Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Approaching a new year always seems to carry a sense of adventure and expectation, although that attitude is not normally mixed with the level of trepidation we might be feeling just now. Moses’ successor Joshua, one of two faithful spies, seems to have embodied this sense of courageous expectation much of his life, but even he needed an extra dose of Divine encouragement as the Lord commanded him to cross the Jordan and take possession of the promised Land.
Three times YHVH exhorted Joshua, a man with a great deal of natural bravery, to be “strong and (very) courageous”. God knew what Joshua would be facing, even a lot better than the general himself, and so in a pivotal and personal message, He spoke to him: “Do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” [ Joshua 1:8 ]
It is impossible to overestimate the value of this simple truth, this amazing promise, this unmitigated provision! God is (and will be) with us. Anyone who has truly experienced this reality knows its inestimable value. We glibly quote this passage from Romans 8 when the dangers are minimal or the challenges are not really too challenging. But what a difference now as we face a New Year which may well threaten our freedom, our well being or our very lives.
But God is with us by His Spirit; and His Spirit is NOT “a spirit of fear, but of love, of power and of a sound mind.” [ 2 Timothy 1:7 ]
Therefore, nothing that happens this coming year can threaten your union with Messiah Yeshua, the Lord Jesus Christ, if indeed, He dwells with you. He is the embodiment of Love, and “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear;” [ 1 John 4:18 ]. Daniel prophesied of the end days that “those who know their God will display strength and take action;” [ Daniel 11:32 ]. So, whatever the coming days call for, consider yourself equipped! Go out with joy, be led forth with peace….and a very happy and blessed New Year!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]As we continue to inspect our hearts and take spiritual inventory of our lives during this month of Elul in preparation for the fall feasts, we should stay particularly aware of Yeshua’s prediction in Matthew 24:12, “The love of many will grow cold.” He warned that a sign of the last days would be abounding lawlessness and that callousness and hardness of heart would characterize the end times. The evidence of this is everywhere.
Traditionally in Jewish spirituality, these 40 days of prayer and repentance beginning the 1st of Elul to Yom Kippur parallel the 40 days that Moses spent on the mountain [Exodus 34:28] pleading God’s forgiveness for Israel’s sin of creating and worshiping the golden calf. Interestingly, Psalm 27 is read each day of the month of Elul, along with the shofar blast in preparation for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
As we continue our study for Elul, a month set apart for repentance in preparation for the fall feasts, we find a message hidden in the four Hebrew letters spelling the name of this special month. Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed form an “acronym” for a well-known passage in the Song of Solomon: Ani l-dodi v-dodi li or in English, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”
I happened (on rare occasion) the other day to see a CNN headline, “Health Officials Brace for Three Major Viruses this Fall”. Immediately, I thought, “Not again!” Yet, scouring the headlines, it now appears that several colleges are instituting mask mandates even though there isn’t a case of illness yet. While the world is being prepared for an “outbreak” of disease, I’m hoping we may learn a lesson from history so that, perhaps, we’ll see an “outbreak” of revival!
As we enter this season of Teshuva (Repentance) during the month of Elul, we enter a unique season approaching the Fall Feasts. This month initiates a 40-day countdown to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and is traditionally known as the time the King would visit His people.
As we continue our study of the men who followed David, another characteristic was their ability to war.They learned how to battle with both the right hand and the left hand for hurling stones. If you have ever thrown a ball, you know that you can aim effectively with your dominant hand — but try it with the opposite hand — it’s far more difficult to throw accurately. But the men that followed David learned to throw with both arms effectively! It must have taken months of training to develop such skill.
When David was a fugitive from Saul, the men who followed him recognized his rightful place as King of Israel, and they developed a deep loyalty to him, this little band. As we read yesterday, these men were transformed from distress, debt, and discontentment [1 Sam. 22:1-2] into becoming mighty men of war. Having joined David, they quickly realized that they were joining a conflict.