Obedience and Fear

Something I'm chewing on today...

 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19

Do we tremble in the face of the Almighty? Or are we flippant? Do we believe that we can do as we please despite the rules that He has in place? 

I think we can all agree the most flippant of all is hasatan himself. But even he knows to not go beyond the boundary that the Almighty set. Look at these verses in Job:

1: 12 And YHVH said unto satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So satan went forth from the presence of YHVH. 

2:6-7 And YHVH said unto satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went satan forth from the presence of YHVH , and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

The Almighty allowed the enemy to attack Job, but He gave clear boundaries. As we read we see that the enemy never once crossed those boundary lines. Are we that faithful to do as we are told or does hasatan obey better than we do?

YHVH gave many commands that are perpetual, or everlasting. Yet many today believe that those commands are done away with. Worse yet those that know and believe that the laws given by YHVH are still for us today are not diligent. We come to this truth but then still tow the line and say well its ok if I slip. When in reality we should be so far from the line there is no fear of slipping! 

I'm not pointing any fingers because Yah knows I am not perfect. But boy oh boy was I convicted by the obedience of hasatan. Isn't that crazy??? Our very own enemy that is in 100% opposition to YHVH obeys Him. But do we? 

We need to learn to tremble and to be exceedingly afraid of YHVH. While He is merciful and loving and long suffering that does not make Him soft on sin. Don't confuse His kindness for weakness. The same Elohim who destroyed Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire, is the same Elohim that we call Abba, Father, and He will not be mocked. Be exceedingly afraid.... 

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear YHVH, and depart from evil. -Proverbs 3:7

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The Beautiful Moments

I don't know if any of you are like me but I really struggle with wanting every moment to be picture perfect. I don't do well when life is hard, or messy, or even boring. I'm always longing for those moments in life where everything comes together and if it were caught on film it would awe and inspire the viewer. 

I tend to feel like every moment must be beautiful. When in reality most are not. I have this habit of running away or shutting down when things are not as I would like. But in reality life is hard and often times ugly, yet those are the moments that lead us to those beautiful places. Just like diamonds are formed in the deepest parts of the earth under extreme pressure, we too are perfected in our valleys when things seem to be the hardest. 

I read a blog post recently that reminded me of the importance of not running. It really spoke to my heart about relationships with people and being authentic. Being willing to share those hard times so that after I am pressed and tried I can shine all the brighter in hopes that my Abba may be glorified! {Matt 5:16}

For runners like me how do we make it through those rough times? It's easy to say you must press on, but doing it isn't so easy. For me the one thing that helps me keep going is clinging to Yeshua! I find I must be constantly washing myself in the Word. I find that it is true what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Messiah may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Messiah's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

So what's the lesson I've learned? In those times when you feel like you are in the deepest parts of the earth under extreme pressure RUN to the Word and seek the face of the Savior. Don't pull away and let the hard times ruin the perfect picture you'll have in the end. 

Serving a Faithful Elohim

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It wasn't that long ago that I was on my knees begging Abba for fellowship and friends. When we left our church it was scary and hard, but we did it by faith. The same is true of our prayers for a son, our home, and a plethora of other things. By faith we made the necessary steps to prove that we trusted and would accept what ever came our way. 

Now our lives are in a place that I honestly never could have imagined. We've joined a great congregation and are able to dig into the Word, as well as fellowship with like-minded believers every Shabbat.  We are happily raising 3 children to love YHVH and to serve Him with their lives. I see my 2 oldest children thinking of others and trying to be helpful and loving. One of my biggest concerns has always been that my children would be close to each other and it's just so amazing for me to watch how they try to take care of each other. Not that they're perfect but they love each other, and really what more could I ask for?

This past month we've had so many answers to prayer it's been mind blowing. It's just kind of been one thing after another and it's times like this that strengthen us all the more for times when things are really hard. 

After the birth of our son we had to make some decisions about circumcision. Not whether to do it, but who to have do it and how to afford it. Since it had to be done on the 8th day that made things slightly more complicated. Thankfully our midwives recommend a wonderful mohelet to us. This whole process has given me a whole new understanding of Tzipporah's struggle with circumcision {Exodus 4:24-26}. 

Once we called the mohelet and got everything set up the realization of what was going to happen set it. I told my husband "my inner momma bear came out". Because that's truly the only way I could describe it. I did a lot of praying and seeking in those few days before the brit and then on the day of I felt at peace. I knew we were obeying and so Abba would take care of us, which He did! From everything down to the financials we were taken care of in a way that only a loving Abba could. It was amazing. 

our son after his brit milah

We are just so happy and blessed and I truly believe that it is the fully undeserved chesed {loving-kindness}that a merciful and loving Abba pours out on us. We do our best to reciprocate that love by obeying but in all honesty we fall short SOOOO many times. But nevertheless HE IS STILL FAITHFUL! He has never forsaken us, even though truly we have deserved it! 

So that is what is going on around here. We are so thankful for the way Abba manifests Himself to us and we are forever indebted to Him. He is our all in all! 

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of Elohim: I trust in the mercy of Elohim for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints. Psalm 52:8-9