Stay Near

(#192 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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And whenever the children of Israyl saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone radiant, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Yahweh. (Exodus 34:35)

Have I not told you My physical presence could be unbearable for you? Just a small impartation of Me and Moses needed to veil his face from the people (Exodus 34:29-35). The skin of his face shone radiant, and they were afraid to come near him (Verse 30). I have many ways of revealing Myself to you and through you; but I need your full attention to do so. I am long-suffering and because I love you, I will always be here for you. The problem, however, is the amount of time you waste simply trying to “get by.” Yes, I have created a Kingdom people, yet you often fail to realize what Kingdom you are from. And getting you to realize your identity, My child, takes up so much of our time together.

In the Messiah, the veil has been taken away (2 Corinthians 3:14). Is it not true then that disbelief in all I say, My mind patterns (Law), is your only battle? I Am continually amazed at the amount of effort involved in just bringing you to the place where you fully believe everything I tell you. If I say I work all things for “good” (Romans 8:28), then what can truly ever be bad? If I tell you I will finish the work I have started in you (Hebrews 12:2), then perfect you will be. If I tell you that all of your enemies are Mine to deal with, then is it even possible for you to have an enemy? I Am that I say I Am. My Spirit resides in you because, through My Son, I placed it there. Be still for a moment and think. I let your sin murder My Son, just so you could love Me and live in the fullness of My presence.

So many of you cry out, longing for Me every day, forgetting I have told you, “I Am Here.” (Isaiah 58:9) “I Am with you.” “I shall never forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) I cannot be any more near you than to have placed My Spirit inside of you. It is you who needs to acknowledge who you are in Me. I desire that My vessels of honor open themselves up to Me, that I might increase in you and transform the earth. Yes, of course it is for My glory. Am I worthy of such to you?

We will get a new body

Behind the Veil

(#191 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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The Scriptural patterns or blueprints are all hidden from the simpleton, the proud, and the spiritually lazy. If you have come this far in our time together, then you have certainly shown yourself to be of spiritual fortitude. One overarching pattern we have shown time and time again is that it takes a great commitment to will your “self” to die. Another is that it takes time to realize that there is no power but Yahweh’s, and just as paramount, that your inner rebellion, or “self-power,” will always be resistant lest He crushes it. The Scripture that comes to mind which speaks of this is from John 12:24-25: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it; but he who hates his life in this world will protect it for eternal life.

You are the kernel loved one. But even more significant is that you are learning to accept that you are the kernel. That’s why we are here together. We are those who have been given permission to enter behind the veil. We have been found worthy, not of our own strength of course, but because we have accepted the requirements which grant that permission. “The permission?” This Word should be like an old friend by now: “It is no longer I who live, but the Messiah who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14) Few understand; however, the masses claim to be “of Him,” while really just following an idol of their own vain imaginings. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the WILL of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord [Baal], Lord [Baal], have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

The crushed ones, the kernels planted in fertile soil, have broken open and will bear much fruit (Matthew 13:8). They are quieter than others, quicker to listen, and more apt to lend a hand. These qualities reflect the glorious life of Yahshua the Messiah within. Everything illuminates one grand idea; it is the premier pattern of being crushed, crucified with Messiah, and becoming unoffendable (Psalm 119:165).

The kernels “found worthy” quickly say, “Unless I had been crucified with Messiah (Galatians 2:20), I would have been ruined forever by my “self.”” Others only allow so much crushing until they shrink back. They refuse to embrace, “To die is to gain.” (Philippians 1:21) We know the price, and we realize that many will turn cold (Matthew 24:12). But, we also must admit we would have done the same, had Yahweh not done within us that which we would have never desired. “If not for Your mercy, I too would shrink back.” When we embrace this we become un-offendable. We experience a supernatural joy as we recognize, “that would have been me.”

This is your true rebirth, your mental resurrection. So few have been behind the veil loved one. Remember, the road is narrow (Matthew 7:14)! With every thought that enters into your conscience, remember that!

Surrender

Surrender

(#189 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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The Messiah came with this new agreement so that all who are invited may come and have forever all the wonders Yahweh has promised them. For the Messiah died to rescue them from the penalty of the sins they had committed while still under that old system. Now, if someone dies and leaves a will—a list of things to be given away to certain people when he dies—no one gets anything until it is proved that the person who wrote the will is dead. The will goes into effect only after the death of the person who wrote it. While he is still alive no one can use it to get any of those things he has promised them (Hebrews 9:15-17).

I have spoken to you much about My patterns. It is crucial that you not only understand them, but that these patterns direct all of your choices in life. You cannot receive what you are promised until there is a death! And that is the death of the old you! You must testify; “I have been crucified with the Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but the Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of the Mighty One, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

You know how I have spoken of life that comes from death? Yes, it is the death of your old self that is the only path to your new life. I know that most of you remain bewildered by the crossing over part, the period between death and new life. I Am not speaking of physical death, of course, but rather the death of old patterns of thinking. Put off your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to the Mighty One, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

It is proper to call this life-to-death-to-life process a wilderness experience. In these times it will certainly seem like you are being stripped of many of your physical wants. But, all of your needs are provided; His Heavenly power has given to us all things that pertain to life and holy reverence. (2 Peter 1:3) However, you must embrace the faith that gives you the confidence to trust that all you need is available. A desert is hot and dry; deserts test resolve, and deserts are vast. Deserts have no natural provision to offer. But, consider Israyl; in Yahweh’s wilderness everything was provided for supernaturally! Life-to-death-to-life: life in Egypt, death in the wilderness, and then new life in the Promised Land. Again, you cannot receive what you are promised until there is a death!

Who among you can see the wilderness as a time of supernatural provision? Who among you will take the physical loss and endure the trial in order to see something new? Who will cross over? I Am not speaking of getting by or merely “holding out” until better days come. Who among you would sing songs to Me and be joy filled, with the impending wilderness?

Why would I ask you to rejoice during loss, pain, and hardship? It is My pattern. I need you to be lost in Me. You need to be lost in Me. When I take the old life from you, your increase comes from your worship. This is My way child; it is better than yours. This is how I create My miracles. I tell you these things so you are comforted, but the wilderness is the only way. Obey Me child. I Am the Light of Life, and I Am He who has designed the Valley of The Shadow of Death (Psalm 23).

Freedom? 4th of July Message Who to Vote For

Freedom? 4th of July Message Who to Vote For

Give Thanks to Yahweh

Thanks

(#188 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His Name. (Psalm 100:4)

O Yahweh, let my words of thanksgiving settle in Your ears like the dew. Let my praise form like manna on the earth. May my worship be as sweet as honey cakes. I know that it is Your joy that my words of thanksgiving actually become provision for me, blessings and the bread of life.

You knew me before You formed me in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5). I dreamed of You then. I felt Your love before I was born. Then, as an innocent child, my dreams remained from You, nothing clouding my intention. They were good, pure, and hopeful. They were thoughts of what good I could do for others.

Thank You Father; the fire of affliction has returned me to this place. Thank You for Your love which has forged the hot iron of my will to conform to Yours. Thank You that You did not leave me to myself. Thank You for Your pruning which exposed my heart, and for Your power that comes with Your revelation. Thank You for skimming the dross so that what is pure in me remains. Thank You for not letting me stay the same.

I became a child again and You removed my abilities in this season. And You did it to reconstruct my temple. Thank You that during this rebirth You sustained only those things that I truly love most, the things of You. My spirit thanks You. Wonderful are Your ways; magnanimous are Your deeds.

Note to the reader: No matter what you are going through right now, even if it seems like no one cares, we care. We want to tell you to hold on, not with gritting teeth, but with a mind that says “He won’t lie to me. He won’t let my life become worthless. My day is coming; I will rise again, and I will be better than ever.” We know what it feels like to wonder if life is worth it, and we have come to a new place, a Promised Land. And we want to tell you that all your pain will soon be something glorious. You will look back at it and you will truly understand that without it, you could have never known what pure joy is. You will realize that grief and the feeling of despair are actually holy emotions used to allow you to experience how joyful joy is. Hold on: we are with you.

I Am is with you.

The Battle is Won

The Battle is Won

(#187 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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Yahweh, there is no one like You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Yahweh our Mighty One, for we rely on You, and in Your Name we have come against this vast army. Yahweh, You are our Mighty One; do not let mere mortals prevail against You! (2 Chronicles 14:11)

How could victory not be celebrated, even now? And in the process, how can you consider any loss a mistake?

The Sovereignty of our Creator mandates that all battles are His. We proclaim, “The battle belongs to Yahweh.” (1 Samuel 17:47) We call Him King of the universe; and we ascribe to Him His rightful title as “I Am,” yet we still have fear. We doubt as we wonder what more might be taken. We often think of Job as the courageous one, forgetting the most pivotal part of his story; he repented and praised Yahweh after his loss (Job 42:5-6). He declared, “Yahweh has given, and Yahweh has taken away.” (Job 1:21)

The scriptures teach us that what we lose is meant to be lost and what we gain is only blessed if it comes according to our Creator’s will. If we trust Him for the battle, then we must accept that loss is just as valuable and perfect as gain.

Pruning often involves persecution. But even so, the battles we face are truly not ours to fight. If this is true, AND IT IS, then no enemy can prevail against us. The pruning we experience as a result of the persecution is actually intended to squelch the internal battle we fight against Yahweh. That’s correct; most of our pain (mind strife) is due to our struggle against our Creator, not our supposed enemies.

With this new understanding, let us be content with Him taking what He takes and giving what He gives. Have a grateful heart (mind) no matter the situation. He knows best what is excess and what is not. If we are going to trust Him, we must go all the way. Anything less is merely lukewarm faith, and that makes our Creator nauseous. (Revelation 3:16)

Regeneration

Though All Fail

(#186 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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Though the fig tree does not blossom, and there is no fruit on the vine, the yield of the olive has failed, and the fields brought forth no food, the flock has been cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I exult in Yahweh, I rejoice in the Mighty One of my deliverance. Yahweh the Almighty is my strength. And He makes my feet like those of a deer, and makes me walk on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

A sacrifice of praise is what You desire, O Yahweh. It is the key to the Kingdom, the only true Kingdom. It is the only Kingdom in which dwells the love of Yahweh. Perhaps if we stop to think it through, if we truly want to uncover the pattern, we might ponder that the need for any external satisfaction must come to an end in order for this internal fruit to blossom.

Does it not make sense that you gain more glory through deliverance than through earthly abundance? Oh that we would learn to embrace Your ways, and that our way of thinking would shift to Your way of thinking. How much sweeter is it to walk Your paths when we embrace Your patterns.

Try these on for size:

1. “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me [Yahshua]; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

2. “He must increase, but I [John the Baptist] must decrease.” (John 3:30)

3. “My doctrine is not Mine [Yahshua], but His who sent Me.” (John 7:16)

4. “For I have not spoken on My own authority [Yahshua]; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” (John 12:49)

We so often perceive Your patterns as opposite of what You intend. What do You intend?

1. When we feel pain, You are joyous as You witness our growth.

2. When we cannot see the end, You stand there waiting for us.

3. When we cannot overcome, You rejoice in the victory You had planned all along.

Oh that we would truly perceive all things as good. May we believe, like Shaul (Paul), that You, Abba, would never let your children go.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor malakim [erroneously called “angels”], nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of the Mighty One which is in Yahshua the Messiah our Master. (Romans 8:38-39)

“Give us wisdom to see as You see. Enlarge our territory, not of land, but of our minds, so we would feel how easy the yoke and how light the burden is, because You are our portion. Take us beyond, Father, to the place where only the Spirit man resides; take us to a new consciousness, to a new day. Implant in us that which Habakkuk earned, this ever-present gift in his life, the sacrifice of praise. Even though all seems lost… ‘yet I exult in Yahweh, I rejoice in the Mighty One of my deliverance.’ Please, Yahweh, bring us to that place.”

Redemption vs. Salvation

Bad Doctrine; Bad Mind!

(#185 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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Everything matters; nothing is meaningless. Even those things you might think are meaningless have a purpose. With that, the purpose of all things must be exposed by His Ruach (Spirit-breath-mind). For this reason you are instructed [commanded] to: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16)

And so what is your doctrine on “being saved?” What about your life and doctrine should you watch closely? What is salvation?

Salvation is a mind saved unto absolute holiness, worked out in the temporal world, not to be, but most often confused with redemption (the free gift you do NOTHING to earn). If your life and doctrine are pure, then your thoughts will tell you that salvation is yet to be achieved, and thus it must be “worked out [practiced in every thought] with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

Bad doctrine will cause you to say things like, “I got saved on….,” and you will convince yourself it is so. Saved means you have achieved One mind with Yahweh, His Son, and Spirit. If you claim to be “saved,” then you are claiming to walk with the mind of the Almighty.

Yes, a perfect mind is commanded, and therefore promised and available to the sons and daughters of Yahweh, as it is said, “Be perfect [holy minded] as I Am perfect!” (Matthew 5:48) This means having no more consciousness of sin (Hebrews 9:14); it means no longer possessing the ability to consciously obey the old “self,” while at the same time, fully recognizing that the old self once ruled every thought.

The mature ones have no problem acknowledging that they are not yet saved, but rather are redeemed to be saved. And so it goes that the immature will claim that “salvation” is completed in them, even while their minds, and therefore their actions, are still steeped in carnality. Let it not be said of you loved one; that you continue in sin (imperfect thoughts) and yet claim to be saved.

“He who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

Do you really trust Yahweh?

What Problem?

(#184 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

www.sufferwell.org
But Yahweh is my defense, and my Mighty One the rock of my refuge, and brings back on them [wicked enemies] their own wickedness, and cuts them off in their own wrongdoing; Yahweh our Mighty One does cut them off. (Psalm 94:22-23)

This is another of My many comforting promises made to strengthen and encourage you. However, I have one provocative question I wish to ask you about this: “Do you believe Me?” And before your “knee-jerk response,” in My love and compassion, let Me give you a hint:

“I Am not a man that I should lie, nor a son of man that I should repent. Have I said, and will I not do? Or have I spoken, and will I not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

Don’t answer Me so quickly; I may choose to hold you to your answer. Yes I, who test your heart and your words, may just reveal you to yourself today. I might just expose the truth about the quality of faith you have in Me!

Let’s walk through it together and find out if you believe Me. Simply respond yes or no:

Am I your refuge?

Am I your sheltering rock?

Did I say I would brings back on your enemies their own wickedness?

Did I say I would cut them off in their own wrongdoing?

Am I Yahweh your Mighty one?

Yes or no?

Based on My promises, all your answers should be “yes!” Now I ask you again, “Do you believe My words?” Listen to Me child; I already know. Others know as well. Your attitude, your anxiety, your lack of joy, and your lack of rejoicing, all speak so loudly that your words mean very little.

Now quiet yourself and listen to Me. First, I want to tell you again, I know. I sent My Son for this very reason. You needed the help. You needed the Spirit. You needed new life. Yes, I know in your flesh you cannot do it; and I know that wrestling the flesh is a part of the process. Second, I know you feel bad that you don’t trust Me as much as you want to. I know that the double-mindedness disturbs your soul. I need you to step over. Leave everything behind to do one thing; trust My words! Take the risk! Step to Me all the way. Don’t look back, don’t look down. Look straight ahead and step. I promise you I Am here. I promise you will not fall. I promise you will see all that I have said is true, and it’s time. I Am Abba and I Am calling you child.

Come home. Come now!

Manage Your Flock

Torn

(#182 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

www.sufferwell.org

Woe to you shepherds who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? (Ezekiel 34:2)

Have I not told you that your disobedience will mean your removal? (Jeremiah 23:3-4) You preach and teach of saving the lost; meanwhile your fold, whether many or few, has scattered and wanders aimlessly (Jeremiah 23:1-2). Your heart identifies weak and misguided “sheep,” yet your only sacrifice for them is words. You make no time or personal effort to prove that the words are true. All of your effort ceases because of conflicts in your schedule. Who told you I wanted mouthpieces for the masses? Salvation is Mine, and if you paid attention, you would forego your altar calls and replace them with think-tanks. Imagine many of my chosen people, each with unique gifts and talents, all working together to bring unity. Today’s shepherds will not be tomorrow’s and tomorrow’s shepherds will not be lauded by the masses.

Instead, I raise up murderers, adulterers, prostitutes and tax collectors, while you seek out credentials. More specifically, you seek those who comply with your mindsets. You cry of the freedom found in My Son, while you burden My people with man-made doctrine. You overextend the gifts that I have placed in you, beyond their intended purpose, and take on self-imposed burdens in hopes that they appear holy. You use your church attendance, number of ministries, or “number of spiritual activities” that you make available, as indicators of your commitment to Me. And then you expect My blessings to follow. The more people you impact with your “busyness” the greater you feel is your anointing. I’m not impressed. Seek first the Kingdom was My Son’s admonition! (Matthew 6:33)

Foolishness, I say! Many men want their ears tickled (2 Timothy 4:3) by your emotional speeches. I Am the one who saves; and I don’t need you for that. Stop trying so hard to save the other lost ones when the truly lost one stares at you in the mirror daily. All who have ears to hear—comply or it shall be torn from you.

A good assessment of your shepherding skills can always be determined using powerful questions. Rather than telling someone you love them, ask them if they feel loved by you. And then do the unthinkable; ask them if ever that love has failed them.