesday...
Thank You Father for this NEW day! Please continue to fill our HEARTS and MINDS with Your TRUTH & LOVE, so we may ENJOY Your blessings, and be a blessing, TODAY! In Yeshua, Jesus Christ’s Name we pray. Amen.
Who doesn’t like new things, right? Whether it is new friends, gadgets, books, activities, tools, or any other new thing, it is nice to get new. Even if things get bought used, they are new to us and we Love them. There is something about newness that seems to make everyone happy. As awesome as new may be, as happy as it may make us, as excited as we may be, there is one thing about something new that we can all probably agree on… new doesn’t last very long. In today’s world it seems new lasts for less and less time. A blink of the eyes and the newness of things seems to be gone. Think about it, how often these days do we have to: Update, upgrade, install, redownload, or replace? These things are seemingly part of everyday life. Because the newness of things seems to last less and less these days, many get caught in the trap of chasing after new things day after day. Now think about this, the most important new thing you will ever receive is not something that you can install, upgrade, buy, trade, or sell. The amazing and awesome thing about this “new thing” is that it never stops being new. It never needs to be replaced, it never wears out, and it never leaves you. “What is the amazing new thing?!,” you may ask. Well, this amazing new thing is a New Life, and there is only one Source to received this absolutely amazing, Life-changing, New Life, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Jesus Christ The King. Our Mighty King and Savior told us in no uncertain terms that our New Life all starts with a New Birth. Let’s take a look: “Yeshua answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom.” Yochanan (John) 3:5 WMB Want to hear something about this New Life that is more amazing than any “new” thing you will ever receive? It is a gift and it is free. Our New Life is a 100% free gift offered to anyone, anywhere, at anytime who decides to turn to Yeshua, Jesus Christ, and put their trust and faith in Him. Here is the paradox of this New Life: It is a free gift, but it is costly. This New Life requires our surrender to The Creator of All Things, His Rule, and His Love each and everyday. It is free, costly, and The Most Amazing Thing Any Of Us Will Receive While On This Earth. None of us deserves a New Life, but because of Our King, Creator, Messiah, Savior, and His Kindness, Mercy, Long-suffering, and Love, He offers it to us despite our unworthiness. As we move on from the season of Our Father’s Holy Fall Festivals, which included the birth of Our Mighty Savior in the flesh, and move towards the next year of amazing work Our Father is accomplishing, may none of us fail to recognize the most important new thing we will ever receive, NEW LIFE! A few questions to ponder on: Are you caught in the snare of chasing “new things?” What are some of those new things you are chasing after? Why? Where did your New Life with The King of Glory Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Jesus Christ, begin? Think back on that. How did it feel? Who were you with? Are you celebrating your New Life each and every day? If not, why not? How are some ways you can do that today? The New Life Word: “We were buried therefore with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through The Glory of The Father, so we also might walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, we will also be part of His resurrection; knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him; knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over Him! For the death that He died, He died to sin one time; but The Life that He lives, He lives to God. Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 6:4-13 WEB “Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 WEB “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 WEB |
SERVANT OF YESHUA 7
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