Tag Archives: christian
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!
Humility
My Choicest Flock
(#096 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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That suffering one, he’s Mine. That weeping one, he’s Mine. That rejected one, he’s Mine. That scared one, he’s Mine. Have I not told you, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick?” (Luke 5:31) I do not care about natural ability. I am focused on the heart (center of intellect, mind) and the issues of spiritual transformation. The transformation from foolishness (ego driven mind) to wisdom (righteousness driven mind) is what brings Me glory. Those who come to Me “sick” are a perfect fit, for who would be left to come if not the sick?
Your heroes are nothing to Me. Your famous too, do not impress Me. Your wise, all of them devoid of true wisdom. I Am not impressed at My dust in its natural state. A broken and contrite spirit is what pleases Me (Isaiah 66:2). From the old creation to the new, that is the transformation project I like. My characteristics of greatness are humility, peace, wisdom, and joy in the spirit, not like what man values. Fallen man would rather celebrate money, status, and praise from other men.
If these words bother you, you are probably in danger of being devoured. Yes, if you leave the flock I cannot watch over you. Wolves and lions wait for you, and they have a taste for you, as you have been feeding them for quite some time. My flock knows its Shepherd. My flock would never leave My care; they would be afraid to leave My care.
View things as I do. Understand My wisdom. Desire My righteousness as opposed to worldly values. I can only bless what I approve, and I stand in opposition to your fleshly desires. Give in! Succumb to Me at all cost. You could not possibly perceive what I have planned for you; it’s more than you could ask or imagine. If you would taste even a morsel from the table I’ve prepared for you, you would dine with Me and never eat from the pig trough again.
Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:15-17)
Bearing His Yoke
Bearing His Yoke
(#094 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for Yahweh has laid it on him… Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. (Lamentations 3:27-28, 32)
I wake up alone, no wife by my side. I hear the voice of my children, but only in my mind. Yes my Father, this yoke is different. This one is not easy. This yoke brings me so far from light, locked in with no direct sunlight, no direct SON light. I must work my way back. “Let him be filled with disgrace,” (v. 30) You said. Certainly, all Your words come to pass. All of what I thought represented freedom is gone. “Lock down,” my captors cry out. The doors shut. I am confined. My dwelling is no larger than a pantry closet. I am alone, in silence.
Your word says, “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked shall be brought down by calamity.” (Proverbs 24:16) Slowly, I rise. The enemy tries ever-harder to keep me down. Does he know You will not let me fall Father? Have You revealed to him that I shall not be put to shame, or condemned? Does he know that his minions will soon be at peace with me? Does he know I am one of Yours?
All of this pain, betrayal, and loss; “It is good,” You say. [I] know that in all things [You] work for the good of those who love [You], who have been called according to [Your] purpose. (Romans 8:28) Therefore Father, I will trust in You, for where else can I go? May I rise Father? Have I learned my lesson; this life lesson? Shall I bear more? I will do as You say. “Rejoice in Me alone, in Me alone.” These are Your words.
Trust God’s Path and Plan For Your Life
My (Your) Soul
(#089 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Show me the way I should go, for it is to You I lift up my soul. (Psalm 143:8)
And when I lift my soul (mind, will and emotions) to You Father, I leave it with You. I realize that taking back my soul leaves me with too many roads to travel, too many choices. This so easily removes me from the narrow path. How many times have I asked you to lead Father, only to change directions to serve my own desires? No more Father. No more I say! My own way leads to too many dead-end roads, too many accidents.
I have this vision Father; I see myself offering back to You the Spirit You gifted to me. I am longing for You to take back what is Yours and never let go. Never let it go anywhere, other than where You desire. Take over. I hand you back this Spirit in me, never again to alter its course in my own “self” desire. I want to be led in a way which overcomes the flesh mind so only the Spirit man can shine forth. Father, surround me with Your Spirit bubble. Immerse me completely!
Whatever you say Father, I will do. Every encounter, every decision, every plan of action, I will submit to You. Tell me what to do and it will be done. And Father, I do realize that at times I must step forward before You will speak. In these matters I will make a plan and proceed slowly, giving You full authority to change my course at any time. To You Father, I lift up Your (my) soul.
Humble Yourself
Arm of the Flesh
(#088 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Listen to Me, My precious little one; I would like you to consider My servant Mosheh (Moses) as an example of My absolute providence. I brought him up as a prince only to have his crown stripped from him. He would be a shepherd at the age of eighty, “an alien in a foreign land.” (Exodus 2:22) It was then that I called him to his true purpose, his created purpose. After forty years in exile My plan would begin, truly begin. Why did I strip him of his princely garb? Yes, he murdered, but I always knew he would. It’s what caused the murder that had to be removed. The arm of the flesh had to be removed, the desire to do anything other than what I purpose in his, and likewise, your life. If you pretend that whatever you want to do must be My will, you will wander in the wilderness. To get out, you must stay close to Me; you must stay connected.
The byproduct of the removal of the arm of flesh is humility and meekness, heavenly humility and meekness. From a murderer to the testimony, “What if they don’t believe me or listen to me?” “What if they say, ‘Yahweh did not appear to you?’” (Exodus 4:1) Please realize that the humility that I placed in Mosheh will also be placed in you. He would no longer be a man with murder in his heart. Now ready, prepared for every good work, Mosheh, a different man cries out, “O Yahweh, please send someone else by whose hand You may do it.” (Exodus 4:13) He was no longer supremely confident in his own ability. He was now a servant ready to be used. It was at this point that My chosen vessel was truly ready.
Know this My child; the talents you have are from Me. Have people noticed your attributes, the things that make you good at what you do? I will not waste those talents I placed in you. I will just make sure they are used for why I created you. If you are wandering in a foreign land right now, you might just rejoice. For it is here that the arm of flesh will be taken away and your new life brought to you. You do not need to wait forty years, however. Submit to Me now and enter your destiny My child. It is your precious predestined purpose.
Fear and Anxiety
True Children of Yahweh are to have NO fear or Anxiety! Fear and Anxiety are demons that try to attack us! See this video to understand more and learn how to release yourself from these demons. If you let fear in your life you are not using the gift that Yahweh has left you!
A Prisoner’s Request
(#087 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Father, this journey has been so long, and the road must still be traveled. Yes, You have shown me so much, so many things new. You whisper to me, “Don’t look back,” and I do my best to obey. You know all of my thoughts. Although I move forward at Your command, You know I have questions for You. These are questions in my mind (heart) and in my soul (conscious essence). I will ask them this one time, and not again if You give me courage to just ask only once, and then I will move forward as You say.
I wonder if I am supposed to have unspeakable joy while confined and away from my family and friends. Is it possible to have such a joy in my soul and be distant from the family I love so deeply? Can a man love his family too much? Is it a gift to have unspeakable joy while imprisoned, or must it be earned through constant praise and thanksgiving? What of those I am indebted to Father? Can I believe You have their best interests in mind and will you show me the path of restoration? Who do I owe Father? What shall I do to restore? What will I be Father? What will I do to provide for my family, to feel like a man? What is Your will for my livelihood? What of those who betrayed me Father? Do I forgive and forget, or forgive and find new friends?
I have been thinking about these things Father. I have learned enough to know that I can hand everything to You and trust You will guide me. As You know, putting these things on paper, these questions, was so I could move forward and practice this new faith. It is a faith that trusts that I can hand you all my hopes, all my dreams, and all my concerns, and that You won’t forget that I asked You what to do. For each question, I need Your answer and I will do as You say. I know if You ask it of me, You will provide the way to accomplish it. I don’t want to look back anymore Father. Today, I choose to move forward and trust in Your answers. I desire peace on every side Father, this is my request.
Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to the Almighty and the peace of the Mighty One, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your heart (mind) and soul through Yahshua the Messiah. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Being Set-apart
So few Words Needed
(#086 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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One Mind! And if One mind, then of course, One speech!
And how can an individual achieve this? “Yes Father,” and “May I Father?” no less, and no more.
We have talked about the ego and the “self” desire. Carnality, materiality, and sensuality, are all wrapped up in the mind of man. It will never make sense to that fallen mind that the patterns could be so “easy” and the yoke of Yahweh so “light,” but they are! It will take some of you forty years; others of you will go more quickly into the promise land and walk through your fears and find the gift of humility waiting for you. “Yes Father and this after, “May I Father?”
Could it really be so simple? What did He mean when He said His Son was “The final sacrifice?” (Hebrews 10:12) If we do some basic math, we would be correct in asserting the validity of an equation as such: “The amount of resistance from my own carnal self is directly related to my perception of how easy it is to be One with Yahweh.” If you believe Oneness with Yahweh is difficult, then you are fertilizing your carnality.
Remember, easy and light, not hard and heavy! This is how you succeed. Do you understand? If it is still not clear, let us remind you of the words of the prophet Jeremiah that we read yesterday in “Relinquish All.” They should help.
“O Yahweh, I know that the way of man is not his own; it is not man who walks, directing his own steps. O Yahweh, correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, or You would bring me to nothing.” (Jeremiah 10:23-24)
His Steps Not Ours
Relinquish All
(#085 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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My desire is that you pray this prayer to Me. “O Yahweh, I know that the way of man is not his own; it is not man who walks, directing his own steps. O Yahweh, correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, or You would bring me to nothing.” (Jeremiah10:23-24)
A man does not direct his own steps. This is another unchangeable pattern that must be recognized. And as with all scriptural patterns, adherence to them is crucial for you to prosper in My ways. This pattern will be fulfilled, regardless of your participation or input. You see My child, I Am all things good and I keep My word. My children will be filled with joy. My children will be fruit-bearing and productive. When I told you I had plans to prosper you, did I inquire of you before establishing them (Jeremiah 29:11-14)? Are they My plans or yours? My plans are more than you can ask, think, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). My plans are why you were created. My plans are the only place you will find your true purpose in life. It can be no other way. Brace yourself! Get revelation! It can be no other way.
Yes, there is a practical side and you must participate. You will either participate or I will finish My work without your participation. You will eventually get involved, either voluntarily, or with My persuasion. My chastening serves this function quite well.
What is your part? Relinquish everything to Me: every hope, every fear, every dream, every anxiety, and every desire. Relinquish everything! Listen to Me. When you hand Me everything, we automatically move forward. Do you understand? The handing over is the fulfillment of your part of this unchanging pattern. If you have a hope, release it to Me. I then can make it better than you had hoped. When you try yourself it will never be good enough. You cannot compete with the goodness I have predestined for your life. Yes, it is the act of “handing over” that fulfills your obligation. If you don’t, I will take it anyway, and that process is always more painful.
Yes, I Am He who is just and I demand your attention. I Am He whom you must revere with an awe and admiration. Bring everything to Me and then you will see the goodness I have planned for you, a goodness that is more. Yes, what I offer is more!
Love Your Enemy
Kneel With Thy Enemy
(#084 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Why do I tell you to love your enemy? Why do I insist you pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)? May I ask you a sobering question? Are you any different than those you call enemies, those who hurt you? And what makes you different?
Common answers:
“They are trying to purposely hurt me.”
“They don’t have any love in their hearts.”
“They don’t even believe in Jesus.”
Apart from My grace and salvation, doesn’t that describe you as well? Couldn’t the same be said of you at one time in your life? Are you willing to accept that even today you would be the same without Me? Yes, I know it may be hard for you to hear this, but you must listen. Do not be dull of hearing; your future depends on it. Have I not proclaimed that when your ways are pleasing to Me, I will make even your enemies at peace with you (Proverbs 16:7)? Everything that your enemy is: rude, inconsiderate, prideful, and boastful; were you not the same? Yes, you may assert that you love Me more than your enemies do, but the love you have for Me comes from Me. Why would you take credit for it? Remember, you did not choose Me; I chose you (John 15:16)!
Here is a righteous perspective for you to consider My loved one. Your sin is inexcusable because My Son gave you the ability to NOT sin, and yet you still do. You still do! Shall My Son call you an enemy because you lack love at times? Have you not hurt others with your words? Could it be said that your sin is a direct correlation to the lack of love and reverence you have for Me? Do you see it yet My child? Don’t run from this wisdom. Yes, I want you to be convicted as you read these words. Come in humility and I will hand you the keys to My Kingdom, the Kingdom of the unoffendable!
Pray without complaining
His Manna
(#083 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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I have labored at no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in Yahweh’s hands, my reward is with my Mighty One. (Isaiah 49:4)
What does it mean to have struggled so hard to no avail? What does it feel like when you realize, by His revelation, that you have spent too much time operating in the flesh? You wonder what Isaiah meant when he said, “Yet what is due me.” It is what flows from Yahweh’s mercy and grace; attributes of His love for you. When you labor at no purpose, it is because you did not ask for directions; you moved too quickly ahead of Him in the flesh, the way you have become accustomed to operating. That will always be in vain. Yes, He is always out front, but you did not stop to consider this; your actions did not include His will. Nevertheless, He afforded you a new heart (mind) by the death of His Son, and He sees your efforts to honor the change. Now, it is time to start over. Wouldn’t you like to receive what is due?
The talents you have, the zeal you have for good things, yes, He placed those in you. Will you now go to Him for direction so He can use those gifts properly? Remember King David, how he desired to build a house for the Almighty, a temple made of cedar and stone? Had he not been stopped through the prophet Nathan, he surely would have begun the project. He did well that it was in his heart to do such a thing (2 Samuel 7:3). And yet, at the prophetic moment of his revelation, he was told, “No!” You see, had he proceeded without being held in check, much effort would have been wasted in doing something that seemed so good and so honoring, yet it was not for him to build!
Just give Yahweh a willing heart and He will draw the plans; He will hire the laborers; and He will pay the costs. Before you endeavor to begin anything, ask Him. Filter every thought, and therefore every action through Him! Oh, how He desires this kind of relationship with you. He will have this kind of relationship with you.
Ask Him! His manna will be far better than the bread you produce in your own abilities. This is yet another pattern, an inescapable pattern indeed.