in love for my brothers and sisters as I share what I know to be on His heart. And finally, I write this in obedience to Him, to respond to the prompting of His Spirit, as well as utilize the gift He has given me. Please be willing to give this post some time, reading all the way to the end. What I am sharing is something very out of line in these last days, something that needs immediate repair. It also includes a word from the Father to another sister that was divinely timed and will speak greatly to your heart and confirm all I am attempting to share. To keep this from being too long, I initially didn't want to type out this entire scripture below, but it is certainly worthy for this post, so I must start here. As you read the verses below, read them slowly and let each word sink in. I have put extra spaces in on purpose, just so each verse can be easily read and absorbed. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good. 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 For we know in part and prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Most of us can say we know this scripture well – we know it intellectually and spiritually. But the question I have been asking myself, obviously through the guidance of the Spirit, is, “Do I really know this love intimately… to the point that I consistently live it, where it comes out of me in word and deed regardless of the situation, person, circumstances, or emotions involved? Is this something I seek to have Him perfect in me on an ongoing basis? Am I rooted and grounded in love, comprehending (receiving) the breadth, length, depth, and height of the love of Christ that I am now filed with the fullness of the Father? Do I live this out consistently in purpose and authenticity – truly loving Him and my brethren, abiding in His love, fulfilling the whole of the law, understanding that only this love is the kind that will enable a person to lay down his/her life for another?” I personally am not there, but I hunger and thirst to get there; it is much of what I think about anymore. I know I can’t be the only one, and obviously, nor should I be. There is no argument that most of us want only truth, and in our love for our Savior and God, we seek it with all that is in us. And through that seeking, we find ourselves wading through the lies and half-truths that have been planted amongst the pure truth. But it is in this quest for truth where many have gotten off track and distracted, even going so far as to diminish the simplicity of love and grace (2 Cor 11:3). I’ve heard some say that the “love gospel” is inflated and even not applicable to all people, thus over-spoken and over-applied. I’ve heard grace spoken of as “greasy” – in other words, over-applied and yes, certainly slippery when mis-applied. Even though these two words can be abused in a deceptive way in the mainstream, I’ve also heard these precious words sorely minimized by some believers’ misguided interpretations and perceptions, although these are foundational to our own salvation and eternal life. I’ve even seen it go so far that the mention of the words “love” or “grace” actually makes people uncomfortable. It seems we’ve forgotten the magnitude and depth of these incredible gifts that have been given to us! It’s very sad that some have come to this place, but we can’t imagine the sadness of the One who offers these things to us, unconditionally. Our misalignment with truth in the areas of love and grace is showing itself clearly in both the very evident lack of love (true agape, Godly love) and unity (as one body under the Headship of Christ) that we see amongst believers who say they love and serve the same God. Generally, the “church” is out of the plumbline of the God of love, and this should not be. We are way off… and in some cases, we can become worse than an unbeliever. Let me add this important disclaimer… As I share this post, I am talking to myself as well as sharing with you all. This is a general issue within the Body of Christ, and only you know if anything in this post applies to you, just as I know what applies to me. This really is a serious issue; there are times I can feel the sadness in His heart over it, as well as in my own. The Father has been teaching me about this for years now, and while I know it and get it, to fully walk it out is another story. He is teaching me how to do this THROUGH HIM… with His love in me. He is showing me that ultimately the call is to love to the point that you would literally die to save another… and this “another” may very well be your worst enemy. This is the epitome of what He did as He laid down His life for His enemies – us! This is the fullness of the love we are expected to walk in – and it is clearly outlined in the commandments of Christ that He shared with us while alive on the earth. But... have we turned our focus away from His words? Some of us can see from our own experiences, things we read, videos we watch, and even in our own assemblies and fellowships, that this “true love” does not seem to be the topic of focus that it should be. It’s as if it has been discounted, even to the point that we have allowed cognitive dissonance to wipe it from the forefront of our minds. Whether we realize it or not, we choose this “discounting”, and that is really not a choice afforded to us. Have we become such a law unto ourselves that we have forgotten the commandments of Yahusha (Jesus) Himself… the red letters?! Are our eyes somewhere else, and therefore, so are our hearts? Have we turned from our First Love and HIS words to go back to our own interpretations and doctrines, the letter of the Mosaic law that kills, and even shying away from grace and love for the sake of our fear of being deceived by it? It seems that by the division, disunity, condemnation, unforgiveness, and pure lack of love that exists amongst some believers that we have! This we have to change… and we have to change it now. Our lack of love will not only hold us back from everything holy and everything heavenly, it will keep us out of the presence of God! The main inspiration for this post comes from what I myself am regularly witnessing within the Body of Christ in my view… these are things we should not be seeing in a true assembly of Christ. I see these things quite frequently and have been for several years. I myself was a direct victim of the condemnation and division that comes from the wrong focus. And I can tell you that once you are exposed, you can start to become the same way. I thank the Heavenly Father that He quickened me and pulled me out before it got too far. However, the damage that was done to me from the infliction of this “lack of love” has taken years to overcome.. This is a very real issue to me as I lived it and learned from it, so it puts me in a good position to speak about it. Before I move on, I do want to say that with this personal situation I just shared, separation was absolutely necessary. A very destructive false doctrine was involved, requiring my rejection of it and separation from those walking it out. It was “another gospel” that Paul spoke of which warranted not only separation but a curse (Gal 1:9). But the person who was inflicting this false doctrine is someone I loved and still love. This person is His child (I know this, because I’ve now known her for over 25 years). This person is in need of forgiveness, deliverance, and repentance. Even though I was a victim, I had my part in it too; I learned many things! I am expected to LOVE this person, even now, in the fullness of what Christ has shown us… as HE loves her! I am to be as Stephen as he was being stoned to death, saying, “Father, please don’t hold this to her charge. Father, please look upon this offense as if it didn’t happen. Don’t give her what she deserves in this case, but instead, lead her into all truth – that truth that will set her free! And if it be your will, bring her back to me in full love and unity!” By His grace, and yes, time, I have been able to reach this place. And wouldn’t that be a glorious day if He did bring her back??! But, what if not? His will be done. And with that… I would like to share the meat of this post that I believe to be the very truth the Father is repeatedly trying to impart and instill into His people in this hour… His disciples, His “set-apart ones”… His priests; not just His children… but His sons and daughters. His message to us is so clear in His Word, but somehow, we have veered off and are facing a very concerning dismantling… and all right at the very end of time when our King is at the door to retrieve His Body/Bride! And from what I have witnessed and experienced myself, I can say with all conviction that this division and dismantling are very much a result of disagreements over the not-so-weighty matters. We have taken our eyes off the weightier matter – LOVE – as well as the One who is the weightiest of all, and we’ve placed it somewhere else… primarily on self, as this typically encompasses all distractions, even the seemingly “righteous” ones. So, because God is love, and our Savior Yahusha (Jesus) is the express image of that love, then how is it that we find it okay to operate outside of His love but yet still say we are in Him? We do… and we do it regularly, and we do it even to our brothers and sisters in Christ – the ones who we know make up the same Body with Christ as our Head. In some cases, we hold offences against them, we talk about them, we feel “ick” when we think of them, we stay angry and bitter towards them, we condemn them because their walk is different from ours, and we are in disunity with them over ancillary matters. What in the world would we do if our Savior operated in this manner towards us… while we were yet sinners against Him? Obviously, we would be dead. I am not saying this is easy, and I am not saying it’s not a process to overcome these things. But… is it possible that we have gotten too complacent and “justified” in this manner of living that it no longer convicts us, and therefore, the “process” lingers and lingers and lingers and our hearts grow harder and harder? Through many trials and tests and failures, Paul and Peter learned this love and then explained it to us very precisely… 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it [b]keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 8 And above all things have fervent charity (love) among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, we are to not seek our own, not keep an account of wrong suffered, and not be provoked… just to mention a few. Yahusha even said that it is easy to love those who love us and treat us right – the heathen can do this too. But it is precious in the sight of the Father when we still love and even serve the one who has treated us wrongly, falsely accused us, and ultimately betrayed us. There is a cost with this, and that cost is what makes it true love. Love means we hold nothing against them, just as nothing was held against us! How is it that Stephen was able to forgive those wicked Pharisees who were stoning him to death only for preaching the One who saved him, but yet he pleaded with the Father in His dying moments to not hold the offence against them?? This is the very act of love and forgiveness that set Paul free to be converted shortly after. Stephen’s love, through Christ’s love in him, covered a multitude of sins and released Paul! That love endured all and conquered all! In this love, Stephen released the very one who stood by to “supervise” and approve of his murder; and these murderers hated Christ. Could we do this?? It is impossible without the fullness of the love of the Father in us, and we receive this when we know the love of Christ. It is only in Christ and is not found anywhere else. Something to think about that my mentor said the other day… Many of us have discussed this and know that it is literally impossible to follow all 613 of the Mosaic law commandments – and yet there are still some who put much of their effort and heart into doing so. Aside from that, the point is that while we think that is impossible, have we ever considered the impossibility of following the two commandments that Yahusha said made up the whole of the law – to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself? It is impossible for man to follow these two commandments without the Spirit of the Living God in us – impossible! This is what He is after with us… LOVE! The letter is not our goal, nor our source. Our goal is Yahusha and being filled with His Holy Spirit, obeying the Holy Spirit, and allowing our flesh to die enough so He can love through us… first loving the Father and then loving our neighbor. The law alone cannot do this in us – only the Spirit can conform us into the image of the Son that we may love as purely and completely as He does. This is why we are told that the letter kills and the Spirit gives life… life is Yahusha, and Yahusha is love! Only He fulfilled the law – in love, bringing its absolute fullness (the fullness of the Father), which is written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is written in us, we receive it and obey it, and He then works it out in us that we can love the Father as He did, as well as love our brethren as He did – sacrificially! The law is good, but Yahusha is GREAT; He is better! I am very often asking, and I have heard others express this as well… “Why are love and Christ not the sole focus of the whole Body anymore? Have we lost our first love? Have we chosen to put our time and energy and focus into the not-so-weighty matters; hence, causing us to drift away from the love of Christ, which in turn makes us unable to fully love our brethren? Have we lost our dove’s eyes (our single eyes) for Him and become divided in our sight?” In my mind, these are rhetorical questions, because I know the answer. I’ve lived this and seen it played out before me, and this is exactly what is happening in many cases. And this is the very reason that our ability to forgive and love in haste (like Stephen) is waning; it seems to be fading away. We have become numb and almost delusional in some cases… completely lacking the reverent fear of Almighty God in following the weightier commandments that His sacrificial Son left heaven to come to earth and show us and sow into us… in person… in His life and in His death. What did Yahusha say – what were His commandments… He being the express image of the Father living out love in His flesh? He is the only One worthy to tell us, and that He did! But it seems we are not consistently living His words today. I can tell you that the minute I took my eyes off Him and began to seek how to do my own works, HE DIMINISHED! At that point, it was me increasing and Him decreasing, as opposed to what John the Baptist said… He must increase, and I must decrease. My eyes had drifted off Him, and boy could I tell! He did it all – slain before the foundation of the world and slain on earth, and only His finished work can make us righteous and loving – the way He requires. There is nothing we can do but submit and obey the Spirit that He sent to teach us, lead us, and ultimately be our “seal” and guarantee of salvation! Our eyes and minds must stay on Him! Yahusha pointed out one specific thing that would show the world that we belonged to Him, and that is our love for one another (John 13:35). In all of His teachings, He said nothing about us focusing on church denominations, Torah observance, calendars, or anything else – not one direct word; and neither did any of His disciples or apostles. They all continuously preached love, faith, and obedience to the Father through the Spirit – remembering that you cannot have faith or obedience without love! We can’t even have hope without love! This is what they wanted us to understand, and this is what they drove home to us, because this is where they wanted our focus. Yahusha preached love, because in and by His love, He fulfilled all the Father’s requirements for us, making us righteous by His righteousness alone. The love in Him, which was the Father’s love, caused Him to set His face like a flint, for the joy set before Him, and endure the cross and hell for our sake. And He knew that it would only be through His love in us that would enable us to love the Father and our brethren, with the kind of love that would enable us to lay our lives down and endure till the end. Love endures all things! There is, nor ever will be, anything else we can do to accomplish this in ourselves. Here’s what the Word says about this... Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:!0 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 Just as mentioned before, our love for one another is the sign to the world that we belong to Him. Our love is a light that leads to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Furthermore, we are to be made perfect in unity – in one – in love. These words were included in Yahusha's high priestly prayer to the Father about us. He even went further to say that this is how the world would know the Father’s love. 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. John 17:23 So, we must ask ourselves, what is the world hearing and seeing by our love? Are they seeing a love that is conditional, unforgiving, and condemning, or are they seeing the love that will sacrifice to another under any circumstance, bearing the true fruit of the Spirit? Are they seeing brothers and sisters falling in and out of various doctrines, unstable and unwavering in love and forgiveness, or are they seeing the Body stable, solid in the Word of truth and living with each other in the unity of the bond of peace? Are they seeing divisions and backbiting over ancillary, non-salvational issues, or are they seeing the harmony of a Body focused on the gospel and sharing the love of Christ with a lost world? Are they hearing the good news of the salvation by Yahusha ha Mashiach, Jesus Christ, the best news in all the world, or are they hearing proud, provocative messages that only diminish their child-like faith (which I would be remiss in not mentioning the seriousness of this as Yahusha spoke about in Matthew 18:6). As we ponder answering these questions, I would like to end this post with some of Yahusha’s direct commandments where He told us exactly what to do. These are His commandments, those which encompass the whole of the law, those which He told us would prove our love for Him as we obeyed them. These are the ones to which we must take heed and stay focused upon first and foremost... those commandments which He said are greater than all. 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:29-31 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:9-17 Yahusha also shared many parables about this love, and these need our focus as well (Luke 10:25-37, Luke 15:11-32, Luke 15:1-7, Matthew 18:21-35, Luke 14:15-24, just to share a few). There are so many more confirmations of this spoken by His disciples that solidify His commandments to us for this time! We cannot forsake His commandments of LOVE – these are the things He lived out in His life and death on earth, and these must be our priority. And again, we cannot fulfill these unless the Spirit of Love is in us and is allowed to do it through us. It is our following and obedience to the Spirit that will lead us into all life and love and liberty! And it is love and love alone that first must be fully received by us, abiding in us, and operating through and out of us (like rivers of living water!). This will please the Father and show the world the Light of the world that can save them! We are ambassadors of His love, and for this we will give an account. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 And there is one final thing that I must add – something quite profound. Shortly after I finished this post, I listened to a message from my mentor that she had just left for a group of ladies (myself included) who are in intercessory prayer training. She had received three dreams from the Father (one of her own and two others from other sisters) that confirmed His message to us in this hour, which in essence is somewhat of a warning. As she was sharing this with us, she also shared a specific related word that the Father gave her back in 2022. When I heard this word as she spoke it forth to us, I basically heard the main points of this post that I had just finished... repeated one by one. Of course, I immediately knew I needed to share this word with this post, because He wants His precious people to hear it! He wants us to take heed regarding this issue of love! This word says so beautifully and gracefully, just as He speaks, that message which I feebly attempted to convey in this post. Overall, this confirmed to me that I am hearing His message and that we are to speak this forth, so we can all search our hearts to see if residing there is any offensive way and then immediately take action, with His mercy and grace and strength, to repent and walk in obedience. So, in further glory and honor to Him and in love for my brothers and sisters, I share this word from our Father below (again, received by my mentor, Pietra de Bod, in October, 2022). LOVE ONE ANOTHER My children fight amongst each other as children in any household do. And just like earthly parents suffer the wounds of their children’s pain, so do I. For I love My children as I love My own body. Nobody who loves himself harms himself, but lays value on all his members. So there are many members in one body. There is only one body. Did you know that? And yet My children do not see that just as they are part of Me, they are part of Me and them. Did I not pray that they may be one as we are one? Is this not My earnest desire before My Father in a time of such great division? Yes, it is a time of great deception, and my children seek truth without love. Truth without love is as the letter without the Spirit. The truth will set free, but when truth is not spoken in love, it hurts the body. It hurts Me. The time you find yourself in is a time of removing the veil – the veil of deception. However, My children, do I not still seek the fruit of a peaceable spirit that sows in peace? Is this how the world will know you? By how well you can show them their error? What goal is there in knowing the truth, fighting for the truth, when your heart has grown cold? For everything there is a season and a time. Great wisdom is required for such a time as this of unveiling. Will you stand before Me naked? Will you stand before Me as the accuser, as you accuse the members of My body? Love covers a multitude of sin, and mercy triumphs over judgment. Therefore, bind mercy and truth, and walk in humility before Me, for I alone know all things and you only know in part. Come to Me first and learn of Me before you speak. I desire that all would come to the truth; not just the truth of the letter but the truth of My Spirit… of who I am. Are you covering your brothers and sisters in prayer, or do you find yourself uncovering them before Me? Will the world not then recognize you by the love you have for one another? Have you checked your fruit lately? I have. As the husbandman I come soon to seek fruit from My garden, My plantings. Therefore, search your hearts afresh whether you are walking in love as you desire to walk in truth. I have said that many hearts will grow cold and that there will be a famine in the land of the Word. You are the epistle they need. Search your hearts towards one another. Think not you can say you love Me whom you cannot see whilst hating your brother you can see. Lie not to yourself, but repent and seek that love My servant Paul spoke of above all things. Have mercy Heavenly Father, and give us the strength and mind and love of your Son to do that which you require of us --- and that is to LOVE at all cost, just as you did for us!
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This post came about through a random study that ended in a beautiful story that I would like to share as encouragement for the brethren. I would be remiss by not stating that this will especially bless the sisters, but I also believe our brothers can glean from it as well -- after all, the core of the message is faith! I started out a few days ago wanting to look up the paleo Hebrew meaning of the word, "behold". This was after one of my sisters shared that its Hebrew word "hinneh" means so much more than we realize and that she was deeply blessed in what Father had shown her in this regard. She was right!! It is amazing and worth learning and remembering each time we see this word (so store that in your back pocket as well, because it actually comes up again later)! It was my search for a YouTube study on this word that ended up bringing me to another word that caught my attention. This word was "asaph or acaph", which is rereward or rear guard in English. As I listened to the study on this word, it brought me to several scriptures, but I ended up stuck on two of them in Joshua 6. It is in this chapter that I found my real focus and where I stayed planted... on Rahab. As I read about Rahab the "harlot" in the story most of us already know, I began to ask... Father, why did you choose her? Why did you choose this woman out of all the Canaanites in Jericho, especially when you had ordered every person to be destroyed as the Israelites took the city? Why her, the one who has been referred to a harlot almost every time her name is mentioned? I looked up the word "Rahab" in Hebrew, which is actually "Rachab", and found that it means proud, wide, roomy, broad, in any direction, at liberty. This didn't shed any light on my questions at all, so of course, I was eager to get to the paleo Hebrew breakdown of her name, and that is when I found something beautiful! The paleo breakdown of Rachab is resh, chet, beyt (and this is reading from left to right as is the custom with Hebrew). So how does this look? Now what does this mean? As you can see from the expanded meanings under each picture, to me it clearly says... "The Head or Prince (Yahusha) is a refuge or inner sanctuary for the House of Israel"! Rachab's name carries such beautiful and prophetic meaning!! And what did Rachab do? She risked her own life to hide the two Israelite spies in the flax on her roof (a refuge) so the House of Israel could take the land chosen by Yahuah... all to to fulfill the Word, which is ultimately about the Prince! It sure seems to tie together! All in all, Rahab believed, and she believed with great, great faith! ... for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Joshua 2:11 She was used by the God she believed in, Yahuah, to bring forth His will because of her great faith, which shown brightly like one single beacon of light in a very dark place (the Canaanites were very wicked)! As I pondered her faith, I began to try to live what she experienced to understand it further. Can you picture this woman, having her heart melted with fear of knowing that the God of Israel had parted the Red Sea for His people and had given them victory over all those who were currently occupying the land He chose for them (she expresses this as how her people felt about Israel in Joshua 2:9-11)? She saw the greatness and majesty of Yahuah, and she saw His utter faithfulness to His people. She understood with reverence how He had totally destroyed the Egyptians, the world power at that time, in the Red Sea for the sake of His precious own. Amongst all her wicked Canaanite people, who were the complete opposite of the Israelites, she sat alone in her home thinking about this God... knowing who He was... and believing in Him and wanting to know Him! And then the opportunity came! Can you imagine how she felt seeing the two Israelites come to her home? I can see how she would be shocked and excited and even fearful, but also zealously wanting to talk to them and help them, obviously at any cost! This Rachab is one of great faith, and I personally do not believe the Bible has described it in fullness, so that maybe we will go and search for ourselves to learn more of her. This woman and her family were the only ones out of all the Canaanites to survive Israel's conquest of their land, and the Word says that she continued through her life dwelling with Israel! I would even go so far as to say that she rejoiced passionately as she received the greatest desire of her heart... to know the God of Israel and to dwell with His people! And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Joshua 6:25 And the story continues... it did not stop with her faithfulness to the Israelites and her belief in their God, nor even with her dwelling with Israel. The Word tells us that she became the wife of Salmon who begot Boaz, and Boaz with Ruth begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse, who was David's father. This supposed harlot full of faith was chosen to be in the lineage of our King Yahusha! And as many of us have probably wondered... would the Heavenly Father really choose a harlot? We know He is merciful beyond human ability and comprehension, and we know He can use anyone or anything to do fulfill His will, but would He use a harlot? Well, maybe He would, but I have had my doubts about this description of Rahab for some time, so I did a bit more digging. As I looked into it further, I received the solid confirmation I needed. Rather than me trying to explain this, I would rather attach a video that I believe will bless you and also settle your heart on who this woman really was. We must remember that translators are not always perfect, and just as any other human, pre-conceived notions or biases could have influenced them. In all things the Spirit will teach us where man has failed, and in this we have peace and freedom! The video is presented at the bottom of this post, so that you can continue reading for more blessing before watching! As I was pondering Rahab's involvement in the lineage of Yahusha, it made me think of Aseneth, Joseph's Egyptian wife. Herein, I believe, lies another example of a woman's overwhelming faith in the God of Israel in the midst of great darkness and her role in the perfect will of Yahuah for His people. About four years ago, Father used the extra-biblical book "Joseph and Aseneth"** as one thing to help me through the condemnation experienced from a false doctrine against "non-Israelite" people of our time, and so her testimony is very precious to me. This beautiful story describes the conversion of Aseneth to serving the God of Israel as well as her subsequent marriage to Joseph. The words of Aseneth to Yahuah are some of the most beautiful words of repentance I've ever read, and His response to her is even more overwhelming. Aseneth, like Rahab and Ruth, was a woman of such great faith and obedience and became the mother of two of the tribes of Israel, Ephraim and Manasseh. And as we know, Jacob pronounced the name of Israel directly on the head of Ephraim, which is one of the two sticks that will soon become one again! This is a major part of Yahuah's plan! In hopes that you will be further blessed and edified, I would like to share a few of Aseneth's words, as well as a few of Yahusha's words that were spoken to her! This will further solidify the level of faith she possessed, which also connects her to the faith of Rachab. As Aseneth secludes herself away from all, puts on sackcloth and ashes, and withdraws herself from food and water for seven days of mourning and confession, she utters these words (and please don't let the length sway you - her words are a blessing!): And after she speaks these words and more regarding her love for Joseph, she is visited by One who identified Himself as the "chief of the house of the Lord and the commander of the whole host of the Most High". Aseneth describes Him as One whose face was like lightening, and His eyes like sunshine, and the hairs of His head like a flame of fire of a burning torch, and His hands and feet like iron shining forth from a fire, and sparks shooting forth from His hands and feet. As she is bowed down on her face before Him, He spoke the following words to her (and notice how many times He says "behold", as this connects back to the word my sister shared with me that initially started my search/study!): Courage, Aseneth, chaste virgin. Behold, I have heard all the words of your confession and your prayer. Behold, I have also seen the humiliation and the affliction of the seven days of your want of food. Behold, from your tears and these ashes, plenty of mud has formed before your face. Courage, Aseneth, chaste virgin. For behold, your name was written in the book of the living in heaven; in the beginning of the book, as the very first of all, your name was written by My finger, and it will not be erased forever. Behold, from today, you will be renewed and formed anew and made alive again, and you will eat blessed bread of life, and drink a blessed cup of immortality, and anoint yourself with blessed ointment of incorruptibility. Courage, Aseneth, chaste virgin. Behold, I have given you today to Joseph for a bride, and he himself will be your bridegroom forever and ever. And your name shall no longer be called Aseneth, but your name shall be City of Refuge, because in you many nations will take refuge with the Lord God, the Most High, and under your wings many peoples trusting in the Lord God will be sheltered, and behind your walls will be guarded those who attach themselves to the Most High God in the name of repentance. It is my prayer that this post has blessed you as you read, just as it did me. I wonder what words will be spoken to us on that day when we stand before our King and Savior! I hope it will be this good, and I have a feeling it too will likely begin with the word, "Behold!". In closing, I have attached the teaching mentioned above regarding Rachab's true identity. Please take a listen and be further blessed and encouraged! ** As with all extra-biblical books, we must be diligent to compare with the scriptures and use discernment, so we will know what to accept and what to resist. I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:2-7 Most of us know this scripture as Yahusha (Jesus Christ of Nazareth) is speaking to the church of Ephesus, and I feel like many of us may not believe that this pertains to us. We love Him so much and are seeking to truly know and please Him, so surely we don't fit here. Well... I don't know about anyone else, but I found this to have some truth in my life. It is surely not what I wanted or intended, but about a little over a year ago, I had to accept that this was the case for me in some ways. Not a good feeling, honestly. The gist of this whole issue is love. For me, it came down to two questions... First, have I fully received His perfect love that casts out all fear (1John 4;18), and secondly, am I giving all my love to Him... the pure love that comes from intimately knowing Him and obeying Him (John 14:!5)? This right here was my vice... gripping me for so many reasons and for too long. By His graceful hand, the last seven years of my life have been pointedly focused on this, and I have learned so much! It has come with intense trial, heartache, correction, and inner searching -- and has resulted not only in greater faith and a deeper level of obedience, but also an understanding of how to receive the long-suffering, patient, and infinite love of a God who not only authored our faith but promises to bring it into the fullness of completion in Him. And then.... yes... my love for Him grew more and more intense and pure and real. This overall topic is so vast and has recently culminated in such a wonderful truth that I cannot write about it here; it's too much. However, I am compelled to share this journey in the form of a "book", just because it is way too long for a blog post. I pray that by the grace and wisdom of the Father through His Holy Spirit, I will be able to write this in a manner that flows with the power, pain, intensity, and joy that I experienced throughout, and that it may result in healing and encouragement for others as well as praise and glory unto His name. I share all of this for this particular blog post to say that I am thrilled to be working back towards my first love of almost 28 years now and doing the things I did back then. One of those things was to be overflowing in the love of Yahusha to the point that I wanted to share His love story - the gospel of salvation - with anyone and everyone. Granted, He sets up perfect circumstances for us to do this, and there can also be times when it's just not the right time; but the key is, being alert, watching, ready and willing for this at any given moment... having a craving spirit to pour out of myself all that has been so lovingly put in... for the sake of the lost. I can say with all assurance within me... now is the time! The lost are everywhere amongst us, and they need our attention, our prayers, our compassion, our love, and our voice! All that is placed within us, learned and attained first through His grace and mercy, and then through much discipline and experience, is not just so we can be righteous and be in His presence for all of eternity... it is also meant to be poured out, shared, declared, and used to bring in the rest of the Body of Yahusha of which we are a part. The Body is still incomplete, which means we are also incomplete! All must be reconciled back to the Son so then all can be subjected back to the Father that He may be all in all (1Corinthians 15:28)! Much of the way we love our God as well as our brothers and sisters, which Yahusha said are the two commandments that sum up all of the law, is to be a willing vessel to be used in any way the Master desires to bring in the rest of His beloved children! This is His heart, and because we are of His body, this is ours as well! There are so many verses to support this calling! For the sake of space, I will list a few below with links so you can view them if you desire: Finally, I wanted to share something special with you on this post. I haven't published a blog post in a while, and one of the reasons is because I've been in the midst of what I would like to call the culmination of the last seven years of my life. And once again, it's all about love. I have been working on a few things that Father has placed before me, all of which have been rich and fluid and even fun! I would like to share one of the little projects that I have now almost fully completed. This is something I plan to spread out as a call to the lost... something I have been praying will be used by the Father, through His Holy Spirit, to send His call to those wayward sheep -- those right now struggling with fear, doubt, loneliness, confusion, and all the workings of the enemy in this last hour -- those Father has prepared to now receive the words of His Son. I share this now with you in hopes that you will see it as something you can also use to spread the most wonderful truth that the created human being has ever heard. The link below will take you to an evangelistic website that is actually something that was birthed over 10 years ago. I pray and believe that Father used this as a foundation and then expanded it through wonderful truths, learnings, and experiences gained over time, as well as the critique and input of a few of my close sisters, and made it into a call... His loving call for this time for those who are ready. I would say that this site is about 90% His word, so it is truth and will only have any anointing or power through that. I pray this is something that you find useful and will desire to use as you are led. And if not, of course that is good too, as all things should be directed by Him. You can access the site by clicking on the picture below or here. Please note, this picture is actually the front and back of a business card that has been created and will be distributed throughout the highways and byways! And also please note that this site is best viewed via a desktop at this point in time. I am working with the website builder to make improvements to the mobile view, but it is currently a challenge! Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 1 Peter 3:14 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28 According to the scriptures above, and also many others, there are words to describe our stance before our Holy Savior upon His return:
Now let's look at Jude 1:24 in a few different versions and see what this "stance" brings: Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. (NLT) Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy... (NKJV) Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight... (Amplified) We are told in more than one way that our stance before Christ of shalom (peace) and confidence will bring us "great joy", "exceeding joy", and "triumphant joy and unspeakable delight". This obviously sounds so wonderful and perfect and something that we seek and anticipate with all our hearts. In reality, this is the reward!!! I ran across the picture below a few weeks ago and saved it. It moved me at the time, because it spoke the epitome of what I just described above.
I am sharing all of this somewhat in a full-circle approach. Most of us start with the picture above and then some may fall out of it for various reasons that actually may be necessary as we begin to actually live the truth of the Word and accept the full truth of our fallen and sinful state; then we come full circle back in wisdom, understanding, and fullness of faith. When I stated that some of us "fall out of it", this is always attributed to our lack of understanding and faith, and of course our own actions. Our King provides us a way to enjoy the confidence of this perfect picture all throughout our walk, regardless of what He allows us to experience, if we continue walking in faith of His unsearchable love. I admit, my faith varied many times in my walk, but oh no, giving up was never an option. Although I wavered, my love for Him endured, and I am so grateful He gave me this strength. He simply will not lose even one of His own!! While I believe that the picture we see here is the truth of what it will be like, I don't believe it is always seen in fullness of truth. It wasn't for me, at least; and I share this just in case it is true for you too. When we stand before the Son of Man upon His return and in our own individual judgment, we will stand before ALL truth, THE truth, for only HE is Truth. We will stand before pure, unaltered, and absolute truth, and this Truth (Yahusha Himself) will judge our hearts. If we have not searched out His truth but instead stand with our own thoughts and ideas or those things we have learned from our religions, teachers, and pastors, we run the high risk of being bowed down before Him in shame. The Word says that our works will be subjected to His judgment; and remember, His eyes are a flame of fire! For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11-14 The Word also unequivocally states that the works of our hearts are many times deceitful and wicked, even from the complete wrong and even evil motivation. Our hearts are so mysterious that we can't even truly know what exists deeply buried in the crevices. It's a storehouse for everything we've ever felt or experienced; and if is not renewed and cleansed by Truth, it stands to be deceived. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 So obviously, we cannot trust our own hearts, no not one bit. We cannot trust what we believe from our hearts, unless it is founded in the pure truth of Christ. He IS truth, and He IS the Word; therefore, all we believe and all that flows from us must be based on this. This is where the true shalom (peace and utter completeness) will manifest within us when we stand before Him, and His judgment of our work will render approved! Can you imagine this feeling?? Yes, this is unspeakable joy and delight as we stand before our Righteous Judge, King, and Savior -- the Lion of the tribe of Judah -- and He receives us with open arms! Can we reach this place now, in this life, where we are so resting in His truth that His shalom never leaves us, resulting in a meek and humble confidence that keeps us rejoicing without ceasing?? Yes we can!! The Word shows us that the rejoicing of the people of the Most High is never-ending!! This somewhat "indiscriminate" rejoicing is the proof! This rejoicing is not necessarily "happiness" of the world, but a joy and peace that surpasses all understanding in every single situation we face, whether sorrow, death, sickness, poverty, etc. I do not say this comes easy... no... and many times we are faced with these situations over and over to finally instill it within us. This is necessary to prepare us to stand before Him... in exceeding joy and liberty! The picture we see above IS the truth! But do we understand it in full maturity... but yet still keeping our first-love, childlike heart founded and grounded in experience, endurance, and faith? He who called us is faithful to get us there! Yes, He is!! Look at this again: Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight... Jude 1:24 (Amplified) I mentioned above that the Word tells us that the people of the Most High God can be identified by their rejoicing. I would like to leave you with a few of these scriptures to encourage you to know this and live this, if you are not yet in this place. I am still learning and growing in this regard, but I believe I finally understand it! Praise be to the glorious name of Yahusha, "Yah's Salvation", as He continually and faithfully leads us into all truth! Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified. Psalm 40:16 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice. Proverbs 29:6 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee. Psalm 33:20-22 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Psalm 32:11 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Hebrews 3:6 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways... Isaiah 64:5 And one more thing... I just can't resist!! In Ecclesiastes 3, we are told that there is a time to laugh and a time to cry, a time to dance and a time to mourn, and so forth an so on. I believe that in all of this, no matter what time it is, the internal rejoicing within our spirit as demonstrated in the scriptures above should never cease. And so, as you watch and enjoy the short little video below showing the undeniable contagion of laughter, imagine the impact of ongoing spiritual rejoicing!! We know that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, as spoken in Hebrews 11:1. As I was somewhat fixated on this sometime last week, I looked up each primary word of this scripture in the concordance and then wrote out the expanded meaning based on this. This is what I came up with: Our firm confidence in TRUTH – Him, the Truth, Yahusha ha Mashiach -- is the firm foundation that brings us the steadfastness in our minds of those things that can we wait for with joy and assurance; it is the very conviction by which those things that are not perceived by the eyes or senses will be proven, or brought to pass. And now today as I have been reading and meditating on the content in the devotional from Fields of Gold titled, “Faith Can Wait”, I was led again to Hebrews 11 and 12 for reading. As I read Hebrews 11, I began to pray it for myself, and then an “enlightenment” (for lack of a better term) came with a quickening of my spirit. This is when I know I have to write.
is because I have not truly perfected living out what I wrote in my previous writing. It has never been my intention to write out something I think I have attained but instead about my desire and struggles to actually attain it!!
Because we know that Abel’s sacrifice was “more excellent” and was accepted by the Father, we know that it pleased Him and was therefore born in faith. In verse 5 of chapter 11 of Hebrews, we see the pleasing faith of Enoch that contributed to his being translated into Heaven, with the ultimate testimony that Enoch simply “pleased God”. Then in verse 6, we are told that it is impossible to please Father without faith and believing that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Considering all this context, we know beyond any doubt that Abel’s sacrifice was from perfect faith in his heart, and therefore, his heart was right before God. Then there’s Cain. We know that Cain’s sacrifice was not accepted by God. It is obvious that his sacrifice was born out of flesh, which was motivated by obligation or even a desire to compete with his brother. We are shown clearly in Genesis 4:5-7 in both Father’s words to Cain and his responses that his heart simply was not right before God. This so clearly highlights the contrast to Abel’s sacrifice, which was led by the Spirit and offered in true faith with no regard for anything outside of pleasing Father. What can we know about Cain’s heart? If he offered a sacrifice that he determined from his own flesh out of a spirit of obligation or even of competition with his brother, we know his heart was impure and tainted. And obviously, Father knew this beforehand. As I was pondering this, I immediately, I thought of the word “guile” as was the focus of a recent devotional I heard titled, “The Silence of the Lamb” (so worth reading!). Guile is any type of ulterior motive or self-focused reason for doing something, and it is obviously never born out of a heart of pure faith. Cain’s sacrifice was the outward manifestation of the guile in his heart, which prevented him from doing anything for the love of Father. His focus was not on Father even a bit, but it was fully fixated on self, clearly birthed from pride. Obviously, the state of Cain’s heart was a very serious matter, as it caused his sacrifice to be rejected, as well as set the stage for the offense of murder. But it is also obvious from the scriptures that this was not the end all, be all for him. Father said to him, “If thou doth well, shalt thou not be accepted…?” And this was after Father came to Cain upon his fallen countenance when his sacrifice was not accepted. It is obvious Father was trying to correct Cain and show him the acceptable way. And we know the story… Cain made the decision to take out his frustration on his brother instead of focusing on addressing the weaknesses in his own heart that Father so lovingly attempted to show him, which ultimately manifested in murder. The key is… it all started with his heart not being right before God. It all started with a sacrifice being birthed from his own flesh with impure motives, as opposed to faith and love. This is what gets my attention! How many times have I done this during my “walk of faith”?!! Who can know the desperately wicked heart of man? Anything at all, no matter how good it may look on the outside, that is not of faith… is DEAD. I have struggled with a “doer” mentality towards Father for so very long, feeling as if I must do and do to be accepted. This started in early childhood and has had many opportunities to fester throughout my life. This mindset is faulty to the core, and most importantly, it is the fruit of a heart that is “not right before God”. This mindset had become an “identity” that was all too familiar and comfortable since it had been with me for so long, and it took on the outward appearance of accomplishment and success. And oh is that a lie from the pit!! I can write about this now, because it has been clearly identified, confessed, and is now changing every single day! And I will say that Father has shown me much compassion as I’ve worked through this. He knows why I’ve struggled with this, and He has seen that I desire to overcome and walk in purity of Yahusha and not myself. We start with the desire and obedience, and then He gently and lovingly works it out. The year 2020 was a year of great progress for me in this area, but it was the outcome of much pain. Father used this pain along with loneliness and solitude to cause me to lean upon Him in a way I never had, solely through the strength of His Son working in me. We have to be willing to go through this to work out this “way of Cain” within us. It was through great pain that He began to purify my tainted heart, and He still is!! As I have said it to Father repeatedly… I cannot – can not – do this without Christ. I cannot do anything without my Vine; my Source. I will wither and die in my self-sufficiency without Him. I want this little “doer” in me to be DEAD and BURIED! The heart must be literally split open and purged of those “Cainly” tendencies that are deep within, and then in all obedience in humility be filled with the perfect love of Yahusha. And when the perfect love comes, the pure heart results. Only then can we begin to see and sustain the changes in ourselves that we so desperately want, operating out of a heart totally submitted and driven by Him. Let’s read the expanded version of Hebrews 11:1 one more time and compare it to the “doer” and self-sufficient mindset I explained above – or just calling it was it is – the mindset of Cain. Our firm confidence in TRUTH – Him, the Truth, Yahusha ha Mashiach -- is the firm foundation that brings us the steadfastness in our minds of those things that we wait for with joy and assurance; it is the very conviction by which those things that are not perceived by the eyes or senses will be proven, or brought to pass. There is no self in faith; not even human senses. It is only the firm confidence in Yahusha that comes through a pure heart. It is He who gives us the hope needed to sustain our faith (faith = hope = faith!), and it is He who makes us His workmanship and ambassadors. Self is non-existent in faith. My motivation to press on hard for the victory in this area is fueled by knowing that a heart that is the slightest bit “not right” before God cannot and will not be accepted, nor will it ever be pleasing. We must be aware that there are many of us who are or have been influenced by this “Cainly” mindset at varying levels, and many times it attempts to creep in again given the right set of circumstances. And we must also be aware that regardless of where it comes from, its foundation is always pride. As I remind myself, I say... Everything I offer to my Heavenly Father must be done by my faith in the Son’s finished work at Calvary, through the leading of His Spirit, consistently for His glory and praise, and always birthed from a heart filled with His perfect love! Simply said, we must walk in fullness of faith towards Him, and as long as we want this, we know He will respond and take us there. And in this we can all STAND, knowing that any part of our heart that may look like that of Cain can be completely eradicated and transformed into that of Abel, ultimately and beautifully pleasing to our King! Alleluyah… believe it!
this, I can also say that my current state of waiting is also the outcome of finally understanding what it means to wait and actually doing it. It can be hard, but it can be a time of beautiful rest if we fully surrender and trust our Heavenly Father to do His thing with us. I am learning this and attempting to be still and quiet in this wait. I feel I am getting close the to the "still" part but have a little bit to go on the "quiet" front. In its fullness, to wait in faith should be in a place of stillness, silence (no complaining or murmuring or even talking too much about how much we are waiting), and complete peace. If we are really trusting Him, then these things will be present. That can be our litmus test as to the level of our faith in waiting. So as we wait, let us be encouraged to allow Father to make the very most of this waiting and not waste one single moment, and especially on those days where the waiting is painful. For we know that all throughout the Word of the Father, we see that true waiting produces the blessings of our Almighty Creator. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. Psalm 37:34 Below is a devotional from the Fields of Gold book that I have read more than once and found myself reading again this morning. This has been the best revelation that I have read about what it truly means to wait, and I am sure this is why it ministers to me over and over. Waiting actually means more than we may realize and should become a state of mind within us always, as a form of worship and as we offer ourselves as living sacrifices. May these words encourage, equip, and inspire you in all your waiting. FAITH CAN WAIT (by Pietra de Bod)
Discipline is the obedience to the call and guidance of the Holy Spirit on a moment to moment basis. Not only in what to do, but also in what not to do, or dare I say – to wait. Jesus had to wait for 4 days before He went to raise Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus was one of Jesus’ closest friends whom He loved very much. He was told by Father to wait. This could not have been easy for Him. Sometimes we have such romanticized ideas of how Jesus walked on the earth. It must have been an agonizing wait. The pressure from His disciples to act on behalf of His friend knowing that He surely wanted to go to His friend, or the people following Him, must have been huge. Not even mentioning the fact that He wanted to be with His friend in such a time of need. And yet He was obedient to the voice that said, “Wait”. And who is to say that the Father told Him for how long He must wait. We know that He waited for two days, but why do we assume that He was told to wait only two days? Our obedience is not only affecting us but those around us. Jesus had often said my time has not yet come, meaning there is a specific time when something had to be fulfilled. Not just prophecy, but in the lives of those around Him. God holds all the cards and our instructions come at the moment it is dealt by Him in His time. Not by our own perceptions or identification in a situation. Our emotions do not move us, only His Spirit. We would love to be warned before the time. But God is not moved by our schedule. Eternity is always at stake on a moment by moment basis, because we are now citizens of an eternal Kingdom. But do we live in such a fear that our choice to act or not to act affects eternity? Are we walking in the fear of God? Someone once said, “In all the manifold single events He never loses His outlook over the whole. In all the great events He never forgets the small matters, in the universal history, never the personal life story, in the course of centuries never the happenings of the seconds.” God is in control. He asks of us to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46: 10 KJV). Since the Industrial Revolution there has been a huge growth in the development of mankind in every field. With that came the rapid growth of the technological age. We went from the Wright Brothers to drones, and from the first computers to robots. Knowledge has indeed accumulated, not just in volume, but in speed. It is to the point where the machine has taken over mankind. As disturbing as this sounds and is, somehow we adapted to this way of living. It is extremely fast paced and those who cannot keep up, is just simply left behind. However, from out of this age a generation has come with an inability to wait. Everything has to be fast and there is no longer an appreciation for that which actually takes time. Most things have been replaced with technology to the point that people are living in a virtual reality. I cannot but think that this has robbed mankind of life. True life. That which can be appreciated from a viewpoint of substance, authenticity and character. That which had to be laboriously worked out to bring it to the masterpiece that it is. No appreciation for the journey and the suffering there of, but rather only interested in the bottom line or end product. These things are no longer important, but are rather seen as hindrances to growth. But we serve the same God that told Moses to leave all behind, go up a mountain, and just be there. I have a suspicion that it was not just a day’s journey. And he was also not told for how long he will have to just “be there”. How do you just be? That is one of the most fundamental questions in a world where we are defined by what we do. We are no longer human-beings, but human-doings. Everything has to be done at a press of a button. But God will not be hastened by us and He is also not on our time schedule. If we want to know Him the way He truly wants to be known, it will have to be on His terms and waiting is always one of the requirements. We are often quoted that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. This is true, but what does it mean to wait on the Lord? To not say one single word. To not feel the need to initiate a conversation or try to set a mood, but just simply be in the presence of the Self-existing God. The I AM, that I AM. It means simply that there is no self-initiation. All is directed by His Spirit for as long as He desires. Not to our end, but to His. For His glory alone. It means that when we come in His presence, we do not come so that we may be blessed or receive a word from Him or anything to our end. We come into His presence for His purpose. We do not come in with an agenda. We wait for the Spirit to move. And should He choose not to move, we remain waiting. For waiting in itself is the end. Waiting is worship. It serves as an expression of our submission to Him, especially now in the age we live in. His desire is that our waiting will not just be in our quiet times with Him in the morning, but that it will be our holy disposition and attitude of heart. Waiting requires us to not only lay down our expectations, but to deal with that itch that so desperately wants to tell Him how we would like Him to deal with something. It requires us to deal with that immense out of control feeling that drives us up the wall. When all of the signs point to a major catastrophe about to happen. To not act out, even if you know what to do. To not jump to conclusions or be so quick to give your opinion. To wait on Him to clearly direct you and unless He does, you do not act at all. Waiting is one of the most important things He uses to teach us absolute dependence on Him, especially if we have the answer. The issue is not the answer, the issue is whether it is driven by our knowing, or His timing. God is outside of time. He is never in a hurry. If He was in a hurry that would portray Him as out of control. But He is always in control. Never late. We can often not even drive somewhere without racing down the street. It is literally painful for us to drive the speed limit. So if this is the reality of who He is, why is it that we hit the inner panic button when we are late? Why is it that when we see the blow up we predicted, we fall to pieces? Instead of just simply waiting on Him knowing He is in control? Why do we have to act? Sometimes He does not want us to do anything. Just because you have an answer or can help someone, does not mean you are the chosen one. Can you bear it not be the one to help if you have the means to? What if your waiting is His divine will to install trust in you that even if things fall apart, He remains the same? He may want you to see how He will turn it around in His time. Jesus often said, “My hour has not come.” I have realized that God has the whole puzzle and I but one puzzle piece out of a thousand pieces. I know only in part. His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are higher than my ways. I made peace with His sovereignty. Have you? If He can handle the universe, surely He can handle my problems? Once I made peace with His timing and the right He has to work in my life as He wills, I started to see my difficulties as divine appointments. It no longer had to happen in my time. I can wait. When your child is having trouble at school, can you bear allowing God to teach them instead of you? Can you bear seeing them suffer? Or when you know a friend is going through a difficult time. Do you ask Him whether she or he actually needs to go through this season? Or have you already decided on what you will do to alleviate your friend’s pain? When your friend is offended by others, are you choosing their side because you want to spare them the rejection? Do you wait to hear what Father is saying? Maybe He does not want to involve you and He wanted to use someone else? Maybe the lesson needs to be learned through a season of pain and suffering. We have to be willing to allow Him to do what He wants to do in every situation. In the same way we are now asking ourselves why the Lord allowed something to happen in our lives, we now have to ask the same question in other’s lives. Hebrews 11 gives us a list of these people who were willing to wait. It is known as the faith chapter. In Hebrews 12: 13; 39 – 40 we read the following: 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Faith can wait. Great faith can wait for years, even if it means to only obtain that which you are waiting for in heaven. Faith is a dependence on God’s faithfulness to act according to His goodness. My daughter has a disorder that causes her to have almost no self-control. Very little is not done in exaggeration, including her anger. As a result she has lost all her friends. For years I prayed after exhausting all the ways I could think of to get her new friends, until one day I let go. It was agonizing to see my child experiencing so much rejection and loneliness, to the point where she did not want to live, day in and day out for years. And God did nothing. After many years of praying and doing what I could do with no success, I reached a point, knowing that He loves her far more than what I could ever. He was using this loneliness and desperation to draw her to Him. And I was praying for a friend, which would have meant that she would have looked to the friend, but not to Him. I chose to no longer pray about a friend. I chose to trust. Faith can wait, even for years. In the end she gave her heart to the Lord. If only we will let go, and “let God”. When we look at our circumstances from the point of view that God is never in a hurry and that He is always in control, then we enter into His rest by faith. It is the only way to enter into His rest. That includes waiting by faith. Not nervously pacing up and down and allowing our thoughts to run to and fro. But rather, with longsuffering and patience. James 1:2-8 (KJV) says the following: 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. What a glorious journey as I started to learn His paths of righteousness. His ways were indeed higher than mine, but that did not mean that He did not want to reveal them to me. He is so gracious and long-suffering with us. He is a wonderful loving Father who knows exactly how to form us, but we have to become like soft clay under His hands and allow Him to mold us. During this process we learn to obey Him one step at a time. We learn how He deals with His children and we gain wisdom and instruction not just through mere knowledge but by experience. Ephesians 3: 19 says “that you may know the love of Christ which passes knowledge…” God’s love is a life experience. It is tangible, real and true. He wants us to know Him, not in an instance, but on a journey with Him right through our lives and forever and ever, even if we have to wait in this life. Slowly as the reality of who we are opens up to us, we too slowly begin to see the reality of who He is, with unveiled faces.
heart, my energy, or my time to deviate from the love of Christ even for a second, even for any reason. I cannot allow anything of me to be deposited into the pool of hate and destruction that is swirling around me. To do so would be to submit to the enemy and his final schemes in these end days, period. As a matter of fact, I know that my thoughts, my feelings, and my prayers must continuously go fully and completely against this flow that is before me! Are there faces you cannot stand to look upon? Are there people in the limelight who repulse you? Do you see these people as your enemy? Have you forgotten, as I have at times, that it is not flesh and blood that we fight against but principalities and dark powers in high places? Have we forgotten the power of the love of our professed Savior that can change even the most vile of humans (which we once were)?! I had to ask myself these very questions and repent for the thoughts and feelings that began creeping into my mind and heart when I see certain faces or hear the putrid lies that come out of their mouths. Yes we hate the evil behavior, and we hate it because our Heavenly Father hates it. But we must remember, only He knows the heart and He has the wisdom and power to save even the worst sinner. This is His battle and His job... it is not ours to judge and spew forth our pronouncements. It is our command to love our enemies and let the Heavenly King and Judge deal with them as He sees fit. I believe we are in a test right now. Do we have the love of Yahusha (Jesus) in us enough to pray for our enemies, remembering that we were once His enemies and while we were yet sinners, He died for us? I am not sure about you, but I can say that Yahusha came to me and saved me when I was at my worst -- a wicked sinner deserving only of death. Is it possible that He will do the same for those who are publicly and blatantly working against Him right now -- even unto their dying breath? Of course it is, and I believe we are being tested and refined in our submitting to this truth, right now! As this has been on my mind, and as I am searching my own heart and repenting accordingly, my sister from South Africa posted a writing just a few days ago that confirms and solidifies this truth. I believe we all need this reminder right now, as we must make the choice to obey Yahusha and walk as He walked, with no deviations for any reason. This is the way that we demonstrate our love for Him and our commitment to our covenant with Him. In other words, this is how we must live in order to be His. May this touch your heart, and with conviction if necessary, as it has mine. I send this in love and sincerity to my brothers and sisters who truly want the heart of the Father as their own. Love Your Enemies
by Pietra de Bod Yesterday I came with a clean slate before Father enquiring what He wants me to write about. In fact, nothing I write is because it is initiated by me, instead I wait on Him. So this devotional is no different. He said, “I want you to write about My love”. “No easy task”, I replied, thinking who is truly sufficient to talk about His love. I was surprised to see the direction He went in with regard to this subject – loving your enemies. This morning I also woke up with the number 341 on my heart, and the Holy Spirit kept on repeating it to me until I eventually searched for it in the Strong’s Concordance. H341 – The word Oyeb – enemy (personal or national) אֹיֵב ʼôyêb, o-yabe'; or (fully) אוֹיֵב ʼôwyêb; active participle of H340; hating; an adversary:—enemy, foe. Should there be any doubt in my heart that He wants me to specifically talk about this, especially in the current political climate right across the world? I watched a YouTube video of someone yesterday that differs vastly from my doctrinal view. In fact two videos came my way of which the one I was very disappointed. It is obvious the Lord is using these two people in dreams and visions and that He loves them very much. And there are many more out there. Why does God use people who are obviously deceived? Why is He using them with dreams and visions that very often are undeniably from Him? This bothered me because truth is vital in this day and age. I felt almost as if He was letting it “slide”. I know this is not true, but it was troubling me for a while now and just made no sense. My first response was utter disgust because this lady completely disappointed me in her view of the Lord and was downright blasphemous! I immediately unsubscribed. When I asked Father His view on it, He reminded me that there was a time when I was very deceived myself whilst serving Him. And He used me then and loved me right through it. He simply said, “They are still My children”. All I could do was cry about the mercy He has shown me. If He did not where would I be? If He just left me to go on my wayward way, whether out of ignorance or disobedience, where would I be today? Where would you be? The question for me now is, “When is it a wolf and when is it sheep deceived?” Maybe we are quick to say that they are not our enemies, but I am reminded by our Lord’s admonishment regarding our enemies. We are to love them. Of course we would like a middle ground on this one, and yet He is calling us to be perfect. Saying that perfection in Him is only done in this way…by loving our enemies. Not begrudgingly tolerating them at best, or endure or bear them patiently and be nice. He is saying, “Love them”. I have been aware of how easily the children of God become offended. We are so fickle when it comes to anyone that disagree with us or disappoint us. So easily we write someone off, because they no longer hold our interest or the perfect picture we had of them. Do you still get offended if your hard work is not appreciated, or you hear that someone spoke ill of you to another? Do you still break down when you do not receive that love from your wife or husband you so desire? These are all the categories He uses to mold us into vessels that will be able to contain His unconditional love. But are you seeing it as He sees it? And so instead of lovingly enduring and praying for them, we let them go on their way, never even considering that we are to pray and intercede for them. We are offended because they have moved on and in our hearts it serves as confirmation that we were right. But are we? What is it that He wants? Sadly one infraction is all it takes to make a relationship crumble. Jesus said blessed is he who are not offended in Me. This is not a blessing for those who do not get offended. This is a mode of being for those who are in Him…they are blessed. And therefore, because of their unity with Him, they are not offended. For can God be offended? Does our sin offend Him? God is not insecure. That would indicate that we have a certain control over Him. But He is holy and what He requires is this perfection. He is love, and love endures all things, bears all things, believes all things and hopes all things. Love can suffer the loss of esteem and affection and not be offended. It knows that the saints are in different places of maturity. It does not need that affirmation. Our love for Him is not measured by how we show Him affection, but by how we love one another. “Peter, loveth thou Me, then feed My sheep”. If we cannot love our friends, how shall we love our enemies, those who have every intention of causing us suffering and even death? We cannot feign this love when it comes to our enemies. Only Christ in us can love like this. Are we not to welcome this pruning that produces more fruit that we may be able to love this way? Is our testing then not our blessing? For it is our provision. Can you believe that they are employed for your ultimate sanctification so that He may baptize you with His fire? We read in Matthew 5 that He says that we are to love our enemies that we may be sons of God. This is God’s provision for sonship. Except your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees, you are in no way to enter the Kingdom of God…God is ultimate! This love transcends doctrinal differences and even truth as we see it, that is to say it does not override it, but rather love covers a multitude of sin. This is not a mandate to overlook doctrinal error, but rather to love in spite of them. But do you have an ear to hear from Him what He requires of you to do. When to speak and to speak the truth in love? Will that truth be spoken in authentic love? The capstone of being perfect as your Father in heaven is loving your enemy, domestic or nationally...or any other kind. What are we then to say of the patriotic fervor going through this world. The beating of wardrums are getting louder right across this earth. Can you bear to love your Democratic or Republican neighbor? Can you dare to love the Iranians, Chinese, or Russians? Those Communists that embodies the spirit of anti-Christ? The Word says in Matthew 24: 12, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. If love has grown this freezing cold now, how will it be at the end of the tribulation? Do you get offended when others wear masks and you do not? Does it offend you that they are willing to take the "VC" out of ignorance and are unwilling to listen to reason? Have you considered the fact that the decline of the temperature of your love for those brethren in Christ, that do not feel the same way as you about all these topics, are the very agenda of the enemy. To cause our love to wax cold as we judge each other in our hearts whilst outwardly saying "I love you with the love of the Lord"? What then will your response be when your enemy throws you in prison and threatens your life. The eye of self-love will only see an enemy who is to be feared and resisted. But will we be able to see with His eyes, knowing all. For He knows this enemy was treated so badly in life that indoctrination was inevitable. Where his circumstances was that of a poor little boy that had no mother and father, but decided that the only way to survive is to join his country's military. Every time the enemy ensured that blows were given that will install into him such a pure hatred for that which is of God, that all he can do is hate. Can we see with His eyes? Whilst I was typing this, a friend of mine started talking to me on whatsapp. Little did I know that it would be a divine appointment. For some reason we started talking about the present fears that are enveloping this world and how everyone in the last year have become so opinionated. One has to ask, "Are we serving the same God?" She started giving me her testimony of when she was raped a few years ago. I did not know about this. She is such a soft hearted person and my heart just broke. She spoke a bit about how this man had every intention to degrade her by getting up afterwards and laughing at her. Wanting not only to violate her body, but also to leave His mark on her soul. But she said the following to me, which I believe Father ordained to be in this devotional. She did not know what my devotional was about. "What he thought would destroy me actually came and added to my worth and my worth in Christ, and he did not even realize it. And now today I can say "Praise you Lord for that which you allowed in my life." She said that the enemy has tried to put a mark on her, but he failed. Because her whole heart is already marked and she fears no mark. Her body may be here on earth, but she resides in heaven. She said even though he was violating her body, the truth is, it was His body. She soon realized that she was not going to allow what he wanted to leave behind in her through this horrible act, to cause her to be imprisoned. But rather, as one going to him in prison now and saying, "For you I pray that you may know Him". This touched me so deeply and her view is so different to so many. What got me was her childlike faith. So secure in the Lord. And this is the heart of it...faith worketh by love. The word says that he who fears has not been made perfect in love, for perfect love casts away ALL fear. Paul was a prolific Pharisee with quite a resumé. Doing God's work according to him, he took an eye for an eye very seriously and from his hands many believers of "The Way" were killed and inprisoned. That was until he saw Stephen with the glory of God on his face as he was being stoned to death. His next meeting was with the One he was actually persecuting. For persecuting them, was persecuting Christ. And the man who once killed because he thought he was doing God's work, gave his very life for those he once hated, even unto death. This is the same man that wrote of the love that took him captive. The love that hopes all things, believes all things and endures all things. I am reminded of Richard Wurmbrandt's autobiography called "Tortured for Christ". Each time they found him praying they would brutally beat him under his feet until they became a pulp. One day the prison guard stormed into his very tiny room and demanded to know why he was praying when it was obvious that his friends, family and God have forsaken him. And he replied, "It is not for them I am praying, but for you". Out of all the testimonies, especially of those who were martyred, the love for their enemies was their enemy's undoing. Jesus said, as My Father sent Me, so send I you. In these last minutes of this age and knowing He has shown me what I will have to endure, I no longer see spiritual power for doing great miracles as my utmost need. For when I am weak, His strength is made perfect when I will be in the midst of those who will seek to kill me. Those who will want to violate my body...His body. The issue is not will I be able to display great miracles and power, but will I display His Divine love? That is the power and manifold wisdom of God...the love of God for His enemies. Art Katz says that God has a propensity towards His enemies and He wins them over with His love. Stephen's death was the soil upon which Christ could plant the Seed of life. In the same way many will lay their lives down so that their enemy may find Life. Where the heartbeat of this world is to kill, murder, divide and hate, will my heart beat with His love? For whilst I was still a sinner, He died for me. Greater is our debt to Him than any man can owe us, and yet He died for us. Oh, how I need His love! Please Read: 1 John 4: 16 - 21 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Matthew 5: 38 - 46 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Just like the post just before this one, I am going to refer you to another link (the same link as the last post). There is so much waiting for you on this other site! And just as the last message, this one, Home Is Where The Heart Is, this is truth -- full truth -- of what has always been in the Word regarding our life in Yahusha (Jesus). I believe many, including myself, have felt that somehow these words did not fully apply to us. These words were written for every single blood-bought soul, and may we allow this to fully penetrate our hearts. And most of all, may we be willing to lose everything for His sake. These are very strong words, and I pray that I myself can be authentic and real in my speaking of them and my submission to them. Please help us Father! To access "Home Is Where The Heart Is", click here. For access to other writings on this same site, go to The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation. This post is a very recent writing from my sister, Pietra de Bod, from South Africa. May you receive all the Father has for you as He shares His very heart through this lovely sister. I believe if you read this, it is because He has chosen you to do so, as He is wanting to sow something needed into your heart. Thank you Father for how you never stop showing your love for your children! WALKING IN AGREEMENT
The year is almost coming to an end and looking at the media and the circumstances of this world, one can easily become overwhelmed or just fall in despair. And let’s face it, every now and then you just get to the point where you feel, “why even bother?” Sometimes the battle is relentless and never goes away, other times there is just a new battle waiting around the corner. Day in and day out it can slowly chip away at our “sunny disposition” and clouds of despair slowly start rolling in, right in front of our outlook on life. Then what was beautiful colors and inspiring, becomes dull and grey. Fighting self-pity becomes a battle. Or, like some of us, we just pull up our bootstraps and try the next best thing, never entering into that sweet place of rest we so desperately need in this season. I am reminded of the Israelites this morning. Having gone through the Red Sea in a miraculous way, they find themselves in a wilderness. “Gee, thanks!” they thought. And the truth is, we who have come through the Red Sea of Salvation, find ourselves in the wilderness with the same thought. And what an endless wilderness! No one gets to Canaan without the wilderness. And what you have to learn in the wilderness is exactly what prepares you for facing the giants in Canaan. During this time Father was with them in the Cloud by Day and the Fiery Pillar by night. I can imagine the awe they were in. This makes me think of when He meets us in our quiet times when we seek His face, and He meets us in this cloud. There to meet with Him face to face. My take on the Israelites during that time was that they all had one thing in common. Slavery. They knew what it was to have absolutely nothing and what it feels like to not have a say in their lives, being controlled by another. They had to learn during those wilderness season that they needed each other. They needed to be there for each other in a spiritual and physical way. To share, to give, to be there for one another and help carry the burden. The Word says they were desiring the fleshpots of Egypt. Who wouldn’t? Let’s face it, manna is not a delicacy. They were so dependent on the Lord and on each other. Enduring a wilderness for a month is a lot. A year must be plain horrible, but 40 years! Just think of the heat, the daily needs, and the nomadic lifestyle. Enduring the dangers that came with what comes with a wilderness. And then to feel that they did not have a land of their own, slavery already stripping them of their identity, that they were just sojourners hoping to reach that shore where they may enter into the Promised Land. Sounds familiar? Even though we find ourselves not in a physical wilderness today, our wilderness is of another kind. Things confront us that is so vastly different than what they experienced, and yet the same spirits hide behind it. And, when we read the scriptures we see that the original generation that went through the parted Red Sea, was not allowed to go through the Jordan, due to unbelief. It seems so unfair. But our God hates unbelief because in essence it is a declaration that He who is I AM is I AM NOT. Not cool. So, bringing that back home to us, I realize that many of us are tired, weak, overwhelmed, and just want this whole wilderness thing to come to an end now. And where we thought we would have reached Canaan by now, we now realize was a mirage, giving us hope to endure just once more. Some barely holding onto a thread. How do we make sure that we do not fall into the same unbelief as they did? The book of Hebrews warns us of this and tells us that to enter into His rest, is only done by faith. The assault is on our faith. Make no mistake. This faith of ours, the Word tells us, is the key. We are to treasure it and protect it. Father has provided for us means to protect this faith of ours. In essence it is up to us whether we will make use of His provision. He never said it would be easy. But He did promise that He will never leave us. The Word says that Faith worketh by love. When we immerse ourselves and allow our roots to grow deep into the soil of His love, it fills our veins, our being with His love that causes our faith to grow strong, because we trust Him. But we have to come drink of this love. The Word says that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. That “word of God” in this verse is the word rhema, which means the spoken revelatory word of God. Remember Jesus fasting in the wilderness and Him telling the enemy that man shall not live from bread alone, but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of God? He was quoting Moses, the wilderness type and shadow of Him. We also know that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things we cannot see. That was the very faith that had to carry them through the wilderness and that was the faith they also let go of. It is not easy to hold onto this faith. It just is not. And unless we make a concerted effort to protect this faith and build it up, the wilderness will get the best of us. For the Word says that the Israelites are as an example to us. In reality we have to fight to hold onto our faith in this time we are in. One of the ways the Lord had the Israelites hold onto their faith was that they had to remember what He did for them. They built various altars on different occasions and songs were written so that they could lift up their eyes from their circumstances to the One who is higher than them. They had to be reminded who their God is, that He is a covenant God and that He has chosen them. They had to remind themselves of the covenant and even in this day, the same applies to us. We too have to remember what He has done for us. We have to recall it to memory (we are prone to forget) and inspire ourselves. We have to literally stir up our spirits within. We praise and worship Him in spite of our wilderness and so the spirit is stirred up and starts speaking to this soul of despair to yet believe in the God of impossibilities. That He is I AM. Therefore, the Word says that without faith it is impossible to please God and that those who come to Him must believe that HE IS (I AM) and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. It is really a simple exchange when you think of it…you seek, He rewards. But it has to be in faith. And so in those times of despair, you can choose to sink further into it, or speak to your soul as David and say, Psalm 42:5 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. It’s a choice. When you are in despair, you actively have to go get that hope. It is not going to fall into your lap. You have to go seek it by the One who is your HOPE. Then the Word tells us that the enemy comes with his fiery darts and that we who have to have our spiritual armor on (so important) have to stop these fiery darts from penetrating our heart. With our hearts we believe and with our mouths we confess. Once those fiery darts pierces our hearts, the aim is to rob us of our faith and whatever poison was in those darts, penetrates the soul, be it anger, despair, heartache etc. I can see this very assault on the Israelites during that time in the wilderness. Arrow after arrow, just as long they did not reach the Jordan to cross over. And so it is with us. We are not exempt of these arrows and therefore it is imperative for us to lift up our shields of faith. These shields were covered with leather, and were drenched in water to quench those fiery darts. Is your shield of faith drenched in the Word of God? Remember, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You have to go to the One who is the LIVING WORD, there to find strength daily and to have your faith built up in Him. To spend time in the Word, in the Psalms that stirs up the spirit and soul to hope and faith. You have to do it, nobody else can do it for you. Although our Lord has made it very clear to us that He will never leave or forsake us, and we know He is with us, the reality is that He made a principal that still stands true to this day. Amos 3:3 3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? He is with us, but for this wilderness experience to be a success story, we have to walk in agreement with Him. He told us that we are to come to Him, we who are weary and heavy laden and that He would give us rest. Remember, faith = rest. He will give you the faith that causes you to rest. Then He says, take My yoke upon you, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light. The yoke He is referring to is that of the yoke that were placed onto the oxen when they tread the fields. Two were walking together under the same yoke. The stronger ox usually led the way and if the younger one were too obstinate, things would just not be going smoothly. We are to walk in agreement with Him (the Ox, our Aleph) and be yoked to Him in agreement. The Author and Finisher of our faith. In humble submission we follow His lead because He will never lead us in the wrong direction. There He guides and speaks to us. In agreement. Being so strong, when we are weak, His strength sustains us. It keeps us under His yoke and a great sense of not being alone envelopes us as we sense His nearness under His yoke. Therein lies the faith, the rest. Not the absence of doing, but the resting in doing. This I believe is the reason why He is constantly telling us, focus, look to Me, seek My face and draw near. These are not for His sake, because He has no need of anything. He is all-sufficient. But His Father heart yearns that His children will come and draw strength from Him for the journey ahead. His Father heart sees the struggle and endless battles and yearns that we would come to Him so that under His yoke, in agreement with Him, we may have the mind of Christ and know all things. That we will know His will in a given situation and be comforted by the very words that He has spoken to us when we seek Him. And no matter how much He yearns for us to come, in the end, just like the Israelites, we have to choose. Will I daily come and drink from the water that flows from the Rock in the wilderness and be revived? Will I choose to put praise and worship on even if I don’t feel the least bit in the mood? Will I set time aside to read the Psalms or those scriptures that I know will stir my soul to look to Him? Will I confess His word over my life and the promises given I have written down? Will I seek His face and do what it takes of me to come under His yoke so that I may enter into His rest and walk by faith? Will I do what needs to be done to build up my faith and to protect my faith, remembering what is at stake. Will I come to Him and not expect Him to come to me? Sometimes, in our weakest moments, He comes and carries us. Other times we must go to Him. It is a choice to walk in agreement with Him. There is grace to be found and mercy in a time of trouble. Comfort and joy in His sweet presence. There is a heavenly perspective and wisdom…if only we would come. Your God is in the midst of you. He is in you to walk with you in this day and to never leave your side. He is not over sensitive with whether you have spent time with Him or not, or insulted that you forgot to thank Him or even rejected because you were too busy…He just wants you to come, just as you are, in childlike faith. To enter under His yoke and allow Him to carry the weight. Scripture References: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 The Value of a Friend 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Hebrews 3:3 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. 3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. 4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. 5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. 7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, today if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. The world has sought through it's mainstream "wisdom" and abilities to paint a picture of our Savior for all to see. This picture does no justice and is profoundly flawed, not to mention its blatant disregard for the first commandment. In the deep humbling of our souls and spirits, may we seek to see Yahusha's (Jesus) true and real image, as the Father has clearly provided for us in His word -- this is the image the Father wants us to examine carefully. This is the image that brings knowledge and wisdom to the saving of the soul. Although we know that our Savior has won the victory -- that He has overcome and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father, and He is in glory -- we must remember the image of His humbling, of His breaking, and of His surrender. This very image will remind us of our true call, as we continually follow Him, walking as He walked and enduring as He endured to the very end. Isaiah 53 shows us this beautiful but tragic image so perfectly. Both the KJV and Septuagint** versions so poetically and perfectly describe our King, our Lamb, our Savior.
In truth, and according to God's word, Yahusha (Jesus) took on every single woe of man, from the beginning of His life until the end. He did this in His physical body, in His soul, and in His spirit. He set aside His deity and His glory to take on the image of sinful man in its fullness -- and He did it all for the JOY that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2)! He took on every grief from rejection, abandonment, ridicule, mocking, etc.
We see here from the word of our Father that Yahusha took on every woe, every pain, every grief, every disease, every rejection, and every sin. This wasn't just at the tree when He was crucified, or in the congregation of the Roman soldiers where He was severely and ruthlessly beaten and scourged, or even when He was spit upon and His beard torn off His face... this was also His life (noting that Isaiah 52:14 tells us that during His passion, His image was so marred and disfigured that He was unrecognizable as a man)!! He experienced it ALL for our sakes - ALL OF IT! In summary... As taken from the writings of Charles Spurgeon, it is best said like this: My Son, the pure and perfect, will stand in your place and be accounted guilty. And you, the guilty, will stand in my Son's place and be accounted righteous! He took our place, so that we might take His place; He took our sin, so that we might take His righteousness. So the next time you see the world flash an image of our Savior in front of your eyes, immediately remember the true image that our Father has given to us***... and cry, moan, repent, and rejoice!!!! And yes, also remember that He HAS overcome, for it is His overcoming that gives us ours!! His image then and His glory now are our ONLY hope! All honor, glory, praise, adoration, and thanksgiving belongs to Him and Him alone! Notes from references above:
** The Septuagint is a version of the Bible that represents the earliest version of the Old Testament scriptures, which is the translation executed at Alexandria in the third century before the Christian era. (taken from the Introduction of the Brenton Septuagint) *** Please remember that the enemy of our souls has control of the mainstream flow. Be careful believing anything that comes from this, especially the image of Christ. We are told in the first commandment (Exodus 20:4) not to make any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in Heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. The question is... why is the world feeding us an image?? |
Special NoteThese writings are written in love and a spirit of servitude. They are not designed to judge but make us think. We are all sinners in need of saving, and we all need encouragement and absolute truth to endure on the narrow road to sanctification and ultimately eternal life. Categories
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