All posts by John (HFJ Director)

All Powerful / King of All, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin

Who Makes The Rules?

Imagine for a moment you are competing in a sport you enjoy. For sake of example, I will choose track and field, in this case, pole vault. The object of the sport is to run and vault over a pole, which continues to be increased in height each round. Whomever jumps over the pole at the highest height wins.

There are a set of rules. They are established by the creator of the game. One must follow the rules or be disqualified. For example, in our pole vault event, a competitor can not simply say that they are going to lower the bar to make it easier or that the rules should be different and not require them to jump over the bar. Thus they can simply walk under it and still win the event. Most of us immediately recognize this would be ridiculous. But how many people take this exact approach with God when it comes to His instructions in the Bible?

Our society does this all the time. It redefines morality with regards to abortion, homosexuality, adultery, lusting, coveting, gluttony, drunkenness, accepting and glorifying false gods and so much more. Then it tries to hold people accountable to the new and incorrect standards and often use them to attack Christians who are still using God’s correct standard. It is not enough that they choose another set of rules (eg. to walk under instead of jump over the bar in pole vault), but they must force everyone else to accept these new and wrong rules as well. They will viciously attack those who jump over the bar, in particular if they are successful at it.

We have, as a nation, removed the Bible from schools and from our government and our public areas at great peril and moral decay to our society. There are groups which constantly fight to reject God and “separate church and state”. For the record, “separation of church and state” is a myth… it is not in our founding government documents. The founders insisted the government should not dictate which form of Christianity someone participates in (e.g. Baptist, Catholic, etc. ) They founded our government and nation knowing that it would be most enduring and prosperous on the basis of a “nation under God”… the Christian God.

Psalm 81:8-16

      8“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

      9“Let there be no strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

      10“I, the LORD, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

      11“But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.

      12“So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.

      13“Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!

      14“I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.

      15“Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.

      16“But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Those that change the rules so they can live by a different standard than the one God created (as in our pole vault example above)  do not change God’s standard, they simply ignore it and feel better about themselves because they focus on their own standard. They will not win, in fact they are disqualified from the event. They will not stand in victory when the event is over, no matter what delusion they created and accepted.

The Lord wants to bless those who live in obedience to Him. But those who reject Him and His instructions… He will give “them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices”.

YHWH offers us a choice. It is simple. He does not ask our opinion of morality and what is right and wrong. We either have a choice to follow and submit to Him or to reject Him. We have a choice of a blessing or a curse.

Romans 1:18-32

      18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

      24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

      26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

      28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

     26“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; 28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

I encourage you to click the link above and go read the full text in Deuteronomy 11. There is much more emphasis than what is captured in the summary in verses 26-28.

We must make a choice. Our choice is not to decide how to change God’s standard and still be close to God. Our choice is simply to choose God and His moral standard or reject Him and make up our own. If we reject Him and live by our own standard, we fool ourselves only for a little while in this world and then we ultimately spend eternity in hell as a result. If we choose Him, we change our ways to His ways and live differently. Joy and peace and hope await us in this life, though the struggles do not go away. Eternity in the presence of God await us when we die.

Choose wisely.

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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, Justice / Judgment, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Prayer, Provider, Righteous, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Praise To The Lord For His Faithfulness

The Lord is in control. He is King of Kings. He is both holy and just. He answers our prayers and yet also disciplines us for disobedience and rebellion. He is a loving Father to His people. He is worthy of praise and worship.

Psalm 99

Praise to the LORD for His Fidelity to Israel.

      1The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble;
He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!

      2The LORD is great in Zion,
And He is exalted above all the peoples.

      3Let them praise Your great and awesome name;
Holy is He.

      4The strength of the King loves justice;
You have established equity;
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

      5Exalt the LORD our God
And worship at His footstool;
Holy is He.

      6Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called on His name;
They called upon the LORD and He answered them.

      7He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
They kept His testimonies
And the statute that He gave them.

      8O LORD our God, You answered them;
You were a forgiving God to them,
And yet an avenger of their evil deeds.

      9Exalt the LORD our God
And worship at His holy hill,
For holy is the LORD our God.

When you reflect on your life, not your intentions, is their clear evidence you are exalting the Lord? or yourself and your desires? Ask the Spirit to show you and then take time to listen, without getting defensive. Be like a child, seeking to hear the instruction from his Father as to what he should do to please Him.

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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.

Faithful, Father / Yahweh, Loving / Kind, Provider

YHWH Is Not A Distant, Uninvolved Being, But Rather A Loving Father

Our Father is not a distant and uninvolved being who created this earth and now puts His attention elsewhere while we live on it. He is engaged in the lives of His people. He cares about His people. He wants to be involved in our lives. He desires for us to submit to Him fully, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We can trust Him to lead us and provide for us… but we must obey Him, including when He sets boundaries for us.

In Numbers 34 we see our Lord involved in providing the Promised land to His people and giving clear, detailed instructions for them to follow in where they draw the boundaries and how they divide it. He is indeed a loving and engaged Father for those who seek Him.

Numbers 34

Instruction for Apportioning Canaan

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders. 3‘Your southern sector shall extend from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern border shall extend from the end of the Salt Sea eastward. 4‘Then your border shall turn direction from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim and continue to Zin, and its termination shall be to the south of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall reach Hazaraddar and continue to Azmon. 5‘The border shall turn direction from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.

      6‘As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea, that is, its coastline; this shall be your west border.

      7‘And this shall be your north border: you shall draw your border line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor. 8‘You shall draw a line from Mount Hor to the Lebo-hamath, and the termination of the border shall be at Zedad; 9and the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and its termination shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your north border.

      10‘For your eastern border you shall also draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham, 11and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down and reach to the slope on the east side of the Sea of Chinnereth. 12‘And the border shall go down to the Jordan and its termination shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders all around.’”

      13So Moses commanded the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the land that you are to apportion by lot among you as a possession, which the LORD has commanded to give to the nine and a half tribes. 14“For the tribe of the sons of Reuben have received theirs according to their fathers’ households, and the tribe of the sons of Gad according to their fathers’ households, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their possession. 15“The two and a half tribes have received their possession across the Jordan opposite Jericho, eastward toward the sunrising.”

      16Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17“These are the names of the men who shall apportion the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18“You shall take one leader of every tribe to apportion the land for inheritance. 19“These are the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20“Of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Samuel the son of Ammihud. 21“Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22“Of the tribe of the sons of Dan a leader, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23“Of the sons of Joseph: of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh a leader, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24“Of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim a leader, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25“Of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun a leader, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26“Of the tribe of the sons of Issachar a leader, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27“Of the tribe of the sons of Asher a leader, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28“Of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali a leader, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” 29These are those whom the LORD commanded to apportion the inheritance to the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan.

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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.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Parables, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Worldliness

This Offer Expires When You Do

YHWH graciously and with lovingkindness allows us our entire lifetime to repent and turn to Him… to make Him lord over our lives… to ask forgiveness. But the offer of forgiveness does expire… it expires when we do. Once we die and move on to either heaven or hell, it is too late. There is no amount of prayer or regret that can influence where we spend our eternity after we die. We were given the chance and chose to go our own way.

Luke 16:19-31

The Rich Man and Lazarus

      19“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20“And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22“Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23“In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24“And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Consider verse 31, YHWH has indeed raised Yeshua from the dead and documented it well. Yet many refuse to believe even with someone raised from the dead.

Reflect on your life and the lives of those you know and love now, while you have time. If there are some you want to reach, if you need to repent and seek forgiveness… do so without delay. None of our tomorrow’s are promised to us, no matter how young and healthy we may be. Eternity is at stake.

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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, Discerning / Judging, Divorce, Homosexual Behavior, Marriage, Prayer, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Wickedness / Evil

We Must Not Normalize And Accept Sin

As we dive into Luke 16, the parable of the unjust steward there is much to explore as we have begun in previous articles. Today, we look at Luke 16:18. On the surface it appears to be almost randomly placed.

It is clear and direct… YHWH does not intend for divorce. He intends marriage to be “until death do us part”. There is no clause for “until I change my mind” or “until it gets hard”.

Luke 16:18

      18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

For those seeking marriage or married… the message is clear… it is for keeps. Take it seriously and do not make quick or rash decisions in how you select or later treat your spouse. Invest in the relationship.

For those who have divorced… if you have not yet done so, seek the forgiveness of our gracious and merciful Lord. If you seek to remarry or have remarried… see the advice above. Seek the Lord in prayer. While we know we can be forgiven, we should never make light of divorce. It is a sin that often tears apart families in destructive ways.

However, let us explore the context of the placement of this verse in Luke 16. It follows the parable of the unjust steward. Ellicott’s Commentary summarizes it as follows:

Here, again, the explanation that has been given of the parable of the Unjust Steward, offers the only satisfactory explanation of the introduction of a topic apparently so irrelevant. The doctrine and discipline of divorce which the Pharisees taught, lowering the sacredness of the life of home, and ministering to the growing laxity of men’s morals, was precisely what was meant by the steward’s bidding the debtors take their bill and write fifty, or fourscore measures, instead of the hundred.

Our culture is still making the same mistake that the Pharisees did. We continue to downplay sin such as divorce, abortion,  homosexuality, adultery, and fornication. It is almost normalized as acceptable behavior. This approach of changing or lowering the standards that YHWH set leads to cultural and moral decay, focused on and filled with unrepentant sin. All too often we find this attitude is true even within the community and churches of those who claim to follow Christ. They may say “it is not right for me, but we should let others live this way”.

I understand how one can make a mistake, repent, and be a follower of Christ. But truly, how can one claim to follow Christ while actively advocating for sin and against what He taught? That person does not know Him. Those who know Him should not be passive, but actively engaging against normalizing sin in our culture. This includes engagement in the community, the church, and yes… government.

Take some time to pray and ask for the Spirit to speak to you about where you stand and what you should do next to get involved in the fight for Christ and His values. Then listen and obey. Praying for our country and your local community and state for revival is a great place to start. Pray for the wicked to be defeated and the righteous to rise up.

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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.

Diligent / Hard Worker, Greed, Parables, Purposeful / Intentional, Righteousness / Serving God, Seeking God, Wise, Worldliness

A Lesson We Can Learn From The Worldy

Luke 16 documents a teaching from Yeshua which on the surface may be confusing to some… appearing as if Yeshua Praising The Unrighteousness Of A Servant To His Master. This is certainly not the case. It becomes obvious when studied in the broader context of scripture, however let’s look at the specific passage in Luke. However, there is a lesson for us as believers to pay attention to in this passage of scripture. Let’s be careful not to miss it.

Luke 16:1-9

The Unrighteous Steward

     1Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. 2“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5“And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6“And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7“Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8“And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

 The master praised the unrighteous steward only in his cleverness, not in his dishonest actions. Often the worldly, hungry for selfish gain, demonstrate great cleverness in their selfish pursuits.  They have a passion and are driven to accomplish their goals no matter what the barrier or setback. Followers of Christ, on the other hand, may often be susceptible to complacency and fail to pursue their relationship with Him as passionately and with as much drive as the unrighteous pursue their goals.

Further, we all have temporary access to resources in this life. We have different amounts we steward, but none of it is ours. It all belongs to our master, the Lord. Will we use it wisely and store up treasure in heaven for when we no longer have the opportunity to use it? or will we squander the opportunity just wasting it on ourselves and have nothing to show for it at the end of our lives? There is no one but God in whom we can invest that can help us in eternity.

Let us focus on the right object to pursue, the Father through Yeshua, but then also pursue Him with passion, drive, cleverness, even desperation greater than the unrighteous pursue their selfish gain. Settle not into complacency and “comfort zone”, but ambitiously pursue God and our relationship with Him. In this way we will live a fulfilling life pleasing to Him and store up treasure in heaven.

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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.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Faithful, Guide, Obeying God, Parables, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable, Worldliness

He Who Is Faithful In Little Things, Is Faithful In Much

Yeshua is teaching at several levels in Luke 16. The parable highlights the cleverness that those of the world often demonstrate in their pursuit of selfish gain and reminds us as believers that we should act with similar enthusiasm and desperation to seek and honor the Lord… though clearly we act with different motivations and goals.

At a broader level, the Lord is also reminding us of another lesson we each should take to heart…

Luke 16:10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

We should take heart. Every day we are alive we have an opportunity to honor and glorify YHWH through our actions and attitudes. The more we demonstrate we are worthy to be trusted as His servants, the more He trusts us with. This is not necessarily financial gain, but rather even richer treasure than money and gold… the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 16:1-16

      1Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. 2“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5“And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6“And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7“Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8“And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

      10“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12“And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

      14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. 15And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

      16“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.

The Pharisees are rebuked because they could not be trusted with the Law and the Prophets. They led the people astray. As such, they would not be trusted for YHWH to reveal to them the gospel of the kingdom of God. They could not see and understand who Yeshua was, because they were not trustworthy before YHWH. If they were genuine in their faith, their entire history and faith was leading them to look for Messiah to come. When He came, they missed it… because they were not trustworthy before the Lord in lesser things.

Devote yourself to prayer, worship, and Bible study. Set aside time to listen to the Lord and ask the Spirit to transform you from within to be trustworthy and loyal servant. Demonstrate your faith by obeying YHWH in small things He has already entrusted to you. He will trust you with more as time goes on and you demonstrate you are worthy of His trust. He will reveal to you the kingdom of God. Don’t miss it for want of temporary pleasures and gain of this world. There is no greater joy than walking in relationship with Him.

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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.

 

Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Righteous

A Call To Praise The Lord For His Righteousness

Psalms help us to focus on praise and worship in our relationship with YHWH. I find it uplifting to focus on Him and His righteousness and glory. It is an important part of our relationship with Him. Take care not to neglect it. Too often I focus on the wickedness and disobedience of the world, even many who claim to be Christian. What a great reminder of our righteous Creator who rules over all.

Psalm 98

    1O sing to the LORD a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

      2The LORD has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.

      3He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

      4Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.

      5Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
With the lyre and the sound of melody.

      6With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.

      7Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.

      8Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy

      9Before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And the peoples with equity.

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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.

Courage / Fear, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Prayer, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Spiritual Warfare, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Choose YHWH Instead of The World

When YHWH brought the people of Israel to the promised land, He did not instruct them to make friends with the wicked people there and accept them and all their sin in hopes that everyone would just get along together. YHWH was punishing these evil people and taking the land from them, while also delivering it to His chosen people.

Numbers 33:50-56

Law of Possessing the Land

     50Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 51“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places; 53and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54‘You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. 55‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. 56‘And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.’”

YHWH instructed Moses to drive out the inhabitants and destroy all their worship places and idols for their pagan gods. He gave also a clear warning that if this was not done, there would be consequences…  including ultimately His taking the land away from Israel because they would be corrupted by blending with pagan beliefs and practices instead of following His ways.

While we are not faced with a situation where YHWH has instructed us to go take a specific land and drive out pagans, we can certainly take heed from the warning He provides in this situation.

If we choose to accept and blend with, or even normalize pagan and ungodly practices within our society, then we as His people will be corrupted and become more and more separated from Him. Ultimately, He will remove His hand of blessing and punish us as a nation, even using pagans to do so. This is what happened to Israel. Why do we not take heed it may happen to us as well if we, as a nation, reject our Father and Creator. He gave us the United States of America as a unique and powerful nation founded on freedom and founded firmly in the Christian faith.

We can already see the moral decay in our society. In particular, we can see the grossly out of control federal government taking away more and more freedom from the people and the states. Many people choose to rely on the government rather than YHWH. We see adultery and fornication abounding and normalized. The murder of the unborn is not just accepted but celebrated and funded by the government on a grand scale. Education systems and news media have been corrupted and are propaganda tools for rejecting God and all He tells us to do.

Pray for revival. Do not accept the world’s ways.  Pray for your church family around the world and for the Father to raise up community, state, and national leaders who will lead us boldly toward YHWH rather than away from Him. Then ask Him to show you what your role will be and help you to accomplish it.

If you want revival, pray for it and then act as if you are part of bringing it forward by how you live your life. Revival only comes when we actively challenge the accepted pagan practices. It comes with conflict from those who do not want to change. It requires courage and faith.

We can not create revival by our own efforts without YHWH. The battle is not one of flesh but spiritual and it is YHWH who must move in the hearts of those who do not yet know Him to bring about change.

Ephesians 6:12-13

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.

John 6:44

44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

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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.

Evidence in Scripture, Faithful, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Guide, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Thankfulness

Review Your Journey With The Lord

Numbers 33 is perhaps an easy passage of scripture to quickly pass over on the thought that it is simply a recap of what we have already read. It does provide some historical evidence to the story to help demonstrate the reality that the Bible is not a “made up book” or a book of stories like Aesop’s Fables, but an actual historical account of YHWH’s relationship with His people. If simply making up a book of stories, who would bother to include detailed historical accounts such as this one?

More than that, I am struck by the feeling that YHWH is encouraging us to periodically look back at the journey we have traveled when we follow Him. Moses was reviewing a journey that was both physical / geographical and also spiritual as the people journeyed from slavery to freedom… from bondage to Egyptians to freedom to serve our Father and Creator.

For me, I can reflect on the journey the Lord has led me on over the past 20 years in particular. There were battles (not literal warfare), there were times of victory and defeat, there was a growing relationship between myself and my Father. There were changes in how I lived my life and what my priorities were. There were changes in how I spent my time and my money. There were changes in how my family lives our daily lives and how we celebrate holy days now according to YHWH’s instruction rather than traditions of men. There are changes in how we help and support others in the body of Christ more joyfully.

While we still have further to go with the Lord, it is good to reflect on how far we have come with Him and His patience and lovingkindness to lead us along the way as we learn and change with His help.

Numbers 33:1-49

Review of the Journey from Egypt to Jordan

     1These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, by which they came out from the land of Egypt by their armies, under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the LORD, and these are their journeys according to their starting places. 3They journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the next day after the Passover the sons of Israel started out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the LORD had struck down among them. The LORD had also executed judgments on their gods.

      5Then the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses and camped in Succoth. 6They journeyed from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. 7They journeyed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol. 8They journeyed from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. 9They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. 10They journeyed from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. 11They journeyed from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12They journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13They journeyed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14They journeyed from Alush and camped at Rephidim; now it was there that the people had no water to drink. 15They journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. 16They journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

      17They journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18They journeyed from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19They journeyed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. 20They journeyed from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. 21They journeyed from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22They journeyed from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah. 23They journeyed from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24They journeyed from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25They journeyed from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26They journeyed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27They journeyed from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28They journeyed from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29They journeyed from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30They journeyed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31They journeyed from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. 32They journeyed from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33They journeyed from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. 34They journeyed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35They journeyed from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. 36They journeyed from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is, Kadesh. 37They journeyed from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

      38Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come from the land of Egypt, on the first day in the fifth month. 39Aaron was one hundred twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

      40Now the Canaanite, the king of Arad who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the sons of Israel.

      41Then they journeyed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42They journeyed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43They journeyed from Punon and camped at Oboth. 44They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, at the border of Moab. 45They journeyed from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46They journeyed from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47They journeyed from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. 48They journeyed from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 49They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

Take time to reflect on the your journey with YHWH. You may even want to write it down in a journal. Don’t rush it. Set aside time to prayerfully and reflectively go through it. Share it with someone you trust. Give thanks to Him for leading you and waiting on your progress. Ask Him what changes you need to continue to make and ask Him for His grace to help you make those changes. Continue the journey to grow closer to the Lord.

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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