Tag Archives: Christian to Torah
When I am week HE is Strong
My Little Ones
(#002 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Protect their little hearts,
that innocence remain.
All that have betrayed us,
that they not feel the pain.
Infusions of love and peace,
their hearts feel no strain.
These are my little ones,
My hope. My daughters. My sons.
Fiercely I protect them,
with prayers and supplication.
I set them in Your palm,
their ministers stand nearby.
Not one hair missing, no tears in their eyes.
Protect there little hearts,
that innocence remain.
All those that have betrayed us,
that they not feel the pain.
It is in the weakness you are strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). You must, however, give praise in this. Giving in is not an option; rejoicing is commanded. Fall into His hands if you must fall, but know it is into His hands, and in this rejoice. It’s surrendering to Him that brings joy in the morning (Psalm 30:5). He does not need you to set the direction. He does not want you to set the direction. Fall into His hands; rest in His hands, as He takes you where you are going. Sing a song of praise as He carries you to His destiny. You are strong when you are weak; the weakness nurtures humility and a contrite heart. This He Divinely inspires and requires. This is His way; walk in it.
My sacrifice, O Mighty One, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, Almighty, will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)
Take Me There
As we get by in life we have to understand one of the greatest blessings our Creator gives is Shalom, peace. We need to ask him to Take Us There
Suffer Well Devotional Series
www.Sufferwell.org Father,
please take me there.
Take Me There
(#005 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
Father, please take me there.
Will I always just be hanging on Father, like a man gritting his teeth, waiting for a final decision? If I am victorious in Yahshua the Messiah, why do I feel as if I am falling? My only hope is that You will be there to catch me. If You left Your peace with me (John 14:27), then why am I still searching for it? Abba, what is this peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7)?
I have given my will over to You and continuously press hard to never take it back. I desire only Your presence in the broken places. Father, will I always have to fight like this? Your promise is clear; “Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” (Psalm 37:7) Why, then, do I struggle to find this rest? How can I claim the victory before the battle has begun? Let me hear Your voice; “Go, for I have given them into your hands?” (Joshua 10:8)
Even as the death of everything I have ever known stares me in the face, may I see what You see for me? I surrender all to You, even the unwilling parts. Take them anyway. I need Your peace and joy instead Father. May I move past constantly crying out for peace into the peace itself? You tell me it’s mine, please show me how to turn the key and walk through the doorway into peace. As I acknowledge my depravity, let the Spiritual abundance come! If I must fall, let me fall into the arms of the author and perfector of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).
O my Mighty One, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
Yahweh will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the Mighty One of my life.
(Psalm 42:6-8)
Father, please take me there.
A Personal FIRST HAND relationship with Yahweh
Understanding that knowing Yahweh on a personal level is more than just know him. This teaching is about the importance of creating a first hand relationship with HIm.
This devotion was from www.wufferwell.org
First Hand (#004 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
Oh yes Father, you have heard my cry. You understand my form and structure, for it is Your design. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. (Psalm 139:14) I have reached the end of the self that I knew. I’m ready to begin again, to be rebirthed, and to become new. No longer can I live by what was done for Abraham. I cannot survive from the miracles done for Daniel. It is not enough to read of David and all the wondrous works done on his behalf. No my Father, I must confess; “It is not enough!”
I have depended on third-party experiences for far too long. Forgive me for not realizing it sooner. Forgive me for depending on what You did for others, as if Your power and renewal were not meant to be personal. Forgive me for not crying out for the first-hand experience I now cry for; I long to know why You created me Father. I appreciate the testimonies of your faith-filled children (Hebrews 11). But, now it is my time to be one-on-one with You. This is my heart’s desire.
Your resurrection power is not just for others, but for me (Ephesians 1:19-20). It is not simply to be read about, but lived in. I can no longer live apart from this reality. Forgive me Father for waiting so long to realize deep in my soul that Paul’s life and experiences cannot transform me. Joseph’s life should make me desire to experience what he experienced, but it cannot satisfy my soul. I am not Joseph, I am me. And I am ready for my own personal experience Father.
Yes, it is all for Your glory, but also for my journey, the one You made for me to travel from the foundations of time. I am not a wasted creation living off the faith of past saints. I am alive now. I am a new creation. I am Your personal representative on the earth. Write my story for all to see Father, the story of Your other son, created for glory (1 Corinthians 2:7). My life is no longer a life of third party faith. Abba, it is now You and me in Yahshua the Messiah.
And then let this inspire other sons and daughters of Yours to write their own story. Let them all see that it is not good enough to be dependent upon the lives of others, and what You did for them. They were all created for glory and to glorify You. It is time for them to claim their own first–hand experience of You, Your Son, and Your Spirit. Now it’s personal.
Hearing The Voice of Our True God Yahweh
My Voice
(#003 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
Oh My little ones, if I gave you a glimpse into My day, you would experience both wonder and conviction. Come with Me for a moment, above the clouds. Look down on humanity with Me; listen with a discerning ear. Can you hear the prayers, the ones that actually get past the clouds? (Lamentations 3:44) Do you hear the prayer prayed most often? “Talk to me Yahweh.” Yes, that one.
“How can this be,” I ask? My word is My voice. My Son is My voice. My voice is written from Genesis to Revelation. The problem is not whether I have spoken; it is the time you spend listening. Such little time you give Me.
Have I not told you the wise man rises before the birds to seek My face? I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me. (Proverbs 8:17) Why, then, do you make your own plans and throw Me in the middle? You extract verses that fit your agenda, and then fall into despair when none of it manifests. Am I here for your amusement and convenience? Or, am I the one who delights in disciplining My sons and daughters in order to perfect them? (Deuteronomy 8:5)
My voice is all around you; have I not written so? But, it is in the silence that My words manifest, not in the chaos, not in the fire, and not in the flesh. I commune using My still small voice within you (1 Kings 19:12). Like a sleeping baby in My arms, I whisper to you. “My loved one, come away with Me; come away with Me; come away with Me.”
Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to Yahweh; Let us lift our hearts and hands to the Mighty One in heaven. (Lamentations 3:40-41)
Merciful One
Merciful One from the Suffer Well Devotional Series) Here is the link to the video on Mercy by Carols Perdomo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLxlN… Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time, He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return. (Psalm 78:38) It is because of My love for you that I grieve over you. You see, your anger manifests from selfish desire, whereas Mine rises in desiring for you. Have I not said all that I have done is good? (Genesis 1:31; Romans 8:28) Every time you walk away from My Garden of love, My only choice is to watch, as My children walk into pain. My anger is kindled as you walk away from all of the blessings I have for you. Do I raise cursed children? Oh how you need to long to know Me better. My ways, unlike yours, are always directed towards goodness. How many times would you watch a young child slam her head into a wall, after explaining to her why it will only hurt her? What bothers you most about a scenario as this? Of course, it is the pain you see the young girl putting herself through. After a bit, it causes you to stop her against her will. Yes My child, this is what burdens Me about My children. The constant desire to add pain to the life I have provided for you. Yes, now you see. Obedience to Me is mandatory, however, only so I can bless you more. I am Abba Father, and I know better than you.
Esther 2
Esther 2
Esther Becomes Queen
1 But after Xerxes’ anger had subsided, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. 2 So his personal attendants suggested, “Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. 4 After that, the young woman who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti.” This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect.
5 At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. 6 His family[a] had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin[b] of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. 7 This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.
8 As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care. 9 Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.
10 Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. 11 Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.
12 Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. 13 When it was time for her to go to the king’s palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. 14 That evening she was taken to the king’s private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem,[c] where the king’s wives lived. There she would be under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would never go to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.
15 Esther was the daughter of Abihail, who was Mordecai’s uncle. (Mordecai had adopted his younger cousin Esther.) When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her.
16 Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter[d] of the seventh year of his reign. 17 And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. 18 To celebrate the occasion, he gave a great banquet in Esther’s honor for all his nobles and officials, declaring a public holiday for the provinces and giving generous gifts to everyone.
19 Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem[e] and Mordecai had become a palace official,[f] 20 Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a secret. She was still following Mordecai’s directions, just as she did when she lived in his home.
Mordecai’s Loyalty to the King
21 One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana[g] and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. 22 But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report. 23 When an investigation was made and Mordecai’s story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes’ Reign.
Footnotes:
- 2:6a Hebrew He.
- 2:6b Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin.
- 2:14 Or to another part of the harem.
- 2:16 Hebrew in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth. A number of dates in the book of Esther can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within the months of December 479 B.c. and January 478 B.c.
- 2:19a The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 2:19b Hebrew and Mordecai was sitting in the gate of the king.
- 2:21 Hebrew Bigthan; compare 6:2.
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Sabbath Fellowship
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Esther 1
Esther 1
The King’s Banquet
1 These events happened in the days of King Xerxes,[a] who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.[b] 2 At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. 3 In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces. 4 The celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty.
5 When it was all over, the king gave a banquet for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were in the fortress of Susa. It lasted for seven days and was held in the courtyard of the palace garden. 6 The courtyard was beautifully decorated with white cotton curtains and blue hangings, which were fastened with white linen cords and purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.
7 Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, reflecting the king’s generosity. 8 By edict of the king, no limits were placed on the drinking, for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted.
9 At the same time, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
Queen Vashti Deposed
10 On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas— 11 to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. 12 But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger.
13 He immediately consulted with his wise advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice. 14 The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—seven nobles of Persia and Media. They met with the king regularly and held the highest positions in the empire.
15 “What must be done to Queen Vashti?” the king demanded. “What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king’s orders, properly sent through his eunuchs?”
16 Memucan answered the king and his nobles, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every noble and citizen throughout your empire. 17 Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king. 18 Before this day is out, the wives of all the king’s nobles throughout Persia and Media will hear what the queen did and will start treating their husbands the same way. There will be no end to their contempt and anger.
19 “So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from the presence of King Xerxes, and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she. 20 When this decree is published throughout the king’s vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!”
21 The king and his nobles thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan’s counsel. 22 He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases.[c]
Footnotes:
Lamentations 4
Lamentations 4
1 [a]How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at every street corner.
2 How the precious children of Zion,
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.
4 Because of thirst the infant’s tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;
the children beg for bread,
but no one gives it to them.
5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple
now lie on ash heaps.
6 The punishment of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment
without a hand turned to help her.
7 Their princes were brighter than snow
and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like lapis lazuli.
8 But now they are blacker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become as dry as a stick.
9 Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of famine;
racked with hunger, they waste away
for lack of food from the field.
10 With their own hands compassionate women
have cooked their own children,
who became their food
when my people were destroyed.
11 The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;
he has poured out his fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion
that consumed her foundations.
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.
13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed within her
the blood of the righteous.
14 Now they grope through the streets
as if they were blind.
They are so defiled with blood
that no one dares to touch their garments.
15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
“Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander about,
people among the nations say,
“They can stay here no longer.”
16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.
The priests are shown no honor,
the elders no favor.
17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
looking in vain for help;
from our towers we watched
for a nation that could not save us.
18 People stalked us at every step,
so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
for our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles in the sky;
they chased us over the mountains
and lay in wait for us in the desert.
20 The Lord’s anointed, our very life breath,
was caught in their traps.
We thought that under his shadow
we would live among the nations.
21 Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz.
But to you also the cup will be passed;
you will be drunk and stripped naked.
22 Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion;
he will not prolong your exile.
But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom,
and expose your wickedness.
Footnotes:
- Lamentations 4:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Lamentations 3
Lamentations 3
Hope in the Lord’s Faithfulness
1 I am the one who has seen the afflictions
that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger.
2 He has led me into darkness,
shutting out all light.
3 He has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.
4 He has made my skin and flesh grow old.
He has broken my bones.
5 He has besieged and surrounded me
with anguish and distress.
6 He has buried me in a dark place,
like those long dead.
7 He has walled me in, and I cannot escape.
He has bound me in heavy chains.
8 And though I cry and shout,
he has shut out my prayers.
9 He has blocked my way with a high stone wall;
he has made my road crooked.
10 He has hidden like a bear or a lion,
waiting to attack me.
11 He has dragged me off the path and torn me in pieces,
leaving me helpless and devastated.
12 He has drawn his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
13 He shot his arrows
deep into my heart.
14 My own people laugh at me.
All day long they sing their mocking songs.
15 He has filled me with bitterness
and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink.
16 He has made me chew on gravel.
He has rolled me in the dust.
17 Peace has been stripped away,
and I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 I cry out, “My splendor is gone!
Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!”
19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.[a]
20 I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends![b]
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age
to the yoke of his discipline:
28 Let them sit alone in silence
beneath the Lord’s demands.
29 Let them lie face down in the dust,
for there may be hope at last.
30 Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them
and accept the insults of their enemies.
31 For no one is abandoned
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
33 For he does not enjoy hurting people
or causing them sorrow.
34 If people crush underfoot
all the prisoners of the land,
35 if they deprive others of their rights
in defiance of the Most High,
36 if they twist justice in the courts—
doesn’t the Lord see all these things?
37 Who can command things to happen
without the Lord’s permission?
38 Does not the Most High
send both calamity and good?
39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain
when we are punished for our sins?
40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways.
Let us turn back to the Lord.
41 Let us lift our hearts and hands
to God in heaven and say,
42 “We have sinned and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven us.
43 “You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down,
and slaughtered us without mercy.
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud
so our prayers cannot reach you.
45 You have discarded us as refuse and garbage
among the nations.
46 “All our enemies
have spoken out against us.
47 We are filled with fear,
for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.”
48 Tears stream from my eyes
because of the destruction of my people!
49 My tears flow endlessly;
they will not stop
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.
51 My heart is breaking
over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem.
52 My enemies, whom I have never harmed,
hunted me down like a bird.
53 They threw me into a pit
and dropped stones on me.
54 The water rose over my head,
and I cried out, “This is the end!”
55 But I called on your name, Lord,
from deep within the pit.
56 You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!
Hear my cry for help!”
57 Yes, you came when I called;
you told me, “Do not fear.”
58 Lord, you have come to my defense;
you have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord.
Be my judge, and prove me right.
60 You have seen the vengeful plots
my enemies have laid against me.
61 Lord, you have heard the vile names they call me.
You know all about the plans they have made.
62 My enemies whisper and mutter
as they plot against me all day long.
63 Look at them! Whether they sit or stand,
I am the object of their mocking songs.
64 Pay them back, Lord,
for all the evil they have done.
65 Give them hard and stubborn hearts,
and then let your curse fall on them!
66 Chase them down in your anger,
destroying them beneath the Lord’s heavens.