Tag Archives: 119 Ministries
Acts 15 The Jerusalem Council
Acts 15 The Jerusalem Council
What Commandments should new Jewish people follow?
The Other Side
The Other Side
(#248 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
Adam—Edom—Shedding of Blood—Ego—Flushed—Ashamed…
In scriptural context these are synonymous. They all emanate from Adam who “chose” to eat from the wrong tree, and therefore are also synonymous with all who came after him, all but one that is.
It is necessary that you understand what is intended when you read about blood sacrifices. The key element of the sacrifice is always about the shedding of the blood, and now we know this means no less than the shedding of shame. The shame is caused by your fierce and carnal desire to act like you have an option to choose rather than obey. “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45) The first Adam chose ego; the last Adam was the perfect sacrifice because He chose to shed His ego (blood) in order to give life (spirit revival) to those the Father would choose to forgive.
You would do well to to consciously practice the recognition of the above words as synonymous with Adam each time you read the scriptures. When you read of blood, think “shame or ego.” When you consider the Edomite, think about the ego of man. Loved one, it is all about progressing in your level of consciousness from the fallen mind to the mind of Messiah. This transformation takes a constant “renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2), and ultimately the removal of your personal thoughts, as they give way to strict obedience to Yahweh’s decrees and commands (mind laws/mind patterns).
Yahshua knew His purpose; He had to eliminate His own will. “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) He knew that it would always shame His Father, and ultimately Himself, if He chose His own way, if He sought His own glory. “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from the Almighty or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” (John 7:16-18)
It’s quite simple; one side you choose ego, the other side you choose the shedding of ego! Is this not the pattern, “nevertheless not My will,” upon which you should base your own life? Remember, you were purchased for a great price and you no longer own yourself! (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood [ego], there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22)
What a friend we have in Yeshua
Shake it Off
(#247 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
“But he shook the creature [viper] off into the fire, and suffered no harm.” (Acts 28:5)
How often have you considered such things, like Shaul’s (Paul’s) ability to overcome such a seemingly insurmountable physical obstacle? A viper “fastened on his hand” and he just “shook the creature off!” How about things that Abraham, Moses, and David overcame? How often have you thought, “Why not me?”
Let us consider how and why Shaul suffered no physical harm? It was not as you might think or imagine. Take heed loved one; nothing is ever physically achieved until it is spiritually conceived! Many acts of faith propelled Shaul’s ministry, but a recent specific memory of a spiritual promise fulfilled was most likely what inspired him during his encounter with the snake.
Just the night before, Shaul demonstrated amazing faith as he “believed” the promise of things to come even during a storm that was sure to take the lives of all aboard his ship, including his own. Consider his words; “For there stood by me this night a malak [messenger] of the Almighty to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Shaul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed the Almighty has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe the Almighty that it will be just as it was told me.” (Acts 27:23-25)
Because Shaul could testify that “it will be just as it was told me,” not even a viper bite would mean death for him. Why? Because Yahweh made a promise to him that Shaul was certain would be fulfilled. “You must be brought before Caesar.” Just like Abraham believed Yahweh for his son’s inheritance, “My son, the Almighty will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering,” (Genesis 22:8) Shaul knew he would see the future Yahweh had promised.
Faith allowed Shaul to shake off the viper (mind tormentor) and move forward as if nothing had happened. Literally, he set his mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2). He knew that Yahweh was his strength and his shield; his heart trusted in Him, and he was helped (Psalm 28:7). He was able to ignore the physical realm, and all of its illusions. It’s never from the physical where power is derived! Remember this! All power is spiritual; and all power is from Yahweh alone. There is no other source of power! (Psalm 62:11)
My soul, wait silently for the Almighty alone, for my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
In the Almighty is my salvation and my glory;
The Rock of my strength, and my refuge is in the Almighty.
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him; The Almighty is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:5-8)
Abundant Life
Abundant Life
(#246 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) If it is life abundant that Yahshua died for, then what exactly did His sacrifice offer you? What is the abundant life?
It’s time for a permanent shift. If your definition of the abundant life is primarily focused on external things, life in the physical realm, then we must submit that you are missing true abundance. Would you consider a new paradigm? “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:5) Moses was commanded many times in Exodus to follow Yahweh’s exact instructions to build the Tabernacle (the dwelling place within where Yahweh reigns). Why? Because the pattern serves as a copy or shadow of heavenly things. (Hebrews 8:5) The physical, in this case the Tabernacle, is a pattern? Yes, and it is true of all things. Our entire physical world is a shadow of the “real thing.” What is the real thing?
Your physical life is a direct result of your thought life, both conscious and subconscious. For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7) Your thoughts are the real thing! Your thoughts create your physical world. Here is something dramatic to consider; your thoughts are real and the world you see is a shadow. Man’s fallen thoughts (mind) manifested a fallen world. And the reverse is expected! The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation [manifestation] of Yahweh’s sons and daughters. (Romans 8:19). Sons and daughters of Yahweh will have the mind of Messiah (1 Corinthians 2:16) which will redeem all of creation. Fallen mind fallen world; redeemed mind redeemed world!
Your thought life is a very individual thing as well, as no one else can live in your mind for you. Your entire personal world is first a thought, before it manifests. Peace, joy, love, poise, balance, and power; are these not all states of mind, abundant states of mind? Is not all of life a byproduct of your thinking?
Consider Jerusalem, the “center” of all scriptural activity? Jerusalem means “city of peace, foundation of peace, or possession of peace.” Peace also must be the center of all your thought activity. The pattern (physical manifestation) serves as a copy or shadow of heavenly things (thoughts). Peaceful thoughts must therefore precede physical peace. “Shalom” in Hebrew is from the root word “shalem” which denotes completeness, wholeness and soundness. This is what His death was meant to offer you loved one, peace! Peace is a whole, pure, and sound mind; a mind so focused on Yahweh Almighty that the physical aspect of life becomes secondary. The flesh can die while the mind says, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) This is life loved one. Perfect life! Abundant life!
Hope Defined
Hope Defined
(#245 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen; a feeling of trust. However, for our purposes we will define hope from a Heavenly perspective; hope is collecting pieces of faith. This more comprehensive view of hope requires multiple qualities to amalgamate into something more complex than expectation, desire, and trust. It is yet another pattern created by our Father. To fulfill the pattern, spiritual hope does not just happen; it is constructed. Think of hope as a building you must erect with different components needed before it is completed.
In hope’s case, you will first need to incorporate belief. Think of belief as your foundation. To help you believe, Yahweh has circumcised your heart (center of intellect) (Deuteronomy 30:6); He has taken out your heart of stone (stubbornness) and given you a heart of flesh (raw, renewal) (Ezekiyl 36:26). You must walk in this to lay the foundation for hope to rest upon.
Next it is time to frame the walls of hope. Framing is done with faith! Faith makes the structure or substance of hope. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) And since our faith is a gift, and we are each given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3), we need not conjure it up. We simply must stand in it in order to build the beams and walls, the substance that will hold hope together. Every time we exercise faith, we add to the structure and strengthen it. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance holy reverence, to holy reverence brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. (2 Peter 1:5-7) Soon, the pieces of faith, assembled together, build a solid structure that can endure any storm.
Once we have the foundation and structure complete, something supernatural happens. The hope that was formed from belief and faith, now actually further strengthens your belief (the foundation) and faith (the structure), as well as intensifying hope (the building) itself.
The final component of the blueprint for spiritual hope is the blessing. It is miraculous! Your reward for participating in the building process, the prize for your obedience to walk in belief and stand in faith, is the blessing. Yahweh Almighty will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. Yahweh will again rejoice over you. (Deuteronomy 30:9) The blessings cover the building and protect it from deterioration. The blessings strengthen all the components of the building so that it becomes an eternal structure, wherein no elements of the world (ego-centered life) can cause decay. The building is the Spiritual Temple loved one, and the construction of this Temple within is the renewed life promised to Yahweh’s chosen children. You also, as living [spiritually renewed] stones [firmly established spiritual thoughts], are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to The Almighty through Yahshua the Messiah. (1 Peter 2:5)
This is hope defined. For You are my hope, O Yahweh Almighty; You are my trust from my youth. (Psalm 71:5)
Pride or Humility
70,000 Dead
(#244 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
Satan stood up against Israyl, and moved David to take a census of Israyl. . . David said to the Almighty, “Isn’t it I who commanded the people to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand, O Yahweh Almighty, be against me, and against my father’s house; but not against Your people, that they should be plagued.” (1 Chronicles 21:1, 17)
Have you ever been responsible for the death of another, not to mention 70,000 people? David condemned them when he succumbed to the temptation; “Satan (the adversarial will in opposition to Yahweh’s will) stood up against Israyl, and moved David to take a census (dependency upon personal power and might) of Israyl.” Translation: David was motivated by his own ego (“self” determination and reliance). Even after he was warned (Verse 3), “Why does my master require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guilt to Israyl?” he still chose sin.
Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? (Romans 6:16) David, the King of Israyl, servant of the Almighty, man after Yahweh’s own heart, and the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8), chose sin. David is well known for his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, her husband. But, rarely do we hear of his responsibility for the deaths of these seventy thousand.
This very same man, who gives us such hope with his genuine repentance; Have mercy on me; Against You, and You only, have I sinned; Create in me a clean heart (Psalm 51); was a slave to his own desires, a servant of sin. You are the servants of whomever you obey.
Now consider the thousands who died; would you be so inclined to see him as a pillar of faith if your loved one was one of his victims? Would you still read his words and be encouraged by them? Would you follow him if he was your “king” today?
Maybe a better way to ask is this. Do you see what Yahweh sees? Confession: “I am the one who sinned.” And intersession: “Please let Your hand be against me, but not against Your people.” Or do you overlook the heart (mental disposition) and see only what man sees, the consequences of sin; “Seventy thousand dead” (Verse 14)?
Who are you to judge? Does your true nature long to condemn others? Do you condemn others to make your “self” feel better about you? Learn from this, loved one. His fire is coming; you will be tried; you will be tested. If you’d rather have the short version of the test, then humble yourself. If you see yourself as a diamond with no flaws, step down from your self-made soap box.
The Father knows you are a diamond in the rough, in other words, a piece of coal. It takes a lot of “pressure” to turn coal into a diamond. The pressure will “squeeze” you and expose what is inside. Take your eyes off of everyone else’s sin. Get your focus back on you. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31) If you do, there may just be hope for you yet.
Let him put his mouth in the dust, there might yet be hope! (Lamentations 3:29)
The Word of Yahweh
Bread Alone?
(#243 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
No My child, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Mighty One.” (Matthew 4:4) For those who have been pruned in great tribulation, the significance of such a declaration takes on new meaning. When you are poured out like a drink offering, when your strength alone will no longer do, you must rather hold fast to the Word of life, so that you may rejoice in the day of the Messiah (Philippians 2:16-17).
Bread alone? Temporal provision satisfying your every need? This strength you have come to rely on, this so called “bread,” has you hanging on by a thread. Holding tight to this false security, much like a child clutches his blankie for safety and familiarity, will keep you from ever receiving your full inheritance. As long as the heir is a child, he does not differ from a slave, though he is master of all. (Galatians 4:1)
When faced with trials, if you habitually manage the strife with your own power, wisdom, and insight, it is imperative that I expose your true poverty. I command you not to lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), for it inevitably leads to decisions which depend upon your own strength, and this will never do. I will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught (Proverbs 3:26). If I desired that you depend on yourself, then why did I sacrifice My Son? And the truth is, My Spirit in you has already testified this to you. Yet, you ignore it with your sacrifice, which often looks like “struggling to do it on your own.” I desire obedience, not sacrifice! (1 Samuel 15:22)
When you receive the revelation that “bread alone” will not preserve life, and very often I must take away your bread for you to embrace this revelation, all that is left is My provision. Then My Word becomes your only source of nourishment. My patterns cannot be changed. My Word comes before anything; I have magnified My Word even above My Name (Psalm 138:2). Consider it like oxygen; although you can still breathe on “bread alone,” true life comes from the “breath” of My Word.
There must be a crossing over. You see loved one, there is a difference between the one who spends an hour with Me daily, due to sacrifice, and the one who communes with Me perpetually out of love and adoration. Yes, like the baby on milk, obedience is taught first, so afterwards true love can emerge. If you need to go back to milk, then do so. Even then, your effort will be blessed. Remember, I desire obedience (thoughts bound to reverence) over sacrifice (thoughts bound to burdens)!
It is only after you embrace this revelation that you can help others to receive what is intended for them. So, consider My words, the true delicacies of life, eternal delicacies. Then come away with Me, My loved one, and dine on all I have for you (Song of Solomon 2:10).
Blessed by Suffering
Beautiful Affliction
(#242 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
Yet it was Yahweh’s will [it pleased Yahweh] to crush Him, and cause Him to suffer [bear sickness], and though Yahweh makes His life an offering for sin [guilt], He [Yahshua] will see His offspring [seed] and prolong His days, and the will [pleasure] of Yahweh will prosper in His hand. (Isaiah 53:10)
Yes loved one; when this Priest [Yahshua] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Almighty. (Hebrews 10:12) He is the last sacrifice, the full atonement for your sins. He is your life-giver and your redemption (permission to renew your conscience to perfection). You seem to comprehend this at times, to actually live like you believe it; your obedience is how I gauge this. May I share something with you about the process? Perhaps this will help you develop a stronger desire to know Me, and therefore a stronger desire to obey.
Today child, it is the “crushing” I would like to discuss with you. Could have I chosen another method to perfect you, another “modus operandi,” a different pattern for purification? If I wanted, couldn’t I have simply allowed My Son to come and teach? I could have planned for Him to stay with you for many years, even centuries to show you My ways, no? Or, could have I simply programmed My creation to obey Me at all times? Yes, all of these options, and more, were available. So, why then do I, instead, choose the “crushing method” for your perfecting? Because it is the suffering that made My Son perfect (Hebrews 2:10). And Remember what [He] told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted [Him], they will persecute you also. (John 15:20) Therefore, do not invalidate the suffering process when the pattern shows up in your own life.
Yes, I did say that My Son was the last sacrifice for sin for all time, but I did not say that I would no longer use suffering to align My people with their destiny (James 1:2-4). Quite the opposite; it is in the suffering that the dross (all mental “self” reliance) is removed. “For it has been granted [gifted] to you on behalf of the Messiah, not only to believe upon Him [Yahweh], but also to suffer on behalf of Him [Yahweh].” (Philippians 1:29) It is in the suffering that purity is birthed. It is I who make all decrees, to bless or to afflict. Even if I choose to use evil to prune you, then so be it! And don’t be so hasty to assume that evil is some “outside force” and not a tool of revelation exposing the evil that resides within you loved one. Yes, the crushing and chastening are Mine!
Why would My way seem so harsh? You would not think it cruel if you embraced that My chosen methods always represent pure love My child. No more of your double-mindedness! Reckon this as truth; I only do good on behalf of My children, and therefore the suffering is to bring about good. I have said it before; this is a never-changing, ever-present pattern on the narrow road to perfection.
Now you should be thinking, “If I align with Your ways Father, then I would be able to see that suffering inevitably brings holiness into my life, and therefore serves good for those called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). And that would mean I should suffer well.” Exactly, My loved one. Embrace My “modus operandi,” My way of doing things. When your mind comes to peace with such thoughts, you are prepared to sail to the heights, finding the life I have always intended for you. Trust Me, you will get there; your suffering ensures it.
Yes, the only way to perfection is through suffering, so suffer well loved one. Suffer well.
Giving up everything you own
A Hard Saying
(#241 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. And anyone who does not carry his own stake and follow Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26-27)
Read it again!
Be still in your soul My child, and listen to Me. If I gave you revelation about whom and what in your life are your greatest priorities, it would be brutally convicting. I Am grace and mercy, but I Am also truth and judgment. If I took everything from you today, whether in a whirlwind, or in what men call an “accident,” it would reveal so much about you. It would show in what and in whom you place your trust. Trust in the flesh (any thought fueled by the personal will) always plants you in parched places; trust in Me and you are like a tree (truth) planted by many waters (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
If I took everything you value in your physical world, who would I be to you then? “Cruel,” is what I often hear. Is that what you would say as well, loved one? Would I still be the “Mighty One” to you? Would I still be “Loving Father?” The truth says so much about your love for Me, about who and what really comes first in your life? In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything [utterly forsake dependency upon your own understanding] cannot be My disciples. (Luke 14:33) It is good that I challenge you to consider such things.
“Who do you say I Am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Mighty One.” Yahshua replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 16:15-17)
Now read from Luke 14:26 all the way to the end of the chapter, and talk to Me. Let’s really talk about who I Am to you, and in this you will receive your heavenly revelation.
Unexpected Trials
Retrospection
(#240 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
As we go, we grow, and we set a path. –Michael David Beiter, Jr.
There comes a time when you realize that the edge you once stood on, that threshold where your utter despair and Yahweh’s comfort joined hands, was just “one edge,” for a new edge had come. You had persevered the anguish, believing that it could never be that tough again. But then, there it was again, a new edge with new circumstances, and that old pain. You thought you had grown, matured, and gained deeper spiritual insight. But, in an instant, you were crippled all over again.
Thankfully, in the moment you recognize the patterns; truly they are all you have. You realize the need to stay silent as you teeter on this new edge. You battle with memories of the regrets you had from the last breaking point; “I don’t want to think that again; I know what it says to You Father.” You purpose to make no impetuous moves, no emotional mistakes. You can’t afford to slip. “Don’t let me fall Father,” is repeated often in your silence. You meditate on your past victories, remembering how strong you felt after overcoming. Somehow you expected that the strength you had gained would be more permanent, not just a new arrow in your quiver, but a new bow. But this new crisis seems to vanquish the enlightenment gained from past victories. You wonder if you actually learned anything. Doubts enter in; “Am I a fool? Is any of this faith I claim even real? Are You real Father; are You here?” You become ashamed of these thoughts, but if you don’t reckon with them, that old friend sorrow will soon return.
Why is a devotional such as this remotely possible after so many others have expressed the power we possess to overcome? The answer is profoundly simple, His Holiness of course. The Holiness we will attain from this new “death” is far more than what we gained from the last edge we stood on. And each new edge is a fresh stone of remembrance on the path to Him, a reminder of His promises and His faithfulness (Joshua 4).
“You mean even when I think I have learned to be ‘unoffendable’ and pure of mind, Your high calling is purer still? And not only this, but that each edge creates something beautifully new in me, even when it makes me feel like I have now failed in an area I once thought conquered? Even if it makes me feel like I have forgotten everything I had previously learned?”
That’s correct loved one. Death, death, and another death is the path to His Holiness. The embodiment of strength: it is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). We have held you to a Holy standard. We know that illuminating patterns, and what they have produced within you, is inspirational. This word was to remind you that when you reach the place where you can only cry, “I can’t do it!” that is when you are in the safest, securest, most glorious, and transformational place possible; you are in the Palm of Yahweh—in the pure essence of His Holiness. You are going to make it. He is everything He claims to be.
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)