Category Archives: Trinity

All Powerful / King of All, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Infinite / Without Limit, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles

Where Is Your Faith?

Just reflect on this one simple thought… there is nothing on Earth that is beyond the control of Jehovah. With this in mind, we need not be afraid. Faith conquers fear.

Luke 8:22-25 

Jesus Stills the Sea

     22Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. 23But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. 24They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

I suppose one more perspective I should highlight… do not miss that Yeshua asks “Where is your faith?”, meaning that He expected the disciples to trust in Him even when the situation looked dire and the storm was raging. God was in control even while Yeshua slept.

We can trust our Father no matter the situation or the outcome. Let us put our faith totally and unreservedly in Him. When we do so, then we have nothing to fear.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Guide, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Seeking God, Through Prophets, Unteachable / Foolish

Submit To And Accept The Lord’s Will

Those of us who know the Lord, understand that we can accomplish nothing except what He allows. He is sovereign over everything. When we truly submit to be His servant, we come to know that we can only do what He asks and we should/must do what He wants. We certainly can not use His power to do anything against His will.

Balak, who does not know the Lord, is used to getting His way. He can’t seem to understand or accept that Balaam is subject to reflect only the Lord’s will. Each time Balaam blesses Israel instead of cursing it, Balaak takes Him to another place to ask again for Balaam to curse Israel.

Balaam had is own round of pushing back on the Lord’s instruction in Numbers 22 and learned his lesson.The Lord told Him not to go to Balak and though he obeyed… he came back again to ask if he could go to Balak when he was offered more money. Jehovah got Balaam’s attention with a talking donkey and an angel who came near to killing Balaam to make a point of his need to submit to God’s will.  (Click through to a related article to read more on this background.)

Let us learn a lesson from Balaam and Balak. Let us submit to and accept the Lord’s will for us. Choose to obey and do not struggle against Him.   If He tells you to do (or stop doing) something, obey. Do not keep asking the same question over and over and over as if to manipulate the Lord into a different answer, one you prefer.  Yes it is ok to ask for validation with a humble and submissive heart… but this is different than rejecting what the Lord has clearly said and asking again.

Numbers 23

The Prophecies of Balaam

     1Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 2Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 3Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.

      4Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.” 6So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab.

7He took up his discourse and said,
“From Aram Balak has brought me,
Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,
‘Come curse Jacob for me,
And come, denounce Israel!’

      8“How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

      9“As I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
Behold, a people who dwells apart,
And will not be reckoned among the nations.

      10“Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright,
And let my end be like his!”

      11Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!” 12He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

      13Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” 14So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the LORD over there.” 16Then the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17He came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”

18Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Arise, O Balak, and hear;
Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!

      19“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

      20“Behold, I have received a command to bless;
When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.

      21“He has not observed misfortune in Jacob;
Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
The LORD his God is with him,
And the shout of a king is among them.

      22“God brings them out of Egypt,
He is for them like the horns of the wild ox.

      23“For there is no omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel;
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what God has done!

      24“Behold, a people rises like a lioness,
And as a lion it lifts itself;
It will not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.”

      25Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD speaks, that I must do’?”

      27Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.” 28So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the wasteland. 29Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

In what areas of your life are you wrestling with what the Lord has clearly instructed? Ask His help for you to submit to Him and accept His will and stop fighting against it to get your own way. Choose to submit to Him, obeying His instruction rather than your own plans.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Controlling Thoughts, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Peace / Rest, Purposeful / Intentional, Worry/Anxiety

Overcoming Anxiety and Worry

Anxiety and worry can consume people, even those who are trying to follow Christ. The devil wants to steal, kill and destroy. He targets relationships, including that between you and your Father in heaven. Anxiety and worry are one tactic he uses.

He can even take our good intention to obey God and repent from sins and try to turn us in knots of guilt about every potential mistake we make. If he is effective in this guilt, he can separate us from God as we may become more distant due to our feeling of unworthiness and stress associated with constantly not “being good enough”.

If we let him, Satan can lead us to worry about our concerns of daily living and how we will accomplish what we feel we need to in life, whether it is the basics of food and shelter or more aspirational hopes and dreams. We may start to worry so much and soon find that we are assuming we must accomplish everything of our own power and we lose sight of trusting the Lord and His power. In many cases, the goals we set out to achieve are not even the Lord’s but only our own. If we are pursuing His will in our lives we can be sure He will provide the power and the path to accomplish it.

With the Lord’s help, we can resist Satan effectively.

When dealing with anxiety and worry it is important to pray for the Lord’s help and come before Him humbly. Seek His guidance in scripture.

Philippians 4:4-20

      4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

      8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

God’s Provisions

     10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 14Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

      15You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. 18But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Don’t let Satan steal your joy! Rejoice in the Lord!

The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Abortion, All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Free Will, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness

Be A Joyful Servant of the Lord

Mary is an intriguing figure. Some make statues of her and pray to her, and this is clearly wrong. She is not God. Only God answers prayers. However, we should take care that we don’t dismiss her too quickly just because of how people have put too much emphasis on her. She is, in fact, a wonderful example of a servant of the Lord who submitted her life and her plans to the Lord, even when it was disruptive to her life and could have resulted in breaking up her engagement to Joseph and possibly disgracing her in the community and with her parents. This was a big deal in the culture at that time for an unwed girl to become pregnant. Only those to whom God revealed the truth would believe that she was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit and not her own indiscretion.

We can see how she is filled with joy and counts herself blessed over the situation as she visits Elizabeth during her pregnancy. Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord provided Mary with Elizabeth, who was also made pregnant with God’s help… though in a different way in that God “opened her womb” and allowed her husband to make her pregnant. She had previously been barren.

Let us also not miss that God provides us with a very clear example of the baby in Elizabeth’s womb being very much alive and responsive to the outside world… before birth. Some just can’t seem to grasp that obvious biological concept that babies are humans from the moment of conception and should be treated as such. Abortion is abominable.

Luke 1:39-56

Mary Visits Elizabeth

     39Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43“And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44“For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

The Magnificat

     46And Mary said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,

      47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

      48“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

      49“For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.

      50“AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

      51“He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

      52“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.

      53“HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.

      54“He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,

      55As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

      56And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

I encourage you to pray for the Spirit to fill you with joy as you serve the Lord, even as He asks you to do something you feel is very hard. Check yourself if you find yourself complaining about how hard something is that He wants you to do. Trust in Him. He is able. Joyfully and willingly embrace what He calls you to do. If you are submitted and obedient, He will work through you with His power to accomplish what He calls you to do.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Angels, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Humility, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles, Obeying God

Nothing Is Impossible With God

All things are possible with God. We need simply seek Him and submit to Him, then watch Him use us to His glory. Mary remains a glorious example of a humble servant submitting to the Lord.  Surely this was disruptive to her life. She was about to get married, and God’s plan on the surface would certainly seem to create potential disruption to that plan if Joseph were to think she had been unfaithful. She trusted in the Lord.

The Lord even gave her an independent sign that He was at work, by telling Mary about Elizabeth as well. I would think that being able to connect with Elizabeth provided moral support and encouragement for Mary at those times when perhaps her parents may not have believed it was the Spirit that impregnated Mary.

Luke 1:26-38

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

     26Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36“And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37“For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

What is the Lord asking you to do that you may be hesitant to obey? Seek clarity from the Spirit, confirmation in the written word, and ask God’s help for you to obey boldly and with strong faith. Remember, when Mary accepted the Lord’s will and plan, she had no way of making it happen on her own. She was fully trusting in the Lord. We should strive to do likewise.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Hope, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Peace / Rest, Protector / Deliverer, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Strong in Our Weakness, Temptation/Tempting

Our Struggle Is Not Against Flesh And Blood

12For  our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  (Ephesians 6:12)

In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul provides us important guidance about the reality of spiritual warfare.  Too often Christians dismiss spiritual warfare and focus only on the things we can see and touch. This leaves us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. If we do not recognize the true enemy, we will struggle to win against him.

     10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

      18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Some key points upon which to reflect:

  • Our strength comes from the Lord, not ourselves
  • The devil is real and he has strategies he uses to lie, cheat and destroy. He will use more than one strategy against us.
  • Warfare does not always take place in physical world, sometimes it is in the spiritual world. Don’t believe me? Read the book of Job.
  • Just putting on one or two pieces of the armor of God is not enough, we need to put on all of them.
  • Prayer and a relationship with Jesus is necessary! Jesus tells us to pray daily and to pray specifically to not let us yield to temptation, and to be rescued from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13
  • We are to stay alert and pray for others in addition to ourselves. Pray for those preach the gospel that they would preach boldly!

Let’s explore what it really means to put on the full armor of God.

Truth can simply be defined as the real facts about something.  Surprisingly the world today proposes that truth is relative when it comes to God or how we live… “True for you but not for me”, etc. This is no more accurate than saying “If I do not believe in gravity, I will not fall off a ladder.” Gravity is true whether or not I believe in or accept it. God lovingly and in great detail shares truth in the Bible and reveals it in the world around us. There is absolute truth.

Righteousness is characterized by living consistently with God’s standards of morality, justice, virtue, etc. As God’s standard is Himself, it is a lofty bar. We will never achieve it to perfection but He is the standard and reference point none the less. We should keep our eyes on Jesus and seek help from the Holy Spirit and thus keep changing to be more like Him.

The peace that comes from knowing the good news is not a promise that we will avoid conflicts and trials, but rather an affirmation that when we have relationship with Jesus Christ we know He is with us in this life and that we have eternal life on the other side of this world. We can have peace through the mightiest storms.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1. In this context Paul reminds us that we must trust in God even when we are under attack by Satan. Just because we can not recognize how God is working in the situation does not mean that He is not there. We can be confident He is with us.

Salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequences, which is death. It is not enough to know or acknowledge Jesus Christ. Even Satan and his demons due that. By asking and accepting Jesus into our  lives and repenting from our sinful ways we receive salvation through grace.

The sword of the spirit, or word of God, is what Jesus Himself used to defeat Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11. We must know the word of God before the attack comes just as a soldier must train and be prepared before he goes to battle.

To be effective we must understand and use all of this equipment daily. It ceases to become “something we do” and becomes “how we do everything” in our lives.

Remember to heed Paul’s warning and guidance for prayer. The battle is not ours alone, but the Lord’s!

      18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Marriage, Seeking God

Marriage Is To Be Like Christ And The Church

I truly appreciate how our loving Father lays out for us instructions to help us understand how He intends for relationships to work. He speaks to both a godly marriage relationship and to the relationship of Christ and the church in Ephesians 5. The relationships in some key ways are actually quite similar.

As you read, pray the Spirit speaks to you. Also block out what the world tries to tell us about a marriage relationship. The world wants us to believe now that both man and woman are made the same and are supposed to have the same role in the household. The world tries to fool us that one role is more important than another and thus for spouses to be equal they must both share the same roles. This is as silly as a football team having two quarterbacks and no lineman or a soccer team having everyone on offense and no one guarding the goal! Both the role of the husband and that of the wife are equally important, but they are different.  The family structure needs both to thrive the way God intended.  Seek to carry out your marriage God’s way rather than the world’s way.

As you read, however, do not lose sight of how God is also describing the relationship for us as His followers with Christ.

Ephesians 5:22-33

Marriage Like Christ and the Church

      22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

      25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30because we are members of His body. 31FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

As a closing note, observe how scripture highlights in closing this chapter once again that women and men are different. The Lord calls men to “love” their wives, but for women the focus is on “respecting” their husbands. We are different! The Lord knows the relationships do not function as well if we treat the roles or the individuals of husbands and wives the same. Think about it for awhile… I know it is true for my marriage. My wife benefits most from feeling loved, though she wants to be respected also. For me it truly is the reverse… if I had to pick between being loved or respected I would take respected. Of course, I also appreciate being loved!

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Complaining, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, His Timing Not Ours, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Rebellion Against Jehovah Has Harsh Consequences

To summarize the beginning 38 verses of Numbers 14… God had led His people to the promised land. The people were intimidated by the powerful people inhabiting the land and most of them were afraid of following God’s instruction to take it. They even turned to stone Moses. God was not pleased and was ready to destroy them. Moses interceded on their behalf and God did not destroy them immediately. He did, however, lay down a firm punishment for their rebellion and lack of faith. They were “sentenced” to wait another 40 years in the wilderness before taking the promised land and all but those few who were faithful were to die in the wilderness during these 40 years and not see the promised land. (Read the whole chapter by clicking the link to Numbers 14 below.)

What follows in verse 39-45 is important and relevant for us even today. God told the Israelites He would give them victory. They rebelled. He punished them. Then they felt regret (likely over the punishment rather than the rebellion) and went to go do what He commanded earlier. He was not with them and they were defeated. In effect they actually rebelled again, refusing to accept and honor His punishment on them. They still missed the point about obeying and trusting Him and repenting before Him rather than just trying to make it happen on their own power.

Numbers 14:39-45

Israel Repulsed

     39When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. 40In the morning, however, they rose up early and went up to the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Here we are; we have indeed sinned, but we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised.” 41But Moses said, “Why then are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD, when it will not succeed? 42“Do not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. 43“For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you, and you will fall by the sword, inasmuch as you have turned back from following the LORD. And the LORD will not be with you.” 44But they went up heedlessly to the ridge of the hill country; neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses left the camp. 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and beat them down as far as Hormah.

Let us listen carefully and obey when Jehovah calls us to action, no matter how intimidating the battle or situation. Pray His Spirit would encourage us and guide us. If you need His encouragement or more validation, ask for it rather than just turn away in rebellion. If you make the mistake of failing to trust Him, listen and accept the rebuke and repent, humbly asking forgiveness. Do not simply rebel against Him again and charge in to action as if your first rebellion never happened.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy Spirit (hearing from God), Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News, Study the Word

Who Have You Been Called to Reach? Are You Reaching Them?

What good news for the Gentiles! Yeshua has died not only for the sins of His people, the Jews, but now has made the Gentiles joint heirs through Him. Those who follow Yeshua are fellow members of the body of Christ alongside the Jewish people who accept Christ.

Paul was called to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Of course, we don’t want to forget bringing Christ to the Jewish people either. All of us have certain circles of influence amongst family, friends, acquaintances, etc. in addition to the opportunity to be or support missionaries within our own country or who go to other countries. Pray for the Spirit to guide you and prompt you for your calling with whom to share the gospel and how. Not all of us will take on missionary journeys as Paul did, but all of us have opportunity to support those that do and even more personally to bring the gospel to those we interact with daily in our normal lives. Do not be discouraged or count yourself “unworthy” of or “unable” to bring the message to others. All of us, including Paul are unworthy on our own. The power and call come from Yeshua. We are but loyal and obedient servants to bring the message forth.

Ephesians 3

Paul’s Stewardship

     1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 10so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

      14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

      20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

To Him be the glory indeed. As we seek to serve Him in bringing the message of truth to those we are called to reach, let us take note that our words will seldom be meaningful to those around us if we do not live out what we share. If we are to be effective messengers in this world, we must first be separate and distinct from this world. We can hardly share the gospel of truth effectively if we accept the lies and false teachings of the world or even those incorporated into many churches today. We must seek Him and His Spirit as guide. We must pray and study the Bible. It can not be a “once a week sit in church” relationship with God. He wants more of us if we are to be used effectively by Him. How do we live for Him daily? How do we choose His ways instead of our own desires? Do we devote time in Bible study and prayer? Do we take time to help others? Do we love others, which includes at times rebuking wrong behavior in a caring way? Do we continue in faith despite persecution, rejection, or hard times?

Pray for the Spirit to guide you in your work for Yeshua as you seek to follow His example and answer His calling for your life.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Traditions / Holidays, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

The Law Has Never Been About Legalism

The Lord wants His people to celebrate at His appointed times, but He also understands that there are occasions where His people may not be able to celebrate at the appointed time, not because they don’t want to, but because something prevents them from doing so. This is a great example where our Lord shows us that He has never intended “legalism” with regards to the law, even before Jesus died for us. The law is and always has been about loving God and loving others. It is not about being saved through the law. We obey our Father’s instructions because we love Him and respect Him. It is really not unlike a father who makes rules to help teach His children how they should act and how they should not act.

Numbers 9:1-14

The Passover

     1Thus the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2“Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time. 3“On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.” 4So Moses told the sons of Israel to observe the Passover. 5They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 6But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the LORD at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” 8Moses therefore said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what the LORD will command concerning you.”

      9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the LORD. 11‘In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12‘They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it. 13‘But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of the LORD at its appointed time. That man will bear his sin. 14‘If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to the LORD, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.’”

Another important validation of this concept is in Matthew 12. Jesus demonstrates there are more important things than just obeying the “law” at all cost and with no consideration for others or the situation at hand.

Matthew 12:1-21

Sabbath Questions

     1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” 3But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6“But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Lord of the Sabbath

     8“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

      9Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12“How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

      15But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16and warned them not to tell who He was. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

      18“BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL–PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.

      19“HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.

      20“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

      21“AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

Our Father loves us. He sets forth His instructions to help guide us in loving Him and loving others. His instructions were never meant to be legalistic. His instructions (aka “law”) are not burdensome or bondage.  They lead us on the path to closer relationship with Him. Let us pray for the Spirit to guide us as we study scripture and seek to apply it to our lives.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.