Heartbreak for the land

Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 14:13-20

“Human being, when a land sins against me by dealing treacherously with me, so that I stretch out my hand over it and break off its food supply, sending it famine and eliminating both its humans and its animals; even if these three men were in it—Noach, Dani’el and Iyov—they would by their righteousness save only themselves,” says Adonai ELOHIM. “If I unleash wild beasts on the land, and they kill its children and desolate it, so that no one can pass through because of the animals; even if these three men were in it, as I live,” says Adonai ELOHIM, “they would save neither sons nor daughters; only they themselves would be saved, and the land would remain barren. “Or if I bring the sword down on that land, saying, ‘Let the sword pass through the land, ‘so that I eliminate both its humans and its animals; even if these three men were in it, as I live,” says Adonai ELOHIM, “they would save neither sons nor daughters; only they themselves would be saved. “Or if I bring a plague into that land and pour out my fury on it in bloodshed, so that I eliminate both its humans and its animals; even if Noach, Dani’el and Iyov were in it, as I live,” says Adonai ELOHIM, “they would save neither a son nor a daughter; they would save only themselves by their righteousness.”

There comes a point in a nation’s apostasy that ADONAI will no longer tolerate the idol worship. In that time even the most righteous of men cannot stand in the gap and intercede for the rest of the nation. Lord I fear I am living in such days. Sustain those who cling to Your salvation through Yeshua HaMashiach. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

You can’t hide anything

Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 8:7-12

He brought me to the entrance of the courtyard; and when I looked, I saw a hole in the wall. He said to me, “Human being, dig into the wall.” After digging in the wall, I saw a door. “Go in,” he said, “and see the wicked practices they are engaged in here.” So I went in and looked, and there, carved on the walls all around, were every kind of reptile and repulsive animal, along with all the idols of the house of Isra’el. Standing in front of them were seventy of the leading men of the house of Isra’el—in the center stood Ya’azanyahu the son of Shafan. Each man had his incense-burner in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. Then he said to me, “Human being, did you see what the leaders of the house of Isra’el are doing in the dark, each one in the room of his own carved image, because they say,’ADONAI can’t see us; ADONAI has left the land.’?”

There is no sin that we can hide from ADONAI.  Just as God revealed the sins of the leaders of Judah to Yechezk’el so too He can see into our hearts and know the selfishness that we hide there thinking we won’t get caught.  There is only one way to salvation, by accepting the blood of Yeshua’s sacrifice and remembering what He told everyone He healed “go and sin no more.”  Without fully committing to ADONAI we will be just like the leaders, harboring that little selfish sin that we coddle in the dark until it brings destruction down upon our heads.  Lord I struggle daily with the sin I want to keep to me.  Help me to crucify my selfish desires and help me live only for Your kingdom in my life.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Frog in the pot

Revelations 3:14-19

“To the angel of the Messianic Community in Laodicea, write: ‘Here is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the Ruler of God’s creation: “I know what you are doing: you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth! For you keep saying, ‘I am rich, I have gotten rich, I don’t need a thing!’ You don’t know that you are the one who is wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked! My advice to you is to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich; and white clothing, so that you may be dressed and not have to be ashamed of your nakedness; and eyesalve to rub on your eyes, so that you may see. As for me, I rebuke and discipline everyone I love; so exert yourselves, and turn from your sins!”

I see America today in this passage, so comfortable with how we live that we forget to strive for ADONAI and to stay on the narrow path that He has given us.  We see the example in Isra’el both in the Word and as we witness the day to day with the Land.  If that is how God has treated His chosen people, how can we expect to be treated any different.  Instead, since we no longer stand for anything, as a nation we accept sinful nature as “normal” and legislate immorality as law.  Lord, You have struck us with fires and storms and withheld the rains from the breadbasket of the country and still we as a nation do not see Your hand in our lives.  Forgive us, soften our hearts and let us return to Your discipline, I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

We must speak

Yechezk’el (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.”

ADONAI doesn’t address Yechezk’el by his name but as “Human being”, because so I believe this word isn’t just for Yechezk’el but for all of us as ones who trust in Yeshua. If we fail to admonish sin then we fail to save someone in that sin. If we fail to save someone in sin due to our lack of action, we have become the judge and ADONAI says He will hold that against us. It is hard and emotionally straining to confront someone who may not want to be shown their error but failing to do so may mean losing a brother or sister forever. ADONAI, You alone may judge a man’s heart yet You would have me show others what You measure goodness by. Lord strengthen me because I am weak when I am convicted to share Your Word. Too many times in my past I failed in standing up for You, so it is only in Your strength that I can do as You command. Fill my spirit to bursting so that I cannot help but share Your Word. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Flee Gossip, pursue Truth

Tehillim (Psalms) 144:11

Rescue me, save me from the power of strangers,
whose mouths speak worthless words
and whose right hands swear false oaths.

David, the mighty warrior of God, slayer of giants, king of all Isra’el, a man after God’s own heart, feared the damage gossip creates. Twice in this psalm of praise to ADONAI for all the that God has given him, David asks for salvation from gossip. There is nothing that can tear apart a congregation faster than giving power to lies both in the hearing without correction and the retelling to inflate one’s selfish sin. As believers the only thing that we have to separate us from the world is the truth. The truth of ADONAI is the rock that we stand on, the truth of Yeshua’s sacrifice is the salvation we must share, it is truth that sets us apart. Lord forgive me for all the times I spoke without thinking, repeating damaging lies as if they were truth. God help me to guard my tongue and keep Your Word which is the truth for the nations as a lamp to lead me where You would have me go. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Rejoicing

Yirmeyahu (Jerimiah) 50:4-5

In those days, at that time,” says ADONAI,

“the people of Isra’el will come,

together with the people of Y’hudah.

They will weep as they go their way,

seeking ADONAI their God.

They will ask the way to Tziyon;

and, turning their faces toward it, will say,

‘Come, join yourselves to ADONAI

by an everlasting covenant never to be forgotten.

A time after Bavel is destroyed and all of sons and daughters of Isra’el are gathered, this people, this chosen people will call to the world to those of us who will hear and have us join them in an everlasting covenant, a marriage between our Messiah and His bride, the body of believers, forever!  I am so excited to see this time I am writing in run on sentences.  Glory to You ADONAI and Your Holy plan!! Glory to You forever! AMEN!

Trust ADONAI

Yirmeyahu (Jerimiah) 39:15-18

This word of ADONAI came to Yirmeyahu while he was imprisoned in the guards’ quarters: “Go and tell ‘Eved-Melekh the Ethiopian that ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘”I am about to fulfill my words about this city for disaster, not for good; when the day arrives, they will come true before your eyes. But at that time I will rescue you,” says ADONAI, “and I will not hand you over to the men you fear. Yes, I will keep you safe; you will not fall by the sword, but you will escape with your life, because you have put your trust in me,” says ADONAI.'”

It is our trust in ADONAI that will preserve us in times of trouble and hardship, nothing else can save but the Hand of God in our lives. Lord hold me in these violent times. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Words and Actions, not just words

Yirmeyahu (Jerimiah) 34:13-20

“Here is what ADONAI the God of Isra’el says: ‘When I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, where they lived as slaves, I made this covenant with them: “At the end of seven years every one of you is to set free his brother Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years. You are to let him go free from you.” But your ancestors did not listen to me or pay any attention. Now you repented, you did what is right from my viewpoint when each of you proclaimed freedom to his fellow; and you made a covenant before me in the house bearing my name. But then you changed your minds. You profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free to live as they wished, and brought them back into subjection as your slaves.’ Therefore here is what ADONAI says: ‘You did not heed me and proclaim freedom, each to his brother and each to his neighbor; so now I proclaim for you a freedom, ‘says ADONAI, ‘for sword, plague and famine. I will make you an object of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. As for the men who violated my covenant by not living up to the conditions of the covenant which they made in my presence when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts— the leaders of Y’hudah, the leaders of Yerushalayim, the officials, the cohanim and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf; I will hand them over to their enemies, hand them over to those who seek their lives; and their corpses will become food for birds in the air and wild animals.”

As believers we cannot stand before God and promise to act in a certain way and fail to do so afterwards.  By doing so we allow sin to cling to us and ADONAI will remove Himself letting pain and strife become the watchword of our life.  That is just what the people of Judah did and in their sinfulness lost Yerushalayim for 70 years.  We are to speak honestly and contritely before God and let Him shape the condition of our hearts so that He can write His Torah, His Word on us through the Ruach HaKodesh.  Lord forgive me for the harshness of my judgmental spirit and keep me searching after Your Word.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Accept the Kapparah

1 Yochanan (John) 4:10
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Here is what love is: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the kapparah for our sins.

No matter what we do to resolve ourselves to ADONAI it will never be enough. We as humans cannot atone for our sinful selfish ways under our own volition. No matter how many good deeds are done the stain of the sin is still on us. But God in His mercy provided a Kapparah, an atonement, expiation, propitiation for us through the blood of Yeshua. That is the basis of all love, and once we accept the love that ADONAI has for us through accepting Yeshua’s sacrifice, then and only then can we truly share love with those around us. Lord enlarge my heart and let me show the love You have for all in all I do for You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Follow His Example

1 Yochanan (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.