Don’t Wait

Ezekiel 12:26-28

Again, the word of ADONAI came to me:  “Human being, look! People from the house of Isra’el are saying, ‘The vision he sees concerns the distant future; he is prophesying about a time far off.’ Therefore, say to them that Adonai ELOHIM says, ‘None of my words will be delayed any more, but the word that I speak will be accomplished, ‘says Adonai ELOHIM.”

To many times in my life I have said “there will be time for that later” only to be overcome by my laziness.  ADONAI’s love and salvation is not something to see to after but something we must immerse ourselves in immediately to have a blessed and fruitful life.  We cannot be like the citizens of Yerushalayim ignoring the Word for our own selfish convenience and only come crying back to ADONAI when all is taken away and we are at the pit of our own existence, because like the nation of Judah there may come a time when death overtakes us and we have yet to move because “there was time for that later.”  Abba I can and have been a lazy and sinful man.  Forgive me, continue to goad me as I learn Your discipline and keep me on Your narrow path, so I will never again regret being too late.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name. amen.

United

Ezekiel 11:18-20

Then they will go there and remove all its loathsome things and disgusting practices, and I will give them unity of heart.” I will put a new spirit among you.” I will remove from their bodies the hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh; so that they will live by my regulations, obey my rulings and act by them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.

 

It is a circumcision of the heart, removing all the disgusting and loathsome things and letting the infilling of the Ruach that will give us as the body of believers a unity of heart.  Imagine the power of our prayers and the spirit of community that will be present when we all give ourselves in service to ADONAI.  Lord let Your day come quickly. Let Israel know it’s King and cry out Baruch haba b’Shem ADONAI!  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

The Wealth idol

Ezekiel 7:19

They will throw their silver into the streets;

their gold will be like something unclean.

On the day of ADONAI’s wrath their silver and gold

won’t be able to rescue them.

These things won’t satisfy their hunger,

these things won’t fill their stomachs,

because these are what caused them to sin.

 

While this is a prophesy against Israel it could stand for America or any other country that places its wealth above the care of its people.  Like the congregation in Laodicea that is addressed by Yeshua in Revelations, we have worshiped our wealth and thought us safe in ADONAI’s hand while forgetting to care for the orphan, widow and foreigner among us.  The very sin that caused S’dom and ‘Amora to be destroyed.  Lord wake us up to Your Word, Your Truth and Your salvation in Yeshua so that we as a nation may once more turn back to You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Witness at all times

Ezekiel 3:17-21

“Human being, I have appointed you to be a watchman for the house of Isra’el. When you hear a word from my mouth, you are to warn them for me.  If I say to a wicked person, ‘You will certainly die’; and you fail to warn him, to speak and warn the wicked person to leave his wicked way and save his life; then that wicked person will die guilty; and I will hold you responsible for his death.  On the other hand, if you warn the wicked person, and he doesn’t turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, then he will still die guilty; but you will have saved your own life.  Similarly, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, I will place a stumbling block before him—he will die; because you failed to warn him, he will die in his sin; his righteous acts which he did will not be remembered; and I will hold you responsible for his death.  But if you warn the righteous person that a righteous person should not sin, and he doesn’t sin; then he will certainly live, because he took the warning; and you too will have saved your life.”

 

Just as Ezekiel was called to witness to the house of Israel, we as believers are called to witness to those around us.  Failure to do so puts their sin in our basket, their blood on our hands.  Lord let me be loving and faithful in presenting Your Word to those around me.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Priestly Nation

Rev 1:5-6

and from Yeshua the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the earth’s kings.

To him, the one who loves us, who has freed us from our sins at the cost of his blood, who has caused us to be a kingdom, that is, cohanim for God, his Father—to him be the glory and the rulership forever and ever. Amen.

 

As believers we are called together into a kingdom of cohanim (priest) for ADONAI.  Yet not like the cohanim of old who lorded their positions over the rest of the population and made unscriptural laws to make them more powerful while corrupting the worship that they were supposed to be leading.  No this is a position of servitude like Moshe who wrote down all that ADONAI told him or Aharon who dedicated the Mishkan even though two of his sons were dead. A nation that ADONAI has brought together to serve Him and each other.  Lord I wait excitedly on Your Word that you gave us calling us a priestly nation to serve You.  Abba let that happen now and let me serve with all my being, I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Gossip

3 John 1:9-10

I wrote something to the congregation; but Diotrephes, who likes to be the macher among them, doesn’t recognize our authority.  So if I come, I will bring up everything he is doing, including his spiteful and groundless gossip about us. And as if that weren’t enough for him, he refuses to recognize the brothers’ authority either; moreover, he stops those who want to do so and tries to drive them out of the congregation!

 

Gossip is something that was made to destroy things and cannot be tolerated inside the body of believers.  It is used to undermine the authority ADONAI places over us and drive good people out of a community of support.  ADONAI forgive for the times I have participated in this and let me stand as a guard against such action in the body.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Cull out

2 John 1:9-11

Everyone who goes ahead and does not remain true to what the Messiah has taught does not have God. Those who remain true to his teaching have both the Father and the Son.  If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, don’t welcome him into your home. Don’t even say, “Shalom!” to him; for the person who says, “Shalom!” to him shares in his evil deeds.

 

Too many people try to reshape Yeshua into what fits for them instead of reshaping their lives to fit the teachings that Yeshua gave us.  ADONAI through Yeshua commanded us to love one another by keeping ADONAI’s commandments as given through Moshe.  In accepting and participating in the sacrifice of Yeshua we are agreeing to do just that.  So, if any teach anything different than that we are to reject that person, not even bless them with ADONAI’s Shalom until abandoned to their own sin they come to find ADONAI for who he is through the example of Yeshua.  Lord preserve me in this world of fools who would alter Your Word into their own idolatries. Abba do not let me wander into these apostasies but keep true to Your Word.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Trust and Obey

1 John 5:3-4

For loving God means obeying his commands. Moreover, his commands are not burdensome, because everything which has God as its Father overcomes the world. And this is what victoriously overcomes the world: our trust.

It is simply our trust in ADONAI and expressing that trust by doing what He has commanded us to do that defeats the sin in our lives and lets us be that witnessing light to the whole world.  There is no other grand plan or secret handshake that one must do to be redeemed through the sacrifice of the Yeshua.  Simply trust and obey as the old hymn says.  Lord look down and strengthen me in my trust in Your caring for me so that I might show other how mightily You move in my life.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Yearning Toward

1 John 4: 17

Here is how love has been brought to maturity with us: as the Messiah is, so are we in the world. This gives us confidence for the Day of Judgment.

 

Until I can walk and interact with people as Yeshua did, I must study and strive for treasuring ADONAI’s Word in my heart so His Ruach can flow through me.  Lord forgive my slowness in clinging to You. Help me digest Your Word fully so everyone who sees me will know I serve You alone.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

To Care for

1 John 3:16-18

The way that we have come to know love is through his having laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers!  If someone has worldly possessions and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how can he be loving God?  Children, let us love not with words and talk, but with actions and in reality!

I am to base how I live on the example that Yeshua has given all of us.  To do that I must be willing to sacrifice everything I have to aid those around me because ADONAI has charge all of us to care for the widow and orphan and foreigner that are with us as well as our own brothers and sisters.  How can I do any less with all that God has given me when He sacrificed a very part of Himself in Yeshua to redeem me back to Him.  Lord let me be worthy of the price that You have paid for me to claim me from the sin I have lived in.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.