Listen to God not feelings

Shof’tim (Judges) 9:3-5

His mother’s brothers spoke to all the men of Sh’khem and said all this about him, so that they followed their feelings and supported Avimelekh, arguing, “After all, he’s our brother.” They also gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Ba’al-B’rit; and he used these to pay good-for-nothing thugs to follow him.  He went back to his father’s house in ‘Ofrah and killed his brothers the sons of Yeruba’al, all seventy of them, on a single rock, except for Yotam Yeruba’al’s youngest son, who stayed alive because he hid himself.

 

When we put our own feelings, our selfish desires, before wisdom it will always end badly.  The men of Sh’khem, where the very tabernacle of ADONAI stood had turned to their own selfish means and desires that they were even worshiping in a temple not of their making.  Instead of turning to God to find who would judge justly for God they were swayed by their own greed and the speech of Aavimelekh and by his first act as ruler commits fratricide.  The murder of seventy brothers all because the men of Sh’khem were swayed by their feelings and not looking to the direction of ADONAI.  Lord all my life, I have been driven by the storm of my feelings, let me feel Your Shalom so I may sleep securely in Your arms and hear only Your voice leading me in the days ahead.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Get off the fence

Shof’tim (Judges) 8:4-6

 

By now Gid’on and his three hundred men had come to the Yarden and crossed over. They were exhausted but were still pursuing the enemy. In Sukkot he asked the people there, “Please give some loaves of bread to the men following me, because they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zevach and Tzalmuna the kings of Midyan.” But the chiefs of Sukkot said, “You haven’t captured Zevach and Tzalmuna yet, so why should we give bread to your army?”

 

Here is a problem in the greater body today, too many of us who confess to trusting in the sacrifice of Yeshua and the lordship of God in our lives are really just fence sitters like the leaders of Sukkot. It was plainly obvious that ADONAI had His hand on Gid’on and was moving mightily in delivering Isra’el from the Midyan yet the chiefs of Sukkot withheld their support and missed a blessing in joining with the move of God in the land. How many of us, myself included have missed great blessings because we were unsure of who God picked or didn’t understand the times and events around us? Trusting is stepping forward with God without needing to know what the result will be but knowing that good or bad all things will lead to His glory forever. Lord let me be bold in following You. Strengthen me to be a light in the storm and a safe friend and supporter in these uncertain times. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

With Love

1 Corinthians 13:3

I may give away everything that I own,

I may even hand over my body to be burned;

but if I lack love, I gain nothing.

 

No matter how many good things I do, how many people I save from whatever disaster affects them, if I fail to do it without the love of ADONAI directing me and the infilling of the Ruach HaKodesh to share with them the path to true salvation, I have failed.  It is only when we share the love of ADONAI with others while we are feeding and clothing the orphaned and the widowed, reaching out with comfort and care to those who are hurting that we truly save lives.  Lord let me always work first and foremost for You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

United

1 Corinthians 12:26

Thus if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; and if one part is honored, all the parts share its happiness.

 

The strength of the body of believers is that we are united.  Being bound together by the trust we share in the sacrifice of Yeshua Ha Mashiach our Messiah and the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh sent by ADONAI to comfort and counsel us until we all are with Him.  It is this community of trust that lets us thrive in times of upheaval.  Lord strengthen our ties to each believer so that as one united in You we will change the world.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Serve humbly

1 Corinthians 10:33-11:1

Just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not looking out for my own interests but for those of the many, so that they may be saved; try to imitate me, even as I myself try to imitate the Messiah.

 

We are to imitate Sha’ul with looking out for the whole body of believers, not just the great speakers or the fantastic worship leaders but for everyone who puts their trust in ADONAI.  We are to be our brother’s keeper even if they take two hours of talking about nothing to get to the question they stopped you to ask or any other reason that brings annoyance to our selfish worldly flesh for the good of the whole congregation.  Denying ourselves, serving others, and focusing on God’s Word in our lives, these are the actions of Sha’ul and what we should focus on in this time of uncertainty.  Lord guide me to those that need Your help so all may know Your Shalom.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Everything for God

1 Corinthians 10:31

Well, whatever you do, whether it’s eating or drinking or anything else, do it all so as to bring glory to God.

 

Sometimes, all times it really is just this simple.  If I follow ADONAI as His servant, then everything I do must be pleasing to Him.  Lord never let me shame Your name with my own weakness, I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Deny Self

1 Corinthians 9:27

 

27 I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that, after proclaiming the Good News to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

 

I find the most difficult task in showing my trust in God is denying myself. I am lazy and somewhat self centered, and I have to overcome this everyday so as to stand forth faithfully for Adonai. The first tool was studying God’s Word everyday, the next setting time aside for prayer. God is calling us to be in a relationship with Him, I pray all will take time to meet Him. Lord let us all hear Your voice especially now in this time of upheaval. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

The Good Water

Y’hoshuah (Joshua) 15:17-19

‘Otni’el the son of K’naz, Kalev’s brother, captured it; so he gave him ‘Akhsah his daughter as his wife.  After becoming his wife, she persuaded him to ask her father to give them a field; when she got off her donkey, Kalev asked her, “What do you want?”  She said to him: “Give me a blessing: since you gave me land in the Negev, also give me sources of water.” So Kalev gave her the Upper Springs and the Lower Springs.

 

Just as ‘Akhsah knew the land her father gave her husband would be worthless without a good source of water, so are our lives without the living water of salvation from Yeshua.  We are nothing more than a bell without a clapper, only ringing weakly when the debris of life strikes us.  But once we have accepted Yeshua’s sacrifice and have the infilling of the Ruach HaKodesh, then we are fully made clapper and all so as to ring true through out the land.  Lord I struggle with denying my flesh and following You, fill me to overflowing with Your Ruach so that there is no selfishness left in me, I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Opinion vs The Word

1 Corinthians 7:40

However, in my opinion, she will be happier if she remains unmarried, and in saying this I think I have God’s Spirit.

 

Throughout this part of Sha’ul’s letter to the Corinthians he writes about the question posed to him by that congregation, is it good to stay celibate?  As Sha’ul answers he makes a distinction on what is found in the Word concerning marriage and what his opinion is from personal experience.  Never does he put forth his opinion as God’s Word.  I know too many times I have given my opinion like I was coming down from the mountain myself instead of Moshe.  It is the Word that convicts the heart to change, not my desire to change it for them.  Lord let me be humble and let Your Word do the work You would have it do in our lives.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

In Alignment

Y’hoshua (Joshua) 10:12-14

Then, on the day ADONAI handed over the Emori to the people of Isra’el, Y’hoshua spoke to ADONA I; in the sight of Isra’el he said,

“Sun, stand motionless over Giv’on!

Moon, you too, over Ayalon Valley!”

So the sun stood still and the moon stayed put,

till Isra’el took vengeance on their enemies.

This is written in the book of Yashar. The sun stood still in the sky and was in no rush to set for nearly a whole day.  There has never been a day like that before or since, when ADONAI listened to the voice of a man; it happened because ADONAI was fighting on Isra’el’s behalf.

 

ADONAI answers us when we are in alignment with His will.  Y’hoshua listened to and obeyed what God told him to do without question so when Y’hoshua asked for help in achieving God’s goals ADONAI answered immediately and supernaturally so there could be no doubt it was the hand of God in all of this.  ADONAI seeks to do the same for all of us, but first we must soften our hearts and repent of all that we have done in our lives so that the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh will enter the temple of our hearts clean and rededicated to serve God.  It is a process, every day as believers we must focus on “go and sin no more” so that we may be as trusting as Y’hoshua when we ask God for assistance in His will.  Lord build my trust, so I won’t fear anything in this world.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.