His Will not mine

Sh’mu’el Bet (2 Samuel) 6:6-9

When they arrived at Nakhon’s threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled; and ‘Uzah put out his hand to steady the ark of God.  But ADONAI’s anger blazed up against ‘Uzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his offense, so that he died there by the ark of God.  It upset David that ADONAI had broken out against ‘Uzah; that place has been called Peretz-‘Uzah [breaking-out of’ Uzah] ever since.  David was frightened of ADONAI that day; he asked, “How can the ark of ADONAI come to me?

 

Even if we do things with the best of intentions, if it is outside the will of ADONAI it will fail.  David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the capital.  In fact, he discussed with all of Israel and they all agreed that it would be a great idea.  What David failed to do was consult the Word.  God stated through Moshe how the Ark was to be carried, by Levites consecrated to the service, instead David has two men, sons of the man who sheltered the Ark since it’s supernatural return from the P’lishtim, to load it on a cart and bring it to Yerushalayim.  One of the men dies when he touches the Ark and David stops seeing that he is displeasing God for bring the Ark for his own glory and not glorifying ADONAI by moving the Ark as he commanded.   What really amazes me is not one priest or Levite sought to let the King know what the Word said.  All of us are to look to each other and support each other in the Word.  Lord I know I pray that You write Your Torah on my heart but let me live out Your Word too so there is no doubt that am Your servant.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Pursued

Tehillim (Psalms) 139:7-12

Where can I go to escape your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I climb up to heaven, you are there;

if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.

If I fly away with the wings of the dawn

and land beyond the sea,

even there your hand would lead me,

your right hand would hold me fast.

If I say, “Let darkness surround me,

let the light around me be night,”

even darkness like this

is not too dark for you;

rather, night is as clear as day,

darkness and light are the same.

 

There is no where we can go that ADONAI cannot reach us.  I have fled authority, pursued sinful relations, drank myself stupid and God in his mercy was standing beside me the whole time in my pain.  I have denied the power of the Ruach moving in my life only to have Him embrace me when I was truly broken in that moment.  There is no where we can go that God does not pursue us if we only will listen to His voice.  Lord let me be focused always on You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Let His love flow

Mattiyahu (Matthew) 15:29-31

Yeshua left there and went along the shore of Lake Kinneret. He climbed a hill and sat down;  and large crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them.  The people were amazed as they saw mute people speaking, crippled people cured, lame people walking and blind people seeing; and they said a b’rakhah to the God of Isra’el.

 

When we place our trust in the power of Yeshua’s sacrifice we allow the supernatural power of ADONAI to fill our lives.  With that infilling of His Ruach we as believers experience the supernatural in such a way that we cannot help but to sing and give praise and blessings to ADONAI TZA’VAOT the GOD of ISRA’EL, the Lord of Host!!  Lord let me never stop praising You! I ask this in Yeshua’s name, ,amen.

Embrace the supernatural of God

Mattiyahu (Matthew) 14:28-32

Then Kefa called to him, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come!” he said. So Kefa got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Yeshua. But when he saw the wind, he became afraid; and as he began to sink, he yelled, “Lord! Save me!” Yeshua immediately stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, “Such little trust! Why did you doubt?” As they went up into the boat, the wind ceased.

 

As believers we must not be overwhelmed by the supernatural when ADONAI allows it to invade our lives but embrace it so that we can truly experience God’s blessing. Kefa with his boldness as a leader stepped out in trust but in that moment of supernatural experience where he could see the wind he could not reconcile it to his natural mind and doubt took over and forced Kefa to cry out and reach for Yeshua for support. It is the same for us, we must reach for God when we are overwhelmed in such times. Lord let me fall completely onto You for support in all things. Let my mind understand the supernatural as it fills the world around me as I step out in trust in Your Word. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Growing Character

Yeshua put before them another parable.” The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, the weeds also appeared.  The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’  He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them up?’  But he said, ‘No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time.  Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.'”

 

I never caught this before but the weeds (wicked people) are tolerated so that the believers’ roots will grow deep and strong.  That struggle gives us opportunity to witness to others our testimony and enriches us to bring in a bountiful harvest for ADONAI.  It is the fruit of our actions that brings glory to God and fills His storehouses with praise.  Lord let me grow strong and full in Your love and caring.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Our Heartcry

Mattiyahu (Matthew) 12:6-8

I tell you, there is in this place something greater than the Temple!  If you knew what ‘I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifice’ meant, you would not condemn the innocent.  For the Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat!”

This is the second time Mattiyahu records Yeshua challenging the P’rushim with this statement from Hosea “I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifice”.  It is a condition of the heart that determines our trust in ADONAI not if we warm a pew every week or perform some community service just to brag to others of our own accomplishments.  Yeshua will go on to tell them that it is right and holy to do good on Shabbat rather than keep to traditions that keep us from helping others in times of need.  Again, it is all a condition of the heart, if our heart is circumcised by the Word of God and we seek His leadership in our lives through the Ruach HaKodesh then our strongman (ADONAI) will keep our house safe.  But to bind God’s leadership with our own selfish convictions we will replace the Lord of Shabbat with the weak excuse of self-centeredness and God’s blessings will be removed from our lives.  Lord let me be compassionate to all so they may see Your kingdom in me.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Doubt

Mattiyahu (Matthew) 11:2-3
Meanwhile, Yochanan the Immerser, who had been put in prison, heard what the Messiah had been doing; so he sent a message to him through his talmidim, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?”

Yochanan was facing a dark time. He was imprisoned for speaking the Word of God to the nation and calling out the king in his sin. Not only that he had to face questioning by Herod, who for his own reasons never came to an understanding what ADONAI wanted for him as king. Yet even with all this doubt and oppression this prophet felt, he still turned to Yeshua for an answer. This is how we as believers are to handle our doubts and fears, take them to the author of creation and let his peace fill us with the truth that we find in His Word and by the infilling of His Ruach in our lives. Lord do not let doubt over take me but strengthen me like Yochanan who danced in his mothers’ belly when knew salvation was on the way. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Guard against sin

Psalm 141:3-4

Set a guard, ADONAI, over my mouth;

keep watch at the door of my lips.

Don’t let my heart turn to anything evil

or allow me to act wickedly

with men who are evildoers;

keep me from eating their delicacies.

 

It is so easy to run with the crowd.  Just a little slip of the lip, joining in on some juicy gossip, you know not really saying anything but just listening for friendship’s sake.  But soon that passive acceptance of sin turns into active participation and as a believer our testimony is damaged by our weakness.  Only by being like David and communing with ADONAI everyday can we hold ourselves to the standard God sets for us through the Ruach HaKodesh.  Lord let me look at the world through Your eyes and seal my lips so that I only speak words of encouragement to others so they may know Your salvation through Yeshua.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Harvest

Mattiyahu (Matthew) 9:38 Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”

As I pray and go around and around with my reading today, I keep coming back to this statement of Yeshua.  I believe the time is now! and harvest has begun!  Lord give me the strength to be a faithful worker for You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Follow through on the Good things

Matthew 8:4
Then Yeshua said to him, “See that you tell no one; but as a testimony to the people, go and let the cohen examine you, and offer the sacrifice that Moshe commanded.”

Yeshua had just healed a man with tzara’at and in his new physical body the man started rejoicing. Yeshua gently reminded him that he still had service to Adonai yet to perform for the healing as taught in God’s Word, Torah. Many times I have been the diseased man, rejoicing at being delivered from a dark painful time but being so overjoyed that I forget who my deliverer is and partied myself right into another dark time, all the while missing an opportunity to praise and worship Adonai for all to see. Dear Lord let me see always Your hand in my life. Let me pursue You as a deer pants after water. Never let me forget who provides everything for me. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.