The gate (G4439 – a gate, that is, the leaf or wing of a folding entrance) is straight (G4728 - narrow, from the base G2476 to stand, abide, bring, continue, covenant, establish, lay, present)
Narrow (G2346 – to crowd, afflict, throng, suffer tribulation, trouble; from the base of G5147 – to rub, a rut or worn track) is the way (G3598 – a road, a progress [the route, act, or distance]; figuratively a mode or means, journey, highway) After putting all that together, I believe it it would be safe to say it this way: “The entrance into eternal life is narrow and established in covenant – exclusivity and commitment unto oneness, and the journey thereto is progressive and includes suffering and tribulation.” We cannot enter into the ultimate reward of eternal life without our commitment in word and deed to covenant, and our covenant is based on faith in Yahusha as our sole redemption. He is the Mediator and High Priest of the New Covenant between us and Yahuah, to prepare and restore us to the eternal presence of Father God Almighty. Most of us already know and have experienced the suffering and great tribulation of the covenant journey/narrow path, and many of us feel it might not ever end. This is absolutely necessary, and there is no way around it. The Word is very clear about this. We have two choices: embrace it and wait for the glory to be revealed, or fight it with grumbling and complaining. I know which one we all want, but it is obvious that we cannot do it alone in the flesh. Praise our God and Father through His Son Yahusha the Messiah that they have promised to do it IN US! But there is more. There is another aspect of this “narrow path” that has been very prevalent in my life as well as many others, so much to the point there are times I feel I cannot take anymore. Did you notice that one of the meanings of the word “narrow” is “to crowd”? This is so, because the path is only meant for one person at a time – it is isolated, personal, and at times extremely and bitterly lonely. It is your own personalized journey, ordered and orchestrated by the One who knows you better than anyone… to the depths and crevices of your heart. He knows your base and foundation (your bones, your personality, your wiring, your essence), because He knit you together that way. He also knows your junk – all the childhood events that molded you (and for some these are even difficult to remember and process), the mistakes, the rebellion, the doubt, the wretched acts… and He knows why. He is so wonderful and loves us so deeply that each of us has our own path – a very narrow path, so narrow that it must be walked alone... with Him, that He is literally formed in us. It is a path tailored especially for each of us by the Master Planner and Savior. This is how creative the Holy Spirit is in the New Covenant. Because He promises to “cause us to walk in His ways” (Philippians 2:13 and Ezekiel 36:27), our path is specific to us. He knows our frame and what it will take to get us there; He will finish the work in His way, the perfect way for us. All the more reason that we should be humble and meek when looking at another person’s journey, especially when it doesn’t look quite like ours. For this reason, whoa to us when we judge wrongly! The entrance (gate) is by faith and covenant, and the journey (path) will be perilous and lonely. But as Yahusha told us over and over, He is with us until the end of the age. He will not leave us nor forsake us as we walk His path carrying our own cross till we get to the place of our death. And as we are crucified with Him, we remember that death by crucifixion involved torment and torture – a slow death that destroys the flesh and resurrects the spirit into perfection and eternal life. We die with Him and are raised up with Him, remembering these wonderful words of Paul: For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 I would like to share an excerpt from the 2nd book of Esdras in the Apocrypha that speaks of this narrow path. This impacted me the first time I read it many years ago and has always stayed with me. It is the perfect picture of our narrow path with even more insight into why Yahusha had to walk it and why we also must follow.
And he [an Angel which had been sent to him the nights before] said unto me, Up Esdras, and hear the words that I am come to tell thee. And I said, Speak on, my God. Then said he unto me, The sea is set in a wide place, that it might be deep and great. But put the case the entrance were narrow, and like a river; who then could go into the sea to look upon it and to rule it? If he went not through the narrow, how could he come into the broad?
There is also another thing: a city is builded and set upon a broad field and is full of all good things: the entrance thereof is narrow and is set in a dangerous place to fall, like as if there were a fire on the right hand, and on the left a deep water: and only one path between them both, even between the the fire and the water, so small that there could but one man go there at once. If this city now were given unto a man for an inheritance, if he never shall pass the danger set before it, how shall he receive this inheritance? And I said, It is so, Lord. Then said he unto me, Even so also is Israel’s portion. Because for their sakes I made the world: and when Adam transgressed my statutes, then was decreed that now is done. Then were the entrances of this world made narrow, full of sorrow and travail: they are but few and evil, full of perils, and very painful. For the entrances of the elder world were wide and sure and brought immortal fruit. If then they that live labour not to enter these strait and vain things, they can never receive those that are laid up for them. 2 Esdras 7:2-14 (KJV) Most of us already know that this narrow path is extremely painful at times, including times of great dryness and loneliness. We use the word “wilderness” to describe some of these longer stops on our path. Just as with Yahusha for 40 days, the wilderness is the place of our necessary testing, where some of us spend more time than others. This testing is all about preparation for our eternal destination, but it is also about preparation for our assignment. Because we live in the last days when there will be a great harvest of lost souls, many of us are also likely being prepared to be a worker in this harvest. What great preparation and endurance this will require as the world will be in the midst of the greatest tribulation of all time and where mercy, love, and endurance will be required of us at levels we have never known! Most of us right now in this moment are like Peter... not realizing just how not ready we are for this. The magnitude of this assignment is massive. The wilderness stops can be some of the most challenging places along our narrow path, and they often bring us to a place of doubt and fear of our preparation for the future and to stand before our King and Judge. Because many of us currently find ourselves in this place, I wanted to share a short "pearl of wisdom" that my sister from South Africa shared with me that gave me the assurance and peace I needed. It is called, "His Finished Masterpiece". (And there is a story behind the new tab on this website where this pearl of wisdom is located. If you would like to know more about it, click here for the applicable blog post (the story is quite amazing!). May the Most High God, Yahuah, bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you... and give you strength and peace that you may endure the narrow path to fulfill your calling and reach the eternal reward, Yahusha, our Beloved!
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none other than Yahusha Himself -- the fountain of life, the bread of life, and the light of the world, the very manifested presence of the breathed out Word of Yahuah, God Almighty. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, athe glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Not too long ago, I was listening to a woman who has a very unique gift of prophecy, and she was elaborating on several prophecies the Father had shared with her. They were sobering to say the least. Her message was very focused on our discernment and the impact of the Word of God in our lives. As I listened, something quickened within me; I felt it. That same night I had a dream. Even to this moment, I have been unable to explain it in a way that describes what I understood. In the dream, I could see the impact of the Word, supernaturally, upon those who read it, believe it, and live it – continually. It was almost as a supernatural shell around them – a protection, a provision, a refuge, an illumination, an enlightenment; they were clothed in the Word in this way. As a result, discernment, wisdom, understanding, love, power, and all things of Him were encapsulated within them and emanated from them. Very simply, it was supernatural, and it was because they had eaten and digested the living Word. It’s as if in the dream I was given an understanding of this but still cannot find the words to fully articulate it. It was wonderful, and I believe it changed something in me – a much needed shift, or propelling, into the fertile land of truth and shalom after almost eight long years in the dry and barren wilderness. I was very thankful. After this dream, I wanted to go and look more into Hebrews 4:12, specifically in the Greek to get more depth of the English words. I grabbed my book, “Sparking Gems from the Greek”, and checked to see if the author had covered this scripture. Sure enough, he had. What he shared also shifted something in me, so much so, I have shared it with many close to me. Someone told me the other day that she has held on to this understanding since I shared it with her. This is an excerpt of what was shared in the book (paraphrased with a few of my words): The word “two-edged” is taken from the Greek word “distomos”, which is a very unique word, since it is a compound of the word “di”, meaning two, and the word “stomos”, meaning one’s mouth. Basically in English, the full word means “two-mouthed”. So the “two-edged sword” is the Sword of the Spirit, which is in essence a two-mouthed sword. After we hear the spoken Word of God and begin to seek it out, many times the Father will then give us a deeper understanding or “rhema” word of the same. It is typically at this time when it settles in our hearts and becomes a part of us, and then our understanding easily pours forth out of our mouths. It like power releasing from inside us because of the word given to us. So first, the word comes out of the Father’s mouth to us, and then it comes out of our mouths – making it two-mouthed! The wisdom given to us in understanding is coupled with the spoken word, and it becomes anointed and powerful – so sharp that it divides supernaturally. When we speak the settled word out of our mouths, we have truly come into agreement with the word of God. It is then that the power is released in the situation, whether it be speaking the gospel to someone, dealing with spiritual warfare, or whatever the case may be. As I excitedly pondered this understanding, I began to think of this “agreement” as a oneness with the Father. We are in oneness with Him when we speak forth the wisdom of His word stored in our hearts through faith. That oneness is in Yahusha, the Word, and we are speaking Him forth – His power – because we believe and trust in Him… because we love Him. The Word is in us, thus it comes out of us. We are one with Yahuah, God Almighty, through His Son, the living Word. This should always be what comes out of us, but unfortunately, we are still being perfected. The flesh tends to speak its own words many times before we even think about it, and therein so often lies a missed opportunity. May we become so hungry for His Word that we eat it and digest it daily, and at that, multiple times a day. We must constantly stay in oneness with the Father, not just in our hearts but also in every word we speak. I share this as one who still needs much work in this area! Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 1 Peter 1:23-25 A little over a week after my dream about the Word, I was reading this scripture (above). I laid down for a quick nap, and it started brewing within me. I wrote this in my journal about it: “This is a testimony in the New Testament. The New Testament contains many testimonies, so this scripture is a word of testimony by Peter.” Next, this scripture came to mind: And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11 Our testimonies are words from our mouths coming from our hearts. First, we are born again through the living and everlasting Word of God, which endures forever. Our oneness with the Father starts with salvation and our speaking forth the Word that saved us. This is why we confess that Yahusha ha Mashiach is Lord of all as part of our salvation experience (Romans 10:9). Then we live with the Word, taking Him in daily and eating and drinking of Him, and then we speak forth the wisdom of Him in us, as ambassadors and witnesses. Then at the last, we fully overcome and endure by the atonement of His blood and the word of our testimony – Him IN us spoken out of our mouths in words with boldness and pure faith in the midst of persecution and tribulation. This is also the exact reason the enemy and his followers will want to kill us. As it says in Revelation 6:9, the souls that were under the altar crying out had been slaughtered because of the Word of God and their testimony. The very thing for which they want to kill us will also be that which causes us to overcome. THIS is the power of the Word in us and coming forth out of us! In closing, I would like to share one more thing that I thought of during this wonderful journey about the Word. These scriptures came to mind next: And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Revelation 19:11-15 It seems clear that in the last verse Yahusha has a sharp, two-edged sword coming out of His mouth. Even though it does not state “two-edged”, I believe this is true, because in Revelation 1:16 it states that as He held the seven stars in His right hand, a sharp, two-edged sword went out of His mouth. In 19:15, it is two-edged at this perfect moment in time when He is coming on His white horse at the end of all to judge in victory. I believe this is so, because of who is riding behind Him! His armies, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (the overcomers in Revelation 7:9, 13-14), are in oneness with Him through His Word! He, the Word, is coming to judge and rule with His two-edged sword! Can it be two-edged/mouthed without His beloved overcomers in oneness with Him? Oh for sure and for certain, because He alone can do all things! However, He desires and has chosen that we are to be one with Him as His Body, determined and set as a part of His rulership.
I pray that this wonderful gem of understanding encourages and edifies you. It truly is an amazing thing to ponder that we are this important to Him that we, our mouths, are the other side of His sword! And isn’t it interesting that the word “SWORD”, is primarily made up of the word, “WORD”?!! Praise His holy, mighty, powerful name!! Thank you Father, that you are willing to receive us, cleanse us, and make us one with you through your beautiful son, Yahusha the Messiah – the Word!! We are not worthy, but you are! All throughout our walk of faith in Yahusha (Jesus of Nazareth), most of us have had various experiences with fasting and praying; it truly is an integral part of the walk. And now, as we are walking out a very trying time in our world, literally marching toward the fulfillment of all things -- including our standing before the Son of the Living God whom we profess our allegiance -- many are feeling the compelling to fast and pray all the more. When we are serious about our walk towards holiness and committed to running the race to the very end, we know that fasting, with prayer, is necessary and offers great rewards. Although the scriptures in Isaiah 58 are specifically directed at the Day of Atonement (referencing this "sabbath" holy day in verses 13-14), they reflect perfectly the end result that general fasting with prayer can bring: Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. Isaiah 58:8-9, 11-12 Also, in verse 6, He says further, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?" So, if we put all this together, true biblical, obedient and pure fasting, with prayer, can bring about the following beautiful things in our lives:
Most who have made fasting and praying a regular part of our walk have experienced many of these things, bringing even further meaning and confirmation to the word. We know in our heart of hearts that it truly is a must in our spiritual life. Having said all of this, I will also say that fasting is not always easy; and sometimes even prayer can be difficult. I was lead to write this post this morning, as I prayed and struggled through my most recent compelling to fast. I want to share this in all transparency, as lead, so that this writing may even confirm for others that this time in which we are living is surely a time of fasting and praying. I would also like to offer encouragement for the same, in case others may be struggling to follow through for whatever reason. Although fasting and praying is not new to me, I have recently developed a new struggle with intense and more extended fasting, because of its correlation to the events of my life, specifically since 2015. I have had times of fasting on the heels of losing each of my family members (3 of them), and these were times of great despair, anguish, and isolation. Although I eventually experienced the reward of the fasting, those times are times I wish not to ever experience again. When I think of these times, it brings back a stressful intensity that tries to squash my desire to fast through negative emotions that I do not want to re-live. Because this is very real to me in my emotion, it can and will affect the purity of my heart to fast and pray as Father desires. As a result, I have to deal with this "correlation" that has developed in me before I can move on and fast in shalom and with clear purpose. My soul initially wanted to feel guilty for this, because it has now caused me to be weaker in my fasting; but my spirit by the influence of the Holy Spirit has received peace and comfort that this is only happening -- it is only surfacing -- because Father wants me to see it and deal with it, and He will heal me and deliver me. He is so wonderfully understanding, compassionate, and long-suffering. Never do I ever want to take advantage of this or disobey Him in any way, but I do believe that He is immensely gracious and will deliver us and equip us to move forward in His call upon us. In other words, He WILL finish what He has started in every aspect of our walk. This propels us forward to repent, pray, and trust that He has us, without guilt and condemnation, which will only sidetrack us all the more. As always, I stand so grateful that sometimes I cannot adequately thank Him with English words! I am prayerful that my sharing here will inspire as well as help any others who may be struggling, especially in the area of fasting. This is such a powerful way for us to truly crucify the flesh, even the desire for those things that are required for the body, and dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to seeking the Father with no distractions or impediments. And furthermore, when done with a pure heart and dedicated prayer, there are always results! We simply need to talk more about this topic! There is so much more I could say about fasting, but that is really not the purpose of this post. The last thing I wanted to do with this post is to share several inspiring quotes that will shed even further light on this subject as well as inspire and encourage -- and we all need this now, as this is truly a time for focus, full surrender, and unceasing prayer. May you be blessed and enriched with the following words of dedicated, holiness-seeking people... Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled... Hebrews 12:14-15 ... and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord, our King, Yahusha ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ)... This part of the scripture is most profound, and since it is pointed and direct, it obviously demands our attention. We will not see Him without holiness. Do we know if we have attained holiness? Do we know what this holiness is? These are questions I often ask myself, and I think the very foundation of these questions is something that requires full understanding as well as a daily internal check. First, we cannot ever attain holiness by our own works or our own efforts. Most of us know this... but some of us have to be reminded. Not because we think we are holy, but because we have been trained much of our lives to work and earn love and approval and goodness. We think we must work to be accepted. There is not one inch of holiness in us, and therefore, all our working is considered filthy rags in the sight of our Holy God. Holiness comes from the finished work of Christ, our complete faith in this, and our abiding in this throughout the sanctification process, whereby He, and He only, makes us holy. And this is the only way we will see Him and know Him in this life and certainly in the one to come. I would like to share a very strong connection to this holiness that has been on my mind so much in the last week. But before I do that, I wanted to share some scriptures I was reading this morning in Ephesians 4 that are so helpful in outlining what is holy and what is not holy, kinda like that black and white list we all like to see sometimes, to help us really understand. (Note, I am only focusing on Ephesians 4, but there are many more, maybe even more profound, scriptures all throughout the word on holiness.) What holiness is... I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (verses 1-3) ... for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ... (verses 12-13) ... but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head— Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (verses 15-16) ... that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (verses 22-24) And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (verse 32) What holiness is not... ... children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting... (verse 14) ... walking as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (verses 17-19) ... your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind... (verse 22) ... lying... and do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer... Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth .... And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (verses 25-31) Obviously, this is much to take in on both sides. Holiness is so much more... so deep and mysterious and pure, and it is a kingdom requirement. We won't see our Beloved without it. Therefore, if we really want to see Him, we will want to search out what this really means and then seek it through His grace. I will say this... living life in carnal Christianity is not it. This holiness has nothing to do with flesh and its pleasures and everything to do with holiness birthed by fire... and as we know, fire is not comfortable. I won't go into this, as this is a totally different topic. The one connection with holiness that will not come as a surprise is its direct tie to forgiveness. It's even clear in the first scripture shared above... I don't believe it's any coincidence that a warning about a "root of bitterness" is given right after we are told we cannot see our Lord without holiness. While we know forgivness is a requirement of salvation and an ongoing requirement of sanctification, its direct correlation to holiness is so precious and beautiful when we can see the whole picture. While this may be somewhat of an "elementary" concept, I had a vision of it in my mind this past week that I spoke out with words, and then it became a prayer. And through the prayer, Father showed me some little leftover tidbits of "angst" I will say, which were actually crumbs of unforgiveness still lurking in my heart. The general topics associated with these crumbs had been dealt with and I thought fully forgiven, but as I could feel the lingering "right to be upset" feelings in my heart, I realized I had not fully forgiven as I am about to explain in the next paragraph. I will tell you that these crumbs are associated with the death of each one of my family members as well as my own almost spiritual death by a direct contribution of someone I love. I share this, because these are the big ones in my life, making the full release all the more amazing, to His glory and praise! Forgiveness is letting someone off the hook, so to speak, right? Not holding someone accountable for a wrong done to you, regardless of the depth and magnitude of this wrong, is another good way we describe it. While this is true, I have another take on it that is an even further understanding that brings us full circle to perfect love and holiness. It brings us to the epitome of being renewed in the spirit of your mind and putting on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness, AND, being kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. We are told in Romans 12:19 that vengeance belongs to our King. Judgment and any needed vengeance is His to determine and carry out. We are told to trust Him and release any wrongdoing committed against us to His faithful and perfect justice and judgment, and we are told to love and pray for even our enemies and those who spitefully use us (Matthew 5:44). Our only responsibility is to wholeheartedly trust Him and His ability to avenge -- or even save!!! -- so much that that we lovingly place it on the altar for Him to handle. This means we don't ponder on it and we don't speak of it. Remember that if we even speak of it, then we have connected it back to us and spoken forth the offense once again. Either it is released to Him, or it is not. Sometimes the offense is so great that it takes time to fully release it, but any desire to do it His way in His strength, will always result in victory! I know this firsthand, and the crumbs He showed me are the evidence, while all along I thought I had fully forgiven. So look at the beauty of this!! The people that we have held accountable in our minds for hurting our loved ones or hurting us have souls, and their souls will either join us as our brothers and sisters in glory, or they will be condemned to a place of eternal judgment. What do we really want for them? What does our Father, their Creator, really want for them, knowing that He does not desire that one soul perish, no matter what they have done!! When we can disconnect the offense from the soul, we can hand it over to our perfect Father so that He may either save them or condemn them, as He extends grace and righteous judgment according to His will. We are then set free -- free indeed!! What about this? If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. John 20:23 I believe that when we do not fully forgive, our unforgiveness can keep the person in bondage, especially in the area of the offense committed. Can you imagine that your unforgiveness of someone can directly impact their deliverance from something that can hold them in bondage? I believe this is exactly why Yahusha so vehemently said that if we fail to forgive others, neither will we be forgiven! Our unforgiveness has power, but praise be to His name, even moreso does our forgiveness!! There is great magnitude in this understanding, and as we prepare to be a holy, unspotted Bride for our King, we must grasp this and deal with it! A precious sister of mine recently shared a revelation with me that Father gave to her some time ago, and since then, I have pondered it over and over in my mind. Of course, as I was dealing with my crumb issue, it came back up again. As I share this, I pray you will receive it into your heart and the blessing of its depth will bring further understanding, just as it has for me. So here it is...
As my sister had been pondering the violent stoning death of our brother Stephen outlined in Acts 7:54-60, she realized something so beautifully amazing. It is there that we see Paul, then Saul, standing by very likely with his arrogant arms crossed, complicitly supervising and encouraging this heinous crime against one of Yahusha's own servants. And then we read the last words of the servant as he is dying (and try to hear them in your spirit)... "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not charge them with this sin." My sister explained that at that moment, when the sin was not charged against them (including Saul) through Stephen's forgiveness, the very Spirit of the Living God prepared to meet and indwell the man who would become one of the greatest apostles of all time, Paul. It was Stephen's full forgiveness that opened the door, so to speak, to Paul's magnificent conversion!! So with this, do you see the power of our full forgiveness, for the sake of the one who has committed the offense against us??! Isn't this love -- the very love that our Savior extended to us -- that while we were yet sinners (His enemies), He died for us? THIS is what is also required of us! It's as if our obedient release says to our Beloved... "Yes my Lord, I will forgive them that you might save them!!" Full and complete forgiveness, in pure love, unto holiness. This is the connection to holiness! This is why we cannot be forgiven unless we forgive! It's foundation is perfect love... love that casts out all fear, love that conquers all, and love that never fails! HIS LOVE!! And finally, I have one more thing to share that will put some really nice icing on this wonderful cake feast! This is something another very special sister shared with me yesterday, and just now I have found out that she has also included this same story in a devotional she just posted today! I have not yet read this devotional, so it appears our minds may be on similar tracks - and I do not think this is a coincidence! As I was just now searching for a summary of this to share with you, I went to her devotional to find exactly what I was looking for. With that, I will use an excerpt from this to make my point: To them He (Jesus) said in that moment of extreme agony and complete devastation, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do”. It is not just that He died for them, but how He died for them. With love. What kind of love is this that dies for the ones that crucify Him? The same love that caused Richard Wurmbrandt after being beaten under His feet with rods for years, causing it to become a pulp, confronted by the prison guard with the words, “Why do you still pray? Don’t you realize by now after all these years that no one is coming for you? That your God is not going to save you?” To which Richard replied standing on his knees, “I was not praying for me, I was praying for you”. It is that love that transcends human understanding. In this excerpt above, my sister is referring to the man Richard Wurmbrandt whose story is told in the movie, Tortured for Christ", of which you can access here should you be led to watch. This is an example of the forgiveness, grounded in love, that is required of us and that when is observed in action can change the hearts of the most vile and sinful humans. Are we prepared for this? Are we willing to forgive at this level unto holiness? I know I desperately want it, but I also know it cannot be done in my strength but only through the fullness of the Most High God that comes from knowing and receiving the height, depth, width, and length of the love of Messiah Yahusha! (If you would like to read my sister's devotional post where I obtained the excerpt, you can access it here. I have shared many of her writings on this site, and as with all the rest of them, you will be filled and nurtured with raw truth poured out from the Spirit.) I pray this post has blessed you in some way, as everything in it has blessed me. It is my desire to share my experiences and blessings with those who are truly seeking the face of the One True God, through His Son Yahusha ha Mashiach, as we feel the urgency to prepare for His soon return! And to that we say... Make us ready! Come King Yahusha!!! One final note that I would like to share as I proclaim the good works of our God... My Father has blessed me with the most amazing group of sisters who have inspired, encouraged, taught, and supported me... and in all of this, He constantly shows me how much He loves me through them! They are like the most beautiful, exotic flowers in a dry and lonely garden! I am so very grateful!
At first I wasn't sure why I dreamed this, but as I pondered it this morning, believing that Father had a message in it, I began to see it. This wall and correlating word "diminished" is a picture of where the world is today with regard to spiritual things. Every day that passes, we diminish more and more in our care and concern for righteousness and true faith succumbing to mediocrity and slothfulness... we're fading into the great falling away where the great delusion awaits. And just like the wall, it is blatantly obvious, but the world goes on in its current state simply ignoring it. I believe this overall message is a continuation from my last few posts and also correlates with a message my sister from South Africa just posted yesterday. These messages keep my spiritual heart beating with understanding as well as warning me to continually examine myself as to avoid any diminishment from the truth. It is amazing how Father will give us a focus to share the burdens of His heart with His people. And in this last hour, the issues of lukewarmness, shallow faith, and diminishment are taking center stage. The question is, do we see it and will we hear? This applies to all of us, myself included. When I was thinking about this word "diminished" this morning, I wrote down the things that first came to my mind where the world has diminished. I listed the following:
Coming to the conclusion that everything is now diminished, I thought of how the world is surely turning dark as the light is diminishing. Darkness is taking over. In reality, we here especially in the western world do not realize the level of diminishment in which we currently exist. We know things are getting bad and that we are nowhere close to how it was when we were younger, but there is a good chance that we don't realize the fullness of the diminishment, because we were born into it. It's the same ole cliche I mentioned in one of my last posts... like the frog slowly being boiled, we were born into very warm water already and do not realize the level of boiling in which we sit now. It's very very hot, but is there a chance we only see it as quite warm or maybe just beginning to get hot? We have to think about this, because this realization will help us in our willingness to truly examine ourselves, as the Bible tells us, specifically with regard to faith. Our culture and blessings have blinded us to a large degree, and in order to see through these rose-colored glasses, we must have the fullness of truth to set us free. Are we willing to believe this and to look closely and deeply within our own hearts to see if we really are of the faith? Or does our western comfort keep us too comfortable and distracted, inadvertently making us complacent and a target for deception? If we are truly followers of Christ, we have no choice but to actively and purposefully ask this and search deep within our own hearts and check and test ourselves. And the only way to do this in truth is to compare ourselves to the perfect Word of God, of which our Savior and King IS! When we examine ourselves as the scripture says, the Hebrew meaning shows us the depth of this being to scrutinize, discipline, test, and prove. Furthermore, the root word means the idea of piercing... a test. Obviously, it is no coincidence that this is exactly what the Word does! It cuts to the heart... if we let it. Many today only get offended and therefore reject the piercing, forfeiting the resulting reformation that it brings. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 The American culture has created an "American faith", and I am confident this "faith" is nowhere near the biblical faith we see detailed to us in the Word as well as demonstrated to us by those who truly exercised it. The faith we see in the Word was steadfast unto death; it healed the sick and raised the dead; it walked on water and submitted to being sawn into. It was founded in a focus on hope of a future blessing in a heavenly place and not on immediate blessings and answers. It was not of this world, just as those who demonstrated it were not of this world. It was true biblical faith founded and grounded in the love of Yahusha's (Jesus) finished sacrifice... pure love received and pure love given back... again, unto death. Are we ready for this? Have we looked internally to see if we are at the stage where Peter was when he denied Yahusha, fully and boldly thinking he was ready but instead ready to immediately deny to save his life?? This is reality, and if we are not considering this in our own hearts, we are not in reality. This thought scares me, and I confess now that I could very well be where Peter was; but I can also stay in confidence that I do not want to stay there and am willing to do what it takes to get beyond it. We were told this story about Peter for this reason... that we would test and prove ourselves and then be willing to be perfected in truth through suffering, repentance, and true reliance upon Yahusha to work this faith in us unto completion. In all fairness to us, we have been born and raised with western thinking, western culture, western blessing, and western lies. We have been programmed by the matrix we live in, and if we truly think that we have not been influenced by this, then the programming has worked. However, our being born into this will never be an excuse to stay there. Our desire to search ourselves at all costs and walk after Yahusha will cause Him to open our eyes, applying the eyesalve of Revelation 3:18, and take us into His truth. Yahusha, the Word, is the only remedy. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17 In addition to begin born into a matrix of lies, we cannot forget the innate state of the heart that we were also born with. It's a double-whammy to overcome! The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 But we have a merciful and compassionate God who will not leave us in this state, if we will only humble ourselves and examine ourselves and submit ourselves to Him... with all our hearts and in genuine faith in His love and goodness! In essence, we are willing to become poor in heart that we may be rich in faith through His perfect promises! And we who have partaken in His undeserved blessings for so long should the first, not the last, to do this! We have been given wonderful examples of how to begin this true heart-searching and examination process, as those in the past who truly sought the heart of the Father left us some of their cries and pleas to Him in this regard. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4-5 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. Psalm 86:11 Within this last hour the Heavenly Father is calling out to His own and warning us of the diminishment that is surrounding us. It truly is all around, and it is subtle; and many are ignoring it as if it doesn't exist. It has crept in unawares and will deceive us if we are not careful. If we cry out in examination of our own hearts, He will hear and He will lead us into all truth. It starts with us and ends with Him! And where He is, there is no diminishment nor shadow of turning! HalleluYah! Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure... 2 Peter 1:10 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. Luke 17:5 I would also like to include a link to my South African sister's recent post regarding PseudoFaith (I would like to recommend listening to the audio if you can, as you will feel the experience and tone of the message in its fullness). This message is the humble sharing of her own heart and experience regarding the faith that is required of us, and it is not the "American faith" that we know. I pray both my blog post and her message will speak loud and clear and quicken your hearts, just as ours have been, as Father is so desiring of His precious children. And if today you hear His voice about this, please harden not your hearts but respond to His sweet call in faith.
In the last few months, there has been a growing intensity in many of the Heavenly Father's people... one of urgency and time running out... and one with heaviness towards the spiritually lukewarm. I am one of these people feeling "the tug", thus the reason for my last post, It's Time to Take Our Temperature. In my circle of brethren whom the Father has given to me, which the vast majority are all over the world through the airwaves, this is the cry of the hour. Honestly, it is the cry of the last hour. Please take a minute and read the following warning just posted by my South African sister, whom Father uses greatly to minister to the Bride. Many of you are feeling the same thing, and you are also sending out this cry. I send out this cry again today, just in case there may be even one who needs to hear it. He is speaking... actually, I feel He is crying out with a heavy heart some of His last words during this time of grace. I pray that we all, myself included, will forsake all to listen, heed, and act, for our King is speaking, and HE IS EVER SO WORTHY! WORD OF WARNING - NO MORE GREY
No longer will you be able to sit on the fence of indecision. No longer will you be grey. Have I not said that in these days I require of you to choose? Hot or cold? But many still remain in their valley of indecision. You hide behind your vain knowledge. You hide behind vain arguments. Yet I am never unclear. I speak and they know. But with much knowledge comes grief. For in trying to decide for yourself, the decision has already been made. I draw the line in the sand. You have to choose which side you stand. You have to choose. No more grey. It has always been a question of whom do you serve. Your indecision will not exempt you from the consequences, because by your dispostion you neither stand, nor fall. And therefore have become irrelevant, both to Me and to your enemy. I will spew you out. For as salt you have lost your flavor, not even fit for the dunghill. As light, you hide yourself. Truth falling by the wayside as you pass by. Your indecision vexes Me and shows your fear of man! Of what man can do. Have I not said fear Me who is able to cast you into hell? Indeed your fear of man in your indecision is in fact your choice, and they revel in it. Many are still in this valley of indecision. Repent, because I will come in judgment on all those who refuse to stand with Me. My wrath upon the children of wrath, those who side with my enemy. Why is My enemy not your enemy? Because you hate the truth and love the lie. These are the days that the tares are seperated from amongst the wheat. Have I not said that I will wait until the end? Do you not recognize the season and the time? It's time to decide whom you serve! Explanation: In Joël 3 the Lord speaks of The valley of Jehosaphat, which means The valley of judgment. I believe what Father is saying here is that many are standing in their valley of indecision, whilst He is standing in the valley of judgment. He is already pronouncing judgment on those who are in indecision. We know this scripture relates to Trumpets etc. But the scriptures are often not just one time events, but also like a scroll opening, untill it reaches a climax and is fulfilled. This is why we see His wrath already all over the world, but will see His final judgment at the end. In the same way, we see the tares being separated from the wheat presently, even though that particular scripture also points to the end, and yet it is unfolding like a scroll now. Remember a tare looks almost identical like wheat. One of the differences is that when wheat is ripe for harvest, the blade of the wheat goes down, where as tares stand up straight. Submission and humility versus pride and arrogance. Also, the tares are amongst us in many ways, but indecision makes you one of them. In this He is saying, the time for sitting on the fence is gone! Indecision is as much a sin to Him as the sin itself. Because any indecision based on the premise of fear, makes you as salt without flavor and a light hidden. And that in itself makes you a tare. This makes you open and a candidate for His judgment. He is saying you better choose, because He is standing in the Valley of Jehosphat... The valley of judgment. He is not coming as the Lamb, but returning as the Lion who will devour His enemies. This is a call to the lukewarm, those who still sit on the fence with regard to the VC (not warning people, but keeping quiet), those who still dabble in secret sin and those who have a double mind, who live in fear. He is not going to cuddle you out of your disposition because He "understands", He is saying... WAKE UP! Scripture references:
A great sadness came over me a few days ago completely out of the blue. I know this sadness all too well, as it has been a familiar feeling during much of the last few years of my life. However, this was sudden with a twist of dread. Because it didn’t make sense at the moment, I went to my little prayer closet and began to ask Father, crying and feeling such a sense of loss. For a while, all I could do is pray for mercy, because the sense of loss was so great. And this sense of loss felt very connected to those who find themselves separated from the Almighty God, whether in this life or in eternity. I could feel the blackness of an abyss that I could see, and the loss was absolute torment. I felt the torture of eternal separation from Father and His Son. It was horrible, so of course I cried and repeatedly asked for mercy that I never go to this place and for those who may already find themselves there. As I continued to experience this, I asked Father what this was several times; I asked Him what I was feeling. I then began to sense very clearly in my spirit that the time of the lukewarm church is over; He is done. The words “fed up” kept coming into my mind. And then, the following scripture flowed: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Revelation 22:11 Realizing that the context of the scripture is at the end of time, all I could think of was… “let he who is lukewarm be lukewarm still”. Then I wondered, has the time come when as Yahusha said, “I wish you were hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm I will spew you out of my mouth”? Has He reached the time when He will cast away those who honor Him with their lips but their hearts are far from Him? Or is this time upon us when those who are lukewarm will fall for a great delusion that will seal their fate and reward them their just recompense for their abuse of the name of Christ? I even wondered if the reason He said that He wished they were cold (instead of lukewarm) is because those who are cold still have a chance in their ignorance and the lukewarm have reached the place where they do not, simply because they know what they are doing? Needless to say, I was upset, and my heart ached for all those who may find themselves in this spiritual state, and I prayed that I would never enter into it myself. Of course, I cannot say for certain that we have reached this time, but I do know in my heart that it is at the door. How long? How long is the Savior of the world, who left His heavenly habitation in the glory of His Father to be birthed into this human dimension and walk amongst His brethren suffering the greatest death in all the world to save them from their wretched sin… how long is He to stand aside while the vast majority of “Christians” continue to profess His name but yet live like the devil? How long is He to watch their love of the world and all its trappings clearly trump their professed “love” for Him? How long is He to watch them in their western fatness and bliss trample Him underfoot as they continue to sin against Him? All the while He has said to them… And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3:14-22 He has told them of their deficiencies, those that make him literally sick to the point of vomiting, but yet He has still offers to sup with them if they will open the door. He has told them what they need to truly be what they profess, and then He has told them what they can have if they repent. After all their trampling of His costly sacrifice, He still offers them forgiveness and a special part in His heavenly kingdom. He has done this now for 2,000 years, and it seems we have reached the pinnacle… that time where sin has reached its fullness and the cup of iniquity runs over; and thus grace runs out. Is this not what we see today? Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. Hosea 4:1-3 In this day and age, especially in America, we have perfected the meaning of the lukewarm state of Christianity. This is not to say all, but yes, generally speaking this is true. I heard a traveling pastor say that someone from another country said to him, “America’s Christianity is as wide as the world but is only a few feet deep”. It is true; our Christianity is shallow, lukewarm, and the perfect example of how not to be. For many years now, I have felt this and even been embarrassed and ashamed to be an American. Considering the atrocities committed against other human beings in this land, even if it was in the past, as well as our what I like to call “fat basking”, which is quite prevalent now, I have just felt a sense of shame. We have become very prideful and self-focused in every aspect of life. We think no harm will ever come to us, because we are America. We think we have need of nothing. But we truly are blind, naked, and very poor in spirit. This is what we have become… He [the wicked] hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. Psalm 10:6 (Please read all of Psalm 10 and see if this sounds familiar.) This is not to say there is not good in America, because there is, even today. It is America in its infancy that was a beacon of the true Light of Christ and had an influence that impacted the whole world. It is America that received all the blessings of its faith in the Almighty God and obedience to His word and commandments. But something happened over time, and now we have become the complete opposite. We waxed fat and forgot the Almighty just like Israel, although we love to say His name and call ourselves by it. We have become the lukewarm capitol of the world. So, do we… myself included… feel that we have not been influenced by this “American way”? Do we think our minds have not been tainted to the point we have lost touch with reality, including spiritual reality? Have you ever travelled outside of the US and seen the intense and degrading poverty that exists elsewhere? Have you seen the tyranny and control that attempts to steal its people’s very right to worship the God of their choice (I speak of Christ here)? Have you seen the simplicity of life that what we would call inconvenient and primitive? I visited Hondurus once on a cruise and could not enjoy any of it. I was convicted in my heart to be travelling to a country to “sight-see” and enjoy the beauty of it, all while many of the residents were living in extreme poverty and filth. If we speak in all honesty, a great many of Americans are clueless; and if they are not atheists, they are very likely lukewarm Christians. I do not say all of this as if I am pointing the finger. The intense feelings of loss and torment I experienced were for those who are lost in their lukewarmness, and I could very well be one of those people. I am not living this way right now nor have I in many years, but there was a time in my Christian walk where sin still had a grip on me; and while my convictions may have been there, they weren’t near strong enough to stop the sin in its tracks. But, because I am His, and because of His mercy upon me, He turned me fully towards His face and made me desire to be completely HOT! Woe to me to ever turn aside even an inch towards the lukewarm life. It is my humble prayer that I will never live like that again! I share this simply because I used to be there in some form. And even now as I type this writing titled, “It’s Time to Take Our Temperature”, I am included in the “our”. So, it is… it is time for us to examine ourselves and get our spiritual thermometer out and take our temperature. The Word is very pointed about this very thing… Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. 2 Corinthians 13:5 We are told to examine ourselves and prove whether we really are of the faith! And when we go in for a physical examination, many times our temperature is taken. Our temperature will reveal the health, or lack thereof, within our bodies. The same is true of our spiritual health! Although this could be seen as an allegory somewhat, this is an extremely important part of our walk. We must look deeply inward, with all humility and honesty, and check the temperature of our spiritual health. I know I am writing this by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to admonish and forewarn us all… time is almost out; and I am certainly not the only one saying this! And if you or I are living even an inch close to lukewarm, we are in great danger of being cast out by Yahusha Himself and given over to our intense self-reliant works and self-indulgent desires, fully subjected to the great deception and delusion that awaits. That time is not coming; that time is now! So, let’s do this. Let’s take our temperature. Are you hot or cold… or are you lukewarm? Obviously we know what it means to be hot or cold; it is absolute and there is no question. But lukewarm is in the middle somewhere… gray, fuzzy, and uncertain; it is tepid and undesirable. Isn’t it ironic that so many things in our world and country now fit this description? We have gone so far into the gray and fuzzy that even gender has become un-absolute. Oh how far down the drainpipe towards the abyss we have gone… Back on track now… Let’s look at the scriptures to first see what it means to be “hot” as Yahusha mentions in Revelation 3:15 (above). As you read these scriptures, allow the Word in its living and active state to quicken you and delve deeply into the crevices of your heart to expose all truth. This means to set aside all your current thoughts, beliefs, and emotions and allow the Word to be the Word – absolute truth. As you read these, honestly and with integrity ask yourself… is this me? Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 2 John 9:9 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-40 If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrews 12:14 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32 And paying special attention to the following words spoken directly from Yahusha Himself, all the way till the end: And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 14:25-35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25 The scriptures are so very clear that when we are hot, we are all in to the point of sacrificing everything, including our own lives, for the One who gave us life. It is also clear that when we have refused this place of full surrender where we exhibit our faith through how we live, then we are good for nothing but to be cast out. This is exactly why Yahusha says He will spew out the lukewarm from His mouth. He will not utter our names with His mouth to His Father, but rather He will forcefully cast us away as if He were vomiting us out of His body, only to say, Away from me your worker of iniquity; I never knew you. When meditated upon, this is a horribly sobering thought, very similar to the tormenting feeling of loss I felt a few days ago. On the contrast of being hot, cold goes without saying. It is an absolute state of not believing and not following. People who are cold simply have no faith in or love for Yahusha. Many believe He does not exist, and hot Christians are repulsive to them. These have received no truth, or they have rejected the truth. This is obviously a very bad place to be, because unbelievers will have no part in the Kingdom; they will die in their sin, and the wages will be eternal death. How is it that Yahusha says He would rather the lukewarm even be cold? It is possible that those in the cold state have less of a hardened heart than the lukewarm and still have the full potential to be converted? It is possible that the heart of the lukewarm is terribly hardened as they know the truth of Yahusha and what He has done, they proclaim His name, but yet they trample Him under their own feet by continuing in the very behavior that nailed Him to the tree, knowing full well it is sin! Couldn’t this be considered a form of blasphemy? This is the behavior of the lukewarm. It is my prayer that through this writing, particularly the spoken Word of the Most High, the Holy Spirit will quicken and convict anyone operating in the lukewarm, to the point of repentance and lasting change. The world’s lukewarm truth is a lie, and it has many hearts seared in its grip. Although Yahusha still offers repentance and forgiveness to these, we must remember what He said awaits for those who refuse to turn to Him: And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 Is this strong delusion amongst us now? Take a look at the world and see what is being constantly programmed into us at this very moment. Is the great delusion lurking, or is it already here in the form of a false savior (and a false “savior” does not necessarily have to be a person)?! Remember, this great delusion could deceive even the very elect, if it were possible. Know for certain, the elect are hot, and they know the truth, and they are free from the great delusion! And finally, we must realize that the time of grace will come to an end, and we are almost there. The lukewarm particularly are at great risk and will experience the most loss, even moreso that than of the unbeliever (remember, the servant who knows His master's will but does it not will be beaten with many blows!). We must know in our hearts that there is coming a day very soon when He will cast these away, and they will be forever separated from Him, left to eternal weeping, darkness, and damnation. Can you imagine the day when He will say to those who have remained in this lukewarm spiritual state… Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 22:13 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25:30 I realize this is not a warm and fuzzy writing, but the scriptures speak for themselves, and the Word of our King is purified, even seven times! I know we are nearing the end, and therefore, it is time for messages that compel us to examine ourselves to ensure we are truly of the faith. There is too much at stake not to speak up when the Spirit of Truth leads. The Father chastises those whom He loves, and those who truly love Him will be not offended but instead respond to His call! The Spirit is saying at this very moment… … Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Ephesians 5:14 Our only hope is in Christ – fully in Him through absolute surrender and obedience. Our only love is for Him as the apple of our eye (He is in our thoughts and heart day and night!). Our allegiance is to Him and Him only … no religion, no man, no tradition, no solution or potion of man, and certainly not ourselves! We love Him and trust in Him, and we walk out our faith at all cost. So simply said… we are on fire for Him; we are HOT! I do realize this is a long post, but I have one more related thing to share. The following is an excellent teaching by an evangelist named Paul Washer. If you are not madly in love with Yahusha ha Mashiach, you will likely be offended by this message. Please, it is better to be temporarily offended to the point of repentance, rather than to be eternally condemned. Please consider giving this your full attention, and please consider sharing it along with this writing as you are led. It really is the time to do so. I pray blessings of truth, shalom, love, and wholeness in Yahusha to all! I mentioned a few posts back that I felt lead to share some writings on the act of discipline in our spiritual walk. This may sound cliche and like something we've always heard is necessary; however, in this "American church age", is it possible that maybe we haven't fully understood what this discipline really requires? How about discipline unto death? Oh no... there is no death in following Yahusha (Jesus); we are to be blessed and happy and successful - wrong! Blessings, absolutely, but more death than anything. Death of self simply must happen before we can really rise up in resurrection power and make a difference in this life for the Kingdom of God our Father, Yahuah. Remember this, just as our Savior uttered Himself, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Our death is His idea, but He promises to bring true life out of it. As I was reading this morning, the desperate "crosses" in our lives that many times are so devastating and even permanent are the very things that shape and mold us in those disciples who truly follow and honor the Father with our whole hearts and not just our mouths... whole hearts that crave righteousness unto full obedience. I am so thankful that our Father brings forth this type of discipline in pure love, patient longsuffering, and at a pace we can handle. All in all, we simply must submit to it, even if we say to Him... "Father, please consider taking this cup from me; however, not my will but your will be done." May the writing below prick your heart, inspire you, and also encourage you to get on, stay on, and continuously crave this narrow road with our Heavenly Father. At whatever stage you may be, know He is with you and will be absolutely faithful to you until the end, always finishing His perfect work. Please note that I have also added a Manna Bite that goes hand in hand with this post. It includes an excellent teaching on what it means to be perfect in Christ, which is really what discipline is all about! THE WAY OF THE CROSS
by Pietra de Bod God has chosen one thing to discipline us, and only that one thing. The Cross. Paul said, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2: 2 KJV). Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Sam. 15: 23 KJV). In fact, the whole inception of evil comes from pride, which created a revolution in heaven. This revolution brought a rebellion that resulted in Lucifer and his angels being thrown out of heaven. The enemy has still not stopped with his rebellion and is working in the hearts of man. Unless you see the importance of two kingdoms that are at the heart of life and death, you are not living in reality. It is either about God’s Kingdom or satan’s kingdom. There is no middle ground. You cannot think that when you stand with your little toe in the kingdom of satan and the rest of you in the Kingdom of God that majority rules. No. We have to see this from a spiritual perspective. Whatever area we compromise in, is ground given to the kingdom of satan. God requires ultimate obedience. Totality. Any disobedience is rebellion, even partial obedience. God takes rebellion very seriously. He sees this as witchcraft. You may say, “Surely my disobedience is not witchcraft?” But God’s ways are not our ways. He does not weigh with the same scale we do. This requirement is way beyond our means. But He has made a way. Our response should be of one who is under new ownership. Hearts willing to be laid bare before Him as He shows us the areas that we either need to let go of or need to repent of. For how can we call Him Lord of our lives when in fact we choose the areas we think He may rule? He is either Lord of all or not Lord at all. The old man has died with Christ on the cross and we are no longer under the law but under grace (Romans 6: 14 KJV). Our relationship with Him is one of worship and obedience, which is the very evidence of our love for Him. Everything we do in our lives is an act of worship. Not sentimental love, for true love is obedience in all circumstances. Jesus said in John 15 that if we love Him we will do His commandments and we will abide in His love. This kind of love is backed up by works of loving obedience. All of us first clean a cup before we fill it and make good use of it. Why do we expect anything different from our Heavenly Father? He wants to use us, but He has to sanctify us, which is to set us apart. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which He before ordained that we might walk in them (Ephesians 2: 6 – 10 KJV). When someone purifies gold, it is done by heating the gold to such a degree that all of the dross and impurities rise to the surface. Patiently he waits for this one thing as he looks into the gold. He is waiting for his reflection. Even so our Father, to whom we are His workmanship, watches jealously over us, until His Son is fully formed in us and He sees Jesus in us. This is the heart’s cry of Paul in Galatians 4:19, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” Our Father watches over us with patience and meticulously takes care of every detail. He is longsuffering and perfect in all His ways. When He looks at us, He sees the work He has done in us. Not just what He preordained, but the fulfilment of it in our lives as we trust Him day by day, of which He is the Author and Finisher. He has made all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV). Can you see Him looking at you right this moment in anticipation as He works in you? We will not be able to be His disciples, (the root word of discipline) unless the cross is applied to our lives. He has to deal with every area and burn away all the wrong thinking and dependence we have in those areas in order for us to walk as He has walked. The cross will always be central to all that God is doing and it must be central to ours as well. The cross is the climax of all things past, present and future. It is the full expression of who God is and who we are in Him. It cannot be a means to an end. We stray from the authenticity of the gospel when we stray from the true message of the cross. In “The Cruciality of the Cross”, P. T. Forsyth writes, “A true grasp of the atonement not only meets many positive features of the present age, but above all it meets the age in its need and impotence, its need of a centre, of an authority, of a creative source, a guiding line, and a final goal.” The cross is where He transforms us. This transformation comes in the same way His transformation took place. From death unto life. As a young boy, Jesus submitted to authority. He submitted to His parents even though He knew that He was sent from heaven. He grew in maturity through submission to authority, therefore becoming disciplined. This is the life of a son. Just like you and me, He had to die daily and be obedient. But we are unable to die to self. We will do our best to die to self, only to find ourselves failing over and over again. We might think we are not trying to die in our own strength. But there is a thin line between walking by faith and doing something in your own strength. Just because you are doing something out of the right motive and it is doctrinally sound, does not mean it is done by faith. Only He can reveal to you from which source you are living. From the flesh or from the Spirit. And He causes us to fail miserably, even after we have done everything He has asked. We go to courses, we pray vigilantly and warfare, but still we fail miserably at dying to self. We cry out to Him feeling abandoned and alone. The reality is that no one can crucify himself. It is at the foot of the cross where even this reality has to hit home, where we see that all our spiritual efforts are like filthy rags. It is a stripping and an unveiling of the true self, where all that is left is only empty hands in complete dependency. We can only lie before the cross in true repentance, but it is the Holy Spirit that does the crucifying at that moment. At that very moment the kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies. This kernel of wheat, this life, dies to all so that Christ may be your all in all. Many refer to this as “The Dark Night of the Soul”. The Dark Night of the Soul is a book written many years ago by St John of the Cross about this actual spiritual dying. This is when the seed of faith will start to germinate in the dark soil. From this very dark place we start to slowly walk by faith in the fear of God because we no longer lean on the arm of the flesh. This is where the will has been brought into complete submission by the Spirit and absolute surrender. We then live by what He has done, and not by what we need to do or think we have done. You are brought to a place of complete and utter nothingness. This is why Paul said, I am nothing. In essence this is where we are brought to. We will often think we have come to the end of ourselves, but only God knows when we have reached that place of complete and utter surrender. To be utterly dependent on the Spirit within you and to submit and do His promptings by faith is the life of discipline. This is why Jesus said that He will liken the man that builds his house upon the rock, whose house did not fall, to those who hear His Word and DO them. Many people will see this as salvation through works, where in fact it is actually the obedience required after salvation. 2 Peter 1: 10 says, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fail.” And Philippians 2:12 says” Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Your being, which is to say your thinking, speaking and hearing, all that constitute you, has to come from a basis of faith. The Word states, whatever is not of faith, is sin (Romans 14: 23 KJV). This is what it means to walk by the Spirit. We might be able to quote different verses, but do we truly believe it? We will be amazed how much we lean on the flesh in order to do that which is spiritual. Art Katz said, “Just because you can phrase something verbally does not mean you have the corresponding reality. Unless the spirit speaking is in agreement with the speaking, it is a lie, it is only a truth in part.” Has this revelation truly hit home? God has to show us the areas where we are living a lie. He has to lead us in various ways to experience our utter weakness and sinfulness that we too with Paul will cry out that we know that in our flesh no good thing dwells. This is exactly where He wants to get us. A place of such a clear vision and understanding that we can do nothing without Him (John 15 KJV). Not just of how weak we are, but actually how sinful we are as well. Unfortunately, some take longer than others to see the significance of their failures in the light of what Father is teaching them, and very often we have to learn the same lesson over and over again. He has to bring us to the end of our own works, to take up His works. This is what the Word means when saying we can now enter into His rest. To enter into His rest is to walk by faith. In Hebrews 4 we read that they ceased from their own works and entered by faith into His rest. The biggest struggle for us is to stop from religious works. I myself can testify that it took me many years to learn the reality of how I tried to save myself. This truth takes very long to sink in when you are desperately trying to live a holy life. This is because you think you are in God’s will and “oh so spiritual”. It is a juxtaposition between faith and doing. All of your doing must be by faith, but that faith is birthed out of death, which is at the cross. The reality of your own weakness in the light of His all sufficiency. In the light of what He has done. Not just your salvation, but His sufficiency for your every need. No one can teach you this. Only He can. And there is only one place where He will teach you this, the cross. He shows us our true motives, our pride, our selfishness and more. He intensifies the heat of the fire to burn away the dross so that He eventually sees His image in us. Only then does He equip us for our purpose in life. Many of us mistake the sanctification as the equipping, but it is actually the cleansing and the setting apart of the vessel. The equipping comes once the character has been formed. God is faithful and merciful to use us even in our immaturity at times. This does not mean the person is perfect and never sins after sanctification. It does mean that the vessel’s character has been forged to sustain the persecution that will come once God starts to truly use them. These saints have gone through immense suffering, in order to prepare them to bear the suffering and persecution that will follow. For the moment that you have died to self and no longer seek your own kingdom, but His, is the moment that you have become a target for the enemy of His Kingdom. This is where resurrection life is essential. With His character comes His anointing, power and authority. His strength is made perfect in our weakness, but only in obedience. This is very similar to the growing stages of a child from crawling to walking and running, to that of maturity. And God has never been in a hurry. It is a learning process of gradual maturity from childhood into sonship. This is why the creation is waiting for the adoption of the sons and daughters of God, and not the children of God. There is a big difference between a child of God and a son of God. Sonship speaks of maturity. We know that maturity has nothing to do with age, but rather with character. This is also where the cross no longer is just a symbol of dying to self, but the very power of God to save the lost! To be a son speaks of representation and government, whereas a child is restricted and still has to be fed the elementary of the Kingdom of God. For everything there is a season and a time (Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV). His promise to us has always been that He will prune us so that we may bear fruit, and fruit in abundance. This glorifies the Father when we bear fruit. It also speaks of a process that is ongoing. The pruning is a necessary process of discipline. Paul clearly states that if we are not disciplined we are illegitimate and not true children of God (Hebrews 12: 8 KJV). Acts 5 says that the Holy Spirit is given to them that obeys Him. Many ask to be filled with the Spirit or desire a fresh touch from God, but how is their obedience to the Spirit? There has to be a willingness and a desire to recognize opportunities of obedience, which one welcomes in order to become a true son. This is when you choose to be sensitive to your Lord, your new owner who has bought you with His blood. We can look at the pruning as the cutting off, but sometimes a branch has to be tied in such a way that it bends in order to grow a certain direction. That is the discipline. Pruning stimulates growth, but discipline brings direction. There comes a time in our walk with God where we are no longer satisfied with the crumbs. We want the real thing and we do not want to see it just displayed in others, but in us. We want God to use us and we want to be done with sin. This is authenticity. Once we have committed to this kind of Christianity we commit to the way of the cross. In effect you are committing to dying. Not to salvation, that is just the beginning, but to dying. The way of the cross is not a sentimental feeling or romantic illusion, nor is it something we hang around our necks. It is reality! The way of the cross is death. It is the only true authentic way of saying it and anyone who has been on this very narrow way of the cross will testify to this. This is an obedience that takes pre-eminence over dreams, aspirations, traditions, culture, family and friends. This is where you tell God that you are willing to lay all aside and leave all behind to follow Him. Obedience unto the Lord is an obedience unto death. There can be no resurrection life without the cross. God uses the cross to cause us to die to self, so that we may walk in obedience to Him in faith. Each obedience requires the Holy Spirit whilst at the same time we become like Him. Embracing your cross is not an option. It is the only option. NOTE: Many of these writings by Pietra de Bod can be found in the PDF books on the Resources page of this site. Father has had me on a path to discipline over the last few weeks. I lack this in my life in many ways -- food, exercise, and so many other things. And as most of us know with our spiritual lives in particular, no discipline usually means no progress. And even more importantly, no discipline also usually means no obedience. While we want to avoid a works-based salvation, true faith and love for our Savior will always produce works, for faith without works is dead (James 2:17-18). Discipline is an integral part in our faith-based works, because obedience requires discipline. And then we know that without faith (and the resulting works which He has determined for us to do), it is impossible to please our Heavenly Father (Hebrews 11:6)! Yahusha was perfect in His discipline and obedience, but we know that He learned it through His suffering (Hebrews 5:8). Why would it be any different for us? Bottom line is that discipline is key, and it is required. This is something Father is perfecting within me. And I hate to admit it, but after all my time of following Him, I still have a good way to go in this area. All I know is that I am willing, right now, to be strengthened in this area, knowing full well that it will likely be uncomfortable. Now is not the time for comfort for me, or for any of us. This is a time when so many of us are feeling the urgency in our spirits to get it right and to truly surrender all to the One who deserves it ALL! Because this area of discipline is likely where many us may have a tendency to "cut corners", I feel this is a good focus for some of my upcoming posts. And because someone else has already shared some much-needed revelation on this subject, I am not going to reinvent the wheel but use what Father has so perfectly given to her. May this writing, and all the ones to come, bless you and enrich you and strengthen you as you allow Father to incorporate a dedicated discipline to Him into your journey to being formed into the image of His dear Son and your Beloved Savior, Yahusha ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ)! SALVATION IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
by Pietra de Bod In the Utmost for His Highest Devotional, April 8th, Oswald Chambers wrote: Thank God for the glorious and majestic truth that His Spirit can work the very nature of Jesus into us, if we will obey Him. God knows that His children are unable to fulfil the law that He has made for us. To love Him with our whole heart, mind and strength and the second one, like unto the first, to love our neighbor as ourselves. The Word says that He knows what is in the heart of man. John 2:24-25 King James Version (KJV) 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. Hebrews 4:13 King James Version (KJV) 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. God, in His great mercy, has given us His Spirit to fulfil these two laws in us and through us. The power and the nature of the Spirit of God is manifest in us more and more as we mature in obedience to the Spirit’s guidance in all things. Jesus told His disciples in John 14 that the Father would send His Spirit to guide us into all truth and that He would remind us of the things He said. He said that it is expedient for them that He should go in order that the Holy Spirit may come to dwell in them. This is not just God with us, but God in us. A few years ago I was complaining to the Lord about how difficult it was for me to do what He asked of me at that time. I reminded Him that He was right in front of Peter on the water at the time of the storm. The Lord replied, “Yes, I was in front of Peter, but I am in you.” Case closed. When we are subject to Him in all things and humbly walk in obedience to Him, He gives us His power, nature and He teaches us to walk by faith. We do not receive His nature just from being born again. Life after the birth testifies of this reality in most of the Christians we encounter. Something is working within us, whilst He demonstrates His life without. Very often we will not even be aware of what He is slowly and intricately weaving in our innermost being, and other times we will be painfully aware. We are to be an expression of Jesus, just as Jesus was the expression of the Father. Paul calls us living epistles in 2 Cor. 3: 1 – 3. But these epistles are not written on stone, but on the heart. We are His witnesses, His messengers. Not giving a message, but being the message. God desires His image to be restored in us. The same image that Adam and Eve were made in at the beginning of creation. The whole of creation is in travail awaiting the adoption of the sons of God, which is God’s restoration not only of man, but of creation itself. It will be a cosmic event that the earth has been groaning and travailing for since the fall. We need to consider the magnitude of the work that is being done in us. If we have a limited view of this work, we will be marginalizing the cosmic event that it is and also the reason behind His severe dealings with us. It is a cosmic event because at the very end, God’s cosmic purpose for creation will be fulfilled. His glory, His power and His Kingdom forever. We think humanly, where we ought to think spiritually. This adoption is not just to be resurrected and to receive glorified bodies, but this adoption expresses itself in resurrection life in the now. Now is the time that we are learning how to walk by the Spirit so that we may rule and reign in His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is here! When the Holy Spirit together with our working out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2: 12 KJV) work in us, He prepares and cleanses us through the process of sanctification. We need to understand that salvation is the beginning. Everything from our justification, predestination and sanctification is for the incarnation of God in man. Just as Jesus was the express image of the Father in His human capacity, so are we the express image of the Son. We cannot be this in word only, but in authenticity. He is the patterned Son, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We are looking to Jesus not only to inspire us, but to imitate Him, in authenticity. Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” This is why we are admonished to walk as He walked. He would not require us to do something without providing the means. The just shall LIVE by faith! Incarnation is the final expression of redemption. The very work the Spirit does in us in times of discipline and testing, prepares us as the temple of God, to be indwelt by Him and us in Him. Solomon’s temple was meticulously prepared for the express purpose that God’s glory would fill it. God was very specific about every little detail He gave to Solomon in the building of this glorious temple. And yet, the Creator of all things, have chosen not only to dwell on earth being born from a virgin, but to now dwell in us by His Spirit. In the same way our bodies, our temples are prepared for the infilling of His glory. And if God is meticulous about a building, how much more the temple of His Spirit? His glory is His resurrection life, not just the infilling of the Holy Spirit so that we may receive His gifts, but that we would be the express image of His Son. This glorifies the Father when He sees His Son in us. This is the very thing the enemy fears. He does not fear us, he fears Christ in us! When the Holy Spirit takes charge of your life, He will expect unquestioning obedience in everything. He will not tolerate in you the “self-sins” even though are permitted and excused by most Christians. A W Tozer. One thing you will read repeatedly here is that resurrection life is preceded by death. Repetition does no harm, it reinforces and this truth has to be imprinted onto our hearts. It is the first thing that needs to come to our minds when we are faced with anything. “In what area here must I die so that I may receive His life in me?” This is a spiritual principle that has to be lived daily. Paul said, I die daily and so do we need to do also. It will be two-fold. The first is that He will by divine providence allow certain situations to cross our path. These situations will cause our faith to be tested and tried. Our faith will grow and we will receive wisdom as we submit to the promptings of the Spirit. However, we often mistake these circumstances as an attack from the enemy, forgetting that Father allowed it. This is to say if we did not open a door through deliberate sin. The second way of dying daily is where we live in obedience to what He teaches us in renewing our minds. Here we die to our will not only in the big things, but also in every detail of our lives. The one area calls for restraint, and the other for discipline. Both of these develop the fruit of self-control, which is extremely important if we want this resurrection life now. This resurrection life will not be seen just in set apart moments, but in our walk, our life and our everyday occurrences. These two ways of daily dying are intertwined. The one will cause us to cry to Him in dependency, whilst the other will cause us to walk in faith. Dependency and faith are one. These trying circumstances can either be seen as coming from man or we can see that man is merely the agent and God the author. It is easier for us to want to blame the enemy. Unfortunately, our sinful behavior does open doors for the enemy to come and steal and destroy, as we through deliberate sin gave him the legal right to do just that. We have to however ask ourselves why God allowed that particular situation to cross our path, whether out of sin or not. Years ago I had a miscarriage and in my anger I vented myself in arrogance towards the Lord for not preventing it from happening. His answer was clear and concise. He said, “Either I am good or I am not. But I am not in between.” There is no shadow of turning with Him. I knew right away that even if I did not fully understand it, I had to lean on His goodness. I had to lean on the fact that He knows the future. That all my days have been written in His book. I had a choice to make. Either He is good or He is not. This also led me to understand that nothing can happen to me without God giving the enemy permission. I once read the statement that whatever comes across your life, no matter how bad, had to go through God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit to get to me. Therefore it must have great purpose. This brought me much comfort knowing how much He loves me and that nothing ever happens to me without His foreknowledge. And when it does, I know that it will always be for my good, no matter how difficult it is. It also reminded me of Job. Satan was asked by God where he has been. To which he replied that he was roaming to and fro and up and down on the earth. God asked Him whether he has seen righteous Job. He replied that the only reason Job was so righteous was because of God’s hedge around him. Now, let’s think about this. Do you think the Lord did not know that satan would say this? And do you think that the Lord did not know all the plans the enemy had for Job’s destruction? Of course He did! So why did He who is a righteous judge and loving Father allow this horrible thing to happen to righteous Job? Was Job not doing everything right? There has been a lot of speculation through the years. Maybe Job was secretly prideful of His relationship with the Lord? After all, it is easy to love and worship the Lord when things are going well, but how do you fair when it seems as if the hordes of hell have only eyes for you? How do you worship and love Him then? When you lose a husband, wife, child, material wealth and prestige like Job? You become a miserable sod on top of a heap of ash. All your friends telling you that you have completely lost your way and those closest to you tell you to cut your losses and make other plans to survive. You cannot just sit there and do nothing! Because surely you have done something very wrong to be going through this hell on earth. Can we believe that Job’s story is our story? Can you believe that Job’s life resembles the way of God with the righteous? Those whom He has chosen to serve Him in Spirit and in Truth? He will build us up and bring us to ashes, and it will all be for His glory. For unless we know Him in our best and worst circumstances as a good God, the way He wants to be known, how will we be able to be that expression to those who are living desperate lives devoid of reality and truth? Those who themselves go through these calamities and desperately need answers from God. I know now that not one thing happens to me without my Father allowing it. It will always be for my good, because my Father is good. He is always in control and our enemy is but only His errand boy. Not to be trivialized as mere minions by us. However they are all at His command. There has been much speculation and many theories about why Job had to go through what he did, but let us stay with the most important question? Why did God allow it and why to such an extent? He allows these circumstances because not only does He know the future, but He knows what we need to learn and what we need to let go of. Initially, His focus will first be to heal us. He knows that life has given us some serious blows that makes it very difficult to walk in obedience. And during this season of restoration and healing He will start to teach us slowly to renew our minds and begin to walk in obedience. The requirements will become greater and so also our dependency. His ultimate goal is holiness. He is the Alpha and Omega that is preparing us for eternity. Preparing us for His glory. That through our lives He may be glorified over all the earth. Not us, but Him. As we mature in the Lord, it is no longer about whether we have money in the bank, clothes to wear or a job. The things of the world become of so little importance. Our eyes will be singularly focused only on how our lives can give Him glory. Whether in joy or pain, peace or suffering. We will become indifferent to the circumstances and wholly given to His purposes. It often takes terrible things to happen to us before we realize just how much we hold onto them or how much our thinking still has to change. He allows these difficult circumstances to teach us His ways. Out of our own we will not seek out that which brings out the worst in us. But that is exactly what He wants to do. Bring out the worst in us so that it can stay out of us. He needs to bring it into the light so that we can deal with it. In the end we have the ultimate gift. The gift of being in control of our souls. Which is not to be controlled by our emotions and traditions and old ways. To be able to say like Habakkuk, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the Name of the Lord! You have a choice. Would you rather have your circumstances improved so that you can be happy, or your circumstances stay the same or even digress so that you may be brought to a place of joy in the Lord? Happiness versus His joy? The joy of the Lord is our strength. However, the world is “In pursuit of Happiness”. The one is eternal, whilst the other is temporary. For His joy in our circumstances is the expression of the overcoming power of God. The expression of an intimate relationship with God. Living epistles, witnesses to the saving grace of the gospel. What will you allow Him to do? How far are you willing to go with God? Have you set the boundaries? Are you happy with living the mundane life of going to work, home and to church and do it all over again, but not experience His true intention for the Church, which is GLORY? Or are you willing for anything that comes from His hand and interpreting your circumstances through the eyes of the Holy Spirit? As coming from God and not from man? No complaining, no murmuring. Not that we should not ask for prayer, but has your prayer become your murmuring? These are tough questions, especially if you have gone through some very painful experiences and find yourself seeing God as cruel at times. Which will ultimately erode your trust in Him. If all you see is how God does nothing to change this evil world, or to help the broken and destitute, it is only an indication that you first of all do not truly know Him, and also that you demand that He does things on your terms and timing. He did not say He will not do anything about it, He has His time for everything. But we will be held accountable for not obeying Him and rebelling against His ways, which is the reason for why the world looks like it does. At least your own life. Your own justifications often speak of the pride in your heart, unwilling to bow before the Creator of all things. We have no excuse or justification within ourselves. If we choose life, then that is exactly what He will give. Resurrection life. He has promised that He works all things together for good for those who love Him and who are called by His name (Romans 8: 28 KJV). This is not a principle, it is life! 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! |
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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