Denying God

Acts 7:39-42a

“But our fathers did not want to obey him. On the contrary, they rejected him and in their hearts turned to Egypt, saying to Aharon, ‘Make us some gods to lead us; because this Moshe, who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has become of him.’  That was when they made an idol in the shape of a calf and offered a sacrifice to it and held a celebration in honor of what they had made with their own hands.  So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the stars—as has been written in the book of the prophets,

 

Two things, first, as sinners we try to make sense of the supernatural by creating in the natural.  The golden calf was nothing more than a hunk of metal.  It had no power of deliverance no matter how many sacrifices where offered, yet to please their own selfishness the rebellious Israelites had to have something to make themselves feel better.  Second ADONAI will remove Himself from sin and abandon people living in such selfishness to their own stupidity, accepting man-made importance placed on stars that take no notice to our lives.  Yet we as believers are not to live like this, we are to be like Stephen declaring what is sin as sin and speaking life and love to all through the blood of the sacrifice of Yeshua.  Lord let me be as boldly honest as Stephen and speak to the powers that binds men’s heart so there can be no doubt You are the God I serve.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Jealousy

Acts 6:8-16

Now Stephen, full of grace and power, performed great miracles and signs among the people.  But opposition arose from members of the Synagogue of the Freed Slaves (as it was called), composed of Cyrenians, Alexandrians and people from Cilicia and the province of Asia. They argued with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by which he spoke.

So they secretly persuaded some men to allege, “We heard him speak blasphemously against Moshe and against God.”  They stirred up the people, as well as the elders and the Torah-teachers; so they came and arrested him and led him before the Sanhedrin.  There they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the Torah;  for we have heard him say that Yeshua from Natzeret will destroy this place and will change the customs Moshe handed down to us.”

Everyone sitting in the Sanhedrin stared at Stephen and saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.

 

There will be people in our lives who will seek to destroy us just to make themselves feel better.  We must have the courage of Stephen and face them with the infilling of the Ruach HaKodesh, not to be afraid but let God shine though us so there can be no doubt who we serve.  It was this very argument with men, in my opinion, due to their former slave status fought with Stephan to improve their standing with the leaders of the Sanhedrin.  In the end it started the movement that would see Sha’ul and others bring the Word of God to the nations, thus crushing the results the jealousy of these men of the Synagogue of Freed Slaves desired.  Lord let me be as innocent as Stephen when dealing with those provoked by jealousy.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

He guards His sheep

Tehillim (Psalms) 12:8

You, ADONAI, protect us;

guard us forever from this generation

 

Yesterday being the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp and reading over half of adults don’t know what the Shoah is or how it happened;  Seeing government trying to justify when someone just make believes and changes their gender while at the same time criminalizes free worship of God in this nation;  Watching families fall apart in what always boils down to selfish aggrandizement of at least one of the parents;  I am thankful that in all this chaos of this generation, God will protect His own.  There is always a land of Goshen for His people who are called by His name as long as we humble ourselves and pray.  Lord let all of Your body of believers stay focused on You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

10 Words

Exodus 19:21-22
ADONAI said to Moshe, “Go down and warn the people not to force their way through to ADONAI to see him; if they do, many of them will perish. Even the cohanim, who are allowed to approach ADONAI, must keep themselves holy; otherwise, ADONAI may break out against them.”

We cannot bend ADONAI to our will, there is no way we can force our way into heaven. He, as sovereign over us, has set the conduct for His throne, we can only approach through participating in the sacrifice of Yeshua and then we are to stand in worship while Yeshua sits at the right hand of God. I believe we have forgotten that in America where all of us have been raised on rags to riches stories of self made men. ADONAI has given us ten Words on which to govern ourselves four on how we are to approach and worship Him and six on how we are to treat each other. I wonder how many of us really remember to obey these Words of God. Dear Lord I cannot live without Your Ruach in me. Invade my heart and fill me, write Your Word on my heart, mind and soul so that I cannot be mistaken for anything other than Your servant. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Bulletproof

Sh’mot (Exodus) 16:6-8

Moshe and Aharon said to all the people of Isra’el, “This evening, you will realize that it has been ADONAI who brought you out of Egypt; and in the morning, you will see ADONAI’s glory. For he has listened to your grumblings against ADONAI—what are we that you should grumble against us?”  Moshe added, “What I have said will happen when ADONAI gives you meat to eat this evening and your fill of bread tomorrow morning. ADONAI has listened to your complaints and grumblings against him—what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against ADONAI.”

 

As believers we must be like Moshe and Aharon and not worry about the emotional attacks on our person when someone is being convicted by ADONAI.  Time and again the whole nation of Isra’el blamed Moshe for their troubles when it was their own sin being exposed and for some dealt with and removed.  Lord I see a move afoot in Your people, remove my dross and let me stand as a pure light for others to come to know You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Pray focused

Acts 1:14

These all devoted themselves single-mindedly to prayer, along with some women, including Miryam (Yeshua’s mother), and his brothers.

 

When we pray we are to be single-minded in that action.  For me I find I have to take 5 to 10 minutes just to get rid of the worries of the day so I can focus on what the Ruach HaKodesh is steering me to.  It is a hard thing and takes time that in this ultra-busy, ultra-connected world and seems to be becoming a lost art.  Lord let me set aside the time to hear Your voice and feel Your Spirit fill me so I can face the times ahead.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

L’Dor V’Dor, Generation to Generation

Sh’mot (Exodus) 10:1-2

​ ADONAI said to Moshe, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have made him and his servants hardhearted, so that I can demonstrate these signs of mine among them,  so that you can tell your son and grandson about what I did to Egypt and about my signs that I demonstrated among them, and so that you will all know that I am ADONAI.”

 

It is the telling of the Word of God working in the lives of our people that we are to tell over and over again.  It is this history that is the gateway to understanding who ADONAI is and why He set apart Yeshua as our substitute sacrifice for our sin.  We, as a nation have let this responsibility slip to others and now we are facing a generation that are struggling to find God for our lack of instruction.  Lord forgive me my shortcomings as a father and grandfather and let all my children know the love that You would have for them in their hearts so they might turn to You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Shabbat

Luke 23:56

 

Then they went back home to prepare spices and ointments.

On Shabbat the women rested, in obedience to the commandment;

 

These women who have followed Yeshua throughout His ministry and one, His mother throughout His life even with all this trial and turmoil going on in their lives, stopped and honored ADONAI by remembering His Shabbat. Too many times in my past have I given into the pressures of this world and neglected the day of rest and restoration ADONAI had given us. Yet everything I have ever sought to accomplish on Shabbat that would further my own worldly comfort ended up being for naught. Only when I started to honor God and rest in His grace every week have I only begun to understand the embrace of His love for us by resting with Him. Lord let me keep Your feast days and hold me ever more securely as I cleave to Your Word. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Who am I

Sh’mot (Exodus) 3:11-12

Moshe said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the people of Isra’el out of Egypt?” He replied, “I will surely be with you. Your sign that I have sent you will be that when you have led the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

 

I answer ADONAI in the same way as Moshe, who am I?  When God called Moshe, he was a Levite, a prince of Egypt, a warrior, a shepherd, a husband and a father.  Yet for all these achievements, these skills for dealing with the life we live he answers God with “Who am I?”  God’s answer to all of us is this, “I will surely be with you.”  Nothing God has called us to do He has not already instilled His Ruach in us to complete that task He has commanded us to do.  All we have to do is trust and move with action in the direction God has told us to go.  Lord let me heed Your direction in my life.  Give me the heart of Moshe, who You called friend, so I may serve You as well.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Political Disobedience

Sh’mot (Exodus) 1:15-21

Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu’ah.  “When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth,” he said, “if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live.  The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” The midwives answered Pharaoh, “It’s because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women—they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives.” Therefore God prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful.  Indeed, because the midwives feared God, he made them founders of families.

 

These two midwives civil disobedience led to the establishment of two great families in the house of Isra’el.  I struggle with civil disobedience, when is the right time to stand on my trust in God and confront the overreach of a political system that ADONAI has allowed to be placed over me?  Sha’ul says we as believers are to submit to all authorities that God has placed and serve them to show our trust in God to them.  Even Yeshua said to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.  Yet these two women disobeyed the political authority placed over them and received God’s blessing.  So I guess when civil government crosses the pale of forcing me to sacrifice my trust in ADONAI that is the point where I must resist.  Lord let me wise enough to see Your path for my life and strong enough as Yeshua commanded to endure and gain my soul.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.