Category Archives: Hearing from God

Baptism, Father / Yahweh, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Speaking, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation/Tempting

The Significance of Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation: Insights from Mark’s Gospel

All four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are written at the prompting and divine inspiration of Yahweh. However, they are influenced by the men through whom Yahweh worked to write them and by the audiences they were intended to reach (e.g. Jew or Gentile). There are common threads throughout all the gospels which unite them and demonstrate consistency, and yet they cover history from different perspectives and with different focuses.

Mark begins his gospel by first telling us quickly about John the Baptist and then moves immediately to the baptism of Jesus. He does not dwell on the birth of Christ or even His eternal existence, the word of God that existed in the beginning, as the other gospels do. Mark begins with Jesus’ earthly ministry as a starting point.

Mark 1:9-13

The Baptism of Jesus

      9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

      12Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.

Let us pause, then to reflect, that the baptism is significant as it symbolically indicates the start of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Jesus did not need to be cleansed or make a public commitment in order to obey the Father or serve Him, but Jesus is showing us that there is value in publicly declaring your faith before witnesses.

It is interesting to note that the Father was well pleased with Jesus even before He started His public ministry. The Father knows our hearts and is pleased with us based on our love and desire for obedience to Him… our faith. He does not wait for us to demonstrate great works to be pleased with us, though works done consistent with God’s word and for His glory are wonderful and do please Him.

We could cross reference other gospels to get more information about the baptism and about the temptation in the wilderness, but Mark moves through these items quickly… though he does indeed include them here.

One observation I believe to be true is that, as with the case of Jesus, Satan will come against those who are trying to surrender their lives to Yahweh by following in the example of Jesus. Satan came to tempt Jesus when He was weakened (fasting) and alone (in the wilderness) and quickly after Jesus publicly declared His submission to the Father through baptism. Satan will try to derail and discourage new believers in this way. We must take heed to support them at this vulnerable moment as they begin their journey with Christ.

Keep a sharp eye out and pray the Holy Spirit would guide you to find and support those new believers when they need your help most. Then choose to take the time to help them, even if you are busy and it is not convenient.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

Discerning / Judging, False Prophets / Teachers, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Prophecy, Prophecy, Through Prophets

Unveiling Deceptive Appearances: God’s Messengers and the Call to Discernment

One of the common threads throughout scripture is that the world at large will reject the messengers that are truly sent from  Yahweh. Over and over again, those who speak the truth and represent our Creator and Lord without concern for self bring forth much anger and rejection from many. We must choose carefully whom we follow. Let us not be deceived by slick salesmen who seem popular, but only look out for themselves. Rather, we are to dig deeper and compare what is taught with the word of God. Do not be distracted by style and appearance. Often it is those we least expect that bring forth the powerful truth of God.

Naturally, we can point to Jesus… He was ultimately plotted against and murdered by those who did not want the truth of God to interfere with their grip on power… their rules and teachings. This is evident by reading through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We could look back to Isaiah and see from prophecy that Jesus was not a striking figure to grab attention by the standards of men.  A full reading of Isaiah 53 is worth the time to read the prophecy about our Messiah, Jesus. I encourage you to click through and read it completely. For this article I am highlighting a portion to make the point that God’s messengers do not always come in the packages that we, as men, tend to look for through our eyes.  Jesus was not striking in appearance, nor did He come from a town of significance in the minds of the culture at the time.

Isaiah 53:1-3

     1Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

      2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

      3He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

So, too, with King David… God’s prophet Samuel kept looking upon David’s brothers and judging physical features, but God chooses differently. God chooses based on the heart and he chose the son who was so unexpected by man that even his own father did not bring him in for the occasion to line up before Samuel.

1 Samuel 16: 6-11

      6When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.” 7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 9Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 10Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”

Just to make the point with one more example… let us look at John the Baptist. A man sent by God, prophesied long in advance. He was not a “prototypical” teacher or preacher. His dress and lifestyle was very different. Even where he conducted his ministry was different.

Mark 1:1-8

Preaching of John the Baptist

      1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

      2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY;

      3THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.’”

4John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. 7And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. 8“I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In the case of Jesus, David, John and many more… the appearance was deceptive. Those who brought the truth came presented in a different manner than through the “established” religion of formal teachers and synagogues. Let us be careful to not jump quickly to conclusions about teachers based on their appearance or the size and typical nature of their ministry. Let us test each and every one against the truth of the gospel. Also, God’s message calls us to change, which many don’t want to do. This becomes another reason many will reject God’s true messengers. They want to stay how they are and not repent or change to follow God’s ways more completely. Quite often, those bringing the truth of God’s word appear in unexpected places and with unexpected styles and with a challenging message that calls us to action.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy Spirit (hearing from God), Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Traditions / Holidays

Spirit Ignited: Embracing Pentecost and the Feast of Weeks

Many Christians have heard of Pentecost and remember it as the time to celebrate and remember when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in the early church believers after the death and resurrection of Christ. This truly is a holy day worth celebrating. Our Father sent a Helper to dwell among us… to teach us and lead us as His people. The Spirit dwells among believers today, though many have been taught to dismiss the Spirit as an active part of experiencing relationship with our Father in our daily lives. Others, in their enthusiasm to experience the Spirit attribute much to the Spirit, even when it is only their own insight or instinct. We don’t, as a culture, know how to relate to and experience the Spirit in our lives anymore.

Pentecost is a wonderful event that followers of Christ should want to remember given that we are promised the Holy Spirit dwells in all of us. What a great reminder that we have that Helper from our Creator to guide and teach us… to comfort and counsel us. We are not alone in trying to live our lives obedient and pleasing to the Lord as we face hardship in this world.

Acts 2

The Day of Pentecost

 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

5Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8“And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? 9“Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” 12And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”

Peter’s Sermon

14But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15“For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

17‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;

18EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,
I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT
And they shall prophesy.

19‘AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE
AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW,
BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.

20‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS
AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD,
BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.

21‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

22“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

25“For David says of Him,
‘I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE;
FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.

26‘THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED;
MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE;

27BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES,
NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.

28‘YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE;
YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’

29“Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30“And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, 31he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. 32“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33“Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

34“For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:
‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

35UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’
36“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The Ingathering

37Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Reading through Acts 2, we are reminded of the power of the Holy Spirit in us. What an inspiring event! Look at how Peter was transformed from the man who denied Christ three times as he followed to see what would become of Him on the way to crucifixion into now a powerful man of God addressing large crowds and bringing many to the Lord.

If we dig a bit deeper, note that the very beginning of this scripture identifies that the day of Pentecost was drawing near, and many had gathered for it… before the Holy Spirit showed up. This day already had significance. It is often referred to as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot by Jewish people.

As an important side note, we see that Yeshua’s disciples were still following the law even after He had died and risen. The law is still our guide, but we must understand it properly and what has changed with the death of Christ. Spoiler alert: most of it has not changed. (Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean Today?)

Pentecost is simply Greek for “50 days”. It was applied to this day because the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, was a festival to be observed seven weeks from the second day of the Passover. Since seven weeks times seven days per week is 49 days… the day after would be 50.

The Feast of Weeks is the second of three major Jewish festivals with the others being Passover and Feast of Tabernacles. This celebration corresponds to when the first fruits of the wheat harvest were offered to the Lord. Many also traditionally associate it with commemorating the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, though that is not clear from scripture.

Leviticus 34:22-24

22“You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. 23“Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24“For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

Leviticus 23:15-21

15‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 16‘You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. 17‘You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. 18‘Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. 19‘You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20‘The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21‘On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

Numbers 28:26-31

26‘Also on the day of the first fruits, when you present a new grain offering to the LORD in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. 27‘You shall offer a burnt offering for a soothing aroma to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs one year old; 28and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 29a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 30also one male goat to make atonement for you. 31‘Besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, you shall present them with their drink offerings. They shall be without defect.

I am still personally coming up to speed on some of historical context and rich meaning behind the feasts of the Lord as He instructed in the Old Testament. There is much to be studied and appreciated there. Our Father makes a habit of tying together the Old and New Testament events. Often one is a foreshadowing of another, not one a replacement of the other. For example, Jesus was crucified at Passover. This was not coincidence. As Passover celebrates God’s people being set free from slavery in Egypt by the mighty power of God, so too Jesus death and resurrection on the cross should be celebrated as setting His people free from slavery to sin.

Consider also, then that the Holy Spirit being sent to the believers after the death of Christ on Pentecost. This is not coincidence. God intended the two to be linked. We must then explore the Old Testament to fully understand what God is telling us in the New. Tradition holds that the law was given at Mt Sinai on Shavuot. If this is true, then once again God has linked the giving of the law with the giving of the Holy Spirit. One does not replace the other, but rather they foreshadow and complement one another.

Consider a homework assignment… a challenge for each of you who are hungry to seek the Lord. Put some time aside for additional study of Pentecost and how the Old Testament feast foreshadows the coming of the Holy Spirit to our lives.

As a start, I am beginning with my family to set aside the day of Pentecost as a Sabbath day of rest as God instructed. We will discuss the significance of both the Feast of Weeks and Pentecost. Both are worthy to be remembered and celebrated.

You can study more about the creators calendar using sites like Hebrew4Christians.com or Psalm119Ministries (select Time: Our Creators Calendar to see collection of videos available). You can learn about what the scripture says about these holy days, when they occur, why God told us to celebrate Shavuot, and traditions.

There is some debate amongst different sources as to the date of the Passover and thus Shavuot/Pentecost each year. Don’t let this discourage you from getting started celebrating and studying God’s holy days.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

Holy Spirit (hearing from God), Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News, Teachable

Let the Spirit Be Our Teacher Rather than Men

Seminary and church teaching can be useful if the theology is taught properly. However, in many cases, it is not the Spirit of God that leads the men who run seminaries. They are led by the spirit of men trying to run a business or a broad church organization or perhaps well intended but not fully understanding the depth of scripture themselves. We must always go back to the gospel itself and the Spirit of God to teach us. We can use other study tools to help, of course. Consider that none of the core disciples (later apostles) of Yeshua had formal seminary teaching from religious leaders. They were common men taught by Christ and later led by the Spirit.

Paul, who did have formal teaching from a respected teacher, was prosecuting Christians and clinging to the doctrine of men. That is until Paul had a personal and dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. It changed him forever.

Galatians 1:11-24

Paul Defends His Ministry

     11For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

      13For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. 15But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased 16to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

      18Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20(Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; 23but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24And they were glorifying God because of me.

It may be well to study at seminary if you pick the right one, but never take as gospel the doctrine of men. Test it always against the word of Yahweh in the Bible. Take note also, that the Spirit will not contradict the word of God. When we think we have heard from the Spirit, we can often test what we think we heard against God’s written word for confirmation. Pray for the Lord to guide you. Be willing to challenge common and “accepted” teaching based on what scripture says. Seek to please the Lord rather than other church members or leadership or friends or family. Look for pastors that do the same.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

All Powerful / King of All, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Humility, Protector / Deliverer, Strong in Our Weakness, Visions

Boast Not in Our Own Strength But in Our Weakness

What a confusing concept… do not boast of your own strength, but rather boast of your weakness. This is clearly God’s way and not mans’ way. Paul has reason to boast in himself if he would find it profitable, but he does not. When we boast in our strength, we put the focus on us and our accomplishments rather than God. Better we should boast in our weakness, thus focusing the spotlight on the power and glory of our Father in heaven who may accomplish mighty things through us. His strength is demonstrated best in our weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:1-6

Paul’s Vision

     1Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 5On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. 6For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

Be humble. Always point to the Spirit, Christ, and the Father rather than yourself. Boast in their power and glory. Praise them rather than yourself… no matter what our Creator has done through you or revealed to you.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

Faith / Trusting God, How do I get started?, Obeying God, Speaking, Strong in Our Weakness, Visions

We Can All Learn Something from How God Called Jeremiah

How many of us can learn from how God called Jeremiah to encourage and inspire us to follow God’s calling on our own lives?

When Jeremiah was called by God, he did not have confidence in himself. He did not have the experience to know how to do on his own power that for which he was called.  God basically told him, don’t think that way. Put your trust in me to direct your speech and your path.

God then called him to engage the people, warning Jeremiah that the people would fight against him. However, God warned / encouraged him not to be dismayed  in front of the people. God assured Jeremiah that though the people would fight against him, they would not overcome him as God would deliver him.

Imagine yourself in Jeremiah’s place, and God assuring you of these same promises for whatever He is calling you to do in His name. Let that encourage you. You are not doing it on your own!

Jeremiah 1

Jeremiah’s Call and Commission

      1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

      4Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,

      5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

      6Then I said, “Alas, Lord GOD!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because I am a youth.”

      7But the LORD said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And all that I command you, you shall speak.

      8“Do not be afraid of them,
For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

9Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me,
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

      10“See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”

The Almond Rod and Boiling Pot

      11The word of the LORD came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” 12Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”

      13The word of the LORD came to me a second time saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. 15“For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the LORD; “and they will come and they will set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah. 16“I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17“Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. 18“Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. 19“They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

Pray and thank God that He is with us to deliver us for whatever mission He calls upon us to do. Ask Him to show you and help you put full trust in Him to do what He asks of you.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

Hearing from God, Love, Parables

Yeshua (Jesus) is the Good Shepherd

A good shepherd loves his sheep, lays down his life for his sheep. A good shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know his voice and will follow him. Jesus uses this elegant metaphor to describe His love for us in John 10:11-17.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

This is a beautiful scripture giving us insight about Jesus and His love for us as His flock.

  • Jesus loves us enough to willingly lay down His life for us.
  • Jesus wants us to hear His voice and follow Him.
  • The better we know Jesus, the more clearly we will recognize His voice.
  • We may see ourselves as a collection of small flocks around the world each following Jesus, but Jesus sees all His sheep as part of a single flock following a single, good shepherd.

Whenever possible, we should work together across denominational or geographical boundaries with our brothers and sisters in Christ across the world. We are one flock. We should all be striving to hear and follow the instructions of our good shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

 

Courage / Fear, Protector / Deliverer, Speaking, Strong in Our Weakness, Study the Word

Be Strong and Courageous

Moses’ introduction to the leadership role of the Israelite people is unforgettable. He represented the people before Pharaoh as God unleashed the 10 plagues on Egypt.  Then Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, through the wilderness and eventually to the promised land. He was there for many miracles including manna from heaven to feed the people and water from rocks to quench their thirst. Undeniably Moses had a special and very strong relationship with God.

When God called upon Joshua to lead the Israelites, it must have seemed quite a challenge to Joshua to follow a great leader like Moses. Joshua had been at Moses’ side for a long time and thus had experience in leading his people. Joshua was well prepared to fill the role. Still, God took time to provide Joshua with both clear instruction and encouragement to help him get off to a strong start.

Joshua 1:1-9

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God provided Joshua with both clear instruction and encouragement, just as He did for Moses at the burning bush.  God did not want Joshua to doubt himself in the new role or be timid. After all, the first task was to lead Israel into battle.

God also did not say “Do whatever you want and you will succeed anyway.” God instructed Joshua on several elements critical to his success:

  • Be strong and courageous in following God’s direction.
  • Carefully obey all the instructions Moses gave you.
  • Study this Book of instruction continually… obey everything written in it
  • Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Whether God asks us to lead a million people or just to conduct ourselves through our daily lives, He calls us all to use the same formula for success. Be strong and courageous in following God. Study and obey His word carefully. Do not be afraid or discouraged no matter what we face for the Lord our God is with us.

Shalom. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

Speaking, Through Prophets

Sometimes God Speaks in a Gentle Whisper

There are times no doubt when God speaks in dramatic ways. The burning bush to speak to Moses, sending angels to talk to Mary and Joseph, speaking to Samuel in an audible voice while he was asleep as a child. However, there are also many times when God speaks in a whisper. If we are not listening closely to Him… waiting and expecting to hear from Him… we will miss what He has to tell us.

1 Kings 19:10-18

But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi[b] to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

We must wholeheartedly seek God and expect to hear from Him if we are to actually hear His voice when He calls. Prepare yourself by studying His word daily, praying to Him, expecting Him to answer, and by tuning out the selfish, sinful messages of the world.  

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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

How do I get started?, Jesus (hearing from God), Scripture (e.g. Bible)

Jesus Is Calling You to Follow Him

When Jesus began His ministry He had no disciples, no followers, and no-one knew Him outside of His close friends and family. He was a humble carpenter.

What He did have was a strong relationship with God and a deep understanding of scripture because of years of careful study. He preached boldly and without apology.

In Matthew 4:18-22 we see Jesus call His first disciples, who were fisherman. He connected with them immediately by using a metaphor that they could understand.

18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

Jesus’ disciples responded quickly and decisively when He called. There is no indication that they, as fisherman, had any previous relationship with Jesus upon which to draw to trust Him. They did not have a full understanding of His ministry and teaching when they chose to follow Him.

The disciples had to decide to follow Jesus first… and that led them to the opportunity to spend years growing to know Him and His teaching intimately. And later, with the Holy Spirit as their helper they were formidable indeed as they spread the good news of the gospel to sometimes friendly, but often hostile audiences.

The same is true for us today. If we decide not to follow Jesus until we understand all of His word in the Bible, we will never follow Him. It is only by the bold decision to follow Him that we will study and learn more about God’s word and develop that intimate relationship with God that transforms our lives in the image of Christ.

Are you following Jesus with all your heart or are you holding something back? He is calling each of us to come to Him wholeheartedly. Do not wait until you have all the answers… follow Him today!

Take a few minutes to pray and ask God to show you how to get started. Thank Him for inviting us even when we are not worthy.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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