Category Archives: Obeying God

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Jehovah Cares How We Worship Him

Jehovah’s people were at a point of great transition. A generation had died in the wilderness (due to disobedience to enter the promised land the first time) and a new generation was being prepared to take the promised land. Jehovah was transitioning their leadership from Moses to Joshua. At this point, our Father saw fit to remind His people about His laws for offerings, about how they were to worship Him. It was important to Him that the people worship Him the way He decides, and not the way the pagans worship their gods or the way the people decide for themselves to worship Him. He has very specific instructions in many cases. They should not be ignored.

Numbers 28

Laws for Offerings

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.’ 3“You shall say to them, ‘This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day. 4‘You shall offer the one lamb in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 5also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil. 6‘It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai as a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 7‘Then the drink offering with it shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb, in the holy place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the LORD. 8‘The other lamb you shall offer at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the LORD.

      9‘Then on the sabbath day two male lambs one year old without defect, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering: 10‘This is the burnt offering of every sabbath in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

      11‘Then at the beginning of each of your months you shall present a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 12and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, for each bull; and two-tenths of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, for the one ram; 13and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering for each lamb, for a burnt offering of a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 14‘Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull and a third of a hin for the ram and a fourth of a hin for a lamb; this is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year. 15‘And one male goat for a sin offering to the LORD; it shall be offered with its drink offering in addition to the continual burnt offering.

      16‘Then on the fourteenth day of the first month shall be the LORD’S Passover. 17‘On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast, unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days. 18‘On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. 19‘You shall present an offering by fire, a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls and one ram and seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect. 20‘For their grain offering, you shall offer fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for a bull and two-tenths for the ram. 21‘A tenth of an ephah you shall offer for each of the seven lambs; 22and one male goat for a sin offering to make atonement for you. 23‘You shall present these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. 24‘After this manner you shall present daily, for seven days, the food of the offering by fire, of a soothing aroma to the LORD; it shall be presented with its drink offering in addition to the continual burnt offering. 25‘On the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.

      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.

With the sacrifice of Yeshua for our sins… His death was sufficient for all time and we no longer need carry out these sacrifices. However, let us not be too quick to throw out all the instructions the Lord provided. Those celebrations and worship such as Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and Feast of Weeks are still worth celebrating in order to honor the Lord and remember who He is and that He reigns and He has done (and still does) mighty miracles amongst His people. These festivals with associated feasts and Sabbaths can be a great way to focus our worship on Him and build our relationship with Him as well as teach our children about the history of God with His people.

Jehovah cares how we worship Him. He does not want us to just make up our own way of worshipping Him or worshipping Him the way the pagans worship their false gods. Let us honor Him in obedience as we worship.

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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.

Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Seeking God, Teachable

What Shall I Do To Inherit Eternal Life?

What shall I do to inherit eternal life? This question figures prominently in the lives of many throughout the world and throughout time. You may hear many different answers, but only one is correct. Let’s explore how Yeshua answered this question.

Luke 10:25-37

      25And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 28And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” 29But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Good Samaritan

     30Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31“And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32“Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33“But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35“On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

The good Samaritan provides an excellent example of who our neighbor is and how we may help one another. However, just “helping” people is not the full answer. Loving God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind goes much deeper than just helping other people. Even loving people goes much further than just helping them. Helping people is a symptom of loving them but could also just be a willful choice absent of love.

If we truly love God, we must submit to God fully all aspects of our lives. This is not just a check list of going to church, helping people, being nice, etc. This means developing a meaningful relationship with Him through prayer and study of the Bible. It is inviting the Holy Spirit who dwells within us to guide us and fill us more fully. It is being still and seeking the Lord. It is all these things and more for a lifetime, not just an hour a week or once or twice a year.

Most of us intuitively know that our marriages and relationships fail if we do not invest time seeking to really know one another. Imagine a marriage relationship in which a husband or wife only talks to a spouse and never listens. What if they always tell the spouse what they want and then walk away until the next time they tell the spouse what they want again? What if they only spent an hour a week on Sundays with their spouse and ignored them the rest of the time? What if they continued to do things that hurt their spouse because they never bothered to learn about their spouse. Does this sound like a healthy relationship? Nope.

Then let us not treat our relationship with God this way. Instead let us rejoice in spending time seeking Him, praying, studying His word, being still and listening. Let it be every day and throughout the day.  Let us obey His word and what directions the Holy Spirit provides us. Let us be willing to change our lives for our Father, dramatically if necessary. His will be done rather than our own.

When we do this, then we will be on the path to loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then, through His Spirit within us, we will also be more ready to truly love our neighbor. Then the act of helping is driven by love and “want to” rather than “should” or “have to” or “feel guilty not to”. This is when we are truly loving our neighbor.

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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.

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Accept His Rebuke Graciously and Humbly and Focus On His Mission

Moses was a wonderful, but imperfect man. He served the Lord faithfully for many years. He made some mistakes. One such mistake is recorded in Numbers 20:8-13 where He disobeyed the Lord and struck a rock rather than speaking to it as God commanded Him. He was rebuked by God and as a consequence of his disobedience he was not allowed to go with the people into the promised land.

With that quick background highlighted, let us see how Moses responds when he faces the consequences of his actions before God. Does he complain? make excuses? refuse to do God’s will? stop caring about his role as leader of the people?

He does none of these. Instead, he accepts the rebuke graciously and with humility, focusing on the needs of the people. He continues in his role as their leader, seeking God’s help to identify a replacement leader for them once he is gone.

Numbers 27:12-23

      12Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. 13“When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was; 14for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

Joshua to Succeed Moses

     15Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16“May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 17who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” 18So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. 20“You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. 21“Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation.” 22Moses did just as the LORD commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

We all make mistakes. We are all worthy to be rebuked from time to time by the Lord. Let us ask the Spirit to help us to be as humble and  graceful as Moses was before the Lord in accepting the consequences of our actions. We should focus then on how we continue with the mission God has called us to do rather than “pouting” or giving up or getting bitter like a spoiled child who is corrected by his or her parents.

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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.

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Do Things God’s Way Rather Than Your Own

No matter who we are, when we choose to do things our way instead of God’s way… there are consequences.

Moses was a faithful and amazing leader and had a very close relationship with our heavenly Father. However, the Lord knew that Moses understood and consciously choose to do things his way by hitting the rock instead of speaking to it. That is called rebellion against God, no matter who you are and what you have done before according to His will. There are consequences. After an incredible journey side by side with the Lord, Moses never got to enter the promised land.

Numbers 20:8-13

The Water of Meribah

     8“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

      9So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; 10and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” 11Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

Numbers 27:12-14

     12Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. 13“When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was; 14for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

We can have a debate about why Moses made this choice after such a close relationship with the Lord, but that is a matter for another time. Let us take heed that the closer our relationship with the Lord, the more clearly we understand His instruction, the more He expects us to obey and may hold us accountable if we choose to rebel and do things our own way.

Pray for the Spirit to help us hear and obey the Lord and do things His way rather than our own. Let us not make excuses for not doing things His way but trust Him and do as He instructs.

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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.

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Yeshua Is The Way, The Truth, And The Life

Luke 9:24

    24“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

Some will dismiss it as nonsense because they do not have eyes to see. However, for those of us whom the Holy Spirit guides we can see much more in this statement. We must lay down our own selfish desires and plans and submit to Christ. By submitting to Him we will find true life through Christ.

John 14:6

6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

If we strive and struggle to save our live… our desires and plans… our vision for life… then we will lose it, chasing all the wrong things.

Psalm 46:10

10“Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Let us put Christ first. Putting Him first means we will choose sometimes the path that is difficult in this wicked world. We must “pick up our cross daily and follow [Jesus]”. The cross was hard, brutal in fact, but above all, selfless and devoted to the Father’s will.

Luke 9:23-27

    23And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25“For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? 26“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27“But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Let us proclaim our love for Him and His love for us. Let us not be ashamed of Him before men. There are serious consequences to this. Jesus, Himself, says He will deny before the Father those who deny Him before men. Don’t rush over that statement. Pause on it and reflect. Are you acknowledging Jesus publically and broadly? or are you silent, trying not to offend those who reject Him?

Let us put Christ first rather than all the things that the world tells us to chase, even when it seems hard.

Matthew 6:33

33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Truly what good is it to have all the selfish desire we may want in this world… to succeed beyond the wildest imagination of the worldly… if we lose our relationship with Christ and end up without Him in this world and eternity beyond?

Luke 9:25

25“For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

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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.

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When God Says “Go Do”, He Will Provide The “How To”

It is incredible sometimes how hard it is for us as followers of Christ to change the way we think. We are naturally drawn to think of how we solve problems and what our limitations are. When we try to do something or even when God tells us to do something, we often default to evaluating the request based on whether or not we can do it in our own power. We do not naturally think about God’s unlimited power and that if He asks us to do something, then He will provide the power needed to make it happen. It is hard for us to obey without thinking about our strategy to get it done. That is where faith needs to come in.

Luke 9:12-17

Five Thousand Fed

     12Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” 13But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” 14(For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” 15They did so, and had them all sit down. 16Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. 17And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.

I certainly can identify in my life a strong tendency to plan out whatever I am trying to do. When I plan it out, I do not know how to figure in the power of God, so I tend to look for how I can make it happen on my own. Over the past years, however, the Spirit has really been working on me and helping me grow in this area. I am so grateful that our Lord, Creator of all, cares enough about each of us to get involved in our lives and help us. He loves us and is worthy of praise and obedience!

Now when He asks me to do something challenging, I am getting much better at praying for Him to show me how and when and relying less and less on my plans to make it happen. Sometimes the “ask” is so simple and within my own power it is easy to go make it happen. It just takes willingness to obey and put His desire over mine. Of course even giving us the willingness to submit to His will is something we can ask the Spirit to help us with.

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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.

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Follow God’s Plan Rather Than Your Own

When God is on the move, He commands attention even from those who reject Him and His messengers. They have stubbornly decided to reject Him, but they can’t ignore what He is doing either. It perplexes them, confuses them.  Such was the case with Herod observing the ministry of the twelve.

Luke 9:1-11

Ministry of the Twelve

     1And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. 3And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. 4“Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. 5“And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

      7Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again. 9Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.

Perhaps one could wonder… with such power for miracles to get the attention and interest of one like Herod,  why didn’t the disciples go to Herod to convince Him of Christ as Messiah. Influencing someone important such as Herod would do much for the cause of Christ.

The simple answer is that we are to listen to and obey the Lord’s instructions. Jesus sent the disciples into the various towns, not to Herod. We are to humbly and respectfully obey and trust the Lord to manage the strategy of how He wants to use our service to influence others. Let us not try to make our own plans for how we will serve God and then ask Him to bless them. Rather, let us listen closely to what He tells us to do and then obey. If we are going about doing His will, He will give us the power to accomplish what He asks.

There are times, such as with John the Baptist and Paul and Old Testament prophets, where they were sent to the kings and leaders for teaching, preaching, council and rebuke. There are other times when our Lord sends us directly to the people. Listen for and accept the assignment He gives you. Don’t try to pick the assignment and then ask Him to bless it.

Trust in the Lord. His ways are above our ways. He has a masterful and flawless plan. Only He can see how it flows in its entirety from beginning to end in all the glorious detail that He leads us through.

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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.

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Even Demons Know Yeshua Is Son Of The Most High God

There is much to be explored and considered in the historical account of Yeshua curing a man who was demon possessed.

Luke 8:26-39

The Demoniac Cured

    26Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. 28Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” 29For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. 30And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

      32Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. 33And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

      34When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. 35The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. 36Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. 37And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. 38But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Demons are real. They are not imagined or subjects of stories. Demons are not your friends and they do not have your best interest at heart. For those who open themselves up to demons and become possessed, their own body becomes a cruel and inhumane prison.

The demons recognize and acknowledge that Yeshua is the “Son of the Most High God”. However, they do not follow Him or submit to Him as Lord. They are doomed to eternity in hell. Knowing and admitting that Yeshua is God is not enough to be saved. We must surrender and submit to Him and make Him Lord of our life.

The demons have no power over Yeshua. In fact He has absolute power over them. We can be rescued by and through Yeshua from them. You do not have to wait to be demon possessed to seek Yeshua as Lord… seek Him now. Make Him Lord of your life now.

Watch how the people responded to this miraculous and obvious curing of the man. They knew the man was possessed. However, they were frightened not by him but by the fact that Yeshua set him free! They asked Yeshua to leave because of it. Those who do not have eyes to see will act with hostility toward Christ and those who follow Him. They will reject and push Him away though He perform miracles in front of their eyes.

The man desperately wanted to go with Yeshua. Who could blame him! However, Yeshua wanted him to remain as continuing testimony to the people to think about every time they saw him. He was obedient and submitted to the Lord and followed the Lord’s instruction even though it was opposite what he himself desired. He became a bold witness for Christ where Christ wanted him… not where he wanted to be by his plans or logic.

Prayerfully reflect on how to apply this teaching in your life. Let the Spirit guide you. Submit to where He prompts you to go and what He prompts you to do. Pray He would open your eyes to the miracles of God around us and help us to submit and obey to the Lord’s will, even when it directly contradicts what you desire.

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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.

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Submitting to and Accepting the Lord’s Will

In Numbers 22 and 23, Balak tried over and over to get Balaam to curse Israel. He tried with money and from different angles and locations. Balaam consistently indicated he could only bless or curse according to the Lord. The power comes from the Lord and he could not just pick or force God to act in a way contrary to what God decides. Balak was clearly used to getting his way and was persistent. However, each time Balaam would ask the Lord about it, he would be instructed to bless rather than curse Israel, resulting in multiple blessings for Israel.

In Numbers 24 we see that Balaam finally has a clear understanding of what God’s position is on the subject. He no longer even seeks “omens” to discern God’s will in hopes or thoughts that it will bring back a different answer. Now, he is confident in the Lord’s decision and that it will not change. Balaam has accepted it and embraced it. Having done so, the Spirit of God came upon Him.

Numbers 24

The Prophecy from Peor

     1When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

3He took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;

      4The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,

      5How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!

      6“Like valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens beside the river,
Like aloes planted by the LORD,
Like cedars beside the waters.

      7“Water will flow from his buckets,
And his seed will be by many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.

      8“God brings him out of Egypt,
He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.
He will devour the nations who are his adversaries,
And will crush their bones in pieces,
And shatter them with his arrows.

      9“He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

      10Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times! 11“Therefore, flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the LORD has held you back from honor.” 12Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying, 13‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak’? 14“And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”

      15He took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

      16The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.

      17“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth.

      18“Edom shall be a possession,
Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.

      19“One from Jacob shall have dominion,
And will destroy the remnant from the city.”

      20And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said,
“Amalek was the first of the nations,
But his end shall be destruction.”

      21And he looked at the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,
“Your dwelling place is enduring,
And your nest is set in the cliff.

      22“Nevertheless Kain will be consumed;
How long will Asshur keep you captive?”

      23Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Alas, who can live except God has ordained it?

      24“But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber;
So they also will come to destruction.”

      25Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Let us challenge ourselves to seek out the Lord and submit to His instruction rather than holding to our own. Balak demonstrates the futility of trying to constantly manipulate or coerce God to a different position based on location or other details of how we ask. We can not control God. We can, as His children, come before Him and ask and even ask multiple times, but we should do so with a submitted heart which accepts what He tells us. Let us not keep trying to manipulate the outcome, but rather have a genuine heart to heart relationship with the Lord. Once we see the Lord has spoken clearly and consistently on an issue, it is good for us to follow the example of Balaam and focus on accepting or embracing His decision rather than continuing to ask for a different answer over and over.

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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.

Am I on the path?, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Free Will, Obeying God, Seeking God

What Do Your Build Your Life Upon?

We should each pause long enough from our busy schedules to prayerfully consider what we are building our lives upon. Take care not to gloss over this question. It is easy to just quickly declare we are living for the Lord and not really ask Him if to show us if that is true. Note that Jesus indicates the listeners are calling Him Lord, but not really obeying what He tells them to do. Many today make this very same mistake. Do we truly do what He says? Have we taken the time to study His word personally and pray to understand what He says? or are we only listening to what others tell us He says?

If we build our lives upon anything but Jesus Christ, then we will certainly fail… in this life and in the next.

Luke 6:46-49

Builders and Foundations

     46“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49“But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

I urge each of us to not ignore that many who declare they follow Jesus are actually not doing so… and many of those don’t even realize it. Don’t just glaze over this. Stop. Study. Pray. Listen.

It is not enough to say we follow the Lord and not do so.  Ignorance of His instruction is not an excuse for disobeying Him any more than it would be for a wife who never bothers to understand what her husband asks of her (or the other way around). The relationship is still broken and distant. The questions will remain… “Why did we not take time to study His word, ask for His guidance, listen and then obey? What were we so busy doing so as not to know and obey Him?”

Matthew 7:21-23

     21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

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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.