Category Archives: Faith / Trusting God

Children, Faith / Trusting God, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Humility, Wickedness / Evil

Who Is Greatest in the Kingdom?

Many people have differing ideas of greatness. Sports start, movie stars, politicians… many are held up as great. But by what standard should we judge who is truly great? As for me, I like to use the standard set by Yeshua. Spoiler alert, it is very different than the measure of greatness in the eyes of the world.

Matthew 18:1-5

Rank in the Kingdom

      1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5“And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 23:10-12

10“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

So pay attention when the world tells you greatness comes from being a better athlete or better business man or just being wealthy or famous. None of these define greatness in the eyes of God. If you want to set out to be great, ask the LORD’s help and begin by serving others in His name. Humble yourself before God and submit to His word and His guidance for you. In these ways you can be great and you do not need special circumstances, talent, or money to get started!

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, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Righteous, Through Prophets, Wickedness / Evil

Obey the LORD, Remove Unrighteousness Even When It Is Hard

The LORD does not approve of unrighteousness. He tolerates it for a time. Ahab was wicked, and Jezebel seemingly more so. The LORD had previously declared judgment would fall on them from His hand. In 2 Kings 10, we see that He chooses Jehu to take the action to bring judgment on the house of Ahab. It is brutal. It is hard for us to contemplate today, killing the whole family and any who were aligned and close to Ahab. It was done at the instruction of the LORD. We should not use that as an excuse to try to redefine Yahweh to a more comfortable image that we can deal with given all the modern day church teaching about Him, which often portrays Him as one who accepts almost anything, desperate to have people come follow Him as they are and never repent or change.

Instead, let this challenge us to validate or inform our understanding of our heavenly Father. He hates injustice and unrighteousness. He hates idolatry. He is not ok with being one of many gods in our lives. Keep in mind, as a loving Father, He knows that the unrighteousness of Ahab impacted a lot of His people to be drawn away from right relationship with Him. It needed to be addressed for the good of His people.

2 Kings 10

Judgment upon Ahab’s House

      1Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, 2“Now, when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons, 3select the best and fittest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.” 4But they feared greatly and said, “Behold, the two kings did not stand before him; how then can we stand?” 5And the one who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, all that you say to us we will do, we will not make any man king; do what is good in your sight.” 6Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. 7When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8When the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” 9Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent; behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? 10“Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the LORD has done what He spoke through His servant Elijah.” 11So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

      12Then he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds, 13Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” 14He said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

      15Now when he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16He said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD.” So he made him ride in his chariot. 17When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys Baal Worshipers

      18Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. 19“Now, summon all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests; let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in cunning, so that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal. 20And Jehu said, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” And they proclaimed it. 21Then Jehu sent throughout Israel and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And when they went into the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. 22He said to the one who was in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them. 23Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that there is here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.
Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “The one who permits any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape shall give up his life in exchange.”

      25Then it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the royal officers, “Go in, kill them; let none come out.” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the inner room of the house of Baal. 26They brought out the sacred pillars of the house of Baal and burned them. 27They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.

      28Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel. 29However, as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan. 30The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” 31But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

      32In those days the LORD began to cut off portions from Israel; and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: 33from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu

      34Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 35And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. 36Now the time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Jehu was zealous for Yahweh. He did none of this for his own gain or by his own desire or plans. When called upon by the LORD to do a difficult thing, He went “all in” for Yahweh. Without getting focused on the specific example of killing Ahab’s family, we should ask ourselves if we are prepared to put our whole heart in to zealously do as the LORD calls us to do, even if it puts us at personal risk?

Given his zealous nature to Yahweh, and yet his failure to walk in the ways of Yahweh and failure to turn from the sins of Jeroboam, I think it is reasonable to conclude that Jehu did not recognize the wickedness and sin in this area or was not strong enough to purge it since he did not get a direct order from the LORD. We can see the impact even on those whom the LORD calls when they are raised in a mixed and mingled environment of godly and profane. It becomes very hard to separate the right path from the wrong one as they are so tangled together in the culture which surrounds you, in which you were raised.

This is very much like Christmas and Easter and other traditions and lifestyle choices that Christians make such as disregarding the law of God as if it is out of date. Now we see many Christians taught that homosexuality is acceptable. There is much corruption. It is very hard to separate it. Each of us should take it as a personal mission from our Father to test everything in our lives against the biblical record and reject what is bad and hold on to what is good. Really study the Hebrew roots of our faith. Understand what we have turned from and go back to the LORD’s ways. Study and understand the true ungodly origins of many Christmas and Easter traditions or other holidays. We can also find joyful celebration in learning about how we can still celebrate the LORD’s appointed times! (To learn more, scroll through our “Traditions / Holidays” category of articles.)

Prayerfully ask yourself if you are really walking in the ways of the LORD according to the Bible, and not based on what your parents did or your church does or your family does. Ask Yahweh to show you and put real time into it to pursue truth.

Are you really too busy to learn and test if you are walking in the ways of the LORD? What is more important?

Before we wrap up, I do want to point out an aspect that gives me personal hope and should encourage you also. The LORD was pleased with Jehu even though Jehu did not overcome all the evil and wicked ways that had been entangled in his culture and life. The LORD knows we will not be perfect. Some things we may just not recognize. But, let not the LORD’s grace be an excuse to be passive and accept what is unrighteous around us. Be zealous like Jehu in pursuing the ways of the LORD even when making changes will be very hard personally.

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.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Demons, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Interceding for Others, Learning To Pray Effectively, Miracles, Protector / Deliverer, Spiritual Warfare, Strong in Our Weakness

We Can Learn From the Disciples’ Failure to Cast Out a Demon

Not all demons or illnesses are equal. Yeshua’s disciples were able to cast out demons and heal in some cases, yet in Matthew 17 they fell short of being able to help a man’s son. What can we learn from Matthew 17? I have some thoughts after the scripture, below.

Matthew 17: 14-23

The Demoniac

      14When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16“I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” 17And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

      19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” 20And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 21[“But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]

      22And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; 23and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved.

There are several aspects of this story that translate still today to our lives. You can probably find more than I have listed.

  • The man did not realize his child was demon possessed. He thought he was crazy. I believe this type situation occurs still today with people and we try to help them the wrong way. Counseling and medicine will not cast out demons. Only the power in the name of Yeshua will do that.
  • Just because Yeshua’s followers can not address a situation, does not mean He is not God and it does not mean that He can not address the situation. I respect the man for continuing to come to Yeshua when His disciples could not help. So, too, we need to seek out Yeshua, in some cases desperately.
  • Yeshua actually got frustrated with His disciples and rebuked them for lack of faith. They had been given power to heal and cast out demons but had failed to do so in this case. We see in this scripture that not only does our faith matter, but also fasting and prayer matters. I should note that this is not a promise that all of Yeshua’s followers (e.g. us) are granted the same power to heal or cast out demons as His disciples received. However, fasting and prayer and coming before Yeshua we can all do.
  • I find it interesting that Yeshua actually in this series of events comments on His impending death. It is my opinion that perhaps Yeshua was frustrated with His disciples because He knew that His remaining time was short. That is why He mentioned “how long shall I be with you” and then concludes with a reminder that He will not long be with them. He likely was concerned about their lack of readiness.

Take time to reflect and do not simply skip over quickly the historical accounts. Always try to think through (and ask Yahweh to help) what applies to you in your life today.

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, Fear / Reverence for God, Miracles, Miracles

What the LORD Reveals to One, He May Not Reveal to Another

There are many examples which are documented in scripture in which the LORD reveals to some what He does not reveal directly to others. One such example is the transfiguration. Only the three closest disciples were able to witness this event. Consider this as some come to you and tell you about what Yahweh is doing in their lives or what they may have seen in a vision or dream or in scripture as it applies to their lives. Yes, we must test everything against scripture and hold on to what is good and we must test for false prophets… but let us not go so far as to outright reject something that passes these tests just because we did not see it with our own eyes.

Matthew 17:1-13

The Transfiguration

      1Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. 7And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.

      9As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” 10And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

This was an incredibly important event. Yeshua shared it only with a few. Even others that He trusted, He did not include, and He told them not to reveal it until later.  We will not always know why our Father shows something to some and not others, but we must trust Him. We should avoid feeling jealous or reject the experience that someone else has had just because we were excluded. Don’t look at each time this happens as a rebuke against you. The LORD has His reasons and He does not owe us an explanation as to who is included or not. Let it not cause division among His followers.

Of course there is so much more to this scripture… the meaning of the transfiguration itself, the significance of the religious leaders missing the coming of John the Baptist and Yeshua, and why Yeshua told His disciples not to share this event until after He died and rose from the dead are just a few you can study or reflect on prayerfully.

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.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Government, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Just Because the LORD Tolerates the Wicked Does Not Mean He Approves of Them

There are times when the LORD tolerates the wicked to have power and influence, success in the eyes of men. Just because he allows the wicked to rule over His people does not mean He approves of them. In fact, He has already determined their punishment and downfall in advance.

Similarly, the LORD is capable of arranging for placing in power whom He wants, when He wants. Pray for Him to bring forth righteous rulers and remove or change the wicked.

2 Kings 8:16-29

Another Jehoram Reigns in Judah

      16Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. 17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19However, the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give a lamp to him through his sons always.

      20In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 21Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents. 22So Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. 23The rest of the acts of Joram and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

      24So Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

      25In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

      28Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29So King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.

2 Kings 9

Jehu Reigns over Israel

      1Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2“When you arrive there, search out Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room. 3“Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the LORD, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”

      4So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5When he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O captain.” And Jehu said, “For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, O captain.” 6He arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. 7‘You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8‘For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel. 9‘I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

      11Now Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know very well the man and his talk.” 12They said, “It is a lie, tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and thus he said to me, ‘Thus says the LORD, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” 13Then they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Jehoram (Joram) Is Assassinated

      14So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram with all Israel was defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 15but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your mind, then let no one escape or leave the city to go tell it in Jezreel.” 16Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there. Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

      17Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” 18So a horseman went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” And the watchman reported, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.” 19Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” 20The watchman reported, “He came even to them, and he did not return; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

      21Then Joram said, “Get ready.” And they made his chariot ready. Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him in the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he answered, “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?” 23So Joram reined about and fled and said to Ahaziah, “There is treachery, O Ahaziah!” 24And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his arms; and the arrow went through his heart and he sank in his chariot. 25Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Take him up and cast him into the property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that the LORD laid this oracle against him: 26‘Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will repay you in this property,’ says the LORD. Now then, take and cast him into the property, according to the word of the LORD.”

Jehu Assassinates Ahaziah

      27When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him too, in the chariot.” So they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is at Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

      29Now in the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

      30When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window. 31As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it well, Zimri, your master’s murderer?” 32Then he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three officials looked down at him.

Jezebel Is Slain

      33He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot. 34When he came in, he ate and drank; and he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.” 35They went to bury her, but they found nothing more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36Therefore they returned and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37and the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

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.

Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

Discipleship Is Costly; Are You Prepared?

True discipleship can be costly. It means we choose Yahweh over all else. We lay down our wants and needs for whatever He calls us to do.

Matthew 16:24-28

Discipleship Is Costly

      24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.

      28“Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Reflect on each verse carefully.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Verse 28 is also intriguing. You can read, as I did, some thoughts documented in the commentaries on BibleHub for this verse. I am not convinced I can conclusively say to what He was referring. However, just because we may not fully understand every verse and its full significance does not mean Yeshua is any less our redeemer and savior. The evidence is overwhelming.

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, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Purposeful / Intentional, Satan

Yah’s Ways May Take Courage; They Are Not Always Easy

We must take care and remember that our ways are not Yah’s ways. Peter went from high praise (a few verses earlier) to serious rebuke in like 5 verses. He meant well. Through his eyes he simply wanted to protect Yeshua. However, the LORD had different plans. We must take care to try to see things from Yah’s perspective instead of our own. Of course, we typically need help with that, so prayer and a good relationship with Yeshua is important!

Matthew 16:21-23

Jesus Foretells His Death

      21From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

I do not think Yeshua was calling Peter “Satan” in a literal sense. I believe the point He was making was that to tempt Yeshua to go a different route than Yah’s plans would serve Satan. Sometimes the easy and safe path is not what our Father has in store for us. Pray for help to know His plans and follow them. Pray for courage to take His path even when it is hard. Look for opportunities to encourage one another along the same lines.

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.

Am I on the path?, Faith / Trusting God, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Hope, How do I get started?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Salvation, Satan, Study the Word

Who Do You Say That I Am?

“Who do you say that I am?”

In reference to Yeshua, how we truthfully answer this question frames up how we relate to our heavenly Father. It is a simple question, but one of immense importance.

Matthew 16:13-20

Peter’s Confession of Christ

      13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” 20Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

Let us keep in mind that even Satan knows Yeshua is Son of the living God. Recognizing this, do not be overconfident that you are on in right relationship with our Father just because you acknowledge Yeshua as Christ. However, if you do not at least get this question right, you will surely not get the right relationship with our Him or our Father.

A second key point would be that the Father has to reveal this to us. We can tell someone over and over and lay out all the evidence, but if the Father does not reveal it to them, they will not see and acknowledge it. So if you want to truly reach someone, be sure to ask the Father to open their eyes to the truth. Once He reveals it to us, it is then that we have the chance to accept Him truly.

Third, and this is important and often misunderstood… the rock upon which the church will be built is not Peter. He was too fallible, as we all are, to be spoken about in this context. In fact, only 5 verses later, Yeshua calls Him out in a very harsh and dramatic way in verse 23. The rock is the fact that Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Nothing can overcome this foundation of solid rock. It is upon this solid rock that we build our faith and our relationship with Yahweh. It is upon this solid rock that we find our hope and salvation and nothing can come against it.

What is a bit confusing to me is that Yeshua told His disciples not to tell others. This is intriguing. I am not going to try to address this in this article, but encourage anyone interested to do more study. You can consult the commentaries for possible opinions on the matter and can pray and ask Yahweh to show 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.

Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, False Prophets / Teachers, Holy Spirit (hearing from God), Jesus (hearing from God), Miracles, Scripture (e.g. Bible), Seeking God, Study the Word

We Already Have Enough Evidence; We Don’t Need Another Sign

To put Matthew 16 in context, this was not the beginning of Yeshua’s ministry. He had been doing many miracles in public, with many witnesses. He returned sight to the blind, the lame walked, lepers cleansed, demons cast out and so on. Yeshua even points to the two times He miraculously fed thousands with a few loaves of bread. Think about how many witnesses there were and I am sure they told others. It is in this context that the Pharisees and Sadducees come and ask for a sign.

Matthew 16:1-12

Pharisees Test Jesus

      1The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3“And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

      5And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” 8But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? 9“Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? 10“Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? 11“How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The Pharisees and Sadducees are supposedly learned men who understand the Torah and the writings of the prophets. Yeshua points out that they should already have enough evidence to know He is Messiah, just as they know how to understand the signs in the sky relating to weather.

I think this may point out that they do not want to accept He is Messiah. They come having already decided He is not, or at least with a strong bias against. They are not openly considering the evidence around them. Thus, they are rebuked.

At this point I think we can all relate to the disciples… Yeshua is trying to teach us or show us something and we just don’t get it at first. We try to figure it out but often we really need to just go back to Him and admit we do not understand and ask for more explanation to understand. I think it worthy to note that he does not rebuke them for not understanding, but rather for thinking it was a comment about not having enough to eat when they had just witnessed great miracles feeding thousands from little food. Yeshua is a bit disappointed that they witness the miracles but still don’t understand they can happen any time He chooses.

The leaven of the Pharisees about which we are warned is the false teaching they bring. We should continue to be wary not to assume all that is taught by any teacher or minister is correct. We are called to test it against the word in the Bible. Even in regards to the teaching of Yeshua we do well to test against other scripture to ensure our understanding. Yeshua will not contradict Himself or YHWH.

We have enough evidence already that Yeshua was Messiah. I would encourage everyone to seek it out and really test it so that they realize that the facts and history actually provide a sound basis for our faith. We are stronger when we understand the evidence for our faith and we can articulate it to others. I would encourage you to review and study resources recommended on our list for Studying the Case for Christianity as Truth on our Books and Other Study Tools page. It is worth investing in to strengthen the foundation of your own faith for when storms come and also to be able to articulate to others the facts and evidence that support Yeshua as Messiah to help them overcome the lies of the world. For many, it is not a strong foundation to simply say, “you need to accept it on faith”. Our faith is based on strong evidence. I would even more strongly encourage parents to invest time in this way to lead their children in a strong foundation that will not fade when challenged in educational institutions or the workplace.

We must challenge and test what is taught as fact as we learn to follow Him in His ways, rather than the ways of man. There was at that time and remains much false teaching within the church. It is up to us to study and compare teachings and ask YHWH for insight through the Holy Spirit.

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.