Tag Archives: Blessings vs. Curses
This New Thing
This New Thing
(#118 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Growing in you,
You, growing in Me,
A Spirit rising,
Light pushing out darkness,
Inside of you.
Chemicals shift,
Thought processes change,
Mindsets shatter.
Intense, yet reserved…?
Intense, yet reserved? What is this thing still lingering, this reservation? It is the core issue, no? Is it the piece of flesh You left behind in me Father? Must it remain? Will it always be? My heart (mind) explodes with a longing to rejoice in a victory that has not yet been fully attained. Should I? Should I fully rejoice while there is work yet to be done? Is the reservation smart, wise, and Spirit led? There is a voice saying, “Is it real; is it really You Father?” Is this reservation doubt? Is it wisdom? It feels safe, yet it feels doubtful.
Root it out Father. I desire true freedom, a deeper freedom. I desire the unreserved freedom of a warrior kneeling before You, handing over his sword, or a maiden who realizes that You are the only true Husband. I desire to be submitted to You in everything, along with the wisdom to not boast in my own efforts. Fill me with a heart that only wants to boast of Your work in me. “He did this. Look. Look at my Daddy. He will never let you hurt me.”
Tears flow as I write this. As my pen hits paper, the boy in me realizes that I could never have uttered those words about my earthly father. How could I say such words about one who hurt, rather than protected my little heart? I forgive him, and I need him to forgive me. There is a great love today, yet I wonder if the tentacles of reservation still remain.
No Father, these reservations are not smart, wise, or Spirit lead. It is time to step over into a new place; into a new thing where, for the first time in my life, I get personal proof that I have a Father Who protects and does not hurt. I have a Daddy who will not discard me, even when I am not worthy of love. I can live a new life with no more rejection, only pure love from the Father of love, forever.
What is this reservation in me? Come Daddy. Come.
For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:9)
Listen and Follow Yahweh
Not You, But Me
(#117 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Why do you miss My voice? Why do you think you can’t hear Me every hour of every day? I’m not speaking to you. I speak Spirit things only, things pertaining to life, holiness and righteousness. I speak directly to the Spirit I placed in you. And when you listen with the ears of the flesh you cannot hear My voice. My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27) My sheep also hear other voices. Lust has a voice. Idolatry has a voice. Greed has a voice. Pride has a voice.
By now, you should understand that I use patterns to teach you. These patterns are not meant to be mysterious; on the contrary, they are intended to be traceable and detectable. It is no different here. Listen to Me My child. It may be a still small voice I speak with, but a quieted mind focused on Me will hear loud and clear. I don’t give rocks (difficult to understand precepts) when you ask for manna (spiritual food) (Matthew 7:7-11). Have I not told you that I know what you need before you ask? (Philippians 4:19) I Am speaking to you at every moment. I Am always here; always concerned; always ahead of you with good things planned.
I have this desire for you, and although I Am always surrounding you, making your path straight (Proverbs 16:9), I would love if you kept up. Time is short. Blessings are delayed by indifference to My voice. Listen according to My will. Listen with the Spirit I placed in you. My language is the language of love, but do not forget; My love demands chastening when chastening is necessary. You can end all doubt of Me by confessing all doubt of Me. This is how I heal you. You confess; I heal. It’s just between us. Come to Me and we will have victory, together, as One.
Lukewarm Christians
Interactive
(#113 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Stop! Read Acts 15:19-33.
Read it now!
Key points:
A) The book of Acts was not written until approximately 20-25 years AFTER the resurrection of Messiah;
B) Only Torah scrolls, what you know as Old Testament Books, were read in the synagogues during Paul’s, James’, and Peter’s lives;
C) There was none of what you know as the New Testament during the Apostle’s lives. And no, they did not think they were writing, reading, or producing new Scriptures when they were writing letters, making decisions, or giving testimonies; they were just upholding the Word that was already written in the light of Yahshua’s revelation;
D) The Apostles preached the “good news” from the Torah scrolls;
E) New converts in Messiah were instructed in basic commands to start their faith walk, as you just read in Acts 15:20;
F) The four instructions for new converts were:
1) Abstain from food polluted by idols (self-reliant thoughts; things sacrificed to other gods);
2) Abstain from sexual immorality (lust-filled thoughts; fornication, adultery);
3) Abstain from meat of strangled animals (unclean thoughts; keep kosher eating habits);
4) Abstain from blood (all fleshly ideas; no eating food with blood in it, as life is in the blood; Leviticus 17:11).
G) Only the above four “starter” commands were given to new converts in Messiah, as they encompassed so much of the heart of Yahweh. Take a moment and meditate on all the commands of Yahweh that involve idolatry, sexual immorality, unclean living, and not violating life. Then, the instruction for the future learning follows in verse 21. “For the law of Moses [Torah] has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” In other words, the new converts were expected to come learn the Torah each week after their conversion. The intent was not to burden new believers with too many details in the beginning, but to reveal the heart of Yahweh and the essentialness of obedience; growing in the faith would follow;
H) The Sabbath was, and always will be, from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.
I) The Apostles saw the need to notify the entire “church” about what the Spirit had revealed to them. So, they sent letters to the whole church (verses 22-33).
Ask yourself this question.
“Why have you not heard this?”
Be a Berean! “These were more fair-minded [noble in character] than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)
Divine Discipline
Bound and Released
(#108 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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For Yahweh has bound all men over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on many. (Romans 11:32)
Yes My child, this is how I left you, shackled and bound. I cannot release you until you fully understand where you are. Only a prisoner truly rejoices in freedom. Only a prisoner understands his limitations. Confess to Me. Tell me you understand that you start in prison and move on from there. Tell Me that you perceive your complete inability to break the chains on your own, at all! And may I remind you that these chains are of your own doing, the works of your own hands (mental grasping) and heart (center of intellect).
In order for Me to truly set you free, you must see your prison. You must understand prison was a choice you made and would continually make, apart from My mercy. Your heart will only ever confine you.
Rejoice, for My mercy has overcome your judgment of death. My mercy removes the shackles. My mercy puts a new song in your heart. From the pit (self-reliant thoughts) to the palace (unity of heavenly thoughts), I will bring you. I will then release you to do My will on the earth. You will operate in obedience and you will come to love My plan for you.
Yes, this is another pattern, an unshakeable pattern. You confess your lack; I bring My power and provision. You will never be able to conquer on your own. On your own, your choice is to gratify “self.” Yes, just like Adam, you will always disobey. Yes, on your own you only gratify yourself. Tell Me you see the bars that surround you. Tell Me you can hear the shackles that bind you. Only then can we begin the work. I have an eager expectation for you. Now let’s go!
Trust and Faith
Not “Over” but “Through”
(#107 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Do you really want victory, true victory, the kind of victory that not only affects your entire being, but nations as well? Are you sure? Listen to Me closely then. If you really want true victory, never again ask Me to remove you from the sorrow and conflict that comes with valley experiences. You may hope for a better day but not at the cost of devaluing the purpose of today (Matthew 6:34).
Give Me your eyes (perceptive abilities) My child; give Me your soul. I speak to the Spirit that I placed within you (Romans 8:11). It is in the desperate moments, the valleys, that our best work is done. I require praise and gratitude, not prayers of the destitute. This is one of My dearest patterns: Do not ask Me to remove you from the valley; instead obey Me and rejoice while you are in it (Psalm 107:21-22)! Has My Son not overcome the world (John 16:33)? Have I not, through Him, given you the same authority (Titus 2:15)?
Let the beauty of this wisdom reign in your mind (heart). A child that can praise and worship in the most painful moments of life, is a child who has overcome the world. Will you believe Me if I tell you that most of your inner turmoil is caused by exterior things? I teach you to win by the Spirit; victory is in the Spirit. Of course it seems difficult if you are carnally minded. My plan leaves room to rejoice in the Spirit and the flesh, but you cannot change the protocol. I will not change My pattern. It is already perfect! I do not lift you over the situation; I guide you through it, and I give you the power to do so with praise, awe, and wonder. Does it seem impossible? Good! May I now take over and do it for you? You praise, I conquer! You give sacrifices of thankfulness; I make straight paths for your feet. It is all for your good. Thank you for understanding My loved one; I will always offer you more faith if you ask (Mark 9:24).
This is the day Yahweh has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)
New In Yeshua
What Do You Do?
(#104 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Reality, true reality, exists only where there is no human intervention. It exists between you and your Maker in the crucible of the refiner’s fire (judgment for every thought you think). Everything in you is exposed and laid bare. He enters by force, illuminating every crevice of your heart (mind). Every action, every word, every deed, and all your “secret motivations” are uncovered. There will be no waiting. You stand face-to-face with Him now!
Your emotions: naked, ashamed, remorseful, alone and bare. You wonder what’s left. You know, deep down, there’s no going back. When He exposes you, He lets others know. Directly or indirectly, others know. There is no more hiding the real you. At this point, it matters not if others know. You see it! Whatever was removed was not of Him; and so much has been removed, so little seems left. In truth, what is left is pure and holy; what is left is the “real you.”
You can’t run from it! Stripped bare, only what is of Him remains. You spent all those years running and hiding, and in an instant the lies are revealed. The weakness, the rebellion, the insecurity, and the fear, are all on display. Everyone can see what you believed in the past, because who you had become was the result. Now, look what’s left; there’s not much. What has been removed is now on display for all to see by virtue of what remains in the new creature left behind.
It is because of “Messiah in you” that you have hope (Colossians 1:27). You need it; it’s all you have. You hold onto promises not yet fulfilled. It is painful; it is a brutal realization of just how much He had to remove. “Just stop existing,” is the new emotion you so often feel about your own life.
You wonder if your suffering makes others happy. A voice speaks. “I will restore. I will repair. This was for good. Don’t give up. Dream again.” You cry. That’s what you do. You cry and hope, and hold on.
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve Yahweh acceptably with reverence and with fear and awe of the Almighty. For our Mighty One is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25-29)
Walking with God
Of Paramount Importance
(#102 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. (John 12:24)
“It’s not my life!” Have this mind in you My child. It is the starting place for all things: all hopes, dreams, ambitions, goals, and mindsets. If the foundation is not properly laid, all things will go askew.
Take a moment and ponder this concept, as it is the only way to true life. Are you hoping for things without My approval? Are you dreaming of things I have not asked of you? Are your ambitions undermining My will? If you have goals, where did you get them? Whose mind is guiding all of this?
Listen to Me! This one will be very, very difficult for you, but it must be done. How do I know it will be difficult? I made it that way. This is the narrow path, the path of true life. This must be a decision you make. Make it now, or you will only realize later how much pain your delay has caused. Decide whose life it is, yours or Mine. If you answered correctly, then you know what must be done.
Once you acknowledge that your life is Mine, My child, be ready to let go quickly. Ask Me about your goals and see if I approve. If not, let go. All of your hopes must be placed at My feet. Purpose to let go of all you have hoped for. Ask Me to return what was always of Me and to release all that was not.
Yes, this is a death. I acknowledge that this is a fearful place for you. It is the place wherein you fully decide who I Am to you. Am I the I Am? Are My promises real? Will I give you true life? All of these are answered inside of your decision to let go. You must let go. I sent My son and My Spirit to help, but you must make the first move. Confess to Me that I have permission to do whatever I will with your life.
I love you. I created you for this moment. Give in to Me. I don’t lie. I don’t hurt. Give in and I will show you true life. No more guessing about who I am. Give in.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11)
Understanding Yahweh
If you don’t understand God you don’t seek God! He wants you to know him but you must ask if you want to receive.
Perspective
(#099 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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My precious little one, may I share something with you, something that will lift you and carry you? I always hear you. Even when I say, “no,” I hear you. Yes, I have complete control. When you see a mountain top from the valley below, I hear your favorite prayer. “Bring me back to the mountaintop!” My answer oftentimes, “no,” My child. Why? What parent chastens a child, only to then immediately restore them to a better place than before? Spoiled children would be the byproduct of such actions. Did Job deserve what he received? Yes, Job deserved to see the error of his way and to repent (Job 42:6). I do not make mistakes. I allow for trials; they serve a great purpose. Trials chasten to produce perseverance and maturity. (Read James 1:2-8)
Here is how I will carry you. The words I speak to you reveal patterns which should give you a new perspective. These patterns are a guide to seek and to know My ways. As My patterns are designed to be detectable and knowable by My children (Matthew 13:11), recognizing them is an opportunity to come to Me in boldness (Hebrews 4:15-16). Listen now; quiet your mind. Must I remove the mountain when you can climb it? If I take you to the top, at the top you will stand. Likewise, if you climb to the top, at the top you will stand. But what benefit to your faith will it be if it is done for you without your effort, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience and patience will have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:3-4) This is a new perspective. It is a new day with a fresh anointing for clarity, clarity that comes with wisdom and understanding. (James 1:5)
You see My loved child, we are going to the top. It’s inevitable. We will stand together once this is achieved. I will nourish you. I will help you. I will be your guide. Not one hair will be lost. Not one bone broken. Climb My child, to the greatest of heights. I Am waiting for you.
Garment of Praise
Garment of Praise
(#098 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Father, I come in need, and the need is great. I come to inquire of You Father. I have learned to rejoice and praise You in the midst of my suffering; the suffering has not ended. Most of the songs I know and sing to You are about Your love towards me. How I long to sing new songs, songs of my love for You. I know they will please You as they are being birthed from the deep waters within my soul.
My prayer Father, my earnest desire is to learn what it means to wear a garment of praise. I want to be clothed in such a way that Your presence and power are magnified. How shall I wear it? What does it look like, this garment of praise? I am now convinced that offering songs of thanksgiving during immense suffering is how we clothe ourselves with this garment. I have faith that this is the pattern You created, the one You desire us to follow. What does it look like, this joy in the midst of trials? You rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, [living as having already] received the goal of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 peter 1:8-9)
I need Your help Yahshua. I need Your help Holy Spirit. Please clothe me in what pleases You: new songs, new garments, new melodies, and new words. You pick; You decide. Lead me to Your will as I listen, look, and wait for You. You know my needs; this confession affirms it. I will wait and hope for my new garment. I will bow before You and wait. I will wait for new songs in my heart Father; songs about You.
Yahshua was sent:
“To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of Yahweh,
that He may be glorified.”
(Isaiah 61:3)
One This I Do
One Thing I Do
(#097 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it [the mind of Messiah]. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which the Mighty One has called me heavenward in Yahshua the Messiah. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Yes, Paul understood, and his journey to Damascus was his place of revelation (Acts 9). It is the same “light from heaven” that is available to knock you off your “donkey” (stubborn religious pride). All of your energies should strain towards this one goal. This one goal, if achieved, fulfills all other goals. This is Matthew 6:33 (Seek first…) obeyed in all of its fullness. This is the race towards perfection: perfect oneness, perfect speech, perfect unity, and perfect peace. It is a violent “rooting out” of all that does not conform to this one goal. The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12) The process is a precision analysis and dissection of all that is not of Yahweh, which then moves us toward maturity (the unoffendable mind).
Yes, Paul understood this revealed gift, this unchanging pattern. This is the superior pattern that girds up all other patterns. It is the quest for Messiah-likeness, or in other words, the mind of Messiah (1 Corinthians 2:16). For righteousness is nothing other than right thinking. It is a call that requires all your attention; your face set like a flint (Isaiah 50:7-9). This should be your one overarching purpose for living after you have come to “know Him” (Philippians 3:8, 10).
The goal is to gain understanding, but not just any understanding. The goal is understanding with wisdom; wisdom to navigate on the way to the finish line; wisdom to know that if anything gets in the way, it is not your problem. You just simply hand it over to Yahweh! Understanding and wisdom together, intimate knowledge which comes with a guide. Oh, that it would manifest in even greater measure. Keep your mind stayed on Yahshua, set like a flint. You are almost there; the finish line is in sight. Victory!