Who You Are…
Who are you?
For what we are is only to Someone, never to something. A title, a certificate, a diploma, a degree, a licence, a number, a cause, an address, – no none of these will free you.
Are you a Mother? Then be a mother, that alone.
Are you a sister? Then be a sister, that alone.
Are you a brother? Then be a brother, that alone.
Are you a Daddy? Then be a Daddy, that alone.
Are you a husband, as wife, a son, a daughter, a friend, an aunt, an uncle, a cousin, a niece, a nephew, a neighbor, a co-worker? Then be that that alone.
If your children are not with you, tend their wounds in your prayers. Feed them the Word everyday, as if they are still in your womb. Teach them courage with your life. Show them love to your neighbor. Embrace their weakness, comfort, encourage with the orphan, needy, downcast and forsaken. Be His Daughter, be His Son to all. Yes, to your enemy, lay down your offence and defence. To those who demand and expect of you, meet them. To those who slander and gossip and lie about you, be truth, be quiet love, be surrender and be loyal.
Yet here is the everlasting, unchanging truth. You are a Daughter! You are a Son! Daughter and Son to to a Father in Heaven. His will in heaven as it is on earth. His Kingdom come, His will done. That and that alone. For if you are that Daughter and if you are that Son, then you will be exactly the Mother, Daddy, Sister, Brother, Neighbor… – He needs you to be.
We are not and never will be what this world defines as valuable. We are a priceless treasure just because He made us, just because He loves us. He would look into your soul and extract all need to protect yourself, project yourself, defend yourself, invent yourself. He would tell you to surrender, to turn the cheek, to bless, bless and praise. To be the exact opposite as this world, it’s ways, it’s thoughts, it’s intentions. Give, if you are without material goods, give your time, your love – give. If you have plenty, buy your needs only and give the rest away. Give time, give ears to hear, give eyes to see, give a heart to understand, give compassion, give mercy, give grace, BE for-give-ness. Don’t forgive yourself, only receive His. Forgiveness of self is in opposition to its nature. Forgiveness only comes from God. See your needs as possibilities, either for a miracle or for a new direction of learning the need really doesn’t exist, (perhaps only in our mind). Pray without ceasing, tell Him your every thought, ask of Him and don’t stop until He answers or takes the thought away. Be grateful for all that is broken, for all that seems wrong – for one day nothing will break, nothing will be wrong, nothing will ever be thought of in such ways again.
Don’t fear and you won’t be offended. Don’t fear and you won’t need to worry. See! He walks upon the stormy waters, He walks amid the torrent of humanity, He walks with the Authority of One who made it all, there IS NOTHING TO FEAR. To fear is NOT human, it’s from the evil one. Reject it, turn away from it, praise the One who conquers it. Give to all around you the gift of trust, first and above all in Yahweh, then in His Works, then in His power to do all things! Nothing is impossible with God. Everything means something, look for Him in all things and you will find Him..Focus on loving Him first, loving others – all of Life is held in the grasp of these. Did He not say so? Did He not prove it? The proof is in Him, not us.
Don’t listen! Don’t heed! The call of mankind to stand against mankind! Don’t heed to store up treasures of this world to prepare for the World to come. Don’t listen to them that say get guns, ammo, food and gold! Prepare the heart, store up the treasure of heaven. What’s coming will not need the things of this world, they won’t save, they won’t love Him first and others. Be prepared to give your life for your neighbor, not a bottle of water. Do you trust Him who sent out the twelve with instructions not to take anything with them? Do you trust Him who brought bread from Heaven? Do you trust Him who brought water from a rock? Do you trust Him who has been faithful from the beginning? Then with all you have, or don’t have – live it!
What’s coming He will do, and He will protect and He will accomplish. Remember, man lives only in every Word that comes from the Mouth of God. So place all your confidence in it, invest all your resources there, and live like it’s true no matter what the eyes see.
Invest in His children, your brothers and sisters. Investments can mean loss. It hurts to be rejected, it hurts to be betrayed. Invest anyway. The Kingdom within you will not lose but gain. Train to hear His voice and obey it without delay. What good does it do you to train the body to be fit for a kingdom that is going to be destroyed? Will our physical bodies be fallen in His? Will our limitations here and now be there and then? Did He not say we would be given new bodies? If we can fly in His Kingdom now, what will we be able to do when the new comes? Our training in righteousness now will not die, will not cease in the New and undefiled. Strive and endure in the good fight, the fight to say no to this world – it’s ways, it’s thoughts, it’s acceptance, it’s value, it’s approval. Trade it all for His.
Smile at the grumpy and rude. Do good. Say hello when you want to hide. If you see something needs done, do it – even if it’s not “your job”. Pick up the trash on the street, in the parking lot, in the park, on the trail. If someone cuts you off, praise the Lord for them! If someone says hurtful things to you, say something good to them. Give Yeshua what He paid for – all sin, all offence. All rights, all insanity, all the pain. Do you really believe He purchased them? Will we steal them back and hold back His Kingdom? LIVE what you say you believe! Make an action to each belief, trade a thought of praise for every evil. Build the muscle of trust in the face of fear. Sacrifice and circumcise your heart, pull humility in and hold it tight. Then you will embrace the Shepherd of souls!
Who you are is a Child of ADONAI ELOHIM, Creator of all, The One and Only Good, Sustainer of Life, Forgiver of Sin, Judge of all evil, Justice that will prevail, The First and Last, King of Heaven and earth, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. BE who you are! BE WHOSE YOU ARE!
Yeshua (Jesus) was not metaphorical when He spoke of His death. He’s not metaphorical when He speaks of His Life.
John 1:4-5; 12-13
In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of mankind The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness had not suppressed it.
But to as many as did receive Him, to those who put their trust in His Person and power, He gave the right to become children of God, not because of bloodline, physical impulse or human intention, but because of God.
John 8:12; 51
Yeshua spoke to them saying, “I Am the Light of the world; whoever follows Me will NEVER walk in darkness but will have the Light which gives Life.
Yes, indeed, I tell you that whoever obeys My teaching will NEVER see death.”
Did He not say He would dwell within you? Who you are is HIM! His hands, His feet, His comfort, His care. Did He not say we are united with Him and the Father? Did He not pray this very thing? (John 17) The body of Messiah is made up of us all, shall we not sacrifice as our only temple sacrifice? Sacrifices were made in the presence of His people in His temple with His Priest. Nothing has changed, except the walls are your soul and mine, the Priest is Yeshua and the body still meant as His children united with Him.
Are we still stuck on “What do You want for me, God?” When the question is what do You want from us? Did Israel not repent as one? Did Nineveh not repent in unity? Does Adonai call lone rangers? No! He calls for a body, many of His children acting on behalf of His Kingdom. Will His churches physically march to help the poor and needy? Widows, orphans, and prisoners? It was never the government’s job to provide for them. There are hundreds of churches in each city, most with His Name attached! Why is there so few to tend His human beloved? Why are church budgets mocking the Savior? Would He throw out money exchangers in your church?Is the church marketing hands and feet, human sacrifice and love or CD’s and books and programs? Are they spending thousands on cards and pamphlets to advertise “unity” or are they encouraging the flocks to leave the comfort of their own homes just one night a week to feed the poor, not with money but with their own hands? Some sacrifice much to donate their feeble extra shekels. Yet honestly that is the easy way for most, no sacrifice is required. Why have insurance companies become a norm? Remember when they didn’t exist and neighbors sacrificed to help those who lost? The Kingdom of heaven is action and sacrifice, not checks and prayers.
Why do I speak thusly? Because one failure is all our failure. One weakness is all our weakness. We are not counted separate from the Body. Yes, we will ALL stand and account one day. Remember what Yeshua said? Do you believe HE alone is the Way?
Matthew 10:32-33; 40; 42
Whoever acknowledges Me in the presence of others I will also acknowledge in the presence of My Father in heaven. But whoever disowned Me before others I will disown before My Father in heaven.
Whoever receives you is receiving Me, and whoever receives Me is receiving the One who sent Me.
Indeed, if someone gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My talmid (disciple/follower/student) – yes! – I tell you, he will certainly not lose his reward.
Who you are is His to share. His to move through. His to bless others with. In so doing, we then are blessed. Our blessing unites His body, unites us with Him and the Father and the Kingdom of God shows up with power and might.
It is important to know who you are. Not like this world defines, but as Yahweh transforms. You and I become a Kingdom! Part of each function of it, each glory! Let this sink in, let Him redefine you. Leave the corporate religious piety, and enter the Kingdom of heaven! Then we will see the need for government and ungodly aid disappear. Our prayers will be answered, our hearts circumcised our lives given up and found anew. Yet it starts by knowing the power of His Salvation, the renaming of you, the launching of His Kingdom within you by knowing Who lives and who dies. He lives, we die. Like a flower that dies, dries up and drops to the ground dead (seed), His Kingdom comes and He raises it back to life to become it’s own plant, not just a single flower, but part of a whole body. Then we are made whole, complete.
For this is the time of this Word.
Matthew 13:37-43
He answered, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world. As for the good seed, these are the people who belong to the Kingdom; and the weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who sows them is the adversary, the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will collect out of His Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let him hear!”
✡ May Yeshua the Messiah who dwells richly within us, continue what He has started, for His Kingdom, His power and His glory – forever and ever! ✡
Awake! – Part 22 – Becoming Aware ~ Sacrifice
The question frames the answer. I read that somewhere. In fact the question that Michael had just quieted the group with seemed to come from the same source. I pressed the recesses of my mind to try to remember where I had read it.
“It’s easy to get distracted and hard to know the difference between digging for answers and distraction.” Michael spoke into the silence.
There was a slight shift in the air of the room. Focus and clarity fought for the space.
Clareese spoke up. “Could you repeat the question.”
“Is there a difference between living your sacrifice and dying it? Is one more final than the other?” Michael repeated the dynamic duo.
Again the group retreated into their own revere. Some looking up as if to see their brains disecting the words. Some with eyes closed, as in prayer but more conversation with the only One who could give such answers to such questions.
There was a book, a series, I had read. Yes, The Staff and the Sword, that was it! I suddenly had the urge to re-read it. Those statements – not framed as questions in the book – had been the central theme in the last book. It had stuck out to me as I read it, I remembered. I had underlined the themed statements. They had swirled around my head for weeks after I’d read it. I remembered scriptures that immediately came to mind, like a promise kept, during the course of my ponderings. I smiled.
Carl, a gentle man with the physical strength of an ox sat forward in his chair. The legs scraped the floor at the movement. Collective heads turned his direction.
“I don’t think a great number of people know what sacrifice is. In context to some scripture it seems clear, in others it seems controversial. I mean if Yeshua’s sacrifice was once and for all, how does that apply to us? I can’t remember the exact reference but the Scripture that says, ‘offer your bodies as a living sacrifice’ – this one feels like it’s missing some key element to it. Then we are told to live to God and die to ourselves. So based on that I’d say there is no difference to living my sacrifice and dying it as they are one in the same in this context. Yet, these questions are to me a different world. I sense that what’s being pried open here is something all together different.” Carl sat back in his chair. A spiritual sweat was forming on the man’s brow. It made me think, as here was a man who could likely bench-press three of us sitting here without breaking a sweat. Carl was deeper than most gave him credit for; TV shows always gave guys like him a “big heart/no brain” image. I shook my head as once again I am struck by how God focuses on the heart. Work that out and the brain will fire on more cylinders than most race cars at the Indy. It was true, these questions made the heart go where the brain could only follow it, not the other way around.
Michael was the kind of leader who always let comments or questions sink in before he would say something. I liked that, I strove to emulate his example. ‘Silence is space for God‘ he would say, ‘both to work in all those in the room and the one who had just spoken’. The room fairly cackled with it.
Michael began reading from Romans 11 and ended up on Romans 12:1, the Scripture about offering your body as a living sacrifice. Everyone wrote the reference down, but Michael continued all the way to the end of chapter 12. Again the room was quiet for a time before he spoke into the fullness of Carl’s comment and the Word. The pages of his Bible flipped back and forth in the lull.
“I’m going to have to study more here but I’m thinking perhaps the ‘body’ being referred here is the body of Yeshua. The church as a whole, not just individual people. Though I think it can be applied individually, the context prior to chapter 12 verse 1 and after are all in context of the Roman church; aka: the Body – he was addressing. It never stood out to me before quite like that. Thank you Carl for saying what you did, I tend to agree with you and think perhaps the missing link is interpretation.” His focus returned down towards his Bible.
The whole group joined him. Reading and pondering. I was more than a little struck by the new perspective. I can’t count how many times I had heard this scripture quoted, mostly in context of health and fitness/moral related issues and among sports activities. How often Lord have I relied on other people’s context to interpret Your Word? Sacrifice here took on a totally different light from this angle. A collective view of sacrifice rather than individual required more pondering, no doubt.
Sharon, Carl’s wife, spoke up.
“A living and dying sacrifice taken from this view is almost surreal! I will admit that when I go to church I don’t see anything that represents sacrifice as I’ve understood it. There’s a part of me that’s almost angry at the thought. Why, I’m not real sure. Some sense of injustice plays in my mind with it. In Hebrews chapter 11 verse 4, it speaks of both living and dying.”
The shuffle of pages being turned filled a gap before she went on.
“By trusting Abel offered a greater sacrifice than Cain; because of this he was attested as righteous, with God giving him this testimony on the ground of his gifts. Through having trusted, he still continues to speak, even though he is dead. Then I’m reminded of Psalms 51:16-17.”
Again the air filled with the wind of pages turning.
“For You don’t want sacrifices, or I would give them; You don’t take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God, You won’t spurn a broken, chastened heart. Here it speaks personally, My sacrifice to God, is what Davis says. Here again I see both the living and dying of sacrifice working together.” Sharon looked around the room. An invitation to converse with her shone in her eyes. Indeed her spirit invited communion. It was one of her gifts I’ve often noted.
“As to the last question; is one more final than the other? I’d say yes and no. Yes, in that if our living sacrifice is not there, the dying can’t exist either. No, because they are both equally important because of the need for each other to exist. As far as the definition of sacrifice, I agree with Carl it needs to be better clarified. In terms of salvation Yeshua’s sacrifice is once and for all, in this case both for the living and the dying – even the dead! Yet just as He said if we do as He did our sacrifice will resemble His. Giving up our way of thinking, deducing, judging and deciding in favor of God’s. This is a sacrifice that occurs within me everyday all day long. This is a living thing, the living testimony. Yet in the working of this I do die to myself every time. Often I think people think of martyrdom; the ultimate end of one’s breathing here on earth where another kills you because you believe. Which is just as applicable here, but it goes deeper than just that simple act alone. No one could get to such a place without having done the living and dying everyday. It shows up in Abel’s sacrificial offering, he gave from the worship of God in the living of his faith, it was a great reminder that his living testimony is still testifying today! What’s more final than that? In most the Scriptures read tonight and that came to mind for me sacrifice is almost inextricably linked to the Temple or church, meaning the Body of Christ as a whole. I will be studying this more this week.” I thought more aloud than intended to speak out. The nodding of heads was encouraging. Yet I still craved more time to let the Spirit lead me deeper. Yeshua – the sacrificial Lamb – it was a title He is, there was more here, I just knew it.
Michael’s voice interrupted my introspection.
“Let us invite the Spirit to close this out. Our time is up tonight. I’ll leave the questions open ended and we will pick up next week on them. I’m curious to share and see what God shows us all as we study and learn at His feet this week. Bob, will you, dear Brother, use the great gift God has given you and pray us into the rest of this night?”
Heads bowed, newly awakened parts of our souls joined with Bob. Excitement and joy flowed from our hearts, joining the Kingdom of heaven. The need for such a place to come together and learn, had brought us all here. Everyone of us at one time or another had shared that it felt like the “churches” that formed just after Yeshua ascended with the promise of His return and the warning to be prepared, ready and watching. We came together in a plead to God that we be renewed and awakened with the sense that times were closing in and we all felt we needed ‘more’. What an answer to prayer this group was! Not of religious people learning religion, but of God’s children learning of Him!
✡ Grace and peace to you in the great Name of Yeshua the Messiah, may His Name be manifest in us all, each day! ✡
AWAKE – Parable
Jared sat by the side of the road, the words ‘I told you so…’ fairly oozing out of each of his pores. He’d set out to do what the men’s group suggested and voted on as the action to be placed on the lesson they hoped to learn. The topic was how technology ruled us instead of the other way around. So, in order to find out how entrenched each was in the technological abyss, a plan was set forth.
Each man was to take a minimum of a three day trip, no cell phones allowed, no aids of industry. Clothes, food with a cooler that only held ice as its method of cooling, their Bible – the actual physical book, a note book for notes to record how they saw themselves responding to the lack of comforts and technology, and aids to suit the chosen destination of each man.
Jared was one of the ones that insisted he could live without his phone and creature comforts. Yet he was also ready with arguments for the lack of wisdom of no cell phone. “In case something happens…” It seemed fine enough to only use it in an emergency. The vote was against him and Brian. 8 to 2. So here he was with a flat tire on the side of a very isolated road, three hours into his trip. Sweat began to trickle down him like weeping rocks in a steady rain. Here was the very situation he had argued and what he needed most was a phone! He was so caught up in feeling frustrated he’d left his phone at home, his mind was unable to track with solutions – problem solving. The solution he was obsessed with was the one he couldn’t use. Two hours had crept by, noone had raised a dust cloud on the road. He sat waiting for someone else with a phone.
Of course the plan had be implemented with safe guards – each person was given a partner with which they gave all the details of their trip and a set time for checking in. If they failed to check in within 12 hours of the set time, a search party would be sent, authorities would be notified, and every effort would be made by the group to find the missing member. They had all taken a first aid survival class prior to the first persons trip. Everyone had learned much and been grateful for the back up.
Jared knew how to change a flat tire. His stubbornness at the moment was blinding him to his ability to move on. Finally 3 hours and 34 minutes later, a still small voice finally broke through.
” The jack and tire are right there, son.”
So with reluctance and half his attention still searching for the vehicle to come along with that phone, he began to change his flat tire. 45 minutes later, he was able to resume his trip. It was alarming how tempted he found himself to go home and grab his phone and then resume the trip.
“Trust Me, son, you won’t need it.”
“Hmrpmh! I’ve already seen evidence that may not be true!” Jared thought. Pride kept him going to his initial destination. He could just see himself as the only one who gave in. It wasn’t a picture he relished. An hour later, well after dark he reached his spot. He had to use his head lights to illuminate where he set his tent up. A niggling feeling kept creeping up on him that this was “cheating”. The moon was full, and given time his eyes would have adjusted just fine to set up without head lights. He was tired and cranky, so he compromised. He nibbled on an energy bar, one of three allowed as to resist the temptation to not cook a meal, aka: be lazy – again depending on modern conveniences instead of taking full responsibility to see to one’s needs. (With God’s help of course).
He looked at his watch, 11:23pm glowed from his 1980’s watch. No digital devices were allowed. As part of the test, each night was to be wrapped up by reading of the Word and prayer. He prayed, pouted about the lack of cell phone, and went to bed. The Word could wait til morning.
The next morning Jared emerged from his tent to a beautiful sunrise. The dew was thick, the air clean and the thought of a hike wiggled it’s way into his thoughts. His stomach also growled, the energy from the bar last night expelling itself in protest.The eggs and biscuits he brought sounded wonderful. The wet kindling mocked. Jared kicked himself immediately for not buying a bundle of that wood at the gas station. Then he kicked himself again for realizing that modern conveniences tended to be the first thing he missed.
He grabbed an apple and his Bible and sat down to wait for the sun to dry the ground. It had been years since he actually read from a non-digitized form of the Bible. A fact he had refused to share with the group. It was surprising how hard it was to focus at first. Yet, Obadiah began to draw him in. Relief flooded his heart. He prayed for an hour and began to gather kindling as he prayed. An hour and a half later, he sat at the fire satisfied by his eggs and biscuits and reveling in nature. He thanked God for giving him this time.
The day drew to a close with a tally of about 30 laments of all forms of modern tech, his cell phone repeatedly among them. Every time he wanted to take a picture he thought first of his phone. He followed the protocol of noting the shift inside as he prayed for God to paint the picture instead in his soul. Yet kept the small argument of disappointment that he would not be able to share the scenery with his family and friends. After a dinner of corn bread and fish he sat around the fire, praising God aloud. A shooting star streaked green and red in a wide arc, taking his breath away. The nights reading was not neglected this time, and Jared snuggled down under the stars and found himself asleep well after the fire had went out. He didn’t bother to look at his watch, he just dumped water on the coals and slipped into the tent. The sounds of cicadas and owls fading the day into dreams.
Day 2 dawned with a patter of rain. The smell of pine mingling with heavens shower-gift made Jared smile. He rose to find his bag of clothes had sat against the tent wall and was soaked. The smile of moments ago fading into a sigh and a prayer that it wouldn’t rain all day. It did. Damp, and near to death of boredom didn’t bring cheer as the rain faded around 4:17pm. The hope of a fire to warm him was gone. He thought to dry his clothes in the car with the heat on, and quickly dismissed the idea. With bitter taste in his mouth of his lack of ability to problem solve without the aid of modern tech soured his canned beans and grapes for dinner. He could hardly remember what he read in the Word that day. His thoughts consistently drawn to the desire for the rain to stop. His notes were loaded with complaint and lament. His ego now eroded as if the rain had poured down inside him all day, not just on the tent. He prayed and doused the fire as he did. This time making sure some wood came to sleep inside the tent with him in case the rain returned. Thanking God for giving him the foresight this time. Owls hooted and his eye lids drooped, sleep came.
Day 3, final day. Jared was scheduled to be checked in with Paul by 4pm. It was the kind of day that tempted you to call in stuck or broke down. Soft breezes, steady warmth from the sun, deer and critters played around him. Not even breaking down his tent distracted. The food tasted fresher than he’d remembered in years. The sky screamed a blue he’d almost forgotten existed. Time flew and he knew if he didn’t leave soon he’d miss his deadline. Yet again he longed for his phone to call in late and stay another day. His eyes rolling, the tech bug bit again. All manner of motives brought him back to that idol, and he was sickened by it. To say his perspective had changed was an understatement. Though the trip had proved he could indeed live without creature comforts and rough it, physically. Mentally he realized he didn’t go a day without it invading his thoughts and it was sobering. He had no doubt the lesson would continue long after these mountains faded into the distance and the city came demanding his attention at mock speed. He prayed God would continue what He had started here in this trip and slowly remove the idol of technology from his heart. He determined he would no longer read his Bible digitally. He would thank God for every modern convenience from now on. He would practice problem solving without using technology. He would put to practice the lessons learned for the last three days and not stop. He admitted to God his helplessness to do so without Him and placed the sacrifice of his heart on the alter of God’s acceptance.
That very last thing he noticed was that much of the Word He had read these last three days were being woven into action inside his heart. He remembered what he read, he remembered what Yeshua spoke to him in the moments back and forth between incidents and events, prayer and meditation.
And he knew, pictures or not, what he would share about this trip would paint a far more lasting picture than 1000 photos on his phone.
So, he sat there for two hours more, watching the sun set, knowing he’d still be checked in well before the twelve hour crisis line. For the first time, he actually resented the thought of using his cell phone. He was awake, as he’d not been in a long time…and he was not in hurry to sleep.
✡ May the grace and the peace of Yeshua the Messiah be found alive and active in your hearts. May His presence alone, be all the comfort and security you need! ✡
Unfolding My Wings One Day at a Time
buttrflygrl14
