Category Archives: Righteousness / Serving God

Prayer, Thankfulness

Devote Yourself To Prayer

As Paul closes his letter to Colossians, there is some very important advice we should not overlook as followers of Christ.

Colossians 4:2-4

    2Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

To be devoted is defined as “very loving or loyal” or as “given over to the display, study, or discussion of”. How many of us can really say that we are “devoted” to prayer by this definition? I find myself asking the Lord to help me become more loving and loyal to Him and to my relationship with Him through prayer. There are many other distractions in the world, which often seem more tangible or real in our daily lives. But we should seek to be devoted to YHWH and to our prayer life with Him.

Let us approach Him with thanksgiving for what he has done already (e.g. Christ death on the cross for us) and for sustaining us. Let us pray not only for ourselves but also for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that that they would have opportunity to speak for Christ and be clear in how they ought to speak.

Our nation and our world certainly need prayer for effective evangelizing and witnessing to those who do not truly follow Christ.

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

Discerning / Judging, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God, Prayer, Seeking God, Teachable

Shun Idolatry; Seek Out And Obey The Instructions of YHWH

The LORD has told us in advance that there will be false prophets that perform signs, but will propose chasing new and different doctrine that YHWH Himself told us to follow and is recorded in the Bible. He told us to reject such people as false prophets who are leading rebellion against Him.

We are called to test everything against the commandments of YHWH. We are not to simply follow anyone who can seemingly perform a miracle or sign, though it may seem compelling. This is perhaps where people end up following false teaching and false religions.

Ironically this is also where many Jewish people struggle in accepting Christ. Don’t misunderstand, it is not because Christ taught a different doctrine… He certainly did not. However, when one encounters most or nearly all Christian churches, one finds that the doctrine and commands they teach do not line up with the commands of YHWH as given to Moses. Much has been discarded as “Jewish” that should have been kept as “God’s commands”. Many claim that much of God’s instruction is obsolete. They pick and choose which commands to follow (e.g. they say adultery is still bad, but sabbath is no longer called for or “the Old Testament  is obsolete, but you still need to give a tithe”).

We are to shun idolatry. We are to shun anything that would take the primary  place in our hearts which was created for YHWH. We are to shun anything that teaches us to discard YHWH’s commands and instructions. For most today, that means we are to make serious changes.

Deuteronomy 13

Shun Idolatry

      1“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.4“You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5“But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.

      6“If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. 9“But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10“So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11“Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.

      12“If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that 13some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14then you shall investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the matter established that this abomination has been done among you, 15you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword.16“Then you shall gather all its booty into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its booty with fire as a whole burnt offering to the LORDyour God; and it shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. 17“Nothing from that which is put under the ban shall cling to your hand, in order that the LORD may turn from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He has sworn to your fathers, 18if you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.

Pray for insight and clarity from the Spirit. Open yourself to listen to Him, even if He calls you to change. Odds are if you are growing up in culture today, even if you are in a church, you are not following all of YHWH’s commandments. It is not about “salvation”. That is received by grace through faith in Christ. Obedience is the fruit of our salvation, not the root of our salvation. Seeking to understand God’s instructions instead of being complacent “as we are” or “as we are told is acceptable” is a sign of love. Study the Bible. Really study it. Pray for discernment. Be ready and willing to make even emotionally difficult changes. If you choose to hold tight to something other than what God calls for us to do, then that is rebellion and idolatry. You are putting something else in a higher priority than obedience to Him.

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

Am I on the path?, Anger (unrighteous anger), Compassion, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Greed, Holy / Set Apart, How do I get started?, Humility, Idols / False Gods, Kindness / Gentleness, Lying / Deceiving, Peace / Rest, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Righteousness / Serving God, Sin, Thankfulness, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Wickedness / Evil

Put On The New Self; Do Not Remain The Same

When we become disciples of Christ, we are not to remain the same as we were before and simply “add Jesus” on top of everything else we were already doing. There are behaviors and thought patterns which we must die to and others we must pursue. With God’s help, we become more like Him and less like our old selves… but we have to choose to pursue righteousness and reject sinfulness. He will not simply force it on us because we said His name once. This transformation is typically a journey, not typically like turning on a light switch. It is like cooking in a crock pot rather than a microwave. It takes longer, but it tastes so much better when it is done.

Colossians 3:1-17

Put On the New Self

      1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

      5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— 11a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

      12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Take time to reflect on your life. Ask the Spirit to give you insight specific to you. Are you living according to the description above? If not, ask forgiveness from God and ask God for help. Renew you commitment to live for Him and seek repentance… seek to change yourself to be more like our Lord.

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

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Worldliness

Blending With False Religions Is Not A Virtue

The message I am about to share will be upsetting to many and many will speak against it. Many are influenced by our worldly culture and not clear on what YHWH has actually said.

YHWH is not tolerant and accepting of the worship of other gods. He does not tolerate us worshiping Him according to our own ways, but rather according to the ways He determines. He does not want us to simply worship Him with offerings associated with the holy places or practices of false religions. He does not want us to blend with other worship practices. He wants us to be pure and focused on Him and His ways.  We are to do as He commands, not as we desire or what is easiest for us.

Deuteronomy 12:1-14

Laws of the Sanctuary

      1“These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. 2“You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3“You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. 4“You shall not act like this toward the LORD your God. 5“But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. 6“There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7“There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

      8“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. 10“When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 11then it shall come about that the place in which the LORD your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the LORD. 12“And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.

      13“Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see, 14but in the place which the LORD chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

      15“However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the deer. 16“Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water. 17“You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the contribution of your hand. 18“But you shall eat them before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all your undertakings. 19“Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

      20“When the LORD your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire. 21“If the place which the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herd and flock which the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire. 22“Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. 23“Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. 24“You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. 25“You shall not eat it, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of the LORD. 26“Only your holy things which you may have and your votive offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the LORD chooses. 27“And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the LORD your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, and you shall eat the flesh.

      28“Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

      29“When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,30beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31“You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

      32“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

Let us take seriously YHWH’s instruction for us to worship Him according to His ways and in His places. Let us not blend with and accept other beliefs. Remain set apart and holy for His purposes.

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

Church / Body of Christ, Encouragement, Grace / Patience, Prayer, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Thankfulness

Grace To You And Peace From God Our Father

What a wonderful way to greet brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul opens his letter to the Colossians with welcoming words in which he tells them he is thankful to God for them and is actively praying for them. Even if we disagree with a fellow brother or sister in Christ on some issues, what a wonderful approach to take. Begin with prayer for them, then engage them with encouragement for what they are doing well, then perhaps later challenge them on areas of obedience in their walk with Christ. This is much more effective than the approach many take today… not praying for them, skipping over what is good, and focusing immediately on what we think they may be doing wrong.

 Colossians 1:1-12

Thankfulness for Spiritual Attainments

     1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

      2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

      3We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

      9For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

It is good for us to pray for one another in this way. Pray that those who follow Christ would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that they will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father.

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

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin

We Are Not Accepted “As We Are”, But Rather Called To Change And Obey

People today, even many pastors, proclaim that God accepts you as you are. This is correct only in that no matter who you are or what you have done, if you come before Him with repentant heart seeking forgiveness and to submit to the Lord wholeheartedly… then He accepts you where you are and expects you to continue to know, love, serve, and obey Him more and more as your relationship with Him continues to grow. Nowhere does scripture indicate that we are to continue in our sin while claiming God accepts us that way. Scripture indicates the opposite. We are to repent, change our ways, obey Him where previously we followed only our own desires of the flesh. When we submit to Him truly, we change. We do not remain how we are, in sin. Jesus and the prophets all teach for us to repent, not remain how we are. Jesus started that message at the beginning of His ministry and continued that message throughout His ministry.

Matthew 4:17

   17From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

To make a point, I encourage you to count how many times in  Deuteronomy 11 it mentions the importance of obeying God’s commands or commandments. Look carefully at the rewards for obedience and contrast that with curse of disobedience. This certainly does not sound like a God who accepts us no matter what we do and how we act. Quiet the opposite. He expects us to obey as our way of showing love and respect for Him. When we do, He then provides, protects, blesses, etc. It is a covenant where both sides agree to certain actions. We are to put God first, above all things, including ourselves and our sinful desires.

Deuteronomy 11

Rewards of Obedience

     1“You shall therefore love the LORD your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments. 2“Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the LORD your God—His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm, 3and His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; 4and what He did to Egypt’s army, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea to engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the LORD completely destroyed them; 5and what He did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place; 6and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, among all Israel— 7but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.

      8“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; 9so that you may prolong your days on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10“For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden. 11“But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.

      13“It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, 14that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. 15“He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16“Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. 17“Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.

      18“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19“You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. 22“For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, 23then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24“Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea. 25“No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.

      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.

      29“It shall come about, when the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30“Are they not across the Jordan, west of the way toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? 31“For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it, 32and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am setting before you today.

Reject the lie that God accepts everyone as they are. That is used wildly out of context in many cases to imply that we need not change to come into proper relationship with God. Many believe and teach this even from the pulpit and Satan laughs. He has once again twisted scripture effectively, as he did to trick Eve in the garden.

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

All Powerful / King of All, Am I on the path?, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God

What Does The Lord Require From You?

An interesting point in scripture for those of us who want to know what the Lord expects from His people.

Deuteronomy 10:12-22

      12“Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? 14“Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. 15“Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. 16“So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. 17“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. 18“He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. 19“So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 20“You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. 21“He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. 22“Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

We often look at God’s instructions as punishment or keeping us from “having a good time” or “being free”. Perhaps children feel this way as well about some rules that parents make for them. However, any good and rational parent will immediately recognize there are instructions and boundaries we need to put on our children for their own good, not just for the good of the parent (e.g. don’t play in the street, don’t stick something in the electrical socket, etc.). What is more, good parents expect obedience from their children… the rules should be followed and the parents need to be respected. It is the same for us with God as our loving Father.

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

Learning To Pray Effectively, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God

On The Mountain For Forty Days

A simple message for today, but a very important one.

When we take time to focus on our Father in heaven, He will hear us and our relationship with Him will grow. Like every other relationship, the more time and effort we invest in knowing the other person and being with them and respecting what is important to them… the closer we will get with them.

You would not expect to spend 5 minutes a day with your spouse and have a good relationship or your children. Why do so many assume this is enough for God? You would not see your wife or children only once a week for an hour on Sundays. Why do we think this is ok for God?

Moses is one of several great examples documented in the Bible for us. He had many responsibilities in leading the people. However, He put God first and took significant amount of time to go and listen and speak with God.  He respected and obeyed God’s instructions above his own desires.  He was close to God and God was close to Him as a result. God listened to Him and guided Him.  Moses was able to clearly understand God, without doubts or uncertainty.

Deuteronomy 10:10-11

  10“I, moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the LORD listened to me that time also; the LORD was not willing to destroy you. 11“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Arise, proceed on your journey ahead of the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

I clearly have more room to grow in this area, but I am moving in the right direction over time to grow closer to YHWH, by His grace and patience. We each should take time to pray for His help and reflect on our lives. We must decide if we are going to do what it takes to invest in our relationship with the almighty Creator of the universe, or not. To defer a decision on this for later is still a decision. To ignore God or put Him as a low priority behind work or even family is also a choice not to put Him first.  We either are or are not in a growing relationship with our Creator. There is no middle ground.

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

Blessed, Church / Body of Christ, Holy / Set Apart, Money / Finances / Wealth, Offering Sacrifices

Receive Your Inheritance

It is often tempting for us to judge how much our loving Father has blessed us by counting up how much money or land we have. Further, it is very easy to view the mission or work that He may call us to as a burden or chore that distracts from what we want to do, especially if it prevents us from earning as much money as we otherwise could.

A close look at Deuteronomy 10 reminds us that the Lord sees it differently. YHWH is just. He set apart a portion of inheritance for each tribe of Israel. All but one tribe received land as inheritance. Levi received no land, but rather their inheritance was in their relationship to the Lord…specifically in relationship to serving the Lord. Keep in mind also that the Lord chooses what inheritance to give to which of His children. The children do not choose their inheritance, only whether or not to receive it and with what attitude.

How many of us today would receive the Lord as our inheritance as  cheerfully as we would receive land and money?

Deuteronomy 10:6-9

   6(Now the sons of Israel set out from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died and there he was buried and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his place. 7From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water. 8At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. 9Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, just as the LORD your God spoke to him.)

It is a difficult question for many to answer for themselves. Would I, or will I, cheerfully accept a call to serve the Lord as blessing worth as much or more than financial blessings? Many receive such an inheritance today and go into missions, ministry, or other activity in service to the Lord. Often they make less money, but serve the Lord closely. The rest of us have the opportunity to support them financially, similar to how YHWH supported the Levites through the tithe from others.

Pray for the Spirit to guide you either in answering the call to serve the Lord or in helping others who do so. Keep in mind, even if we are not called to full time ministry or missions, we all still are called to serve Him where we are and be obedient to His instructions. We are to let our light shine before men.

Matthew 5:14-16

      14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

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

Government, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Prayer

The 10 Commandments Matter To God and They Should Also Matter To Us

Many probably forget this, but when Moses came down off the mountain(Deuteronomy 9) with the 10 commandments the first time, he found the people sinning in rebellion to YHWH. He was so angry he broke the tablets with the 10 commandments on them. It was quite a dramatic scene. Once the situation was addressed, however, YHWH must have thought it was important because He told Moses to come back so He could provide a replacement set of the commandments.

Deuteronomy 10:1-5

The Tablets Rewritten

     1“At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood for yourself. 2‘I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3“So I made an ark of acacia wood and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4“He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them to me. 5“Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the LORD commanded me.”

The commandments are important to our Father. They are not all inclusive of all instructions He has provided, but they are an important summary and for many a good starting place. They are not obsolete. Neither YHWH nor human nature nor sin have changed in thousands of years. YHWH’s instructions are there for our benefit, not His. We should honor and respect that which our Father has provided to help guide us.

Ask yourself… Do you know what the 10 commandments are? When is the last time you reviewed them and prayed over them for the Spirit to show you what changes you need to make in your life?

Ask also… What can we do to ensure that the commandments are honored throughout our country instead of constantly being under attack by atheists. Are we as Christians, fighting as hard to protect the ten commandments and instructions of God throughout our culture as the atheists are fighting to eliminate them? Pray for guidance on how you can get involved to help.

Praying for our nation is a great spot to start… for our nation to embrace YHWH and His ways rather than reject them. Pray for the plans of the wicked to be destroyed and the righteous to be lifted up and protected.

The 10 commandments matter to YHWH and they should also matter to us.

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