Tag Archives: Yahweh
Unoffendable
Unoffendable
(#295 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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“Great peace have they who love Your Law, and nothing will offend them [cause them to stumble; trap them].” (Psalm 119:165)
Imagine this offer for a moment. It is yet another supernatural exchange that comes through the obedient mindset. Love His Law and nothing will offend you! Love His precepts, instructions, commands, and testimonies. (Read all 176 verses of Psalm 119). Love His word and your mind will never stumble; obey His ways and you will always have poise and balance.
Yahshua said to His disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses [things that challenge people to stumble] should come… (Luke 17:1) Offenses will come! Those irritations that entice you to blow your witness; those annoyances that lure you to stagger are a certainty; it’s your reaction that is optional. Offense is best described by the imagery used in the original language. It is a snare or the trigger of a trap; the mechanism closing a trap down on the unsuspecting victim. Wait a minute! When you are offended it is you who are trapped? Precisely!
You need not be an unsuspecting victim. Lay claim to this promise; “For Yahweh Almighty will help me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.” (Isaiah 50:7). Of course it sounds wonderful, but many times it seems impossible for those who might have actually pondered this heavenly offer. And so what about this “exchange” that has been offered? Under what circumstance can you make such a bold claim; “He will help me; I will not be ashamed?” Profoundly, it is quite simple. “Yahweh Almighty has opened my ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away.” (v. 5) He speaks and you obey; it’s that simple!
Here are several steps you can practice. Repeat these over and over to become unoffendable. And then teach them to others:
Step one: Remember the goal; it is wise to recognize the fruit you are plucking. The fruit of the Spirit is…Peace. (Galatians 5:22) “Great peace have they who…” and then nothing will offend;
Step two: Love His Law; “Great peace have they who…love His Law.” This is the key that unlocks the fruit. The Law is the blueprint of the mind of Yahweh; it is the key that opens the door to the mind that cannot be offended. Oh, how I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day; I hate the double-minded, but I love Your law. (Psalm 119: 97, 113);
Step three: Obey His Law; it reveals the will of Yahweh. “You rest on the Law, and make your boast in the Almighty, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent [superior], being instructed out of the Law.” (Romans 2:17-18) Desiring His will changes what you ask of Him; He alone becomes your fulfillment. “Yahweh, help me to love You more than anything. I delight to do Your will, O my Mighty One; yes, Your Law is within my heart,” (Psalm 40:8) becomes your prayer. This cry that pours forth from the obedient heart is the culmination of a surrendered will. As Yahweh becomes your everything, everything becomes yours. Loved one, when you own everything, what could possibly offend you?
Step four: Love like Him; Love is the fruit of an obedient mind, which is no longer “double-minded” but “double-edged;” no longer capable of simultaneously producing thoughts of blessings and curses (holding offense). Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? (James 3:11) The fruit of the Spirit is…Love. (Galatians 5:22)
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my Mighty One, in whom I trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers. And under His wings you shall take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and fortress. (Psalm 91:1-4)
When He is all you need, you fulfill the command “I shall not want,” and no snare will ever trap you again!
Children of The Most High
Children of The Most High
(#294 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says Yahweh. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
A servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. (John 13:16) If a child cannot be greater than his Creator, then how can one who is “lesser” do as Yahshua proclaimed? “The works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do.” (John 14:12) Is it possible for greater works to be done by the created one, the child? Yahshua revealed the secret to doing just that; “I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:11) In other words, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, so you may marvel.” (John 5:19-20)
How do you do greater works?
Step one: receive Him and become a child of the Most High (John 1:12);
Step two: believe that you are in the Father and the Father is in you (John 14:11);
Step three: do nothing in your own strength (John 5:19);
Step four: do only what you see the Father (as portrayed through the lifestyle of Yahshua) doing (John 5:19);
Step five: live like it is no longer your life, but the Messiah’s life in you (Galatians 2:20).
Even with these five steps, you will never be greater than the vision you hold in your heart (mind). For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7) Fortunately, as a child of the Most High, He has planted His vision in your heart, and you can discover it if you are willing to search it out. Ask, seek and knock (Luke 11:9); “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does.” (John 5:20) Moreover, as you submit your will to His, in other words, delight your “self” in Yahweh, He guarantees you the desires and secret petitions of your heart (Psalm 37:4). You see, He planted His vision in your heart and, therefore, greater works are possible because it is His power being expressed through you, not your own.
As a child of the Most High, you are His house (the place where He releases His wisdom and understanding within His Temple in your conscience) (Hebrews 3:6), and you are being continually shaped and formed to fulfill the Master’s plan. As His vision for you expands, your “house” must mature to contain the increase! There is, however, no need to strive because “Unless Yahweh builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1) In other words; a submitted child can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do!
Greater works result from His Spirit producing a supernatural transformation in you. You no longer live; instead, He lives in you! You decrease and He increases. His increase then manifests a vision in you, far greater than any you can imagine. He will do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).
“By wisdom a house is built and through understanding, it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” (Proverbs 24:3-4)
Warning about Sin
Fair Warning
(#292 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve Yahweh. He is the Holy Mighty One; He is a jealous Mighty One. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake Yahweh and serve foreign gods [mental self-reliance], He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you.” But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve Yahweh.” Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve Yahweh.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. (Joshua 24:19-22)
“It’s all about grace.” For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of the Almighty—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Ah yes, “It is not from your own effort, but by grace.” And then there is the oft forgotten next verse; For we are the Almighty’s handiwork, created in the the Messiah Yahshua to do good works, which the Mighty One prepared in advance for us to do [that we should walk in them]. (Ephesians 2:10) Yes, your declaration of faith stands as a witness “against” you because by grace you have been saved to serve Yahweh, and that means you have “good works” to do. And Shaul, the Hebrew writer of the letter to the Ephesians, knew of only one definition of “good works.” Mitzvahs: good deeds founded upon the precepts and commands of Yahweh.
Joshua was offering Israyl a renewal of the wedding vows they had committed to some 90 years earlier after Mosheh came down from the mountain. The people answered together and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” So Mosheh brought back the words of the people to Yahweh. (Exodus 19:8) Even then, their own words echoed as a witness against themselves. This is why Joshua could convict them of a history of rebellion (v. 19) and adultery for serving other gods (v. 20). It is only adultery because they first said “I do!”
Oh that the body of the Messiah would understand this wedding vow. The promise is so much better than the vanity of what the doctrines and commandments of men offers (Mark 7:7). When you said “I do!” you accepted a new standard for your life. And once you did, anything less is willful disobedience. King David knew this; “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” (Psalm 19:13). And the writer of Hebrews reminds (re-minds) us of the dire consequences of such; “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” (Hebrews 10:26)
You know the truth! Do not run from these foundational principles any longer. You proclaim you are “Free in Christ.” “It is for freedom that the Messiah has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1a) But, what are you free from? “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1b) Are the good works, the good deeds founded upon the precepts and commands of Yahweh, which were “prepared in advance for you to do,” the yoke of slavery? Is freedom from His commandments why grace abounds? What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. (Romans 6:1-2, 6-7) It is abundantly clear that it is slavery to sin that you have been freed from, not slavery to His commands (good works).
You are now free to hand over all of your choices and allow Him to take complete dominion of your life? You are free to say, “Father, I acknowledge that Your commands and the shed blood of Yahshua are now the standard that will judge my every thought and action. I expect punishments for disobedience with the same joy that I expect blessings for obeying You.”
Loved one, whether or not you acknowledge His Word as a witness against you, if you proclaim to follow Yahshua, it already is. Seriously reflect on what it means when Shaul says that “your old self was crucified with Him.” Consider this fair warning; you surrendered any other option when you said, “I do! I will serve __________.” If you filled in the blank with a title or some pagan given name, then much of your disobedience has its cause therein. If you have yet to call on the Name, the only given Name of the Mighty One, then perhaps for the first time, you will take your wedding vow in the Name of Yahweh.
Fruit of the Spirit
Officious People
(#291 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Officious: assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters; intrusively enthusiastic in offering help or advice; interfering; self-important; self-assertive; overbearing; overzealous; opinionated; intrusive; meddlesome
You know the kind, those who have a strong need to be right, rather than to benefit their listeners, or should we say, “Targets.” They will say their zeal is all about “spreading the truth.” But, the fact is that their “strong need” is rooted in insecurity and unworthiness, not truth. There are many people like this. This might even be you. There is transformation waiting for those vulnerable enough to look in the mirror, those willing to go there.
How can the bearer of truth be distinguished from the one trying to compensate for feelings of insecurity and unworthiness? It’s simple; first look for the peace. Truth is always accompanied by peace. In other words, if one is blessed with deep insights about the Kingdom of Yahweh, then joy, gentleness, calmness, composure, and peace that surpasses understanding will prevail in his heart [mind] (Philippians 4:4-7).
Within that peaceful state, the one who stewards the truth recognizes that he is nothing more than a farmer sowing seeds. He recognizes that he plants and the Almighty brings the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6) The response of the “ground” is not up to him. The Messiah was crucified for the seeds He planted; yes, very often truth and rejection go hand-in-hand!
Even so, truth is never accompanied by an overbearing spirit that insists on its own way. Remember, love does not seek its own (1 Corinthians 13:5). Yes, love, as well, is always present with truth. The bearer of truth loves anyway, even when rejection and hostility come as the blowback from proclaiming Yahweh’s reality. How would truth respond to such an attack? “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
As for the roots of insecurity and unworthiness, they will slowly dissolve over time as insistence gives way to humility and as identification with the “old man” gives way to the “new creature in the Messiah” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22-24). Humility is another characteristic that is always present with truth. As you become humble, Yahweh is magnified. He must increase, and you must decrease. (John 3:30) As you become lesser, Yahweh becomes greater in you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Master, and He will lift you up. (James 4:10). When you accept that lesser is greater, the transformation will heal your desire to become everybody’s everything. You will become peaceful, quiet, and content being yourself. How do we know all of this? We’ll let you guess.
Peace, unfailing love, and humility are all integral characteristics of Yahweh’s truth; they bear His signature. But, none have a place in the “gospel” of officious people.
Do you tell people “God Bless You”
“God Bless You”
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(#290 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
How frequently do people everywhere casually use the salutation, “God bless you?” Oftentimes, it is expressed frivolously to anyone at any time, substituted for “goodbye; see you later; take care;” and in writing, “Sincerely.” It’s even your conditioned, “good manners” response to someone who sneezes in your presence. Let’s explore two patterns related to the true blessings of Yahweh.
Pattern number one: His blessings apply only to His people, Israyl! Those who have been redeemed by the shedding of Yahshua’s blood (surrender of His will). Remember “that at that time you were separate from the Messiah [once gentiles], excluded from citizenship in Israyl and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without the Almighty in the world. But now in the Messiah Yahshua you who once were far away have been brought near by the [shed] blood of the Messiah.” (Ephesians 2:12-13) You can only be brought near by shed blood because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22) And then, it is only by the shedding of His blood. Yahshua warned, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Other than that, Yahweh’s blessings are foreign to you; your destiny is the way of the gentiles (nations). The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget the Mighty One. (Psalm 9:17) To the nations, saying or hearing “God bless you” amounts to nothing more than the fulfillment of the words of the prophet Isayah as echoed by Yahshua Himself. “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts [minds] are far from Me.” (Mark 7:6 from Isayah 29:13)
Pattern number two: Yahweh’s people only receive His blessings through obedience to Him. “All the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:18) “Now if you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to Me.” (Exodus 19:5) And for those who claim it is now different with Yahshua; While Yahshua was speaking, a woman in the crowd shouted, “How blessed is the mother who gave birth to You and the breasts that nursed You.” Yahshua replied, “Rather, how blessed are those who hear and obey the Mighty One’s word.” (Luke 11:27-28)
Call them commands; call them laws; call them instructions; call them whatever you like, as long as you obey them. The earth dries up and withers. The world wastes away and withers. The great leaders of the earth waste away. The earth is polluted by those who live on it because they’ve disobeyed Yahweh’s teachings, violated His Laws, and rejected the everlasting promise [Covenant]. (Isayah 24:4-5)
Next time, before you say “God bless you” to someone, consider whether they keep His commands, as Yahweh’s blessings are not randomly poured out. Would you consider something new, something that adheres to the patterns, something that allows you to share true hope in a Mighty One who does not change and cannot lie (Numbers 23:19)? In your next salutation, consider this instead; “May Yahweh bless you, as you obey Him.” This is a blessing that will actually be answered, a blessing from Yahweh Almighty Himself!
Mastery: A Metaphysical View
Mastery: A Metaphysical View
(#289 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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The Mighty One blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over… every living creature.” (Genesis 1:28)
“What is a mortal that You remember him or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than Yourself. You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands. You have put everything under his feet: all the sheep and oxen, the wild animals, the birds the air, the fish, whatever swims in the currents of the seas. O Yahweh, our Master, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth!” (Psalm 8:4-9)
Fill the earth and subdue it? You have been made to have dominion over everything? What does this mean to you loved one? Certainly it speaks of authority and rulership, but what does physical dominion over all these things produce? What is Yahweh’s purpose of giving you authority over all the earth?
Before the disciples ever went out to preach the Good News of salvation, Yahshua gave them power and authority and sent them to proclaim the Kingdom! (Luke 9:1-2); (Luke 10:9, 17-19) Two things are coinciding here; authority is given and it is given to establish His Kingdom, a Kingdom which starts within you. (Luke 17:20-21)
It’s time for you to gain greater understanding of the Kingdom, to unravel the mysteries and elaborate the principals. Every word of Yahweh has layers of rich wisdom. Every verse is pregnant with hidden meaning. Let’s look again at Psalm 8:4-9. This time we will peel back the physical and explore the mind behind the words. All things start in the mind before they manifest physically. Thoughts always precede actions!
Mortal… [Unredeemed thoughts of man]
Yahweh… [Maker of man’s mind, conscious and subconscious]
Remembers and takes care of him… [Plan to redeem man’s thoughts]
A little lower… [Caused to continually work toward]
Yourself (Yahweh)… [Perfect thoughts]
Crowned him with glory and honor… [Ordained the outcome for man]
Made him to have dominion… [Authority, rule]
Works of Your hands… [The power to grasp and create with thoughts]
Everything… [The broad spectrum of thoughts]
Under his feet… [Control, mental stability]
Sheep… [Docile thoughts]
Oxen… [Stubborn thoughts]
Wild animals… [Unruly, untamed thoughts]
Birds of the air… [Lofty, unmanageable, vague thoughts]
Fish… [Schooling, thoughts with momentum]
Swims in the currents… [Enters into consciousness]
Seas… [Vast yet diluted thoughts]
Majestic… [Excellent, reverent thoughts]
Earth… [Mind of man]
Here is a flowing paraphrase of Psalm 8:4-9:
“Yahweh created man’s conscious and subconscious mind. Man has unredeemed thoughts that Yahweh plans to liberate. He has made man to continually work toward attaining perfect thinking like Himself. And He has already ordained the outcome. He has given man rule, authority and power by the supernatural ability to grasp and therefore create with His mind. Yahweh has put a broad spectrum of thoughts under man’s control with the intent that he gains mental stability over all of them. Man was made to subdue all thoughts: docile, stubborn, unruly, untamed, lofty, unmanageable, vague, as well as thoughts with powerful momentum. From the vast array of options, whatever thoughts enter into man’s consciousness are diluted relative to the mind of the Almighty and need renewal. How excellent and what reverence it displays for Yahweh when man’s thoughts come into alignment with His!” (Psalm 8:4-9)
It is about mastery of every thought that enters into your consciousness, and by taking dominion over each thought (2 Corinthians 10:5), a cleansing of the subconscious takes place. It’s the Kingdom within you. Meditate on these things loved one, for they are true and correct.
Is it finished
Is it Finished?
(#288 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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“It is finished! (John 19:30) We have Jesus now.” “And this Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) “Oh, that’s when it’s finished. Wait a minute, I’m confused. Which is it?” It is finished and it’s not finished? This is the great Christian paradox that renders the church weak and powerless in so many ways.
I was listening to a “minister” of thirty-five years one day, as he repeated over and over with great fervor and animation about how, “It is all finished in Christ!” I was reminded of Shaul’s haunting words from Romans 10:2, “I can testify about them that they are zealous for the Mighty One, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.” In other words, “I can assure you that they are deeply devoted to the Almighty, but they are misguided.”
My challenge to him was this; “If it is all finished, tell me why…
• I need to work out my salvation with fear and trembling? (Philippians 2:12)
• I must run the race that lies ahead of me and never give up? (Hebrews 12:1)
• I must press on to take hold of that for which the Messiah Yahshua took hold of me? (Philippians 3:12)
• I should be a doer of the word and not just a hearer? (James 1:22)
• I must be transformed by the renewing of my mind? (Romans 12:2)
• I should press on toward the goal to win the prize? (Philippians 3:14)
• I must let perseverance finish its work so that I may be perfect and complete, not lacking anything? (James 1:4)
• It is not those who hear the Law who are righteous in the Almighty’s sight, but it is those who obey the Law who will be declared righteous. (Romans 2:13)
• I am commanded to ‘Be perfect as His heavenly Father is perfect?’ (Matthew 5:48)
• Until Heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished?” (Matthew 5:18)
His response was, “Well, we are supposed to do what Jesus did, right?” I replied, “So it’s really not ‘finished’ in Christ, a believer must also ‘do!’ It’s more like we are supposed to finish what He started, correct?” He stood there looking stunned for a moment and then blurted, “Well, it’s all finished in Christ.”
Is this you? If the Messiah said, “Be perfect as My Father in Heaven is perfect,” was He jesting? Did He say, “No problem, I did it for you? You have no stake to carry.” Or rather, did He say, “If people come to Me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be My disciples. So those who do not carry their stakes and follow Me cannot be My disciples. In the same way, none of you can be My disciples unless you give up everything.”? (Luke 14:26-27, 33) Open your eyes (spiritual perception). Put away the horrendous doctrines that cripple you and render you as powerless ministers.
We have an observation for you to consider; “The Good News of the gift of salvation to chosen men is finished. The Good News of the Kingdom is NOT finished.” It still needs to be lived out (preached by an obedient life) to the entire world, and then the end will come. That’s what Yahshua said!
Treasures of Darkness
Treasures of Darkness
(#287 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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“I will give to you the treasures of darkness [obscurity] and the hidden riches of secret places, so you may know that I, Yahweh, who calls you by name, Am the Mighty One of Israyl; I form the light and create darkness; I make peace and create destruction [adversity]; I, Yahweh, do all these things.” (Isayah 45:3, 7)
Darkness and destruction; obscurity and adversity; do you wish to gain a supernatural perspective? These are created by Yahweh; created as “treasures in hidden places.” They are hidden in plain sight for those who have eyes to see (Luke 10:23-24). For far too long you have missed your treasures, most of you because of some form of denial. You deny that Yahweh would create darkness and adversity for His own purposes. You also refuse to see the “good” in the struggles, the persecution, the injustice, the false accusations, and wrongful harm. Don’t you believe that “all things work together for good to those who love the Mighty One, to those who are the called according to His purpose?” (Romans 8:28)
If you refuse the adversity, defy the obscurity, or erroneously give credit to a “devil” for the work Yahweh is doing, you will abort what He purposed for your suffering and persecution. Can you imagine if Yahseph (Joseph) rebelled after he was sold into slavery by his brothers? Can you comprehend the magnitude of the historical disaster had he chosen to avenge the injustice and eviscerate the progeny of Israyl, instead of taking this Holy perspective? “Do not be distressed nor angry with yourselves for selling me here, for Yahweh sent me ahead of you to preserve life. And the Almighty sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but Yahweh; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and master of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:5, 7, 8) Or can you imagine if Yahseph credited a devil for the magnificent work of his Father in Heaven? “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but Yahweh meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)
Had Yahseph rebelled against the darkness, wickedness and obscurity, he would not have been used in Yahweh’s plan to preserve life. And his purpose to be used as the Almighty’s instrument to safeguard the lineage of Israyl would have died right there in Egypt. No doubt, Yahweh would have chosen another, but the opportunity for Yahseph to experience the power of forgiveness and become the preserver of Israyl would have been lost forever. Instead, if we listen to the still small voice, we can almost hear what Yahseph prayed; “You did this Father; You sold me into slavery; You separated me from my mother, father and brothers; You accused me of rape; You placed me in prison; and You transformed my mind as I obeyed. Then You made it so that I could feel only Your love for the ones who abandoned me, and lied about me, and imprisoned me. You used evil to save lives by such a great deliverance! Praise the mighty Name of Yahweh!”
“Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.” (1 Chronicles 29:14) In the darkness are the hidden treasures of Yahweh. Find them and you will overcome every fear and learn of His love. They are His treasures. Open your eyes and see! Next time you are faced with darkness all around you, consider this perspective; “Father, I was sent here to preserve life!”
True Faith in Yahweh
Evidently
(#286 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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To substitute what satisfies in the moment, regardless of established truth, has been the way of mankind from the beginning. Trading facts for feelings is littered throughout man’s history. It evidently boils down to an inability to believe Yahweh and His Sovereignty, thus uncovering a primitive distrust in Him, His methodologies, and His commandments.
There is a heavy price to pay physically and spiritually for this lack of faith. Disbelief first ages a man spiritually, and we don’t mean that it matures him. It makes him old, as in degenerated. And how does this affect his spiritual life? It traps him in the same bad doctrines that caused the dis-ease in the first place. We think in modern vernacular you would say it like this: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” And as you have learned so often in these devotions, the physical shadow always reflects the spiritual reality.
There is a pattern that accompanies the choices of distrust and disbelief of the great I Am; it was established in the Garden and it leads to death and labor! “If you eat from it, you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17); “The ground is cursed because of you. Through hard work you will eat food that comes from it every day of your life.” (Genesis 3:17) You can resist this truth, but kicking against the goads is futile (Acts 26:14).
The sad thing is that history will not heal this issue for mankind. It has to be a personal choice, not a historical one. All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied. (Ecclesiastes 6:7) If history could have done it, Cain’s example of his own effort yielding bad fruit would have taught us this lesson (Genesis 4:3-7). Instead of heeding the warning; “sin is lying outside your door ready to attack. It wants to control you, but you must master it,” (v. 7) he watered the ground with his brother’s blood. He was therefore cursed “from the ground” (v. 11) which would forever yield bad fruit (Genesis 4:10-12).
If history could heal us, the Exodus would have taught us a lesson. Forty-two campsites named in Numbers 33 (plus 17 others mentioned elsewhere in the Torah), all stopping grounds before crossing the Jordan. There was lots of setting up and breaking down over 40 years, all those extra years and extra stops because of distrust and therefore, disobedience. Who did the Mighty One swear would never enter His place of rest? He was talking about those who didn’t obey Him. So, we see that they couldn’t enter His place of rest because they didn’t believe. (Hebrews 3:18-19)
Evidently, knowing the history does not matter. The pattern continues; and you are participating in it. You might be experiencing it right now, the temptation to choose feelings over facts; satisfaction in the moment over truth and reality; disobedience that leads to death and labor over trusting His Sovereignty. The remedy is also in you. It is a choice you can make today, a choice to believe everything about Him. Much of the faith to do so is a gift that has already been deposited in you. The final piece is your choice. And the opportunity arises when your feelings contradict your faith. Choose this day whom you will serve; facts or feelings? As for us, we will proclaim as mandated; “I will serve Yahweh!” (Joshua 24:15)
“Turn to Me when I warn you. I will generously pour out My Spirit for you. I will make My words known to you.” (Proverbs 1:23)
Ever Growing, Ever Knowing
Ever Growing, Ever Knowing
(#285 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
I pray that the glorious Father, the Mighty One of our Master Yahshua the Messiah, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Him [Yahshua] better. Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that He calls you to have, and the glorious wealth that Yahweh’s people will inherit. (Ephesians 1:17-18)
In order to keep advancing in wisdom and understanding, you will need to know that the power of the “self” or “ego” is the ever present and ever ready power of opposition and resistance to Holiness, which itself is “The Messiah in you; the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) Never will it be “you in you” that rises to the mind of the Messiah.
It is crucial that you recognize that even after an entire life of sinlessness, Yahshua had a moment of doubt, in other words, a moment of “self.” “Why have you forsaken [abandoned] Me?” (Matthew 27:45-46 from Psalm 22:1) What is so critical for proper understanding is the realization that His doubt manifested after He had done everything the Father asked of Him up until that moment. He was on the stake, already pierced, just on the cusp of obedience unto death; His commanded task would be “finished” (Matthew 27:50; John 19:30) within the next few breaths. And then, a single thought of doubt. Was it sin? Of course not! Was it necessary? Most definitely! Was it a lesson for all ages about the human struggle? Absolutely!
Do you remember we discussed Psalm 22 in Devotion 259? The conclusion of the matter was this:
“It’s all about the mind, the thought processes, how we think about our “self,” and how we redeem those thoughts by the power of the Spirit. It’s all in the mind loved one. Life is in the mind!”
We broke down verses 12 and 13 from a more metaphysical, in a sense, supernatural perspective.
“A growing number of dispersed and stubborn thoughts have invaded my thinking process. These are thoughts that enslave me to an unredeemed material consciousness as opposed to the freedom of spiritual thinking. These fleshly thoughts continually revolve in my mind and keep me entangled. These carnal thought processes create and propagate scattered and fragmented ideas. They pull and pluck at my brain; and they cause a rumbling and moaning within. They roar so loudly that I cannot even think straight.”
And those were David’s thoughts after he had cried out; “My Mighty One, my Mighty One, why have You forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” (Psalm 22:1) Those too were Yahshua’s words! This is our lesson loved one. Until death, and this means your last breath, the ego will always be lurking. Self-will, which forever stands in opposition to the will of Yahweh, will not be eradicated until your mental resurrection.
With this knowledge we can identify the pattern. When Yahweh increases your power, the ego will always be right there desiring to use that power for self-glorification. Be ever on guard, ever so diligent, to not only understand this, but to daily confess it. “I know that everything about the fallen me would want to misuse Your power and grace Yahweh, but for today I would ask that You give me Your strength and courage to deny myself and take up my stake, and that Your Son would reign and rule within me.” And know this truth loved one; one day, when your mind is resurrected, your ego will never again be present in your thought processes. For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. (Hebrews 10:2) You will, at that point, have the mind of Yahweh. Rejoice we say! Consider this and rejoice!
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)