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©)

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“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©)

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“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)

A Matter’s End

A Matter’s End

(#362 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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“The end of a matter is better than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Is it because “it was finally over” that Solomon writes such things. What was he expressing within the exhale of such words as they vibrated over his vocal cords? Would you consider the character of Yahweh in every process loved one? Would you credit the pleasure and the pain, the victories and the defeats, all as the working of His hands?

The process should never culminate with a concession; “I just need to get through this.” A healthier introspection would yield a different inference, “Yahweh has orchestrated this to remove some idol in my life, to decimate a stronghold in my ego.” Pain in the thought world always equals the death of improper attachments to something in the physical realm. And so the conclusion of the matter is the removing of deadly adhesions to unholy things; it is the intent of the supernatural process. And because the intent is supernatural, its conclusion will have supernatural results: “The end of a matter is surely better than its beginning! And patience is always better than pride.”

Yahweh is very patient in removing the pride within you that actually keeps you from Him. Imagine a great love that never fails, His only way of loving, and then imagine how that love longs to envelope your entire being. But by being true love, it has no option but to wait (1 Corinthians 13:4)! This unsearchable perfect love, which longs to envelope you, waits patiently while all that rejects it is removed from within you. All fear must be cast out in order to dwell in perfect love (1 John 4:18). All pride gives way to meekness; and all boasting becomes wrapped in humility (1 Corinthians 13:4). Listen closely to the conclusion of the matter. Because you have been given revelation of this pattern, understanding and wisdom about this process, you can then participate in the supernatural; you can praise Him and give thanks even during the process (Psalm 100:4).

“Be pleased when things go well, but when things seem bad, consider this: Yahweh has made the one as well as the other, so man shall never know what lies ahead of him.” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) And even though you do not know what lies ahead, you do not need to wait for the end of a matter to praise Him; the end is ALWAYS better than the beginning!

Personal Note: As always, I never read the devotions until I open them to edit. But what has transpired in my life over the last few weeks is this EXACT process. I have actually thought this very thing, “I just need to get through this.” I have counted the days until that day that I would not be “REQUIRED” to sit at my computer for hours to write and edit. “I just need a few days off,” I would reason. My arm, hand and wrist have been in agony. I’ve had to change my position and change from mouse to the internal track pad and then to an external pad and back again. It has gotten to the point that on any given day I have to go back and forth between the three just to get through the day, just to manage the searing pain in my wrist. “Just a few more weeks, just a few more days,” I would concede.

But then Yahweh spoke to me. He showed me that this was my “self”, the remnants of my ego (pride) that was scratching and clawing to hang on to the last vestige of hope that it would NOT HAVE TO DIE. I felt as if I could not think straight anymore. After hundreds of days in a row, my mind was blank, numb and in pain. I was confused, angry, depressed and unmotivated. After hundreds of days in which I was 100% confident in His supernatural direction for each devotion, every word edited, and all the scriptures I was inspired to add, I was all of a sudden blank! Nonetheless, each morning when I would wake to read today’s devotion, what came from what seemed to be a blank, numb and unmotivated mind yesterday, was completely heavenly and inspired. What He was showing me was, “None of you, Jeff. All of Me! It has always been Me.” And then on the 361st day of the year, just four days till the end, as I sat to edit this devotion, number 362, I opened to read “A Matter’s End”! All I could say was, “O, Yahweh You are faithful and true. You must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) And the end of a matter is surely better than its beginning.

Keeping Torah and Salvation are Not the Same Thing

Keeping Torah and Salvation are Not the Same Thing

Sufficient For Today

Sufficient For Today

(#361 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has its own worries. Each day has enough of its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

Listen closely loved one. Yahweh says exactly what He means and He means exactly what He says. And He knows that to raise children; it takes repeating His words (Deuteronomy 4:9-10; 6:7; 11:19) and sometimes a rod as well (Proverbs 13:24). If He says that you should not be worried about tomorrow, then any concern for the future will be absent His anointing. Meditate over and over on these words: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Mighty One. And the peace of the Mighty One, which transcends all understanding, will guard the thoughts, feelings and purpose of your hearts [minds] in the Messiah Yahshua.(Philippians 4:6) If you are instructed to not be anxious or worried about anything, then losing your peace or having anxiety over your desires, hopes, or concerns for the future is foolishness. He is your everything today and your everything tomorrow.

Trust in Yahweh, and do good; dwell in the land [what is firm], and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself in Yahweh, and He shall give [grant, set, appoint, assign] you the desires of your heart [satisfy your thoughts, feelings, and purpose]. (Psalm 37:3-4) Do you get how powerful this is? You have no need for anxiety about your future because Yahweh both assigns the desires of your heart and then He grants them. If you are living in obedience, you can be confident that the very desires you have in your heart were place there by the Mighty One and will also be fulfilled by Him. The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Yahweh; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. (Psalm 21:1-2)

You should have no anxiety about tomorrow, but this does not mean that you should not cultivate a vision for what Yahweh has for you, the purpose for why you were created. Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the Law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18) There is a call on your life, and obedience to that call brings happiness. Besides, the gifts of Yahweh are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). The desires that He placed in your heart are the very clues which identify your calling, define your purpose, and cultivate Yahweh’s vision for you. “I know the plans I have for you,” declares Yahweh, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) And the key to assuring that your desires are His desires is to be a man after the heart of Yahweh (Acts 13:22). It is the key of David; “I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Isaiah 22:22, Revelation 3:7) When you are after the heart of Yahweh, you have in your hand the keys to the Kingdom.

Those keys unlock Yahweh’s vision for your life and help define your purpose. However, one thing above all will insure that you have no worries about tomorrow. It is to be satisfied with your cup being filled by the Almighty alone. If your happiness, peace, and contentment require a new job, or perhaps a better marriage, then your hope is in idols, something other than Him. It says that your emotional stability is subject to your physical or emotional satisfaction from people or things. To the contrary, when you are complete in Him, everything else is provided automatically (Matthew 6:33)! The mind (heart) longs for nothing else, needs nothing else, and is utterly and overwhelmingly satisfied with Yahweh alone!

If today, you cry out for Him to be your everything, to love Him and His will alone, then you will find that you have more than you could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). It will be too glorious to even think about tomorrow.

My Dream “Don’t Get Your Children a License”

My Dream “Don’t Get Your Children a License”

Blade of Grief

Blade of Grief

(#360 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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“That I may know Him [become like Him] and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death [by dying to self], if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected [the Messiah being fully formed in me (Gal. 4:19); attained the Mind of the Messiah]; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which the Messiah Yahshua has also laid hold of me [to be perfected; to attain His mind].

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended [attained the mind of the Messiah yet]; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind [old mindsets] and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call [His mind in me] of the Mighty One in the Messiah Yahshua. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind [belief that the upward call is to attain the mind of the Messiah]; and if in anything you think otherwise [believe it is not possible or that it is not even the upward call], the Mighty One will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained [come into agreement], let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind [that it is possible].” (Philippians‬ 3:10-16‬)

Yes, becoming like Him is the ultimate calling. It is the Kingdom of Heaven manifesting in you (Luke 17:21). But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Master Yahshua the Messiah lives [mind of the Messiah]. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies [mindsets] and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control. (Philippians 3:20-21) You are a citizen of Heaven who will inherit a glorified body just as the one now occupied by the Messiah Himself. Ah yes, He is our brother and we are joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17)! With that Kingdom reality in focus, ask yourself this important question. “How much of your eternity will you spend satisfying your earthly flesh?”

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart [mind] will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Do you live carnally, as if your earthly existence is all there is? Do you believe that the fish sticker on your bumper and your weekly visits to church buildings suffice as Kingdom living? It is for these errors in thinking that grief exists! It is an emotion only felt on earth and it was given to guide you. Is it not true that all of your striving brings only grief? What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23)

The ego-driven life is lived only for physical pleasure. However, when you realize how you will actually exist in eternity, without “treasures on earth,” you will reconsider the priorities of your short lifespan. You will rethink your life’s purpose.

Grief is a sign that you are not living by Yahweh’s design for your life. It is intended to warn you that you have lost eternal focus and are bound to things of the flesh. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:11) Meaningless toil and chasing the wind, all grief!

And as with every weapon, grief is used to shift your consciousness; grief is meant to teach you something. Yahweh says, “It is My weapon, my warning within you, even though it will not prevail to destroy you (Isaiah 54:16-17).” You are redeemed to live as a Spirit being who is in the process of shaking off the remnants of the flesh. Live eternally minded; live like you are a Kingdom citizen, and the blade of grief, as with all earth bound emotions, will perish.

If you want your Prayers Heard, Give Reverence to Yahweh

If you want your Prayers Heard, Give Reverence to Yahweh