Tag Archives: 119 Ministries
Does Yahweh appoint evil leaders to lead nations?
I am reading this from this link of a ministry called Never Thirsty
https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/does-god-appoint-evil-leaders-to-lead-nations/
Fear or Faith
Fear or Faith You all have a choice, get caught up in all the nonsense in the world today or take Joy knowing our Creator has blessed us with the greatest life. Your Choice!
Esther 6 Daily Bible Reading with Paul Nison
Esther 6 New Living Translation (NLT)
The King Honors Mordecai
6 That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. 2 In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes.
3 “What reward or recognition did we ever give Mordecai for this?” the king asked.
His attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.”
4 “Who is that in the outer court?” the king inquired. As it happened, Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to impale Mordecai on the pole he had prepared.
5 So the attendants replied to the king, “Haman is out in the court.”
“Bring him in,” the king ordered. 6 So Haman came in, and the king said, “What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?”
Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” 7 So he replied, “If the king wishes to honor someone, 8 he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. 9 Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’”
10 “Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!”
11 So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, placed him on the king’s own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!” 12 Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.
13 When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, his wise advisers and his wife said, “Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.”
14 While they were still talking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly took Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.
Ester 5 Daily Bible Reading with Paul Nison
Esther 5 New Living Translation (NLT)
Esther’s Request to the King
1 On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.
3 Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
4 And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”
5 The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.
6 And while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “Now tell me what you really want. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
7 Esther replied, “This is my request and deepest wish. 8 If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you. Then I will explain what this is all about.”
Haman’s Plan to Kill Mordecai
9 Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious. 10 However, he restrained himself and went on home.
Then Haman gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, 11 and boasted to them about his great wealth and his many children. He bragged about the honors the king had given him and how he had been promoted over all the other nobles and officials.
12 Then Haman added, “And that’s not all! Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her and the king again tomorrow!” 13 Then he added, “But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate.”
14 So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet[a] tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up.
Footnotes:
- 5:14 Hebrew 50 cubits [23 meters].
Sin is more contagious than covid-19
Sin is more contagious than covid-19
Esther 3 Daily Bible Reading with Paul Nison
Esther 3 New Living Translation (NLT)
Haman’s Plot against the Jews
3 Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. 2 All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.
3 Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4 They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. 6 He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.
7 So in the month of April,[a] during the twelfth year of King Xerxes’ reign, lots were cast in Haman’s presence (the lots were called purim) to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7, nearly a year later.[b]
8 Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. 9 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks[c] of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”
10 The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.”
12 So on April 17[d] the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year.[e] The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them.
14 A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that they would be ready to do their duty on the appointed day. 15 At the king’s command, the decree went out by swift messengers, and it was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa fell into confusion.
The Whole Matter
The Whole Matter
(#365 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear the Almighty and keep His commandments, for this is man’s whole duty. For the Mighty One will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
You were created in the image of Yahweh and to keep His commands. Your carnal attempt at “free will” will always end in a death of His choice, just as in the Garden of Eden. Your whole duty is to obey Yahweh, a death of self that should be the only choice, just as offered in the Garden of Gethsemane! This will transform you into His image, to a perfect man [perfection], to the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Messiah (Ephesians 4:13). And do not think it pride that you are called to such a lofty place; you are joint heirs with the Messiah (Romans 8:17). And He thought it perfectly acceptable, and even more so, was commanded to be like His Father. Don’t be fooled loved one; there will be a death either way. The only question is whether you will bow willingly or be forced.
Let this mind be in you which was also in the Messiah Yahshua, who, being in the form of the Mighty One, did not consider it robbery to be equal with the Mighty One, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the stake. Therefore the Mighty One also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Yahshua [Yahweh saves] every knee should bow, of those in Heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Yahshua the Messiah is Master, to the glory of the Almighty Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)
With this confession on your lips, let’s revisit the first Garden and ask ourselves, “Were they given choices or commands?” Yahshua’s example in the second Garden, as well as these bold words, can help you with the answer. “If you love Me, keep My commands.” (John 14:15) You must settle this answer inside of you, once for all times, and then you must live by it! Let this mind be in you which was also in the Messiah Yahshua. The Kingdom within (Luke 17:21) is the mind of the Messiah in you (1 Corinthians 2:16). It is the conclusion of the whole matter.
If you have eyes to see and ears to hear, read this aloud; “I was never intended to think for myself, but rather only to have His mind in me.” This will transform every aspect of your life. And make no mistake, life, the entirety of it, the whole duty of it, is lived first in the mind! And if you are willing to surrender your will, it can be lived with His mind, the Messiah in you, the hope of glory. (Colossian 1:27) Your soul, your conscience, lives forever and for those who obey rather than insist they have a choice, “forever” is pure bliss. The others, those forced to bow, whose conscience is seared (1 Timothy 4:2), will involuntarily acknowledge Yahweh’s glory, but will live forever absent His presence. Hell indeed!
Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, had it all. He had every luxury the world could offer, all the riches of the physical realm. And how did these strong attachments impact this most valuable gift of the Father? It turned his wisdom into vanity. His final reckoning, his repentance; his conclusion of the whole matter; fear the Almighty and keep His commandments. All else is “vanity!” “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) The result of “choosing” to go against what Yahweh commands: Vanity!
And so, again, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, read this aloud; “If I give up the idea that I have a right to my own thoughts, my obedience will allow me to become all I was intended to be; I will attain the Holy mind.” This is exactly what His Covenant (unilateral mind contract with fallen men) guarantees loved one. When all vanity is washed away, the Kingdom of Yahweh will manifest in the Holy of Holies of your mind. He will have total dominion over all of your thoughts. The result: a conscience without sin (Hebrews 9:14)! This, loved one, is the conclusion of the whole matter!
To All Our Loved Friends Who Traveled With Us,
Thank you for taking this devotional journey to the Kingdom within.
Michael & Jeffrey
P. S. “It” is “not” finished; go back to #001 Merciful One and travel deeper!
Still Work To Do
“It”
(#364 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
“It” is not some lifeless thing or abstract idea. “It” is not an object or some concept that is easily minimized or dismissed with a few popular Christian soundbites. “It” cost everything. “It” is the two letter word from the mouth of the One who redeemed you and made a way for your sanctification and salvation. And what is so very special about this “it?” It is the “it” in “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
The context in which this two letter word is used reveals the word’s powerful intention and also exposes any carnal disregard you may have inherited through doctrinal prejudice. We would do well to define what Yahshua was referring to as being finished. It would be equally as important to emphasize what He was not including. Anything less than a solid understanding about the enormity of what this little word refers to can be very disruptive to your walk as a disciple.
For far too long those He has entrusted to take up His cause, to put on His mantle (Matthew 28:19-20), have failed to embrace what He desired when He promised we would do “greater things” (John 14:12-14). This is because we cannot press on to greater things having interpreted the “it” as meaning anything and everything. If everything is finished, what more is there to do, let alone greater things? Historically, this misperception has caused men to say such things as, “We’re under grace now; it was all finished in Christ; that’s been done away with (speaking about the majority of the Law/commandments); Jesus fulfilled that when He died so I don’t have to; and He did it all for us.”
These soundbites feel good as they conjure up feelings of “freedom in Christ.” The problem, however, is that they are simply not true. To the contrary, the freedom we have in the Messiah is that we have become bondservants, voluntary slaves to do His will, to finish what He started. For this is the will of the Almighty, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of the Almighty. (1 Peter 2:15-16) He left us and is waiting at the right hand of the Father until the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21). This restoration is our job; it is the “greater thing!”
What He did was magnanimous; but it was not so we would need to do nothing. Rather, “it” was so we could do something! “It” was to open our minds and to restore access to the presence of Yahweh Himself. When Yahshua died on the stake, His self-will died and the veil (blindness) was torn (Matthew 27:51). But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains [over their hearts/minds] in the reading of the Old Covenant, because the veil is taken away in the Messiah. But even to this day, when Mosheh is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Master, the veil is taken away. (2 Corinthians 3:14-16) The veil over your mind has been removed so you could see (spiritually perceive) the Father again; understand and obey His word; and know the hope of His calling on your life (read Ephesians 1:15-23; 4:1-13). This is what His “it” is referring to. This is the “it” that is finished.
Yes, His work (“it”) is finished loved one; your “it” remains undone. Where His work left off, your work begins! And you have much work to do. You must work out your salvation (a saved, perfected mind) with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). He did not work out your salvation for you; rather, He redeemed you (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7), which gave you permission, access, and power to do it yourself. The Spirit within you now awakens and empowers you to do everything for which Yahshua the Messiah gave His life; you now possess the inspiration and ability to abide in Yahshua’s love and to obey Yahweh’s commands! Yes, just as the Messiah taught us; “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10) When you argue that “it” means it is all finished, and that you are free from any obligations as a believer, it is like you are still living with a veil over your heart.
Perhaps the next time you hear someone express that Yahshua finished it all, you might allow those words to resonate within you. Meditate on how He certainly did finish His part and how He now expects you to fulfill yours. He would say “It is finished (John 19:30); go therefore (Matthew 28:19), and do greater things (John 14:12).” Yahshua’s “it” meant everything to His Father and finishing it proved His utter obedience. If you truly love Yahweh, you can prove it as well, by acknowledge that your “it” also means everything to Him. How so? You can do it in the same way Yahshua did, by utter obedience. For this is the love of the Almighty, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3)
If this is now your declaration, pray: “I stand in You and for You Yahshua. I believe the shedding of Your blood (life, Adam) gave me the ability to shed my blood (Adam). I believe You have given me the right to be perfectly obedient, for You have commanded it. I long for Your purging, Your cleansing that removes all sin from my conscience (Hebrews 10:2; 9:14). I believe that others wait upon us to also be made perfect (Hebrews 11:40). I believe Your ‘it’ allows your chosen ones to finish their ‘it.’ Only then will the Kingdom of Yahweh manifest on earth within perfected men. The Messiah is in me, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Hallelu-Yahweh!”
Seeing Red
Seeing Red
(#363 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty [careless, idle] word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
You will be held accountable before the throne of Yahweh Almighty for every word you speak. When your language fails to align with the Holy Mind, when your words are not that of a Kingdom citizen, you must change or answer the charge before the Courts of Heaven. Each of us will give an account of ourselves to the Almighty. (Romans 14:12) All things will be tested by fire; whatever is not of Him will be burned away (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Time spent in any culture reveals its language. Prison too has its own vernacular. Phrases like, “Slow your roll” and “Don’t get it twisted,” are commonly used among the men. Both phrases are intended to express the idea of slowing down and thinking things through, before possibly speaking. In the Body of the Messiah, the congregation (the gathering of thoughts intended to be Holy), the totality of all that we think and speak is supposed to express the mind of Yahweh alone. However, so much of what we think and say fails to meet this standard, a lack of power being the proof of this sad affair. Yes, we call it an affair, as it is an affair with the world, an affair with the kingdoms that will perish.
And yet, many professed believers will minimize their affair with the world by simply proclaiming, “I’m covered by the blood.” Let us consider what that means using Hebrew vernacular. “Blood” (dam in Hebrew) refers to life or that which when shed causes death. What is even more piercing is that one of the Hebrew root words for blood is “adam”. With just a little effort and a little time spent seeking for Yahweh’s wisdom, you will be amazed at the depth of what it means that Yahshua shed His blood.
Here is the realignment of that thought using Kingdom vernacular; the shedding of the blood was what the Messiah did. That’s what perfected Him! He shed His “adam”; He shed Adam (Stop and read 1 Corinthians 15:45-49!). The shedding of blood was the death of His ego and self-will in order for His will to become One will with the Father. So you see, you are not covered “by the blood”, you are covered because through Him, the blood (the first man Adam) was removed from you also! You were cleansed “from” blood, not “by” blood! You had to be because, “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of the Mighty One, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:50)
Slow your roll. Don’t get it twisted. Seek and you shall find!
“In fact, the Law requires that nearly everything be cleansed [purified] with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission [forgiveness of sin].” (Hebrews 9:22)