Keep being Transformed

Romans 12:2

In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh. Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds; so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what he wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed.

As the world seemingly continues to collapse around us, we as believers are not to fall into the sin that slaps us in the face every day. Instead, we are to keep seeking ADONAI in our mind, body and spirit so that we can be transformed by His renewing of our being. It is only in this, as Sha’ul says, will we find true success when we are in agreement with God. How do we do this? By building a relationship with God through accepting and trusting in the sacrifice of Yeshua and praying and studying His Word so that He can speak to us through His Ruach and make straight the narrow path for our feet to follow. Lord I struggle in my time of prayer with You. Let me focus on Your will and Your desires instead of my own and let me follow the path that You would have for me. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Turn our hearts

Mishlei (Proverbs) 14:26-27, 34

In the fear of ADONAI is powerful security;
for his children there will be a place of refuge.
The fear of ADONAI is a fountain of life
enabling one to avoid deadly traps.

Righteousness makes a nation great,
but sin degrades any people.

It seems that we as a nation have forgotten the “fear of ADONAI”. People deny how God has created them in the womb, we kill our children for our own convenience and try to tell others that he or she wasn’t really a person. We tolerate a now thriving drug culture that can only lead to despair and demon worship through the occult. All because as a people we forget who is sovereign and put ourselves in His place claiming special knowledge when it is just the hubris of sin. When we fear God as in give Him all the glory and obedience and seek to bring joy to His face we have a place of refuge where everyone has worth and honor for who they are. It is then that as a righteous nation we will find rest and not suffer as we do now with violence, petty wars, sexual immorality, and murder of innocence. Lord forgive us and every nation that has forgotten Your Word. Lord strip our hearts of the callouses of sin and let us seek You once again with our whole being. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Righteousness leads to Victory

Mishlei (Proverbs) 10: 28, 11:5

What the righteous hope for will end in joy;
what the wicked expect will come to nothing.

The righteousness of the innocent levels their way,
but wickedness of the wicked makes them fall.

It is the trust of the believers that know we are going to heaven; this is the end that we seek. But the wicked only look to their selfishness and immediate reward all of which means nothing when death takes them. So, by placing our trust in ADONAI through accepting the sacrifice of Yeshua our trust, like Avraham’s, becomes our righteousness. It is in that righteousness that we become laser locked on serving ADONAI so our path to our hope becomes that level road that brings us to the presence of ADONAI. When Yochanan the Immerser was preaching in the wilderness, he wasn’t also literally paving a road to Yerushalayim but fulfilling the words given to Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) to remove all the worldly things that keep us from God and open us to accept the sacrifice Yeshua was to make. It is that level way, that narrow straight path that lead us to our eternal joy. Lord keep me from stumbling on the road that leads me to You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Heed the Call

Mishlie (Proverbs) 8:1-3

​ Wisdom is calling!
Understanding is raising her voice!
On the heights along the road,
where the paths meet, she is standing;
by the gates leading into the city,
at the entrances, she cries aloud:

Wisdom is always there calling to us, wanting us to learn and grow from her counsel. What is wisdom, fearing ADONAI, trusting in the sacrifice of Yeshua, his blood covering our sins and listening to the Ruach as he guides us in our lives. The thing we have to do is listen and learn. Lord let my heart, mind and soul be open to listen, learn and practice Your wisdom. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Find Wisdom

Mishlei (Proverbs) 4:7

The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom!
And along with all your getting, get insight!

In one of the classes I teach the curriculum calls out the difference between knowledge and wisdom in this way; “Knowledge is knowing what a tool is, wisdom is knowing how to use it properly.” Too much focus in our society has been on the acquisition of knowledge and not enough on what to do with it when we gather all that information, how to sort through the chaff to find the real kernels of truth so we can apply it to our lives. Shlomo teaches that wisdom, learning to apply the knowledge that we come across, is much more important than knowledge without the lens of wisdom to use it. Just knowing the Word of God has never been enough, Yeshua said even the demons know it and HaSatan even quoted the Word to Yeshua. But wisdom in how to apply the Word to our lives, that is where the victory is. Lord let me always look to You for leadership in my life, open my eyes, mind, heart and soul to fill me with the wisdom to serve You more. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Find Wisdom

Mishlei (Proverbs) 1:20-22

Wisdom calls aloud in the open air
and raises her voice in the public places;
she calls out at streetcorners
and speaks out at entrances to city gates:
“How long, you whose lives have no purpose,
will you love thoughtless living?
How long will scorners find pleasure in mocking?
How long will fools hate knowledge?

No matter where I go the Wisdom of ADONAI is calling out to me. If I am in the open air of the country all creation cries out in praise to the Creator. If I am in the public square, God’s unifying Spirit can be seen in the resolve of good men. People caring for their neighbors in trying times and men standing watch to keep evil at bay all show that there is a God in Heaven who sends His Wisdom to us if we only trust in Him. Instead as a people many continue to wander aimlessly seeking only to satisfy the flesh and not also the spirit that completes a person. Lord how long before Your revival of the land and the people break out so none can deny that You alone are Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Lord let Your Wisdom sweep the land of any who doubt Your righteousness. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Reputation

Divrei-HaYamim Bet (2 Chronicles) 9:1-2

When the queen of Sh’va heard what was being said about Shlomo, she came to test him with difficult questions in Yerushalayim, accompanied by a very great retinue, including camels bearing spices and gold in abundance, and precious stones. When she appeared before Shlomo, she spoke with him about everything on her heart; and Shlomo answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.

Our reputations precede us and gives others an idea on how we are going to act. We must decide if we are going to act in our own selfish sinful interest and let that be our witness to the world or if we are going to pursue what is just and righteous in God’s eyes and let the story of those actions bear witness of His love through us. I have failed more than I have succeeded in this but each day I get up and try to stand a little closer to God and leave my own selfish desires behind. God forgive me for my failings and remove them from my mind. Strengthen me to stand like a man of Yissakhar, who understood the times and knew what to do, for without You I continually fall into foolishness. Let my reputation bring only honor and glory to You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Strive for continual relationship

Divrei-HaYamim Bet (2 Chronicles) 8:11

Shlomo brought up Pharaoh’s daughter from the City of David to the house he had built for her; because he said, “No wife of mine is going to live in the house of David king of Isra’el, since the [buildings] where the ark of ADONAI has been are holy.”

Shlomo knew at the beginning of his marriage that his wife, pharaoh’s daughter, would not respect ADONAI, so he built a place for her away from all that he held holy. Isn’t that the way it is with us, we hold some secret sin away from everyone else just for our own selfish desire. God doesn’t want us to visit Him on certain days, He wants a continual relationship where nothing is hidden away from Him and we are engaged in every moment together through the Ruach to let everyone know of His love. Lord You continue to put me through the crucible, help me to get rid of all the dross in my life so I may fully connected to You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Trusting that leads to Righteousness

Romans 4:16

The reason the promise is based on trusting is so that it may come as God’s free gift, a promise that can be relied on by all the seed, not only those who live within the framework of the Torah, but also those with the kind of trust Avraham had Avraham avinu for all of us.

Salvation cannot be earned. There is no way we can by ourselves deny our own nature to the point that we can commune with ADONAI. But when we trust in the sacrifice that Yeshua made for us and accept the indwelling of the Ruach, then we have God’s free gift as Sha’ul writes, a promise that can be relied upon by all for we have God with us, aiding us and building ever stronger our trust in Him. Lord thank You for the grace You have given me through the sacrifice of Yeshua for my days of foolishness. Invade me with Your Spirit and strengthen my trust daily as I look to You in all things. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Just the facts

Romans 3:27

Does it follow that we abolish Torah by this trusting? Heaven forbid! On the contrary, we confirm Torah.

Sha’ul writing to the Gentiles in Rome says it pretty plain, trusting in ADONAI does not abolish Torah but only confirms what God told Moshe in the first place. So conversely if our professed trust does not reflect what God had written in Torah, then I would say that person is not truly trusting but seeking self-aggrandizing deference just like the P’rushim and Tz’dukim of Yeshua’s time. Lord build in me the trust I need to be like Your servant David and Moshe. Let me jump to the task like Avraham and let all my actions bring glory to You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.