Tag Archives: Torah Life Ministries
Seeds of Doubt
Seeds of Doubt
(#109 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Father, it is with a heart (mind) of remorse that I come, regret for all mankind. Why are we so quick to turn? Why is it so easy to forget? When water is turned into wine, how sweetly we rejoice. When the wine is gone, we wonder if You would, or even could, do it again. When You heal the blind, we stand back in wondrous awe. Then, soon after, we wonder if You would do it for us. We see You turn the darkness into light and make crooked paths straight before us (Isaiah 42:16), yet, we sinfully wonder if You will take us all the way, as You promise?
Oh Father, if there are seeds I do not want to sow; they are the seeds of doubt. Why are we like this? What is in us that continually forgets, or chooses to doubt, that You have promised to cover us from beginning to end? Yes Father, it seems to bring You glory when the seeds of doubt are majestically overcome by faith, but it’s the doubt that burdens me. Doubting You hinders my growth. My unbelief dishonors You and for that I apologize.
Show me the way Father. Again, I hand You all of the seeds of doubt until they are no more. Please take them Father. Let the ground on which I have scattered them become parched, and till the new soil of my heart with Your presence (Jeremiah 4:3-4).
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Yahshua came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:17-18)
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)
Bridle Your Tongue
Like Dust
(#090 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. (James 1:26)
Oh my King, I pray that a guard would remain on my tongue and that these lips would utter no deceit. If others curse me Father, silence will be my reaction. Remind me that I am but dust. Remind me quickly how my affirmation can only come from You. Yes, others may approve of me, but for how long and why? Only Your favor fills this soul of mine. Father, this Spirit You placed in me causes me to ponder many things, yet these three come to mind often:
1. First Father, is how remarkable it is that this Spirit you placed in me is not impressed with the praise of men. Yes, the Spirit that marks me is only truly energized by Your approval. Oh, how I treasure this new nugget of wisdom. I was created for love and only Your love towards me is the pure love the Spirit in me craves;
2. Second Father, is the depravity of men, even those who call themselves, “brothers.” How quickly they turn. You certainly did warn me that this would happen as they even consider it a service to You (John 16:2);
3. Third Father, is the reality that I am a daily target for the minions who would never consider losing their lives to find You; yes, because I bear Your mark. Their purpose is to destroy and harm Your children.
Again I say yes Father. Grant me the spirit of humility; may I be like dust to all men so that I might win some. Grace me with the wisdom to know when to speak and when to stay silent. I beg you My King, that you grant me this most precious of gifts. I will then serve You in silent adoration, waiting for my orders.
Repent and Rest
How many of you are ready to have light in the darkness.
Weaned
(#068 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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In REPENTANCE and REST is your salvation; in QUIETNESS and TRUST is your strength, but you would HAVE NONE OF IT [v.15]… Yet Yahweh longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For Yahweh is the Mighty One of justice. Blessed are those who wait for Him [v. 18]. (Read Isaiah 30:15-18)
HAVE NONE OF WHAT?
1. REPENTANCE: Repent and ask forgiveness for doubting His provision in all things, and for trusting yourself and man.
2. REST: Rest and believe that the battle is always Yahweh’s, and do not strive, but rest in Him through faith.
3. QUIETNESS: If it is Yahweh who saves, then your boasting of self or anything other than Him is in vain. Humility and a quieted soul should be the fruit you offer Him. So, hush.
4. TRUST: Trust by putting your faith into action. This would be demonstrated by doing nothing out of fear of or faith in man.
Yes, the child who walks in repentance, rest, quietness, and trust may wait for Him in eager expectation. Surely goodness and mercy will follow the one who does these things (Psalm 23:6). Certainly you will be able to remind the Father that your faithfulness warrants your blessings to come. “Blessed are those who wait for Him.”
David said it best Abba, and today I long to mimic his words to You; “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” (Psalm 131:2)
Pray about this and listen. Do it over and over. Never cease.
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)
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)
Apple of Whose Eye
Apple of Whose Eye
(#048 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. Yahweh does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart [center of intellect].” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Shaul (Paul) taught that we must take every thought captive and make it obedient unto the Messiah (2 Corinthians 10:5). He was revealing the Messianic allusion of the words of the great prophet. He says, “You judge by appearances;” (v. 7) you are looking at the outside, the physical, but it is the mind that truly matters (v. 5). Yes, the mind, and the command to take every thought captive, is magnificently congruous with the prophet’s Hebrew understanding of the heart, the center of intellect. People look at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart! Yahweh is looking for the mind of the Messiah in you. Oh yes loved one, [His] ways are higher than your ways and [His] thoughts [higher] than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)
King David was a man after Yahweh’s heart; “the apple of His eye” (Psalm 17:8). Who was David? He was a murderer, an adulterer! Let there be no doubt; there are many “Davids” in the church today, who are lost in their iniquity, and yet who are madly devoted to the things of the Father. The church itself would deem these modern-day “Davids” as sinners, guilty, unclean, and even not fit for salvation. And they would accuse those sinners in their hearts, while at the same time singing praises to the “Lord” at weekly services, using words from the very Psalms written by David, the murder and adulterer.
The truth about David’s courage and lineage is preached, which of course leads to the Messiah. But, the preaching commences with fervor as does the condemnation of these modern-day Davids. And all of this is shielded under the umbrella of self-proclaimed righteousness. This disconnect is not because so much time has passed since King David walked the earth, as if time would heal the constructs of the ego. Time does not change the heart of man. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of the Almighty. (Romans 3:23)
This disconnect is due to the denial that the brand of “church” or practice of “Christianity” they preach does not coincide with the true intent of their thoughts, the wickedness in their hearts. Unforgiveness and condemnation is the manifest evidence. We love to acknowledge the Messiah’s greatness as He “forgives us even though we do not know what we are doing. (Luke 23:34).” And yet, it is a rarity indeed to witness a modern-day believer lay down his life for another, especially one who is “unworthy.”
Yahweh is looking for those who realize that if He only used “good” people to do His work on the earth, then there would be no one to use. Stop wrongly judging your living brother by appearances, while at the same time glorifying the dead heroes of the faith who were just like them. This, indeed, is a reality check for us all!
The Goal of The Torah
Believe Like You?
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(#043 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers; because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1)
[The Pastor grabs the pulpit, fire in his eyes, ready to deliver the WORD]
“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) And so the word of God teaches that the only thing one needs to do in order to be saved…”
[His face reddens with heightened emotions]
“…is to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead…”
[His fists bang the pulpit]
“…AND YOU WILL BE SAVED!”
[His hand removes the sweat from his forehead with a cloth; he looks to the congregation.]
“I’m preaching better than you’re clapping people! Can I get an amen?”
[The congregation laughs and then erupts; amen and halleluiah reverberates throughout the building.]
After the service, Deacon Jones abruptly waves down Pastor Bill. “Yes Deacon Jones, what can I do for you?”
“Well, we might have a problem brewing in the church and I wanted to inform you of it,” says Deacon Jones.
“What is it son?” asked the Pastor.
“Well, several people have informed me that brother Richard is telling people that the bible teaches that Jesus did not come to change the law or the prophets and that, for instance, Christians are still commanded to abstain from eating pork. It’s causing some dissention.”
[The Pastor, unhappy about what he has heard, informs Deacon Jones he will handle it, and as he walks away, still within earshot of Deacon Jones, he mumbles to himself…]
“What must I do to save these legalists in my church?”
Deacon Jones thinks to himself, “I wonder if he really believes these things he preaches.”
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they strongly affirm. (1 Timothy 1:5-7)
Are You Worthy of Yeshua?
Worthy of Me
(#037 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves 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. And he who does not take his torture stake and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)
Why do My children so often only emphasize the scriptures that seem to say that My grace is for everyone? Why do you choose to ignore the reality that My torture stake is the line in the sand between those who are Mine and those not worthy of Me? Why do you insist on imposing your desire for others over My will for them? Doesn’t it take the loss of your life to find the life I have for you? Why do you continue to reason and hope that I would ever do anything other than what I said I would do? Will I change My very own words (Malachi 3:6); am I double minded in some way (Numbers 23:19)? He who I say is worthy is; and he who I claim is dishonorable is! So, what of the one who does not pick up his torture stake and lose his own life for Me?
You see My child, I Am not concerned, as you are, that all men are at peace with Me. I remain at peace regardless of what others think. I must, however, insist that you stop limiting My Words to only those that make you feel good, the ones that fit neatly into your comfort zone. It is the sum of My word that is truth, loved one (John 17:17). My peace I leave with My children (John 14:27); My sword, that I reserve for My adversaries (Psalm 37:14-15).
I will not bear the haughty soul,
Who amends My holy Word.
To add to it or take away (Deut. 12:32),
Is the height of the absurd.
Your cups, and bracelets, and bumper stickers,
To the masses you market Me.
Yet no one comes unless I call (Jn. 6:44),
For them only was the tree.
Precept upon precept and line upon line, (Is. 28:13),
My verses never lie.
If I meant for “all” to be saved,
Then how could some deny (John 18:9)?
I will not excuse your ultimatum,
That My Word must fit your style.
If you are My sheep you’ll hear My voice,
What all others hear is vile (1 Cor. 1:18).
I know it seems like this is cruel,
How could this ever be?
But you are the sheep whom I’ve redeemed,
So leave the wolves to Me.
Do You Follow and Obey God?
What?
(#035 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Congregation member 1: We shouldn’t argue!
Congregation member 2: Of course not and we won’t; let’s be like the Bereans in Acts 17 and figure out the truth.
Congregation member 1: Well, I feel like it’s an argument.
Congregation member 2: Not at all. What can I do to make sure you don’t feel that way and still continue this discussion? You know there can only be one answer, so we can’t both be right, and perhaps we are both wrong. But, let’s find out so we can both honor Yahweh, in all we say, do and believe. Does that sound okay?
Congregation member 1: Nope! I’m not going to fight with you about this.
Congregation member 2: I agree! So how can I assure you that a fight is the furthest thing from my mind, and that I have nothing but love and admiration for you?
Congregation member 1: Jesus is love and that’s all that matters.
Congregation member 2: I agree, Yahweh is love, and therefore His Son Yahshua is love, and obedience to Them is what proves our love. And that’s why we, if we are brothers, should be able talk about such things. I would like us to make sure we are following His ways as commanded. If one or both of us is incorrect, then we can change by seeking His word and making sure, together, that we are on the right path. Doesn’t Proverbs 27 encourage us to sharpen one another? It says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (v. 17)
Congregation member 1: Yes it does; but I’m still not going to debate this with you. Jesus is love and that’s all that matters. That’s what my pastor preaches all the time.
Congregation member 2: Hmmm, so much for being a Berean.
“Then the brethren immediately sent Shaul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Yehudim. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:10-11)
Brothers and sisters in the faith are called to inspire each other to search the Scriptures daily to find out if what they are being taught is true. Do you?