Heart condition

Titus 1:15-16

To all who are themselves pure, everything is pure. But to those who are defiled and without trust, nothing is pure—even their minds and consciences have been defiled. They claim to know God, but with their actions they deny him. They are detestable and disobedient; they have proved themselves unfit to do anything good.

It is the condition of our heart, whether we are pure in our trust in ADONAI or selfishly appointed to seek only our own gratification, that determines if we are defiled. If our hearts are for God then our minds and spirits can only dwell on what He wants for us. But if one is base and self-centered then one cannot help but to dwell on what is good only for him at the expense of others. Lord let me never lose sight of the path that You have for my life, keeping my feet stable by dwelling on Your will. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Even in the darkest times, God is there

2 Timothy 1:15-18

You know that everyone in the province of Asia turned away from me, including Phygelus and Ermogenes. May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he was often a comfort to me and was not ashamed of my being in prison. On the contrary, when he came to Rome, he diligently searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant it to him to find mercy from ADONAI on that Day. And you know very well how much he helped me in Ephesus.

Even though Sha’ul laments that he has been abandoned by everyone in Asia, as he writes ADONAI brings to mind Onesiphorus who continues to stand by him.  As believers it is the same for us, in our darkest times God in His mercy will send people to support us.  Many will be for just a time and a season, but a few will diligent from the get-go and no matter how deep we may get in despair search us out and find us to bring us back to ADONAI.  Lord, bless the friends and family You have put in my life to remind me daily of You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Self separation leads to destruction.

Devrie-YahHamin (2 Chronicles) 24:17-22

After Y’hoyada died, the leaders of Y’hudah came and prostrated themselves before the king. Then the king listened to them; and they abandoned the house of ADONAI the God of their ancestors and served the sacred poles and the idols. In consequence of their guilt, [God’s] anger fell on Y’hudah and Yerushalayim. In spite of this, he sent them prophets to bring them back to ADONAI; they warned them, but they wouldn’t pay attention. The Spirit of God covered Z’kharyah the son of Y’hoyada the cohen; he stood above the people and addressed them: “Thus says God: ‘Why are you transgressing the mitzvot of ADONAI and courting disaster? Because you have abandoned ADONAI, he has abandoned you.” But they conspired against him and stoned him to death at the order of the king in the courtyard of the house of ADONAI. Thus Yo’ash the king did not remember the kindness which Y’hoyada, [Z’kharyah’s] father, had done for him, but put his son to death. As he was dying he said, “May ADONAI see this and take vengeance!”

ADONAI in all His power and glory will never abandon us unless we first abandon Him. I know many times I have screamed into the wind “God why have you abandoned me to (fill in the current hardship)” when in truth I had already left God just like King Yo’ash for my own selfishness and was forced to face the world in a place that God chose not to follow because He will not abide with sin. ADONAI wants to walk with us, but He will not leave the narrow path of His own righteousness. We must choose to walk with Him and as Yeshua has said over and over again “Go and sin no more.” Lord forgive me for my wanderings off Your path to reconciliation with You, help me to keep my eyes on You in all things so I never wander into my own selfishness. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, ame

Persist in Prayer

Colossians 4:2

Keep persisting in prayer, staying alert in it and being thankful.

This is a charge for all believers to keep, as Sha’ul reminds the congregation at Colossae, that our prayers are to be persistent and alert. Our prayers cannot become just something pro forma that we do as a muscle memory but a conversation that we are continuing with ADONAI and Yeshua our lord and savior. Yeshua himself said to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking and it will be given to us. Yet if we don’t have the conversation with God or worse yet we just babble some words over and over that have no meaning, how can we grow in our knowledge of the Lord. It is the pursuit of prayer that lets us hear from God, it is the pursuit of prayer that allows us time to recover from the stresses of this world and it is the pursuit of prayer that opens our heart to the indwelling of His Ruach in our hearts. Lord let me rejoice in every opportunity You give me to talk to You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Redemption is real for all

M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 21:25-29

Truly, there was never anyone like Ach’av. Stirred up by his wife Izevel, he gave himself over to do what is evil from ADONAI’s perspective. His behavior in following idols was grossly abominable; he did everything the Emori had done, whom ADONAI expelled ahead of the people of Isra’el.

Ach’av, on hearing these words, tore his clothes, put sackcloth on himself and fasted. He slept in the sackcloth and went about dejectedly. Then the word of ADONAI came to Eliyahu from Tishbe: “Do you see how Ach’av has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring this evil during his lifetime; but during his son’s lifetime I will bring the evil on his house.”

King Ach’av for all his evil, sacrificing his children and leading others to do it, giving into his wife’s pagan ways, failing to obey ADONAI when he was handed the armies of Aram, for all this evil, ADONAI forgave him when he repented. It is the same for us, no matter what, when can be forgiven if we truly change our hearts and circumcise them to trust in the sacrifice of Yeshua and the lordship of ADONAI in our lives. Then we can experience the fill of the Ruach and know that God is with us. Lord keep me humble and prayerfully following You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Pray continuously

Ephesians 1:15-16

For this reason, ever since I heard about your trust in the Lord Yeshua and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you. In my prayers I keep asking the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you will have full knowledge of him.

Sha’ul prays continuously for the believers in Ephesus, interceding on their behalf before ADONAI so that they will have a deeper understanding of Him. This is how we are to intercede for our brothers and sisters in Yeshua, not upon request for some healing or comfort in a time of stress but daily without ceasing so the whole of the body of believers is uplifted before God so that He can rain down His blessings on His people. Lord strengthen my resolve to grow in You so I can be as trustworthy as Sha’ul in prayers for Your people. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Adultery is stupid

Mishlei (Proverbs) 6:32-35

He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
He will get nothing but blows and contempt,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
For jealousy drives a man into a rage;
he will show no mercy when he takes revenge;
he will not accept compensation;
he’ll refuse every bribe, no matter how large.

Anyone who commits adultery will destroy both families involved. The betrayal of trust shatters the very core of relationships that can almost never be mended. God, as Moshe wrote repeatedly in the Torah, is a jealous God, so is it not logical that any person or thing that would draw His bride away from Him ADONAI would show no mercy for. That in that day even if people say “’Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’” Yeshua will answer “’I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’” because God is jealous for us and He will show no mercy or accept compensation or bribe for anyone who would cause His bride to turn away from Him. Didn’t Yeshua tell us that it would be better for these adulterous teachers to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied to them than what ADONAI has instore for their deceiving ways. Yet there is mercy for anyone who gives up their adulterous relationship with sin and accepts the sacrifice of Yeshua, then on that trust of reconciliation that God has given us we can be made whole again with Him. Lord thank You for Your salvation, amen.

It takes wisdom and discipline

Mishlei (Proverbs) 1:7

The fear of ADONAI is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

It is the fear of ADONAI that we as believers must pursue.  To have just one component that makes up this dread respect only leads to selfish sin.  Yo’av was one of the most disciplined generals of Isra’el yet he had no wisdom to guide him and murdered people to maintain his authority.  King Shlomo was the wisest person ever in our history and yet he had no discipline allowing himself to practice every depravity under the sun and be led away from trusting ADONAI by the selfishness of his wives.  It is only when we apply wisdom and discipline together as Sha’ul writes about disciplining our worldly nature with the wisdom of our spiritual one that salvation comes to our lives through the trust in the sacrifice of Yeshua and the indwelling of the Ruach, that fear of ADONAI in having to put our whole trust in him, is the beginning of knowledge.  Lord let me keep drinking from Your cup that You have for me so I can grow in the discipline that You give.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

No greater love

Romans 5:7-10

Now it is a rare event when someone gives up his life even for the sake of somebody righteous, although possibly for a truly good person one might have the courage to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners. Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of his bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through him from the anger of God’s judgment! For if we were reconciled with God through his Son’s death when we were enemies, how much more will we be delivered by his life, now that we are reconciled!

Yeshua taught that there is no greater love that a man should give his life for his friends. Yet Yeshua himself supersedes this lesson by sacrificing Himself while we were yet estranged from Him through sin. For it was in our sin we were the enemies of ADONAI, yet through this perfect sacrifice Yeshua has seen to it that through our trust and participation in it we can be reconciled back to God. Lord let me be worthy of this loving sacrifice. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Avraham’s trust

Romans 4:23-25

But the words, “it was credited to his account…,” were not written for him only. They were written also for us, who will certainly have our account credited too, because we have trusted in him who raised Yeshua our Lord from the dead— Yeshua, who was delivered over to death because of our offences and raised to life in order to make us righteous.

Sha’ul has given an account of Avraham and his trust in ADONAI as the example we are to follow in accepting Yeshua’s sacrifice and trusting God’s leadership in our lives.  There is no other formula to salvation, just one path narrow and limiting yet brings discipline and eternal freedom for those who give their trust like Avraham.  Lord build in me such trust so there is no doubt who is sovereign in my life.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.