Tag Archives: bible

Abundant Life

Abundant Life

(#349 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

Through recognition and obedience to scriptural patterns (blueprints), we are uncovering the face of Yahweh. This renewal happens with every re-formed thought, and it brings about the abundant life. And so we ask ourselves, “What is this ‘have life more abundantly’ Yahshua spoke of?” A rich young ruler asked and was told to “sell it all” if he wanted to “perfect” his life (Matthew 19:21). The perfected life is the life given as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1); it is the “hatred” of one’s own life (Luke 14:26). This is what it means to “sell it all.” And what is gained by doing so? You will be perfected, fully grown, mature, and complete in character; you will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4). Does this appeal to you, or will you walk away from this high calling, sorrowful because you have great possessions in this world? (Matthew 19:22)

Certainly riches are not forbidden, although idols are. Yet, His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). And you are not of this world, for whoever loves this world is not of His Kingdom (John 15:19). We are, however, capable of enjoying the fruits of our efforts in this world. How so? You can experience the abundant life promised you when you realize and accept how it manifested in Yahshua’s life. It took place first in His mind, His thought world. “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake.” (Hebrews 12:2) No matter what His physical circumstance was, He served with joy because He lived in the finished work. He experienced Himself sitting at the right hand of His Father at the throne of grace, even while suffering in this world (also Hebrews 12:2). Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (Job 13:15) This is the key to the “abundant life.”

It’s time to stop pretending it could be any other way. Obedience to this pattern is what released the conscience of the Father into Yahshua. He received Yahweh’s mind and was one with His Father; when you look at Yahshua you see only the Father. (John 10:30; 14:7) We are also called to be One. That they all may be One, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be One in Us. (John 17:21)

Let us extract the marrow out of this, for it is the key to life. It is precisely what the entirety of this devotional journey has been training you for. The mind (temple) of Yahweh within you overcomes your “self” desires, which transforms your mental existence and defines your destiny (eternity). You, like Messiah, walk as a man, but now with a holy mind. In this state, nothing in the physical world could affect your heavenly citizenship (thought world). If you have Yahweh’s mind in you, could it ever be fearful, guilty, arrogant, or lacking joy? Life is in your mind loved one, and the mind lives forever. Let’s now clarify the above verse:

The thief [ego based thoughts of man’s “self”] comes [derives thoughts] only to steal [take Yahweh’s goodness and call it your own], to kill [destroy all holy thinking], and to destroy [“self” destruct all things pure]. I [Yahshua = Yahweh saves = Yahweh saves your mind] have come [entered your consciousness] that they [transformed minds] might have life [the mind of Yahweh], and that they might have it more [increased spiritual thoughts] abundantly [overflowing by His grace].

The abundant life is found in the mind of Yahweh. For “who has known the mind of Yahweh that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of the Messiah.” (1 Corinthians 2:16) Yahshua has Yahweh’s mind and we have Yahshua’s mind. Therefore, we have Abundant Life!

Kingdom Not Cosmos

Kingdom Not Cosmos

(#348 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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And you shall be to Me a Kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words [Laws] you shall speak to My children Israyl. (Exodus19:6)

What Kingdom is Yahweh describing here? Yahshua said, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My Kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36) Yes, His Kingdom is not of this world. His Kingdom is not a kingdom of politicians, but a Kingdom of priests, royal priests for that matter. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

How do you become a Royal Priest?

Royal: Yahshua is the blessed and only Potentate (Ruler), the King of kings and Master of masters. (1 Timothy 6:15) And the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of the Almighty, and if children, then heirs—heirs of the Mighty One and joint heirs with the Messiah, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:16-17) He is the King and you are His joint heirs; that gives you royal blood.

Priest: Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, the Messiah Yahshua. (Hebrews 3:1) He is the High priest of our confession. You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to the Most High through Yahshua the Messiah. (1 Peter 2:5) He is the High Priest and you also are being made into a holy priesthood, a Ruling Priest.

Therefore, His Kingdom, and by inheritance as royal priests your Kingdom, is not of this world. This world, the “kosmos” in Greek, means: system or ordered system; adorning or adornment; worldly affairs; or ungodly multitude. The English term “cosmetic” is derived from kosmos (cosmos). It is the ordered system or ensemble used for treating the whole face. It paints the picture of an outer adornment that is used to cover or mask the true face. This world is a masked counterfeit and it has an imitation prince. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. (John 12:31) Yahweh’s Kingdom is not of this… “kosmos”.

His Kingdom needs no re-elections; it has no politics; there is no democracy, and even no republic. His is a Kingdom for purified priests who rule over the politicians of the kosmos.

The “god” of this age [the worship of the might of “self”] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the good news that displays the glory of the Messiah, who is the image of the Most High. (2 Corinthians 4:4) We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. (1 Corinthians 2:6) The rulers of this kosmos are coming to nothing; don’t try to become one of them.

Instead, why don’t you learn what it means to put on the garment of a Royal Priest, and prepare to step into the office of the Ruling Priesthood. Oh yes, many are called loved one, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:11-14).

The Cost and His Grace

The Cost and His Grace

(#347 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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Nineteen devotions including this one; that is how many remain. We didn’t even know this body of work would end at three sixty-five, not until recently. It’s been the most sublime partnership between the three of us, the prisoner (Michael), me (Jeffrey), and the Holy Spirit (Ruach). And as we race toward completion there is yet another supernatural pattern unfolding. It is the recognizable dance between the cost of discipleship and His grace to hide something from us long enough that we won’t pull back.

What do we mean? Ten years ago (2004) Yahweh called me (Jeffrey) to write a book, “The Heart of David.” I took to the task immediately out of obedience, but had I known what the eighteen month journey would have entailed ahead of time, I would have “politely declined.” One year ago (the end of 2013), Yahweh again spoke to me clearly and told me to compile and edit these devotions in unity with my brother; and again I eagerly complied. But, if I could have predicted the time and effort involved, I would have run like Jonah! You see, His grace covered what I did not need to know long enough to allow me to step in so deeply that there was no way out. But, oh how good He is. The fruit of paying the cost has been more than we can ask, think, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

But, be not mistaken loved one; you will pay the cost of discipleship; there is always a price for radical faith-based obedience. Yes, come just as you are; but, if you wish to follow Him, be prepared to lose all you are after you come. Pick up your own torture stake, deny your flesh and follow Yahshua. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. (John 6:63) Imagine knowing from the very beginning of your faith walk that it was going to cost you your life to become like Him, and knowing this you still run to Him. That is exactly what Peter experienced when he cried out, “Master, where else can we go?” (John 6:68)

And now, as this season approaches its completion, Yahweh is again faithful to direct our steps (Proverbs 16:9). The next work will be to unfold the majesty of His Kingdom Courtroom. It will be a season of new highs and new challenges, and most costly, new temptations to quit. Nevertheless, His grace is sufficient to veil, from our imagination, the ultimate cost of obedience. This He will do just long enough to draw us nigh, at which time we too will exclaim, “Master, where else can we go?”

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his stake and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you who plans to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, to see if he has enough to finish? So in the same way, whoever it is of you who does not forsake all that he has, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26-28, 33)

It is by His grace that, at times, He hides the cost of discipleship. You would do well to acknowledge when He does, and thank Him. It brings Him glory. Besides, where else can you go?

The River

The River

(#346 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

www.sufferwell.org
The Contemporary Christian band “Delirious?” sings of it so perfectly. “Find Me in the River” is the song’s title. Perhaps you will listen before you read?

https://www.youtube.com/watch…

“Find me in the river; Find me on my knees; I’ve walked against the water; Now I’m waiting if you please.

We’ve longed to see the roses; But never felt the thorns; And bought our pretty crowns; But never paid the price.”

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38). Stand in the river of living water. It is cool, clear, and refreshing. Let the vitalizing Spirit’s flow in your mind. Drink of this living water and never thirst again (John 4:13-14).

“Find me in the river; Find me there; Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare; Even though you’re gone and I’m cracked and dry; Find me in the river, I’m waiting here.”

The wilderness is that cracked and dry place within your thoughts that causes so much inner longing. So much is unknown; it is parched, dry, and you are desperately thirsty. The wilderness is meant to reveal all stubbornness, all defiance, all depravity, and all barrenness. “Water, I need water!” Is this not the cry in the wilderness? It is the one place that can take the hardness of your mind (the rock) and break it (humble you), until you desire only your most basic need; living water.

“We didn’t count on suffering. We didn’t count on pain. But if the blessing’s in the valley, then in the river I will wait.”

The valley is in the wilderness. It is in the dry and parched places where your needs can only be satisfied supernaturally. The testing is in the valley but so is the blessing.

This song is so beautiful; we needed to share it with you. We wanted to dive into the river with you and perhaps go deeper than ever before? It’s about the renewed mind loved one. It’s always about the renewed mind.

“He opened a rock and water gushed out; like a river it flowed into the wilderness.” (Psalm 105:41).

Lyrics: Find Me in the River

Find me in the river

Find me on my knees

I’ve walked against the water

Now I’m waiting if you please

We’ve longed to see the roses

But never felt the thorns

And bought our pretty crowns

But never paid the price

Find me in the river

Find me there

Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare

Even though you’re gone and I’m cracked and dry

Find me in the river, I’m waiting here

Find me in the river

Find me on my knees

I’ve walked against the water

Now I’m waiting if you please

We didn’t count on suffering

We didn’t count on pain

But if the blessing’s in the valley

Then in the river I will wait

Find me in the river

Find me there

Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare

Even though you’re gone and I’m cracked and dry

Find me in the river, I’m waiting here

Find me in the river

Find me there

Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare

Even though you’re gone and I’m cracked and dry

Find me in the river, I’m waiting here for you

“Find Me in the River” by Delirious? Written by Martin Smith

These “Minor” Things

These “Minor” Things

(#344 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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Let no corrupt communication [foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk] [ever] proceed out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress [edification] of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace [Yahweh’s favor] to those who hear it. (Ephesians 4:29)

Corrupt, as in corrupt communication, is in this case a modifier (an adjective) describing the thing, as in the “type” of language or speech. These are dirty, foul, unkind, rotten, useless, unfit, poor quality, putrid, and worthless words. And yes, this is certainly an accurate depiction of the command. But, let us take a slightly different perspective and instead of modifying the thing, “the communication,” let us speak to the action of what is happening. We are reminded of James 2:18 where we are taught that simply describing faith is not where the power is, but the power is in the action, the doing. The Hebraic perspective is always in the doing. “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Mighty One, Yahweh is one! You shall love Yahweh your Mighty One with all your heart [mind, will, intentions, emotions], and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) The Hebrew “Hear” means to listen and obey, to hear the words and then show oneself obedient to them. The action is where the power is!

Let’s, therefore, take another look at the idea of “corrupt”, this time from a Hebraic action perspective. What is the power in the corrupt words, not just the juicy description of what corrupt words are? The words are not simply foul and useless; they possess power that triggers decay, rotting, festering, wasting away, melting, dwindling, and dissolving; they cause a fall. It is not simply that these poor quality words emanate from the lips; it is that they create death! Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. (Proverbs 18:21) Again we are reminded of James. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell… It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:5-6, 8)

Corrupt words caused the fall! “Did the Most High really say not to eat? You will surely not die! The woman you gave me! The serpent deceived me!” (Genesis 3:1, 4, 12, 13) The Adam in us knows that it takes only one wrong thought for the entire cascade to begin. Fallen thoughts are followed by fallen words, which precede fallen actions. They trigger decay, rotting, festering, wasting away, melting, dwindling, and dissolving of everything around them. Corrupt words start an avalanche of destruction. What the mind thinks, the tongue professes, and the physical world obeys. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].

This is a never-ending pattern that must be understood and dealt with. With acceptance of this Holy standard comes the inexcusable reality that there are no idle thoughts, no minor words, and no insignificant proclamations. It is only the corrupt “self” that allows you to think that thoughts and words are minor things. “If I don’t murder or commit adultery, I’m good.” Yet, if you hate your brother in your heart (mind) or call him a fool you have already murdered him. If you undress that woman with your eyes or make lustful comments, you have already committed adultery in your heart (Matthew 5:21-30). There are no idle thoughts, minor words, or insignificant proclamations.

A great price was paid to save your mind. There is nothing worse than minimizing what that sacrifice meant to Yahweh. Giving yourself room to have a sloppy tongue is like trampling His Son underfoot and counting His shed blood as common (Hebrews 10:29). It would be better that you had not been born than to live like your thoughts and words don’t matter to Him.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Most High. (Matthew 4:4) Your words, like His, have the power of life and death. Why not choose life? Ezekiyl prophesied to the dry bones, “Hear the word of Yahweh!” And they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army (Ezekiyl 37:4-10). Every thought matters loved one, and now it should be obvious that every word that emanates from those thoughts also matters, every word. So, think life and then speak life!

Church and State

Church and State

(#341 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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And so we glimpse into the psyche of the evil genius, the unfettered ego, and we listen for the schemes it conjures:

“The only way to truly decimate a nation of chosen children is to separate the priests from governing and judging the nation. We must detach the congregation from those who will govern them, spiritually, morally and ethically. We must convince them that the government is not supposed to be run by the priests; priests have no place in government!”

And so this philosophy of separating church and state, one that you may have even come to support, and perhaps vehemently claimed as the entitlement of a “free people,” was always intended to mock Yahweh, and to subdue and enslave the minds of His children.

To the contrary, a Theocracy, a nation run by priests, is the commanded model for a government on earth. It most closely resembles the government of Heaven. The seat of righteous government would be a place where the priest could pass judgments, and then be confident that the outcome of each judgment would be dealt with swiftly by Yahweh Himself. We are reminded of the scriptures about righteous justice in “The Ways of The Righteous” (#338). For the administration of justice will return to the ways of the righteous and the upright in heart will follow it. (Psalm 94:15) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of Yahweh that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of the Messiah. (1 Corinthians 2:10-16) The time is near; the administration of justice will return to the ways of the righteous!

Man’s attempts to alter this Kingdom order will always fail for one perpetual reason; Yahweh does not change! (Malachi 3:6) Outside of a theocracy, a Constitutional Republic is the best attempt to mimic the Government of Heaven. If run well, it uses an unalterable document (a constitution) against which to base and weigh every decision of man. It is meant to guard the evil heart and desires of man from corrupting what has been previously established as unmovable. The inherent deficiency, however, is that the founding document is established by man in the first place. Secondly, many will inevitably ignore what it says, citing that it was written at another time for another people who had different values and needs. Because it is man-made, it can never match the fullness of what is the standard for a true governing body of Yahweh. His word is inerrant and timeless.

The uttermost failure enters when the idea of Democracy invades the Republic. It is often couched under the premise that in order to be “fair,” a free people need a voice. The concept that a “public servant” would be selected by a majority, and that this servant should then represent the desires of the majority, is the fulfilment of the ego’s master plan. Its aim is to hide that Yahweh is the majority of One!

Imagine living is Sodom or Gomorrah and being told, “Most of us agree with this debauchery, and so it is the law and you must to abide by it.” How about living in Babylon; “Everyone knows he is our leader, and whatever he says is the law. Doesn’t your scripture tell you to obey your governing authorities?” Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which the Almighty has established. The authorities that exist have been established by the Almighty. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what the Almighty has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-2) Ouch! How can you defend against such an obvious mandate?

Is the word of the Most High demanding we submit to every authority as if appointed by Yahweh Himself? The children of Yahweh have been seduced into accepting the idea that they too are commanded to submit, even if represented by those who do not know Him, even to those who specifically implement laws that are blasphemous. If you have preached and practiced Romans 13:1-2 as such, the following words should pierce your soul this very moment. The key to understanding authority is found in Romans 13:4. “For the one in authority is the Almighty’s servant [minister] for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are the Almighty’s servants [ministers], agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” If you study what is meant by “good” you will find it is defined as inherently or intrinsically good; what originates from the Most High and is empowered by Him in the authority’s life, through faith. If you do the same for “servant” you will learn it means minister and refers to Yahweh inspiring His servants to carry out His plan for His people.

You must follow authorities who rule for good by what originates from the Most High; and who are empowered by Him in their lives through faith; and who are inspiring the people to carry out Yahweh’s plan. Conversely, He has commanded; do not bow to other might (“gods”); put no other might (“gods”) before Him. Yet, how quickly you make masters of authorities who do not measure up to Yahweh’s standards. And how quickly does the congregation of chosen adhere to and promote such heresy. Yahweh’s people are called to be the head and not the tail; the top and not the bottom (Deuteronomy 28:13).

Yes indeed, the evil genius is very effective and so subtle. Your light was supposed be set on a hill as a witness of your Father’s glory to the world, yet it has been hidden under a basket (Matthew 5:14-16). It has been dimmed due to fear and ignorance. Wake up; the days are few and the time is near. Remember loved one; Yahshua did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; He came to fulfill them (v. 17). The fact that the church would teach you otherwise is exactly why it has been fooled into promoting submission to unrighteous authority. But do not be mistaken; the administration of justice will return to the ways of the righteous, and it is coming soon!

A High Calling Indeed

A High Calling Indeed

(#339 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

www.sufferwell.org
It is so crucial that the mental picture to imagine is best described as “imminently catastrophic.” It is the idea that any burden you experience first affects you personally, your mind and your loss of peace and joy, rather than how it affects your obedience to Yahweh’s commands. Meditate for a moment on that concept. Now consider this; the very fact that you experience a burden is disobedience itself. And the impending disaster is that you do not see it. It is critical you receive this.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) He has taken your burdens; any you maintain on your own is disobedience. Whether you feel burdened for someone else or yourself, any yoke you attempt to carry is not of Him.

Now consider offenses. Do you experience offense due to your utmost desire to see Yahweh alone magnified, or is it personal? For instance: if your spouse is in an adulterous relationship, who are you burdened for? Is it a personal affront; is it about your spouse; or is it about the righteousness of Yahweh? To settle this matter is detrimental for you to begin developing a steadfast, immovable mind, an unoffendable mind! (Review “Unoffendable”: Suffer Well Devotion #295)

You would do well to consider, and you might just be astounded, how little concern you have that all sinful offences are first a rejection of Yahweh. Instead, if you receive the rejection or offense, it means that you fathom yourself “more worthy” than the offender. Yet, there is only One who is worthy to receive the offense for the Father. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:12)! Next time you are tempted to be offended, ask yourself, “Am I offended by this for You Father, or for me?” This is a critical determination to make with every offense. “Is it my personal and self perceived ‘right,’ or is Yahweh alone right?”

And so what happens when you begin this reprogramming process, the shifting of your conscious behaviors? When you consider that He alone has first rights to ALL offenses, and you submit to this hierarchy in stature, you will find that your reward is soothing, peaceful, connected, reverent, silent, and beautiful beyond anything you have ever experienced. No offense loved one. Become unoffendable.

Offenses will come (Matthew 18:7), but you do not have to receive them. I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward the Almighty and men. (Acts 24:16) A high calling indeed loved one, a high calling indeed.

The Ways of The Righteous

The Ways of The Righteous

(#338 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

www.sufferwell.org

“For the administration of justice will return to the ways of the righteous and the upright in heart will follow it.” (Psalm 94:15)

Justification has only one source, Yahshua the Messiah. Justified: to be right; to make right. And, what was He sent to justify? His purpose was to turn the hearts (mindsets) of the children back to the Father. (Luke 1:17 from Malachi 4:5-6) He was to justify your mind!

How often He exhorted, “You have heard that it was said…. but I say to you….” In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, Yahshua introduces Himself as the great agent of change. But, was it the Law of His Father or the words of the prophets He came to modify? Let it not be! On the contrary, He said, “I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17) Fulfill? No, not do them for you, but rather to fill them with their fullest meaning. In other words, He came to correct your wrong thinking about them.

He was the agent who came to change the paradigms of your mind, not the truth of His Father’s word. His teachings exposed erroneous patterns of thought that men were learning from other men and then applying to their own belief system. Oftentimes, the deception was from purposeful misdirection; other times, it was simply ignorance. I think the modern term for such heresy is RELIGION. Yahshua is the premier anti-religion educator who, throughout all His instructions, reiterated one overarching theme: “Not your thoughts; not your will; but the will of the Father alone!”

In the Garden (protective thought realm controlled by Yahweh alone), the first Adam was given commands, not choices. “Eat from these trees, not from that one!” Never was man intended to “think” for himself. Failure came as Adam believed that he was given a choice to do other than what was commanded. Listen very closely loved one; If everything in the garden was in its perfect state (mental of course) before the fall, then “choosing” to do other than what was already commanded was no less than a quest to change perfection! You do the same when you “choose” your own way (self). You desire and attempt to “add” to or “take” from what is already perfect. Essentially, you are thinking, “I can do better than His perfection!” This same wrong thinking is what you might describe as “free will.” Listen closely! Your covetous desire and fierce determination for free will is really a rebellious determination for a will apart from the Father. Your resistance to this reality is very likely why you return to your vomit over and over again.

Big boy and big girl talk is where we have arrived. You are no longer infants on milk, but now are craving solid food. The doctrines of the immature must give way to deep spiritual substance. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

But the Mighty One has revealed [His hidden wisdom] to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of the Almighty. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of the Mighty One except the Spirit of the Mighty One. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from the Almighty, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by the Mighty One.

These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of the Mighty One, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of Yahweh that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of the Messiah. (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)

And now the Psalm makes so much more sense! “For the administration of justice will return to the ways of the righteous and the upright in heart will follow it.” (Psalm 94:15) He who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

How a Bible Woman Should Act

How a Bible Woman Should Act

I will not be ruined

I Will Not Be Ruined

(#337 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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My friend, my brother, my confidant, and the co-author of this devotional journey; I cried to him on the phone; “I lost my family Jeff. It’s my fault; I lost them Jeff.” He listened to my weeping; he always does, and then he spoke. “I kind of see it like an investment Michael. If you sell while the markets are down, then of course it’s a loss. But if you hold on… [and at that very moment the mind of Yahweh came into my conscious thoughts] …if you hold on until the market turns…” Jeffrey and I talk about everything. For me, he is that friend who sticks closer than a brother; be warned, ruin awaits those who have unreliable friends (Proverbs 18:24). But, I will not be ruined.

“Don’t sell Michael; don’t quit.” Those words resonated in my mind later that afternoon, and do so even now, as my pen meets paper. I’m still here, my body still imprisoned. But, I will not be ruined. I still have hope, I still have dreams. I have followed the patterns and I am reminded today that obedience always leads to Spiritual fruit first, and the physical shadow will appear later. I will not be ruined. I am reminded of the fear I experienced battling to be free within, even though I remain slain in my physical existence. Though my body remains in captivity, yet will I serve Him! Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him! (Job 13:15) I will not be ruined.

To grow spiritual fruit often requires significant physical sacrifice (Romans 12:1), with no concern for return on investment for your flesh. Jeffrey spends many hours each day seeking the Father in prayer and then in editing the devotions in this body of work. Through that process he decides what the final work will say, piece by piece. It’s Kingdom economics loved one. The world would never ascribe to such unsound business practices. But, my friend Jeffrey does his accounting on a spiritual balance sheet in an upside down Kingdom.

If you have been reading along with us, hopefully you have met the Father, Son, and Spirit in a more intimate way. You have certainly met me. And, today I am glad that you get to meet a little more of Jeffrey. He’s your brother and perhaps a friend. One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) I will not be ruined.

Do not be deceived: the Almighty cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:7-10)

Note from Jeff: Michael wanted this included, so I do so humbly and with my eyes ever focused upward. It is not I who lives… JH