Category Archives: Guide

Guide, Protector / Deliverer, Seeking God

Seek Yahweh for the Battles You Face

For most of us, our battles will not be literal warfare. However, whether it is warfare or other challenges we face, we do well to seek and obey Yahweh on how to approach them. Obviously it is important to develop a deep personal relationship with Him before that time. Do not wait until you are in the battle to spend time with Him and His word. That said, You can reach out to Him in the battle even if you have not developed the relationship You want to have with Him.

1 Chronicles 14:8-17

Philistines Defeated

      8When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; and David heard of it and went out against them. 9Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim. 10David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You give them into my hand?” Then the LORD said to him, “Go up, for I will give them into your hand.” 11So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there; and David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore they named that place Baal-perazim. 12They abandoned their gods there; so David gave the order and they were burned with fire.

      13The Philistines made yet another raid in the valley. 14David inquired again of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees. 15“It shall be when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” 16David did just as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even as far as Gezer. 17Then the fame of David went out into all the lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him on all the nations.

I recognize we do not all hear this clearly from the LORD. However, each of us should strive to build relationship with Him so that we will hear from Him more clearly.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please hear my cry when I am facing challenges and I seek You. Help me to clearly hear and understand Your voice as David did. Give me the courage to obey when I do hear from You clearly. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

What an Honor to be Chosen, Let Us Answer the Call

Do not assume that all of us are called with the same authority and purpose as the twelve. However, it is an honor to be called by our LORD no matter what our mission may be.  Let us seek to joyfully and consistently answer when He calls us.

Mark 3:13-19

The Twelve Are Chosen

      13And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); 18and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

It helps me to remember that He does call me to change my life and to follow Him. I am called to seek Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I am called to put Him first in my life. I am called to be a light to others to lead them to Him. I am not just called to continue living my life the way I was before He called me and squeeze time with Him in once a week for an hour or two. I am to be transformed over time to His image more and more.

The rest of the details may vary for each of us based on what gifts and abilities and specific mission He has called us to pursue, but we all have a common mission identified above.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for calling me and thank You for Your Spirit and Your written word that guide me. Help me to be a good and faithful servant, focused on joyfully carrying out whatever mission You choose for me. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Healer, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles, Teachable

Did Yeshua Really Heal Everyone Who Came to Him?

It is interesting to pause and reflect on Yeshua’s ministry, that it was very demanding on Him. We don’t usually think of it that way, because He is God. However, He was also man. He slept, ate, drank, got tired, rested, etc.

As Yeshua healed people, His reputation spread and people came from farther and farther around. To be clear, it appears that most of these came for selfish reasons, for personal healing or healing of friends or family. They did not come seeking to hear His teaching. The miracles brought them in and then He was able to teach them while they were with Him.

Mark 3:7-12

      7Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.

This scripture also sheds light on the incorrect understanding that Yeshua came to heal everyone or healed everyone who came to Him. Some people take this to mean God wants everyone to be healed of all illness. It is not the case. Yeshua wanted to be able to get on a boat to keep distance from the crowds pressing in to touch Him and be healed. It is not that He did not have compassion, but rather that He was there to teach and guide people. He was not there to heal everyone. They were crowding so tightly they were impacting His teaching ministry.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to fully appreciate the tireless and difficult work that Yeshua did during His earthly ministry. Let me not take for granted the physical and emotional demands on Him personally. Help me in my life to seek You through Yeshua for who You are and what You teach and not just for my own personal healing or that of those around me. That said, thank you also that You invite us to come before You with our requests or personal needs and wants, including healing. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Scripture (e.g. Bible), Study the Word

Find Insights in the Biblical Genealogies

When I first started reading the Bible, I admit my eyes wanted to glaze over when I got to the genealogies. I will not say they are the parts of scripture I look forward to exactly, but I do see where there are interesting gems hidden within. Of course, as I often bring up when discussing these, the most fundamental message may be to remind us the importance of family and that the Bible is not just a collection of stories. It is an historical document. Some sections of scripture, like the genealogies, are historical records.

Try to pick out at least three interesting facts from the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 6 and I will share some observations I made below.

1 Chronicles 6

Genealogy: The Priestly Line

      1The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 2The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 3The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 4Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas became the father of Abishua, 5and Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi, 6and Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth, 7Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub, 8and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz, 9and Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Johanan, 10and Johanan became the father of Azariah (it was he who served as the priest in the house which Solomon built in Jerusalem), 11and Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub, 12and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Shallum, 13and Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah, 14and Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak; 15and Jehozadak went along when the LORD carried Judah and Jerusalem away into exile by Nebuchadnezzar.

      16The sons of Levi were Gershom, Kohath and Merari. 17These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. 18The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 19The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households. 20Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. 22The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son and Assir his son, 24Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son and Shaul his son. 25The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth. 26As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were Zophai his son and Nahath his son, 27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. 28The sons of Samuel were Joel the firstborn, and Abijah the second. 29The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, 30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

      31Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark rested there. 32They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem; and they served in their office according to their order. 33These are those who served with their sons: From the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. 39Heman’s brother Asaph stood at his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, 40the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, 41the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 42the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 43the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi. 44On the left hand were their kinsmen the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 45the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 46the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, 47the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi. 48Their kinsmen the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

49But Aaron and his sons offered on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. 50These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 53Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

54Now these are their settlements according to their camps within their borders. To the sons of Aaron of the families of the Kohathites (for theirs was the first lot), 55to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its pasture lands around it; 56but the fields of the city and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57To the sons of Aaron they gave the following cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah also with its pasture lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands, 58Hilen with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, 59Ashan with its pasture lands and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands; 60and from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its pasture lands, Allemeth with its pasture lands, and Anathoth with its pasture lands. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.

61Then to the rest of the sons of Kohath were given by lot, from the family of the tribe, from the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities. 62To the sons of Gershom, according to their families, were given from the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Asher, the tribe of Naphtali, and the tribe of Manasseh, thirteen cities in Bashan. 63To the sons of Merari were given by lot, according to their families, from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. 64So the sons of Israel gave to the Levites the cities with their pasture lands. 65They gave by lot from the tribe of the sons of Judah, the tribe of the sons of Simeon and the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, these cities which are mentioned by name.

66Now some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their territory from the tribe of Ephraim. 67They gave to them the following cities of refuge: Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its pasture lands, Gezer also with its pasture lands, 68Jokmeam with its pasture lands, Beth-horon with its pasture lands, 69Aijalon with its pasture lands and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; 70and from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its pasture lands and Bileam with its pasture lands, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

71To the sons of Gershom were given, from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands and Ashtaroth with its pasture lands; 72and from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands 73and Ramoth with its pasture lands, Anem with its pasture lands; 74and from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, 75Hukok with its pasture lands and Rehob with its pasture lands; 76and from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, Hammon with its pasture lands and Kiriathaim with its pasture lands.

77To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono with its pasture lands, Tabor with its pasture lands; 78and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its pasture lands, Jahzah with its pasture lands, 79Kedemoth with its pasture lands and Mephaath with its pasture lands; 80and from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, 81Heshbon with its pasture lands and Jazer with its pasture lands.

I pulled out a collection of nuggets that must have been important to the one documenting this record. He did not write details about everyone on the list. I found them to be interesting. I am sure there are quite a few more, depending on the level of detail of your study.

  • Azariah served as the priest in the house which Solomon built in Jerusalem. The temple of Solomon was truly a significant moment in the history of God’s people.
  • Jehozadak went along when the LORD carried Judah and Jerusalem away into exile by Nebuchadnezzar. Note it was the LORD who carried His people into exile, not Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was the vessel Yahweh used.
  • Land was distributed by lot, presumably so there would be no bias or favoritism or corruption in distribution of it.
  • I suppose there is another aspect that may be interesting. We read in many sections of scripture about the highlights, like Moses leading the people out of Egypt or the temple of Solomon. The truth is that there were many generations in between the significant events we are used to reading about and studying. Each of these names represents a real person, who lived their own life before God. Many we do not know much about. As long as the Bible may be, it is certainly not all inclusive of all those who walked with Yahweh during those generations. It is indeed a highlight reel to some degree.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to truly find joy in exploring the entirety of Your word. Help me to focus and learn more about You and Your ways every time I read. Let the Spirit guide me and help me not to be hurried as I study Your word. Thank You for providing Your word and the Holy Spirit to guide me. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Courage / Fear, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Guide, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant

You Will Deny Me Three Times

Peter was one of Yeshua’s closest disciples. He was a bold man and not timid. Consider Matthew 14:22-33 as one example, where Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water. However, he failed Yeshua by denying Him three times. To be fair the situation was stressful and surprising. Peter had the courage to follow Yeshua as He was arrested. But when confronted, Peter denied Yeshua.

Was that the end of Peter’s ministry and service to the LORD? Absolutely not! The LORD forgave him and still used Him dramatically.

Matthew 26:31-35

      31Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.’ 32“But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” 34Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.

Matthew 26:69-75

Peter’s Denials

      69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” 74Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. 75And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

We can be encouraged by remembering Peter when we fall short and disappoint ourselves and God. We serve a forgiving and gracious God. If we repent and submit to His lordship, He can still use us and work through us! Do not give up on serving Him just because you make mistakes. Seek His help to increase your faith and boldness and ask the Spirit to lead and guide you more fully. Devote time to strengthening relationship with Him.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please forgive me when I fail You, in big or small ways. Help me acknowledge it and repent and rededicate myself to Your service. Let Your Holy Spirit dwell in me and lead and guide me more fully. Help me to be a faithful and bold servant and bring honor and glory to Your name. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Discerning / Judging, Guide, Purposeful / Intentional, Wise

Yeshua Did Not Shy from Confrontation and Neither Should We

Yeshua is not a pushover. He does not just cave to those who come against Him. In fact, He sets a very clear example of how we are to engage in many confrontations we may encounter based on how He repeatedly dealt with confrontations from those in authority.  One such example is recorded in Matthew 21.

Matthew 21:21-27

Authority Challenged

      23When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25“The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26“But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Yeshua is wise and stands firm. He knows when people are not really interested in listening or believing Him and He avoids their traps. He does not shy away from confrontation. Sometimes He responds with great cleverness by redirecting the discussion to something that the opponent is uncomfortable dealing with rather than feeling as if He must answer whatever they ask. He has great perception and discernment to know who is really seeking Him, and who is seeking opportunity to undermine Him and His message.

Do not think His response in this chapter is “one size fits all”. There are other examples such as when people were going to try to kill Him where He simply slipped away in the crowd when He needed to do so. John 10:39 is one such example.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me have discernment and courage in dealing with confrontation, especially when I am standing for Your truth. Help me to respond confidently and wisely. Please protect us from the evil one, who comes against us and help open the eyes of those that oppose You so that they would see You in truth and turn to follow You. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Obeying God, Provider, Submitted / Servant

Are You Ready to Walk Away from What Is Important to You, If the LORD Asks?

Sometimes we may be instructed to walk away from all or some of what we have. Though it may be very hard, if we are sure we are hearing from YHWH, then we should try to embrace the instruction and do as we are told. He may not, but we know that He can, restore all that we walked away from back to us in His own timing.

2 Kings 8:1-6

Jehoram Restores the Shunammite’s Land

      1Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for the LORD has called for a famine, and it will even come on the land for seven years.” 2So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to appeal to the king for her house and for her field. 4Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5As he was relating to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” 6When the king asked the woman, she related it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”

Reflect on what it is that he LORD may be calling you to walk away from in order to serve Him or simply for your own good. Are you willing to trust and obey? Do not do it on a whim. You must believe you are hearing from the LORD.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Anger (unrighteous anger), Bitterness / Resentment, Courage / Fear, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Guide, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Share the Good News, Strife, Strong in Our Weakness, Submitted / Servant, Truth, Wickedness / Evil

Disciples of Yeshua Often Face a Hard Road

Do not expect a quiet and peaceful road when you boldly stand for Messiah and proclaim the truth of the gospel.

Matthew 10:16-23

A Hard Road before Them

      16“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17“But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19“But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

      21“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22“You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

      23“But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

Recognize that this specific message was directed at His specific twelve disciples and not at all disciples for all times. However, the basic message applies still today. Do not expect an easy road because Christ is with you. You may (or may not) face significant hardship. If you do, it does not mean you are on the wrong path. In fact, often if you are on the path of boldly proclaiming the gospel or living it out it is then that you have more difficulty in a godless culture like the one we live in today.

We are to be shrewd, or clever, but we are also to rely on and be comforted by knowing the Holy Spirit will be with us. Once again we see that bringing the true gospel of Christ, not a watered down version, will offend people. Families in some cases will face turmoil as some accept Christ and others resist. This is reason to pray, but not reason to avoid boldly proclaiming the gospel. People will hate you for living for Christ. This, also is not reason to avoid proclaiming the gospel.

How much persecution we experience is largely related to the local culture and government. Those have very real impacts. Even in the USA in our current times we can find news articles documenting where people are attacking the church. You often will not see them on mainstream media, but if you look for more conservative or Christian news sources, you will see it more clearly.

We are to put our faith in Christ, ask for help from the Holy Spirit, and go where the LORD sends us. Wherever we are, we are to be living boldly and proclaiming the gospel through our lives if not from a podium or microphone.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Compassionate, Faith / Trusting God, Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Submitted / Servant, Through Prophets

Yahweh Provides for Those He Calls

Our Father may ask us to do difficult things. Sometimes it may seem hard to obey. If He calls us to do something, He will provide. There may be hardships associated with our experience, but so too will there be blessings when we walk with our Father. We can see this in the case of both Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17. Sometimes He may actually be answering our prayers when He challenges us to do something we think is really hard. This is the case of the widow.

1 Kings 17

Elijah Predicts Drought

      1Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2The word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3“Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4“It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

      8Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” 11As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14“For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.’” 15So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

      17Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18So she said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” 19He said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed. 20He called to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?” 21Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” 22The LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived. 23Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” 24Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.”

Another perspective worth highlighting is that Yahweh knew the widow would lose her son. He provided a connection to Elijah even before it happened, but it only worked out because she obeyed the Father in taking care of Elijah.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

Storms Will Come. Will You Be Ready?

When we see hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, etc. coming, we prepare. We know there is a risk. We know they are coming. We get ready, or at least those who are wise do so. How much more so should we prepare for the storms in life that Messiah tells us will come? He even tells us how to prepare. Let’s read more.

Matthew 7:24-29

The Two Foundations

 24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

      28When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

It is a powerful metaphor. Take time to reflect on it. Start preparing now. Make it a priority to study and follow the instructions of our Messiah as Yahweh has recorded in the Bible. Do not simply listen to a pastor or scholar and assume they are right. Test everything against scripture, and sometimes that means even studying different translations to ensure you are using a good one. Consider a Greek and Hebrew key word study Bible. Any English translation is subject to interpretation of those who wrote it. The Greek and Hebrew key word study Bible’s help us test even the translations we read without needing to be reading in another language.

If you know storms will come, you should learn about how to prepare before they are at your doorstep. For example, if you live where there are hurricanes, do not wait for one to be tracking to shore before you learn about basic preparations that can help you. Do not wait until the storm is there to try to get insurance. So too we should prepare for the storms in life that Messiah says are coming. That means we need to study and applying what we learn to change our lives now, before the storms come.  Keep in mind… hearing the word is meaningless without acting on it, just like knowing how to prepare for a hurricane is useless without action.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.