Tag Archives: Christianity
I Need That
I Need That
(#067 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Father, when a word I give helps another, I need that.
When I dream of how Your blessings are coming and someone confirms it, I need that.
When I pray to You and sense Your strong presence, I need that.
When friends and loved ones pray for me, I need that.
When my children can still find joy in You even while I suffer, I need that.
When my children desire to stay intimate with me, I need that.
When I pray and You answer, I need that.
When I ask You to show me the way and You do, I need that.
The faith to trust what I cannot see, I need that.
Daily hope, I need that.
Whispers from Your Spirit, I need that.
Words of affirmation, I need that.
Favor, I need that.
Forgiveness, I need that.
Wisdom and knowledge, I need that.
Humility and meekness, I need that.
The ability to sing no matter the circumstance, I need that.
The heart to continually worship, I need that.
Courage, I need that.
Strength to stand before my Goliath, I need that.
Peace and prosperity, I need that.
Father, you provide all we need because You promise that we shall not want (Psalm 23). You promise that through the knowledge and understanding of You we will have all we need for life. Please fill our hearts so completely that we would no longer are aware of what we need.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of the Almighty and the Master Yahshua Messiah, as His Spiritual power has given to us all things that pertain to life and being conformed to His Mighty image, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the spiritual nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)
His Plan Not Yours
Woe
(#066 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
You shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. (Excerpts from Matthew 23: 13, 15, 23-29)
Woe to obstinate children:
* Those who will not listen to or trust in Yahweh alone;
* Those who carry out their own plans;
* Those who operate in fear instead of being directed by His mind within;
* Those who trust in the wisdom and strength of men and form alliances not led by the Spirit. Alliances can be good, but only if Yahweh forms them; and so often the ones you form are not His desire;
* Those who go down to Egypt without consulting Yahweh;
* Those who walk right into the enemy’s camp without permission and favor from Yahweh;
* Those who fear earthly kings, look for help from “Pharaoh,” and trust in material prosperity;
* Those who seek the shade of Egypt and desire a covering from earthly things which only satisfy the ego.
Everyone who trusts in people to be their help will be put to shame; Father, we will make no provision for the flesh on our own. Teach us to do as You say and grant us release from the fear of man. We desire alliances, but only the ones that you ordain. The battle is Yours Abba; we rest in You alone.
My help comes from Yahweh, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:2)
No Fear If We Care
Do We Really Care?
(#065 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Father, Your ways are far superior to ours; we will trust You, even when Your power frightens us. We will not place our trust in another. We won’t even concern ourselves with how You will deliver us. All we need is to hear Your voice say, “I Am the Almighty; walk before Me faithfully and blameless.” (Genesis 17:1) Speak and we will follow.
You have taught us many things Abba and these are what come to mind, these are what permeate our consciousness:
1. You will not stand for Your children living in fear of man;
2. Fear of man is sin in Your eyes. It says, “I don’t trust You Father;”
3. Throughout Your word you teach Your children that they will never be dismayed, condemned, shamed, or humiliated;
4. You instill in us that shame and condemnation wreak havoc in the minds of Your children because Your children disobey. Though Your love can restore it all, lack of faith only supports the shame within;
5. We do not need to defend ourselves and the only battle that matters is the battle to believe You;
6. You demonstrate Your consuming love and jealousy for Your children;
7. You remind us about Your Son’s death and how the shedding of His blood brings the fullness of Your power into our lives. Life is in His shed blood;
8. You command us to worship and praise in what seems like our darkest hours and that by obedience to this You will cause the sun to shine again. Joy and prosperity will come.
So Father, we don’t care what others may say. We will radically do as You say. If man is to align with us in our efforts, You will show us. Otherwise, we are sold out to You alone. We need to see Your word come true for us. We need You to forever remove any fear of man in us, and any irrational fear we might have of You, and replace it with awe and a mesmerizing addiction to You. So be it!
The Purpose of God For Us
The Key
(#064 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Yahweh is exalted, for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of Yahweh is the key to this treasure. (Isaiah 33:5-6) Fear of Yahweh makes Him your solid foundation! When you reverence Him, He becomes a vast storehouse of wellbeing for your soul. And He lavishes you with insight and understanding of His deep mysteries.
“If I called it treasure, then you would do well to pay attention,” says Yahweh. “Has there ever been a greater treasure than what is found in Me? Treasures are, of course, hidden and valuable mysteries. Yes, they take time and effort to find, but what is revealed will be well worth your search. Yes, it is deep revelation. As you sketch the map that leads to My treasure, “X” marks the spot. And the X is fear, holy reverence of Me My child. Where proper fear exists, there is a multitude of treasures. The bounty is yours for the taking.
What am I asking of you? What is a fuller understanding of proper fear of Me? It is many things My loved one, as every area of your life needs a specific application of fear. May I give you a few definitions?
Awe and wonder: a state of amazement.
Reverence: recognizing My holiness and Supreme authority.
To be afraid: dread of standing on My holy ground in an unclean state.
Yes My child, all of these apply, and all of these must be applied to every area of your thought life. What you think, and therefore, what you do, incorporates all of these applications of fear. It’s time to remind you that this is the path to the treasure you desire. It is the sure foundation for your salvation (soul wellbeing), wisdom (deep insight), and knowledge (spiritual understanding), and all of these you can have in abundance when you fear Me.
Be practical about this. Have this mind in you. ‘I have to make a decision Father. You are the magnanimous One, and I will not consider anything man has to say, nor will I be influenced by man, until I hear from You first. Though I may get counsel from many, I will wait upon You for the final answer. If I don’t directly hear from You and my peace remains, I will move forward in faith of good counsel. If I need to change course, please allow me to hear Your voice. It is You alone I follow Father.’
Yes My child. This incorporates all aspects of properly fearing Me. I can work mightily in you when you have this mindset. I desire to hand you the key to My treasures. Please allow Me the joy of doing so. It is what I Am due.”
Come Out of Babylon!
Come Out!
(#063 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Have I not told you, you are not to have friendship with this world (James 4:4)? If so, why do you choose to live like those who are strangers and foreigners to My family? Look at your life! Is this why I created you? Why is your life so—typical? In other words, why is it not set-apart from the world? My Kingdom suffers violence, and the violent [My hungry children] take it by force. (Matthew 11:12) Politics? What do I care about Caesar’s agenda? Economics? The gold and silver are mine! Society and life? Read Exodus! What do you think I meant when I said, “Come out of her My people”? (Revelation 18:4) Answer Me! What does this mean to you?
Listen to Me child. Babylon will always “babble-on.” Consider this; I planned the existence of evil so that good would have to overcome. It’s the battle the makes life what it is. How could righteousness be proven unless evil existed? How long will you play with what is not intended for you? I am fiercely protective of My culture and My boundaries. I may have a melting pot of children, but My culture is never to be changed or watered down to appease man’s disdainful compromises. Why else would I tell you that the same law applies to both the native-born [thoughts birthed in righteousness] and the foreigner [thoughts opposed to cleanliness] (Leviticus 24:22; Numbers 15:16; Exodus 12:49)? As such, the “foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” (Leviticus 19:34)
My most basic commands mandate separation (set-apartness, holiness)! Have I not called you My treasured possession? (Exodus 19:5) You are not of this world, you are citizens of Heaven [exalted conscience] (Philippians 3:20). Stop trying to blend into cultures that are not of Me. Mine is a culture of priests and prophets! Do something about your faith! If it is glory I seek, will I not help you do glorious things? Open your eyes! The light is right in front of you. Sojourners do not settle in; they know they are not staying and keep a loose grip on anything that will not remain when My Kingdom comes. That is the way it should be for you NOW! On earth as it is in My Kingdom (Matthew 6:10). Do not let Caesar entice you any longer. Come out I say; Come out! Your life, the entirety of your conscious and subconscious existence, depends on it.
Order of Yahweh
Family
(#062 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Father (Yahweh, the great I AM); Mother (Ama, Spirit, Help Meet); Son (Yahshua, “Yahweh saves”); and Daughter (the Bride, the called out chosen), yes, this is the family order. Certainly, it is My most precious concept. May I share My plan for the family with you? I wish to reveal My purpose for such a concept.
Yes, I am He who reveals things in many deep layers. Has not My Son said, “On earth as it is in heaven?” (Matthew 9:9-15) The earthly family should be a mirror image of My Kingdom family. It must have proper order instituted. Authority should be understood in its right context. Your family (as the Spiritual family does) should display perfect unity of thought and action. Joy, as well as all facets of love, should be demonstrated in service to one another and on display in every decision and action. (1 Corinthians 13)
Add this understanding of family to all other things which are expected of you in the earthly realm: pro-creation (a fruitful multiplying); exhorting and building up future generations (who will bring Me glory); enduring together in times of testing; and standing against foreign principalities in unity (which will prove My power). And what of My body, My called out chosen, preparing herself as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2)? She must be: unified; holy; and respectful of each member. Your role is to find your purpose as part of the body, your created purpose, as you actively plan for the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9).
I have commanded that your family be modeled after the heavenly pattern, so do not be dismayed by the attacks against the family and marriage. It only reveals the value I place on them. It is an indicator of how much I protect such things; and yes, that means I Am on your side in reference to family matters.
Hasatan (Satan, ego) knows we will be united, yet, he still believes he can change My plan. He has waged an all-out war against you. But, I laugh at his folly (Psalm 37:12-13). Be on guard! Do not fall for the tricks and traps he lays for you! I will give you wisdom about his ways if you so desire to seek. I Am a protector; you have the same obligation. Have I not said, “The two will become one flesh; and let no man separate?” (Ephesians 5:31 from Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:6) Yes, I Am very pro-family. I understand what it takes. Be diligent. Be wise. Love your family, and resist the temptations of the evil one.
A Hebrew View of Prayer
If you want to find if you must be willing to lose it. That is what our prayers should be about.
A Hebrew View of Prayer
(#060 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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The Torah of Moses, the first five books of Scripture, contains the totality of Yahweh’s commandments. In it, the concept that we have come to know as prayer is identified: “tefillah.” The root of the word tefillah means: to judge, differentiate, clarify, or decide. The intention is to bring forth a desire to hold oneself accountable, to make an honest self-assessment. The belief system in the Messiah to come warranted the desire to “judge oneself” according to the precepts of Yahweh. It was a requirement for young men coming of age to be accountable to the Torah and thereby to the Creator, hence the Bar mitzvah. Bar mitzvah conveys the idea of becoming a “son of the covenant,” or quite literally, “a son of good works.”
The modern-day believer needs to take note of this perspective, for we live in the era of the Messiah who has already come. Because of His death and resurrection, more wisdom, more insights, more revelation, and more promises have been revealed to us. As a result, we are to bring every thought captive unto the obedience of Messiah (2 Corinthians 10:5). The only way that can happen is through the shedding of the self (Hebrews 12:4). Prayer was given to help you achieve the Luke 22:42 lifestyle; “Not My will but Your will be done.” When you live that way, all of His promises are “yes” and “so be it!” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Many believers today spend too much time praying for things that have already been given, rather than considering prayer as a tool to judge oneself from the Creator’s perspective. Consider the Hebrew view of prayer and pray about what Yahweh would have for your prayer life. Above all, set aside requests made in fear, as well as those that display that your struggle against sin remains only because you refuse to surrender your “self.”
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.(Hebrews 12:4)
Putting Yeshua First In Your Life
How many of you are ready to put Yeshua first in your life?
These Sounds of a Captive
(#059 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Listen for the cries all you people of the earth. Listen for the sounds; can you hear them? A bitter day is coming for those who cannot hear. His call is a trumpet, but these are war drums, a battle cry for the masses. Pick whose side you are on. Man’s final battle is approaching, a battle that will not be won with guns and ammunition. Can you hear the sounds of the earth? Woe to those who do not listen.
For me personally, I hear my daughter cry to her mommy, yet I can only hear through the phone. In my mind I pick her up and I’m swinging her. She can’t help but laugh now that I have her. I hear my son’s laugh in the background. His voice is deeper than before, more baritone than flute; he’s my first born son, my little man. I grab him real tight; my mind holds him. My heart looks at them all; the words just come out. “Please don’t grow up without me.” Her voice gets softer, I know what that means. She wants to be strong, yet she needs me. No, I’m not there, but I’m kneeling beside her, wiping her tears with my fingers.
The sounds of my family are so sweet to me; it’s been so long since I heard them. All in one accord, each one of them is making their own noises. They are the most beautiful sounds anyone could hear. I could go on forever about the sounds that I hear, for even their whining is sweet music. A flame in me is burning to hear them, the sounds of my heart. Can you hear them?
All this is happening while there’s another voice calling. It’s the one that is saying, “Can I have them?” Like the whispering wind on a cool summer night, the voice of the Spirit continues. “Unless I come first, the desire to know Me, the desire that makes your bones ache; it will never be fulfilled. I must be your everything. Nothing can replace Me.” This voice brings new sounds. It brings sounds of my soul as it screams, “Abba, I don’t know how to do it.”
Will you lift up a sound with me, as I beg for His mercy? Say, “Yours is the way; lead us to it. For how could we not give You what has always been Yours. Forgive us Yahweh, yet hold us to it. The fact that we are here, cuddled in your arms, gives You permission to move forward. We are Your children; we know we must do this. Sing to us while Your work is being done. Sing to us, Your sweet, sweet sound. Sing Abba, sing.”
“He who loves his own father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:37)
Take Your Faith To The Next Level
The Purge!
(#058 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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You were manifest before eternity,
A sparkling pattern revealed to see.
Your light lit infinitely beyond the universe,
My point of reference, “all me,” how perverse!
A gift from heaven, far beyond mine,
Our two worlds collided at a moment in time;
The nations waged war for my soul, a vain past,
Then my children were born, was this new life at last?
But I tripped and I stumbled, and I asked when, what, why?
Something painful was birthing, and I still chose the lie.
But all in an instant my eyes made to see,
The veil torn apart, happened there on a tree.
Fighting so long to finally be free,
Each punch caused the shackles to tighten ‘round me.
It seemed many times I’d finally been won,
But this time, at last, a new heart has begun.
Dry bones once so brittle now taking on flesh,
Just talk to the potter, my lump was a mess.
My vessel reshaping, final form yet undone,
It’s taking some time, He’s making a son!
My heart is about to truly transform,
So, I SUBMIT to my Father; I reject what was norm.
As He changes, and mends, and molds, I pray please…
My appeal to Yahweh, “Connect my heart to my knees.”
“How will you make him?” heavenly hosts inquire,
“This one is so special; I’ll make him by fire.”
For it is here I will serve You the rest of my days,
If it’s fire You’ll use, please set me ablaze!
“How much more shall the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to the Almighty, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living Mighty One?” (Hebrews 9:14)
S.U.B.M.I.T.
S.U.B.M.I.T.
(#057 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Sometimes I think I have given everything to Him, whether by choice or being forced by His strong hand. Yet, I still dream of a new day with new hopes; I have plans. Of course, hopes, dreams and plans are biblical, but must be surrendered to Yahweh for Him to overrule at His good pleasure;
Unless we do this, we are really just setting up our own agendas and expecting Him to honor our vain plans for our lives. Even when we strongly believe that our hopes, dreams, and plans are from Him, we often struggle to persevere when tested. Fear of not knowing what the future holds clouds our confidence in Him;
Believing that the things we dream of shall come to pass is often the only hope we have throughout the day. Sometimes what we dream of is so magnificent, yet so unfamiliar, and the battle is so great, that all we can do is stand back and receive the words our ancestors did long ago; “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but the Almighty’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15)
Mind over matter is a big piece of faith, as it is the constant renewing of our fleshly mindsets that allows us to take on Wisdom in all her beauty. It allows us to rethink our realities and to conform to those of our Creator’s, all while proclaiming, “Your ways are higher than ours.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
I will personally choose the path of the created, rather than the selfish mindset which considers itself sovereign or “self” created. Some of you might think that this is too radical, deciding instead to fuel your own agendas, framing them in your mind as if they are “convictions or directions” from Him. It is through compromise that we convince ourselves that our plans must surely be His plans, even while we never stop to ask Him if He approves, never inquiring if He who gives us breath and life actually condones our actions;
To You Yahweh, I lift up my soul. I long to trust in You alone. I hand You my hopes, my dreams, my plans, my fears, and my family. Yes Father, I admit there are parts of me that still don’t know and trust You fully. It is in those foggy areas of my mind that I tend to rely on only what I can see, touch, taste, smell or hear. Help me move beyond my false faith, which is fueled only by tangible things, to true faith which has substance founded on unseen evidence (Hebrews 11:1). May I even hope, dream, and plan for a new day when You permeate me so completely that even the unseen becomes tangible. I believe this is possible because there is nothing You cannot manifest as reality. Nothing is intangible to You!