The Love Inside

"Change ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Master....

Whom the heavens must receive until the times of Restoration of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."

~Acts 3:19, 21

The beautiful thing about Yahshua's life is that refreshing has come.  Refreshing takes us on further. We must be refreshed and let God love us into existence - true existence, where we are awakened to Him and to us, to how we should see Him and to just how He sees us.  Christ wants to shine brighter on you (Ephesians 5:14)!

Our Heavenly Father wants a culture shift.  He wants our own personal refreshment to trigger widespread restoration.  He wants us to realize that Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) is the Kingdom Leaven (Matthew 13:33).  He wants us to realize that we, by virtue of His presence, are contagious. We are the carriers of His Glory; we are those He's entrusted to changing the world. One step at a time and one person at a time - from the inside out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vanessa posted a musical project this past week detailing Yahweh's movement in her life.  And He's shone us that this video will produce a massive cultural shift in the perception of the Love of God. He's shone us that this video is going to change our lives, so that we in turn can be positioned to change the lives of others and work for their good.

I was praying about this project recently, asking God to bless it and send revival.  And He told me not to pray for that.  He told me to pray for a culture shift instead!  He showed me that in past times and seasons, culture has not supported revival!  Instead, revival has fizzled out under the oppression of a dark, godless society and culture.

A widespread, unquenchable cultural change must occur first.  We're just on the brink of it.  If culture is inclined to our Heavenly Father, then and only then can we have lasting change.  If our culture loves and is Loved by Yah, then we can have His presence abide. Then He can teach all of us all things (Hebrews 8:11); then He can produce lasting goodness in this world (John 15:16).  Messiah will be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28).

So, here is Vanessa's video - or rather, Yahweh's video presented by Vanessa.  It's essentially her personal testimony with one or two dramaticized parts (she never did heroin).  There are a few twists in there...enjoy, and may you come into contact with the presence of God like never before.

Freedom: It's Contagious

"...That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."  

Romans 8:21

Based on this verse, our freedom goes out from us.  It begins within, in Yah's presence, and is released through us.  Freedom is contagious,more contagious than sin or disease.  Our Freedom has the ability to purify our natural environment.

When we are experience fullness of freedom as children of God, when we are celebrating who we really are -- that's when the Kingdom advances.  It's just like the implanted word (James 1:21) and the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31). Your Heavenly Father wants this presence within you to grow and grow and grow until others find shelter with you!  He wants to expand your tents and increase your authority (Isaiah 54:2).

The truth is that we are so free that our freedom liberates our surrounding -- even nature.  The creation itself will be set free from the natural order of things by coming into contact with His offspring.  By coming into contact with YOU!  This is the "Kingdom Leaven" that Yahshua spoke about (Matthew 13:33).  He wants to bless others through you.  He wants purity, holiness, and conviction to flow out through you.  He wants you to cause atmosphere shifts. Like a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9)

How many of us have really experienced this?  Vanessa and I have experienced weather miracles many times now.  We've seen how our Father is is control of the climate and the wind and even all the creatures He's made.  We've seen how animals respond to the good news of Messiah (Mark 16:15)-- it's fun talking to birds and cats and bunnies!  But have we made this confidence in God a way of life?

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Yahshua Messiah took hold of me."

~Philippians 3:12

Do Not Light a Fire on the Sabbath

"Do not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day"    ~Exodus 35:3

God has been showing me that this still has application for today.  All scripture can be literally, spiritually, or symbolically applied to today (2 Tim. 3:16).  We live in a time where we get to see just how the Old Covenant has always been intended to point us to the new (Colossians 2:17).  That's exciting!  The laws and codes and regulations given by Moses were not written to us, as much as for us.

How do we translate the essence of Exodus 35:3 to modern Christian culture?  By letting scripture interpret itself!  There is a message behind all of these little bylaws that still remains.  We can see what David said about it -- he was ahead of his time in that He lived by faith in a Savior that hadn't yet come:

"You, oh Yahweh, keep my lamp burning; my Elohim turns my darkness into light."            

 ~Psalm 18:28

There's a big message here.  Other translations describe it this way: "You light my lamp".  We need to let God do the lighting, especially on the Sabbath.  We need to let God set us on fire, especially because it's He who brought us into the realm of Sabbath-day rest.  He is both the fuel and the fire itself.

I believe this whole concept of lighting fires on the Sabbath amounts to our own self-religious efforts to get to God.   In ancient times, getting a fire started could be hard!  The time invested in gathering wood was pretty significant.  In the same way, our lengthy, compulsive, and/or mundane spiritual templates are not rewarded by the God who paid the price to give you rest (Hebrews 4:1).

We can't just go through the motions to go up with God, nor can we come into Him with self-righteous ideals. Don't forget that Messiah is the substance (Col. 2:17) and the method of connection (Hebrews 2:11).  Let Him awaken inner passion for you.

It's up to Yahweh to "set us on fire" and purify us.  It's up to Him to draw us closer to Himself. Trying to start something with God by our own hard work is not smart (Songs 8:4); more than that, it distracts us from the appreciation of what God wants to do.  Trust and faith, on the other hand, will magnetize yourself to God and draw His power into you.  He wants to do it, and He is able!

Overtaken and Into God's Rest

I've been realizing that there is a higher realm out there available to us in the Christian life.  There's a life beyond temptations, struggles and "falling from grace".  There's a life where God make things easier.

"For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His."

Hebrews 4:10

This verse has taken on a newer, deeper meaning recently.  I think the Holy Spirit wants to shine on us so that the meaning of all scripture is always evolving and progressing into the Heavenly mind.  

Naturally speaking, life is hard.  Even for Christians -- sometimes, life is hard!  It may be hard to not lose it when your brother says something annoying; it may be hard to stay peaceful when everyone is crowding the kitchen, it may be hard to avoid all semblance of road rage...it may be hard to pray for a stranger in the grocery store.  These are all mindsets we've gotten stuck in somewhere in our past.

Truthfully, though, this isn't the most accurate way of thinking.  It's not God's way.    To the extent that we are not tapping into God's way, we are denying the fullness of what Messiah did for us on the cross.  If the majority of what we experience as a Christian seems hard, then we are living under an illusion.

To rest from your own work takes a lot of power.  Not your own power, though!  It takes the power of the Ruach inside you to propel you onward independent of yourself.  That's what we need -- to live in the Spirit.

I've been seeing that there are degrees in this life in the Spirit.  God wants to overpower you, He wants to overshadow you, He wants to overtake you and overwhelm you.  I think this is what the prophets were talking about when they said, "the hand of Yahweh was heavily upon me".  

God wants to expose you to the weight of His glory and compel you into Himself.  He wants to consume you until there is no self-effort of self-thought left.  He wants to possess you: mind, body, and spirit.  Isn't that interesting?  It's the truth.

The point at which life becomes easy for us, when faith becomes restful, when pain turns blissful, when natural conditions burst out into the supernatural, will occur when God within us has full control.  It's not as hard as it sounds.  The only effort involved in us is the race towards believing.  If we've believed, we've entered into God's way, and if we stay in His Way, we'll have it easiest.

Dream: The Glory of God or the Glory of man?

I had a dream last night where I was in a nice church...one of the many "seeker friendly" churches out there nowadays.  (Just so you know, I love these kinds of places!  Every time I've went to them, the Holy Spirit ministers to me.  But I think God wants to purify our motives...)

So, back to this church, there was some sort of youth ministry going on, and everyone was singing and worshiping and acting all excited. Something wasn't quite right, though.

There was a hardness to the worship that caught me off guard.  The musicians on stage were having fun -- and not necessarily in a good way.  They were going through the motions, trading out the worship of our Father for a show (2 Tim. 3:5).  There was some egotism evident there.  It was really sad. Vanessa and I were sitting up near the front, and I was watching these people, many of them my age, singing along with the band and just going through the motions, also.

This significance of all this was heightened because of how it contrasted what God was doing with me.  I felt such Love; I felt so much of Yahweh's presence.  I became pretty overwhelmed, and sorta just slumped over in my chair and kept checking out this scene. There was one teenage girl in particular that I felt bad for.  I could tell that her heart just wasn't in it; though she was doing some stuff right, she was missing out on the power of the Spirit.

The rest of the teens in the church were much the same.  I longed to tell them that it could be better.  I longed to tell them that they were falling short of the party.  I wanted to say, hey, God has a better way for you than this...but I just didn't have the words.  Plus, I was plastered to my chair under the weight of His glory and probably couldn't have moved a muscle even if I wanted to.  In retrospect, I think God put me into that symbolic scenario simply so I could observe

Sadly, this whole "let's go to church and not really love on God" mentality is something I've also seen played out in real life.  It's tragic to see people so close but yet so far.  People who sit there listening like they're watching a realllllyyy boring TV show or something.  Their hearts have not been awakened -- a veil of sadness is still there (2 Cor. 3:14).  They've never tried really seeking Him, and consequently have never realized that He's already been found (Proverbs 8:17).

Guys, God is fun!  He's a wonderfully burning Love (Song of Songs); He's incredibly powerful.  He's worthy of your fear (Psalms 119:120), He's worthy of your admiration and worship.  There is an ecstasy of divine exchange that comes with loving Him (John 3:30).




"God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth."     ~John 4:24

Works of Righteousness?

Or works for righteousness?  There is a subtle, but very important difference.

"This living flame of love is so untouchable, so unquenchable, that it is virtually impossible for us to ever draw near without being consumed. This is why it is ultimately necessary that God Himself becomes our righteousness. We are incapable of reaching that place of purity and perfection which He requires of our own accord. And so Christ must positionally become our "right living" so that we can freely enter the love of God."      ~John Crowder

This has been a theme that's really been impressed on me in the last couple weeks.  I've been holed up at home, cleaning, organizing, sweeping, building, planting, vacuuming...you get it.  But there's been a lot of seemingly 'mundane' activities going on.  How to stay content?

Remember that Yahweh has gifted us fruit that remains (John 15:16).  And this fruit of peace, love and joy is found in His son.  It's found in focusing on Jesus.  

To 'do' works of righteousness, you need to abide.  And to abide in divine Love, you need to believe. That's why Jesus stated that the work of God could be boiled down to the effort of believing.  If we fall out of communion and try to earn our own righteousness, then we've fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4).  We've started to work for something we already have.  How crazy is that?

God wants us to be working into a labor of love.  He wants us to have such a divine sense of purpose in our lives that even sweeping the floor is fun.  There is a pleasure found in partnering with Him in even the smallest task.  You life may look pretty similar to that of an unbeliever.  The difference is that you are a friend of God within your mind (Colossians 1:21)!  The difference is that your joy can always be complete (John 15:11).  

Having your heart fixed on God, overwhelmed in Him, is enough to call the Glory down.  Staying in the Love of God is a training process, and we've got out entire lives to fully learn it (Luke 6:40).  I know I mess up sometimes.  But even our own failures ultimately point us to a greater reality, which is the limitless, immeasurable, too-good-to-be-true grace that we must be reminded to rely upon.  

"For we are Yahweh's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Yahsua Messiah, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."       ~Ephesians 2:10 

 

The Tree of Life in You

In the garden of Eden, there were two trees.  One was permitted and beneficial; one was off limits to Adam and Eve.  The One tree gave truth; the other gave knowledge.  The One gave freedom; the other gave religion.

Anyways, this post is about the Tree of Life!

"After I was baptized with the Holy Ghost the Lord gave me a blessed revelation. I saw Adam and Eve turned out of the garden for their disobedience and unable to partake of the tree of life, for the cherubim with flaming sword kept them away from this tree. When I was baptized I saw that I had begun to eat of this tree of life and I saw that the flaming sword was all round about. It was there to keep the devil away."     ~Smith Wigglesworth

Isn't that wonderful?  Jesus is the tree of life.  And He's on the inside know. We've left the covering of the Law (Gal. 3:25) and entered into the covering of the Almighty, the Garden of Eden.  In a sense, the believer embodies the garden of Eden; and Yahshua walks amongst us within.

Wigglesworth also said that he was a thousand times bigger on the outside than on the inside.  It took me a while to get a grasp on that.  But God wants us to be on the inside, looking out.  Yahweh wants us to understand just how overflowing the fullness of God can get (Ephesians 3:19).

So, what was Wigglesworth referring to when he said that?  The Tree of Life, that's what -- the expansion of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:32), the vibration of life within.  This is the tree that Yahweh prunes (John 15:1), the Tree in which we are commanded to abide (John 15:4).

See, the word starts in your spirit, planted as just a seed (John 15:4). The Holy Spirit may scatter more than a few seeds into your heart before you accept it, and that's OK ()!  Eventually, though, hearing is mixed with faith, and you've got a little tree (Romans 10:17)!

And God takes that tree and cares for it.  He protects you from spiritual warfare (Psalms 105:15).  He shelters you and allows you to grow.  And the more you grow, the more exposure there can be to the elements. Some of your spiritual 'branches' may fall outside the protection of those angels with flaming swords.

It's about when the operation of the Spirit works in you and through you that you've reached maturity. If nourished, those little branches will grow up, out, and provide a resting place for others!  If left to the Father's care, He'll cause such growth in you that your influence far exceeds yourself.

Allow God to prune you.  Allow Him to prune off the bad parts; allow Him to burn them away. Allow the cherubim to guard you (Gen. 3:24).  If you go past His instruction, the same fire that's designed to protect you might just singe a little.  Allow Yahweh to be your purifying fire (Hebrews 12:29).

It feels good to feel that burn.  Allow Him to sift through your life and make you more and more fruitful (John 15:2).  There's always room for improvement!  There's always room to grow.  God wants to give you greater territory, greater gifts, greater responsibilities.  Are you ready for it?

Forgetting the Gospel?

"Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to Yahweh  your Elohim, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."

~Joel 2:13

I've been thinking about the term "dying daily" recently (1 Cor. 15:31).  And I think it means something subtly different than what many Christians assume.

"But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation."              ~Colossians 1:22

The truth in Messiah is that we've already died, once and for all.  You died with Christ -- thus, there is no more dying to do! The Holy Spirit already cleansed you, sanctified you, and gave you the seal of Resurrection life (Ephesians 1:13).  What Jesus did was enough.  So I don't think Paul was talking about constantly spiritually 'killing' oneself, again and again and again.  He wasn't saying that we must obsessively purge ourselves from each and every sin.  No...Dying daily is about remembrance.

Martin Luther (supposedly?) said, "we need to hear the gospel everyday because we forget it everyday".  And it's true!  The good news is almost too good to be true. It's almost unbelievable, and it would be, without the power of the Spirit drawing us in (John 6:44).  Even after belief, our minds must be continually renewed (Romans 12:2).  The Gospel can be hard to get a grasp on!

If you're stressed out, if you are anxious, it's ultimately because you've had a short term crisis in faith. Perfect peace have they that love Yah's law (Psalm 119:165).  That's the law of love, which you are currently living under (Romans 8:2)! If you are not being in peace, it's because of unbelief.

All it takes to get your peace back is to rest and remember.  It's critical that we are always remembering the gospel.  In the Old Testament, Yahweh commanded Joshua and fellow Israelites to set up memorial stones after having passed through the Jordan (Joshua 4).  Symbolically speaking, they had just been baptized.  They'd just entered into the Promise (Hebrews 4:8).

They had arrived.   Yet the good news is -- so have you! And your conversion experience has been far more glorious (2 Cor. 4). Christ is the stone that commemorates your arrival into the Kingdom (Matthew 21:42). But to live in the bliss of this truth, belief and contemplation is required.

There is a violence that comes with believing (Matthew 11:12).  There is a necessity to tear and to rend your heart; to return to the truth.  There is a putting off of the old and a welcoming of the new.  There is a dying to oneself -- but only in the sense of remembering that you've already been reborn and made new! Belief will always produce tangible results.

Peace I Give to You

"Peace I leaue with you, my peace I geue vnto you. Not as the world geueth, geue I vnto you. Let not youre hertes be greued, nether feare."       ~Yahshua (John 14:27)

Jesus has given you peace.  But have you received it?  Have you accepted His peace into your reality?  Did you feel peaceful reading this almost unreadable 1540 'Great Bible' Miles Coverdale edition?  You certainly can.  All it takes is a little faith.

Yahweh wants us to have peace like a river, peace like the ocean, peace like He has.  He wants you to have peace all the time.  He wants you to have so much peace it's impossible.

God was speaking to me about this today.  His truth is that there has not, is not, and will not been a valid reason to lose peace.  Nothing is so important as to make you break the faith (Romans 11:20).  That's really what the loss of peace implies -- it's a temporary loss of belief.  The two go hand in hand.  God is bigger than your problems!

Peace is also tied in with patience.  Peace recognizes and rest in the truth that Yahweh is not slow in keeping His promises (2 Peter 3:9).  The battle is His (2 Chron. 20:15), and when it comes, you'll win with Him.  Belief is peace.

The Call Of God

"This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes."

~Oswald Chambers

The call of God is an upward call (Phil. 3:14).  It's different, it's unusual, it's peculiar (1 Peter 2:9). It's rooted in the heart. The Spirit says, "Come away from that" (2 Cor. 6:17), and then breathes out --"Come to Me!" (Rev. 22:17).  God wants every bit of us.  He wants to be our best Friend.

The Holy Spirit is unpredictable (John 3:8)!  It can be difficult to put definite goals, plans, or desires into working in one's life, if they are led by the Ruach.  Difficult, but not impossible.  God wants your plans devoted to Him!

Last week, a certain simple song came to mind.  It's a beautiful song, and it carries in it the sacrificial essence of belonging to God.  I first heard it because Heidi Baker, miracle-working missionary, was inspired to pray along during certain parts of her life:

"take me and use me, bruise me if need be"

This morning, I have bruises all over my arms.  That's what construction work (hauling heavy trusses around) for the past few days will get you! Yahweh sure fulfilled that one, at least in a symbolic sense.  The call of God is still there, no matter what.

Making His best your best will always be worth it.

On Keeping the Sabbath: A Restful Life

"So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of Yahweh. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as Yahweh did from His..."       ~Hebrews 4:11

The Holy Book says that there is a rest that remains.  What is this?  It's something different than the Old Testament's Sabbath Day commandments.  It's something that rendered the Old obsolete.  It's a Rest that transcends practical judgement, because God wants to have our hearts (2 Cor. 5:16).  Rest is a state of being that remains.

Why did God rest from His works?  Because Jesus was telling the truth when He cried out on the cross: "IT IS FINISHED" (John 19:30).  And If God is still resting, content with the fulfillment of His Redeeming plan, then we should follow His example and rest too!

"...Let us make every effort, therefore, to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience."      ~Hebrews 4:12

Entering God's rest, truly, constantly and unconditionally keeping it, may take a lot of effort.  It may take a lot of faith.  But what are we, that we could have "a lot" of anything?  What are we, that Yahweh is mindful of us (Psalms 8:4)?  Remember that it's His Work that gets us there, and not our own.  Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Our only work, our "every effort", should only be made concerning our belief.  That's the work that God expects, demands from us.  Are we really believing?  Hopefully so --cause that's all that Yahshua wants (John 6:29).  Everything else will flow out from that -- the rest is up to you.  Faith + trust = Rest.

Now, I'm not contradicting my previous post on the Sabbath.  The commandment has been good, and it continues to be good (Romans 7:12).  Keeping a physical Sabbath may well just be an intermediate tool; a way to ensure that we are doing everything that day with intention and joy.  It might serve as a wonderful stepping stone that helps you grasp the spiritual symbolism involved.  The Sabbath provokes internal inspection...are we doing things out of obligation, or are we seeing our time as being redeemed by God?  Don't be enslaved by your own business (Gal. 5:1). That's not God's best for you.  I think observing a Sabbath that excludes any compulsive act (2 Cor. 9:7) is a great idea.

The next question is...On what day? Should you observe Saturday, Sunday, the Jewish lunar calendar, or the lunar-solar calendar?  There are fringe groups out there who would claim that their approach to all this is the only way.  Who cares?  Paul called such topics "disputable matters" (Romans 14:1).

Like I said, there remains a Sabbath that transcends physicality.  God wants you to be so thankful for every moment, that even the hardest work you do is still purely Rest.  He wants you to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  He wants you to carry such a heavy awareness of Him that any of your own efforts are blotted out by His monumental Light.

It's OK to be blinded by love.  Yahweh wants us to take our eyes off ourselves so we can enjoy Heavenly, blissful rest.

All Things Together

 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Yahweh, to them who are the called according to His purpose."        ~Romans 8:28

If you love God, you have become among the called!  I like to say that God chooses you as soon as you choose Him.  Or is it the other way around?  I don't believe that either Calvinism nor Armenianism are sufficient to describe His ways (Isaiah 55:9). Anyways, "His purpose" is divine love, and if we included in that, then we'll especially love Him.


"They continue this day according to Thine ordinances: for all are Thy servants."        ~Psalm 119:91

What "continues[s] to this day"?  Well, according to the preceding verse, all things of the earth continue.  God's overruling of the physical world continues.  God's glory in the big things and the small continue.  He's still on the throne.  And all things He's created -- everything -- works for our Heavenly Father, just the way He wants it to.  Everything serves Him.

You have the Spirit of Yahweh within you.  Isn't that beautiful?  I think it is.  There is a depth of God's power inside that never had to run dry (Zechariah 4 and context).  This is reality for believers today, and because God is on the outside and the inside, all things are serving you.

Things are working together for you.  Not just some things, but "all things".  God may very well be breathing life into inanimate objects, breathing His Spirit into the little details (Psalm 37:23) and greater depths of your life, so that all things weave and work together for you.  You'll see your schedule fall right into place, you'll never be too busy, and people will randomly encourage you at needed times -- even unbelievers.  They're His servants too, remember?

You'll buy the right books, read the right books, meet the right people and make the right friends. They are all your servants (as you are theirs, Galatians 5:13), all because you serve Him.

You're for Him, and He's for you. There is an attractive power in being a child of God.  Now, bad things still happen to good people (see the book of Job for examples of this), but if we really believed what Romans 8:28 says about our Heavenly Father's sovereignty, would we consider anything bad???  I don't think so.  Life is beautiful and pure and free!  Nothing would be allowed, good or "bad", if it wasn't breathed out into existence with the all-knowing power of the living word.

All things are lifting you up to the heavens, and all things are pulling the heavens down into you (Luke 17:21). Yahweh wants you to be close to Him!

Hope!!!

Commit thy way unto Yahweh; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.              

~Psalm 37:5

Hope always leads to trust and rest.  In order to have such hope, you need to commit your paths, your plans, and even your predictions to God.  There's a comfort in knowing it's out of your own hands. It's comforting to know that the preeminent changes can only be accomplished by God.  It's comforting to know that it's not up to you!

Hope isn't complacency.  But it is contentment.  And contentment in itself is gain (1 Tim. 6:6) -- another thing to hope for!

Hope is not a reason to sit around all day, just "waiting on the Lord".  Hope is a reason to have confidence in yourself!  Confidence in yourself -- in Christ (Phil. 4:13).  Remember in Psalm 37 that Yahweh will bring your way to pass.  Your way, yes, if it's already been committed!  In Christ, you are capable and pure.

Hope makes us bold (2 Cor. 3:12), it inspires us to act, it inspires us to pray and to contend.  Spiritual warfare is only done from a point of rest.  Work should only be done in trust.  Hope won't let you get weary!

Hope can seem foolish to the world.  It may inspire the appearance of short-term memory loss (Philippians 3:13). Hope can be illogical, unconventional, and stubborn.  Hope doesn't look at the facts.

The mystery of Christianity is this: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).  Ultimately, hope comes from the longing for Christ in you.  

#77

I've been seeing the number 77 a lot recently.  Not only seeing it, but receiving it, hearing it, and accidentally typing it!  One of the more unique ways that Yahweh speaks is through numbers. These messages often point to future acts--so their delivery usually have prophetic significance.  God wants us to know what's going on!

John Paul Jackson on Numbers

Numbers typically relate to symbolism.  For example, this "77" theme was confirmed through a friend, who prophetically delivered Genesis 41 to me:

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

There's a lot of symbolism here!  But what is the message for me, at this point of this current season? Basically, it's to save money!

That's the main message, but not the only one.  God often weaves several elements into one message, into one symbolic theme.  Notice that He gave Pharaoh a very multifaceted dream that delivered one prophetic instruction.  Several things converged to give one main instruction--one main call to action.
77 is also one of the numbers representative of Yahshua.  Why?  Because He was born of the 77th generation after Adam.  Redemption complete!  Fittingly, Jesus Himself instructed us to forgive our brother 77 times (Matthew 18:22).  That's an appropriate command to be given by the One who brought forgiveness to all!  Yahshua's command here is one of just many that subliminally pointed to Himself

Our Heavenly Father gives us numbers to speak holistically to every arena of our lives.  He uses numbers as a sort of comprehensive prophecy, to meet us where we're at right now.

God will speak to you through numbers, if you're open to it.  He'll give you a sign.  He'll show you and re-confirm to you the Spirit's streams of teaching in your life.

Contentment

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."  

~1 Timothy 6:6

There is a contentment out there that only comes from God.  This expression of contentment comes when we live in the reality that Jesus is enough, when we live in peaceful union with Him.  Godliness and contentment go hand in hand, because being like God means being with God.  And being with God is always enough!

Contentment is knowing that there is always something to be thankful for.  There are so many precious promises that God has made known to us.  We may not know the future, we may only see in part (1 Cor. 13:12), but we do know that the word of Yahweh stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).  

"He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield."          ~Psalm 91:4

It's worth being knit to God.  It's worth constantly feeling His peace, His presence.  He's the Comforter, and He makes everything easier.  He makes it easy for us to draw near and experience Him.  He makes it easy to feel safe and secure.  

We were made to crave this sense of togetherness, where the Holy Spirit has hemmed us in on every side (Psalms 139:5).  We were created to feel swaddled!  This is what our Heavenly Father wants us to want.  He wants us to experience true security.     

Contentment is eternal life, and eternal life is to know Yahshua (John 17:3), to enjoy His protection. He'll give you just as much joy as you want, and He'll give you peace along with it.    

You are on the ancient path (Jer. 6:16); you have arrived in the promised land (Hebrews 4:9); you were known since before the world began (2 Tim 1:9).  Isn't that wonderful?  Enjoy it today.  

Living in Thanks

"I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of Yahweh"   ~Psalm 107:22

So many things in our lives can be sanctified by thanksgiving.  Whether we are waking up in the morning, working, or folding laundry doesn't really matter--we can experience the holiness weaved into each moment by awakening to a state of thanksgiving.

When we call on the name of Yahweh, we're really also calling on all that goes with it.  We are calling on a force greater and more noble than ourselves.  We are calling for a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude to overtake us.

So many rituals in the Old Testament point to future spiritual parallels found in the New (Colossians 2:17), It's our job, not God's, to become appropriately thankful for all the things He's already done.  Thanks offerings are still a part of the righteous person's walk.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."

We're no longer on the other side of the fence, offering sacrifices to a distant, overarching God. Yahshua has come!  Instead, we can let Christ in us commune with the Father in the same way He did while on earth in bodily form.  We're one with Him, and He's one with us, even One with all who believe.  Thankfulness can be our natural state of being.  It's part of our calling, and it's a medium through which more specialized aspects of our Father's plans are directed.  God doesn't always make things easy, but He does make things easier.

The Joy of Yahweh

"His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’"    ~Matthew 25:23

We all know that this verse relates to our graduation to Heaven.  But like many verses in the Bible, this one can be taken both literally and symbolically, naturally and spiritually, personally and corporately.  God often inserts two meanings into what He says (Psalm 62:11).

See, we can enter into the joy of our Master know!  We may only experience a small measure of the joys of Heaven, but we can still experience Heaven on earth today.  And that's a prerequisite to our calling here and now.

"This day is holy to our Elohim. Do not grieve, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength."    

~Nehemiah 8:10

Living in Joy makes everything easier.  Hope gives us joy, and joy gives us strength from God!  I believe that the power of the Spirit actually gives tangible, physical strength and health.  There was a period of time last year where I was not eating a nutrient dense diet.  And every morning, when I went for a walk and sang to God, my legs became uncontrollably itchy.  They would tingle all over. I'd experienced that before--as a cyclist taking high-dose vitamin B tablets.  God was restoring my vitamins and minerals, and I felt it!  All this was possible because I made the effort of believing to enter His Joy.

Forgiveness, repentance, boldness--it's all made easier by joy.  If we have joy, our attempts to do things for God become a lot easier and a lot more fruitful.  Joy is restful because it increases our confidence in our Heavenly Father.

If we are in a state of really believing, then joy will be evident.  Remember that Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit convicts us of belief (John 16:8).  If we believe, then any thought about Jesus, any thought about His sacrifice, any thought about His plans for us will bring us joy! The reality of living in God has to become greater than anything else, so His Joy can our be our joy and His contentment our contentment.


What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

~Oswald Chambers

The Faith of God

"Yahshua answered and he said to them, 'May the faith of God be in you.'"                      ~Mark 11:22

Most translations of the above verse say 'faith in God', but that's not the most accurate translation. See, in recent times scholars and translators have discovered that the many verses that talk about our 'faith in Jesus' should really be translated as 'faith of Jesus'.  It's more about what God thinks about you!

This is one thing that I've been learning recently.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to be able to conceptualize what it would look like to have His faith--the faith of His Son.

If we constantly rely on our own faith in God, we may get burnt out.  Having faith in you own faith is not enough.  That leads to striving and pressure!  God wants us to experience His faith overwhelming and swallowing up our own.  This is what Reese Howells referred to as "the grace of faith" (Reese Howells: Intercessor

Just Imagine how situations would break out and how lives would change if we could just get out of the way and come to know the Faith of God.  What would Jesus do?  That's what Yahweh would like us to walk in.

It helps to see people as He sees them--as true sons and daughters who have wandered away from ever coming to know their true potential.  Jesus was moved with compassion (Matthew 14:14), and you can be too!

Check out how this verse flows when translated more correctly:

"Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through the faith of Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."

~Galatians 2:16

Prophesying The Word

Prophesying over someone is an interesting thing.  In general, the more faith you have, the more clearly you can receive from the Holy Spirit and give prophecy to someone else (Romans 12:6). General prophetic words are good, and so are specific ones! Yet there is a safer, 'easier' way to prophecy that can sometimes be overlooked.

"Then Yahweh said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.'"  Jeremiah 1:12

The written word of Yahweh stands forever.  It is the most sure word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19).  It cannot fail, because God Himself is watching over it.

In a sense, the written Word is an example of 'self-fulfilling prophecy'.  Our Heavenly Father fulfills it!  The promises of God are a self-sowing seed.  They are enough, and they will bear fruit without any outside human help.  These written promises are the "smallest seeds" that, even without observation or assistance, soon blossom and provide covering for the oppressed (Matthew 13:32).  

Once we've released the Word as prophecy, we've done our job.  We don't have to think about it.  We don't even have to pray about it (although those things are wonderful). This kind of prophetic word is inhabited by the Wind of the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit can take care of things from there.

If we prophecy over someone out of love, just imagine how much more Love the Father has for that person. And how much more eager is He in intending to show it!  He takes it from there. There is a trust activated after we release personal prophecy.  We need to know that God is faithful--more faithful than we are.

This is all something I've been learning.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit will tell me a verse, like "Psalm 33:8".  I don't have that verse memorized, but He does (He's got a better memory, too)!  And whenever He shows you something, it usually pertains to something you're going to right now. 

Prophesying Proverbs 24:4 over someone is a perfect example of this kind of thing.  Whether you prophecy a verse you know, or a verse number you don't know, God is going to back it!  He's the One who brings the important to your remembrance.  He's the One who teaches you how to prophecy, and He's the One who teaches you how to pray.

Who knows, Prov. 24:4 may just be a life verse for that person.  It may guide them in 30 years when they're opening up a Bed and Breakfast.  The important thing is to hear the passion of the Spirit.

Just an Update: Rest

Back to the blog.  Vanessa and I have both been busy since my last post back in September!  She's working on a music video, and I'm trying to learn guitar, so I can play with her in the future.  Fun!

God's been teaching us to rest.  He's showing us that what we do doesn't really matter--at least not compared to what He did.  It's a fresh measure of grace.  He's showing us how to switch from a work mentality to a rest mentality.

"Yahshua answered:  this is the work of Elohim: to believe in the One He has sent"

John 6:29

That's the work of God!  See, the only work we do is having faith in His Son.  And at the point that we have faith, we can enter into His rest (Hebrews 4:1).  The only work we have to do is enter into the promised land, and since we're already there in God's eyes, all we have to do is believe it. Anyone who chooses to believe can live in Heaven on earth.  You have already arrived.

I'm not saying that life is easy or perfect.  I've had a very up and down last few months.  There have been times when I'm not joyful, when I don't feel like praying, or when I feel depressed.  And those things are unusual for me.  But the difference is that the pressure is off.

Yahweh has been luring me back in (Hosea 2:14).  Even though many days I haven't tried to 'press in' or pray in tongues all day, God is still there. He's speaking to me more clearly than ever, showing me things to come.  He's giving me beautiful dreams and visions.   

All this is not because of me.  All I've done is get bogged down in my weaknesses.  But God sees His Son in me.  I don't have to impress Him; I get to be impressed by Him!

The future is still bright.  It's brighter than ever!  Our hope is in His Glory--which is Christ in us. (Colossians 1:27)

From now on, I'll continue updating the blog.  Hopefully almost every day.  God's always doing something amazing, so I'll try to document some of that!