The Two Fears - Part One: Fear Not

 

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I Am with you; Be not dismayed, for I Am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.' 

    The first time we see God saying to one of His chosen servants to not fear is in Genesis 15:1, when God tells Abram, "After these things The Word of The LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I Am thy Shield, and thy Exceeding Great Reward." 

    The last time The Lord speaks these words, "Fear Not", is in Revelation 1:17, when The First and The Last speaks to John in his vision: "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I Am The First and The Last." 

    In this day and age, we who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that The Word of God is Truth, are daily bombarded with unChristlike behaviors and attitudes. We are attacked on every side and must be able to hold onto the cross (the place of saving grace) and the empty tomb (the place of eternal life revealed), when we go about our day to day lives. 

    Everybody has a story, and in our stories are chapters: the situations we find ourselves in, whether through our own decisions or the result of someone else's decision(s) which impacted us in some way. But in every chapter God is there. Sometimes we see Him working in our lives, sometimes we are completely unaware that He is there. 

    I say all this to remind you (and myself) that God Is Present: He is The Omnipresent God -- everywhere at the same time. If you are a born again Christian, then God is with you: leading us, guiding us: revealing to us His purpose for our lives. If we would just listen to Him and follow His lead, He will work everything out for our good. He said so. Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." His purpose, His will, for our lives. We just have to wake up and pay attention. 

    There may or may not be 365 verses pertaining to not being afraid. I don't know, I've only just started this study. But I'm expressly searching out the two-word phrase "fear not". The rest can wait for another day. 

    When God gives the instruction to "fear not", He is preparing each person He speaks this to for a mighty move of God. God spoke to Abram and promised him that his seed, his heirs, would be in the multitudes, just as the stars that covered the night sky. God also informed Abram that his heirs would be enslaved by a people whom God was to judge at a later time (four hundred years). In all this Abram is to "fear not", for God is his Shield (his protector, his defense) and his exceeding great reward (not just Abram's Rewarder, but Abram's Reward). 

    Because of what took place in Genesis 14, God found favor with Abram and chose to visit him, speak with him, promise him many things and form a covenant with him. This great honor may be given to each of God's people when they obey God and believe His Word, as Abram did. Following God faithfully, we, too, may find ourselves in situations He places us in. Not for our comfort, but for our spiritual growth. God wants to speak to us. Are we listening for His voice? Are we in a place where we can hear Him clearly? and know which decision is the right decision? Only you and I and God know the answer to these questions. For He knows our hearts and our thoughts. 

    Let us "fear not" as we prepare to take the next step in our journey on The Way of Holiness in which we walk. 

The Lord Is ....AUGUST 2023

 

        ADONAI 

(pronounced 'adhonay)

    SOVEREIGNTY

    1 Kings 2:26

And the king said to Abiathar the priest, Go to Anathoth, to thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of ADONAI JEHOVAH before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.

    This is the first and only time the word ADONAI is used in the Bible as descriptive of one of God's Names. Though there are attachments to the Name ADONAI, as we will see further on, this is the only time the single definition of ADONAI is indicated. 

Isaiah 44:6

Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: "I am The First and I am The Last, and there is no God but Me."

Revelation 1:5

And from Jesus Christ, The Faithful Witness, the firstborn from the dead, and The Ruler of the kings of the earth. 

Deuteronomy 10:17

For The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.

Revelation 19:16

And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Isaiah 45:23

By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone out from My mouth, a Word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

ADONAI - Joshua Aaron

ADONAI-SHALOM

(pronounced 'adhonay shaw-lome')

THE LORD IS PEACE

Judges 6:24

Then Gideon built an altar there unto The LORD, and called it 'ADONAI-SHALOM'; unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

(JPS Tanakh)

THE LORD IS OUR PEACE

Ephesians 2:14

For He Himself is our Peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility.

HIS PEACE OVERCOMES FEAR

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it fear.

HIS PEACE PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

ADONAI-NISSI

(pronounced 'adhonay nace)

THE LORD MY BANNER

    Exodus 17:15

And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it ADONAI-NISSI.

    Psalm 60:4

You have given a Banner to them that fear You, that it may be displayed because of the Truth. Selah.

    Psalm 20:5

May we shout for joy at your victory and raise a Banner in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your petitions.

    Isaiah 5:26

He lifts a Banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold--how speedily and swiftly they come!

    Isaiah 11:10,12

On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a Banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.

He will raise a Banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

    John 3:12

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so The Son of Man must be lifted up.

    John 8:28

So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up The Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.

    John 12:32

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”

ADONAI-NISSI

THE LORD MY BANNER

 

     The Son of Man was indeed lifted up and even now calls everyone who hears to come to the cross. Come and see Jesus. Come and be washed in the blood of The Lamb, that your sins would be washed away from your hearts when you repent of them. Come and receive The Spirit of God into your life that you may live a holy and righteous life in the presence of God. That you may be ready to meet Jesus in the air when The Father sends Him to bring His bride home.

    Come to the garden and be raised up in newness of life, ready to walk in the strength of The Lord and be filled with the power of His Holy Spirit to speak forth the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. That all who hear may believe and receive, as well. 

     Revelation 22:17

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the Water of Life drink freely.

ADONAI-JIREH

(pronounced 'adhonay  yir-eh')

THE LORD MY PROVIDER

Genesis 22:14

And Abraham called the name of that place ADONAI-JIREH; as it is said to this day: 'In the mount where the LORD is seen.'

    He is The God who will see to it that all His people's needs are provided for. 

    We need a relationship with God.

Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7 & 2 Peter 1:3

    We need to be loved so God loves us. 

2 Chronicles 9:8 & John 3:16 & Romans 5:8

    We need saving so God provides a sacrificial Lamb to take away our sins.

Genesis 22:8 & John 1:2

    We need cleansing to make us holy so God provides water

2 Kings 5:1-16 & John 3:5,6 

    and fire.

Matthew 3:11 & Acts 2:1-4

    The LORD Provides

    

Heart & Soul - - All That Is Within Me

 

Mark 12:20

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3650

All: the whole, complete, entire

From the Greek word 'holos' (pronounced hol'-os): wholly, where all the parts are present and working as a whole – i.e. as the total, which is greater than the mere sum of the parts.

EVERYTHING THAT IS WITHIN ME

Deuteronomy 6:4, 5

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

    Abraham had God's promise that through the son he would have with Sarah, the son not yet conceived, would come many nations. The promise came before the test. Abraham had faith that God would restore life to his son. For he knew that God keeps His promises. (Genesis 17:1-18:15; 21:1-8; 22:1-15). Abraham fulfilled the first commandment.

    Hosea, under God's command, married a prostitute and had children with her. He was God's prophet and his actions may have seemed crazy to his contemporaries, yet God had placed a great love within Hosea's heart for her: a heart that forgave her whoredoms (fornications and adulteries) and loved her back into a right relationship. This great romance is not only a historical fact, but an allegorical relationship of God wooing His people back to Himself. Hosea fulfilled the first commandment.

    Jesus' mother, Mary, fulfilled the first commandment in a simple reply to the angel who spoke the prophecy to her: Luke 1:38 "“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her." Fully surrendered to God, Mary submitted to the Word spoken over her. 

    The widow, who gave God everything she had, fulfilled the first commandment. (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4). She placed all of her finances in the Lord's treasury: she gave all that she had. Though wealthier people had given some of their riches, she out of her necessity gave it all to God. 

    These people are but a few Biblical examples of giving everything within them to the Lord God. Because their hearts were filled with a desire to please God, they were able to serve Him in such a way as to glorify Him. Are we? We have current contemporary examples who show us how to love God first and foremost, by their outspoken faith: Brock Purdy. Tim Tebow. Joyce Meyers. Elisabeth Elliot.

    Worshiping God is more than singing, more than playing a musical instrument. God wants our everything, our all. And He wants it when He asks for it. To worship God is to obey God when He speaks. And He's still speaking today. 

    We hear Him speaking when we pray while we study out His Word for ourselves. Before the many comes the individual. Adam walked and talked with God before anyone else existed. He was intelligent and able to speak clearly. He could think for himself and make decisions on his own. He was no caveman as junk science would have us believe, but a man with whom God could converse, as friend to friend.

    We hear God speaking when we spend quality time with Him and Him only. In whatever space or room we have set aside for just being alone with Him, our prayer room or prayer closet: a smallish space that leaves no room for anything else. We make a decision to do so and stick by it, regardless of outside discord, which threatens our alone time with Him. 

    Have you asked yourself, "Why am I here? What is my purpose?" God knows. In fact, God is the only One Who knows exactly why He created you. But in order for us to fulfill our purpose in Him we need to seek Him out and ask Him what is our specific reason for existing? Besides the basics.

CREATED TO

>We are created to commune-listen to, hear from, speak with-with the God Who created us. 

>We are created to worship God and Him only. Deuteronomy 6:5.

>We are created to love God, to love Him above all other loves. Exodus 20:1-5.
>We are created to be God's hands and feet, carrying the gospel of salvation wherever He sends us. Mark 16:15. John 15:16.

>We are created to be productive. As He set Adam and Eve up in the Garden of Eden to take care of all that was in it, so we, too, are expected to work in God's kingdom. Everyone has a job to do. Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4-24. John 4:34-38. Acts 1:8. 

>We are created to love all other people in the same way in which God loves us: unconditionally (no strings attached, no quid pro quo, without measure or merit). Mark 12:31. John 13:34; 15:17.

>We are created to conquer, to overcome, to rise above every obstacle in our path. Psalm 18:32-35. Isaiah 40:31. Ephesians 6:10-20.

>We are created to endure, to outlast our enemy. Hebrews 12:1.

>We are created to persevere, to continue on, to move forward regardless of what tries to grab our attention and focus. Proverbs 4:27. 

    These are some of our most basic reasons for our existence. If we have not attained some of them, there's still time. Only three things can prevent us from accomplishing God's purpose for our lives:

1. Death. After we die, there are no more opportunities to love God and fulfill our purpose in Him.

2. Christ's Second Return. When the Father sends His Son back to this earth to collect His bride, all of the people who make up this bride (the church) will leave. After that you'll have seven years to make up your minds whether or not you will choose God to be your God. 

3. Unwillingness. Ignorance is not your friend, nor is it available to you after you have been reading these studies with me. You cannot say, 'I did not know'. Apathy is not your friend, either. To hear the Word of the Lord and not receive is to have an 'I don't care' attitude towards God's Word. It is to be unwilling to surrender your all to His all. 

    Can I say I have done my part up to this point in sharing the gospel, in testifying of God's amazing grace to me, to us? Yes. Can I do more? Always. The Holy Spirit takes me where God wants me to go. And right now, that's here. All that is within me desires all that He is. 

DESIRING GOD'S PRESENCE 

Guard Your Heart - - Guard Your Seed

 

Genesis 18:19

"For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. This is how the LORD will fulfill to Abraham what He promised him.”

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 6680

Command: to lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

From the Hebrew word 'tsavah' (pronounced tsaw-vaw'). 

    To command one's children and household is to set in order and make known what is required and what will be accepted according to the Word which God has given us. There is a right way to do this and a wrong way, as many of us are aware. 

    The right way is to command in the love of the Lord, to lead by example a godly lifestyle in the eyes of the Lord and the eyes of our children and extended family. It is to be obedient to the Word of God in every aspect of our lives, setting our children up for their success and progress in living godly lives. 

    When we live in the fear of the Lord faithfully, our children, we hope, will also live in the fear of the Lord. But, and if, we have raised them to love God then even if they take the long way to God, we know that they will return to the Lord as long as we keep praying for them to return. 

    There is a sequence of command in our households. First, we recognize God as Lord. Second, we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, and our minds, and our souls. Thirdly, we honor Him with all that we have and are. Fourthly, we submit to His will for us, for God knows what is best for us, as He is our Heavenly Father, the One who meets the needs of His household, His people. 

    We recognize God as Lord when we believe that His only begotten Son Jesus Christ the Messiah is Lord of All. 

     We recognize God as Lord when we believe not only that He Is but that He Is God above all gods and that He is the only God. 

    We love the Lord our God with all our hearts, when we put Him first in our lives, seeking His will for us, instead of doing whatever we want to do.

     We love the Lord our God with all our minds, when we think on His Word, meditate on His Word. 

    We love the Lord our God with all our souls, when we live for Him: when we live according to His Word: our actions and our words must align with His Word. In love. 

    We honor God with all that we have when we tithe of our finances and give offerings to build His kingdom. 

     We honor God with all that we are when we submit to His Word, His Will and His Way willingly and with a joyful heart. 

    We submit to His will in love, with peace in our hearts and not confusion or doubt; with great expectations of the many blessings He has in store for those who submit to Him. 

    We are not stingy in giving our time to Him. Time spent not only in study of His Word, but time spent in prayer. This, too, is a part of the command. It is 'communing with God as friend to Friend'. We spend that prayer time with Him not just alone in our special places of prayer, but together as a family, seeking God's face and His presence.

    Failure in any aspect of the sequence of the command is to fail on all. Not obeying any part of God's leadership command for our children and our households results in chaos: chaotic lives, chaotic hearts. But when we repent of our failures, our faults, God restores us. And He will restore our children, too. For the promise is not just to us but to our children and our households. 

    To do what is right and just is to do what is right according to God's Word and live justly before Him in His Way. It's not enough to be a good person. It's not enough to live a peaceful way of life. We must make the decision to do what is right and just that our children and our household may also do what is right and just. Not just living by the example which we have set before them, but living a right and just lifestyle according to the Word which God has laid out before them. 

    This day and age in which we live is becoming increasingly more difficult in which to maintain a godly lifestyle without having someone come against us for it. Now more than ever, God's people need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might: we need to be filled with His Word, filled with His Spirit and filled with His Love. 

    For the day is at hand when the decision to live a God-filled life will cause us to be killed for that decision. Joshua told the Israelites, "Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15). 

    

    

The Lord Is - - December 2022

 

SHEMESH TSEDAQAH

(pronounced sheh-mesh) 

SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Malachi 4:1, 2

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”

"But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy, like calves let out to pasture."

Psalm 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

Luke 1:78

Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us.

SHILOH

(pronounced shee-lo')

HE WHOSE IT IS

Genesis 49:10

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between His feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is His.

This is a Messianic title, for everything belongs to Him. 

Psalm 60:7

Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.

Psalm 72:8

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 2:2

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

John 1:3

Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

PHOSPHOROS

(pronounced foce-for'-os)

MORNING STAR

2 Peter 1:19

We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

John 9:5

As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.

John 1:4

In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

YAAQOB KOKAB

(pronounced  yah-ak-obe' ko-kawb')

STAR OF JACOB

Numbers 24:17

I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Matthew 2:2

asking, "Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

I AM HE

 Who is God to God? Who does He declare Himself to be? to us?

I AM HE

Isaiah 46:4

“And even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar (gray/white) hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

Isaiah 43:13, 25

-“Even from eternity I am He, and none can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?"

-“I, only I, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.” 

Isaiah 48:12

“Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.”

Deuteronomy 32:39

See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand.

Revelation 1:18

I am He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

John 8:18

I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.

Revelation 2:23

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He which searches the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

John 18:6, 8

As soon then as He had said unto them, I am He, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He: if therefore you seek Me, let these go their way. 

Jeremiah 29:23

“Because they have acted foolishly in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and in My Name have spoken false and concocted words, which I did not command them. I am He who knows and I am a witness,” says the LORD.’”

Isaiah 51:12

“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?”

Isaiah 41:4

Who has performed this and carried it out, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—the first and the last—I am He.”

John 4:26

“I am He,” Jesus told her, “the One speaking to you.”

Hagar called Him, THE GOD WHO SEES. Genesis 16:13 So she called the LORD who spoke to her: The God Who Sees, for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the One who sees me?”

This example of Hagar is but one, there are so many more names of God and Christ Jesus scattered throughout the Bible, the Scriptures, waiting for us to dig in and dig deep the nuggets of riches which God has prepared for us to find. 

But for today, it is enough to know that God Is I AM HE. Creator. Caller. Speaker. Comforter. Testifier. Searcher. Burden Bearer. Justice Giver. Knowledge Bearer. The One Who Is Alive Evermore. Witness. The Only God. 

Which of His names have you discovered as you have searched out the Words of The Scriptures? Which, if any, have impacted you the most? And why? 

For me, from this list of I AM HE verses, I would have to say that Revelation 1:8 speaks to me the most. "I am He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." He, Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, is ALIVE FOR EVERMORE. He, Jesus Christ, holds the keys of hell and death. You know what that means? I have nothing to fear. For I am in Christ, and Christ is n me, therefore, I am alive with Christ! What a comforting, strengthening thought. 

Ephesians 2:4-10

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

I am alive in Christ and He is alive in me. 

Intelligent Worship -- One God -- Part 1

      Before we can worship God we have to recognize that there is but One God and that God is the God of the Holy Bible. He is the God of all creation: the heavens: the stars, the moons, the planets, the suns, the galaxies, the black holes, the comets, the milky way, the asteroids and every other thing up in the universes. God is the God of the earth and everything in it, on it, under it, above it; including people. 

Genesis 1 and 2 tell us in some detail exactly how our planet came about and where we, as people, originate. And why. 

Recognizing that God Is, we also come to the logical and reasonable conclusion that there is only One God, as His Word says.

Exodus 34:14

For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 4:39

Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.

1 Corinthians 8:6

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him.

Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

In addition to these listed there are so many more Bible passages declaring not only that there is One God but WHO GOD IS. One must merely set aside some time each day to read The Word of God. And when merely reading is no longer enough, we will find ourselves seeking God's Wisdom for understanding what we're reading, digging deeper into His Word to find nuggets of wisdom to apply to our lives. 

Plus, thoughtful prayer times must be initiated. It is impossible to know God deeper without knowing what His voice sounds like in your heart. 

The Conversation

 Genesis 3:1-5

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ ”

The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”

"You will not surely die,” the serpent told her, “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

     Eve was not surprised when the serpent spoke to her. There is no shock, just a simple conversation. It is what the serpent said, and how he said it, that changed everything. This conversation changed the nature of conversing between animals and people, between people with each other, between people and God. Before this conversation took place, the first two people were in daily personal contact with God and He with them. Adam worked with God in the garden: he cultivated and tended it; God created animals and let Adam name them. What they were called is what they are now. But The Conversation ruined everything.

     First, the serpent questioned God's Word (Did God really say that?). Second, Eve replied to the serpent with second-hand knowledge of what God spoke to Adam. 

     God said to Adam, "“You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

     Eve said to the serpent, "But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” She added to God's Word when she replied to the serpent, "or touch it". 

     Thirdly, the serpent lied to Eve by telling her she would not die. For death, separation from God, was instantaneous when she bit into the fruit which grew on the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Her first mistake was to listen to the serpent (verse 2), her second was to respond (verse 2-3), and her third was to take action after contemplating what the serpent spoke to her (verse 6). 

     This conversation between Eve and the serpent is repeated a multitude of times on a daily basis with all people. We need to learn from Eve's mistakes and avoid any form of conversation with the enemy of God. This is not something we can do on our own: we need the power of God, the power of His Holy Spirit, to teach us to recognize temptation when it rears its ugly head and to avoid it by rebuking it when we see it and hear it. 

     We must seek out God's Wisdom by studying God's Word and spending time in prayer with God Himself. We need to hang out with God's people, building each other up in love, faithfulness and compassion. We need to gather with God's people and worship God the way He wants to be worshiped: whole-heartedly.  

  

     This is the only recorded conversation between mankind and animal in the Garden of Eden. There is another instance of an animal speaking to a human, but that wasn't in the garden (Numbers 22:28-30). 

     I'd like to believe that the animals still talk in the Garden of Eden. It is hidden but still viable (verse 24). 

Christ Reveals Himself to Us

 

John 14:21

Whoever has My commandments and keeps (guards) them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. And I will love him and reveal Myself to him.

Exodus 33:18

Then Moses said, "Please show me Your glory."

Proverbs 8:17

I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me.

Seeking God early in our life is the best way to live God's Word. But when we fail to do that, then each new day becomes an opportunity to begin again, to start over, early in the morning. 

Wake up. Thank God for waking us up and keeping us through the night. Morning stretches. Thank God for the ability to move and breathe. 

Get out of bed. Stand up. Praise God continuously. Read your Bible or daily devotional or both. Thank God for the ability to read. And thank God for the Spirit who reveals God in God's Word, who reveals Jesus Christ to us; who reveals the mystery of God through the gospel of salvation which God planned from the beginning. 

Genesis 3:15 God tells the serpent his fate for his part in the deception of Adam and Eve: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

Romans 16:20 further enhances Genesis 3:15 - The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.

1 Corinthians 15:54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd. 'He will lead them to springs of Living Water,' and 'God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"

Rejoice! early. Praise God early! Seek God's face early! Rise up from your deathbed and glorify God early! Now is the time of your salvation! Now is the day of your redemption! 

Yonder

 

Do you know where Yonder is? Did you know such a location exists in the Bible, too? In the KJV of the Bible Yonder is mentioned at least six times. It basically means a place where a person or thing currently is not. A distance within view.

Genesis 22:5 "And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." Here in Genesis 'yonder' means to move ahead and up, because Abraham and Isaac went ahead into the land of Moriah and up a mountain God chose (verse 2). 

Numbers 16:37 "Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed." Yonder, away from the camp. A man named Korah, along with several of his cohorts and 250 mighty men rose up against Moses' authority and refused to follow him; nor did they want to listen to the words God was giving him to speak. 

After Moses directed folks to stand away from the tents where Korah, Dathan and Abiram lived with their families, God caused the earth under them to open up and swallow all of the these three men and their dwelling places and their wives and families. But the 250 warriors who offered the incense to God were consumed by fire from God. But the firepans, the censers, were not destroyed by God's fire because these pans had been offered to God. The fire in them had to be scattered outside the encampment because it was unholy, but the pans themselves were holy. (Read Numbers 16).

Numbers 32:19 "For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward." Two tribes chose not to cross the river Jordan and settle; they chose to settle on the eastern side of Jordan. They would go and fight with the other tribes for the land which God had given them and then return to the land which they had chosen for themselves. Here 'yonder' is to cross over and move forward. (Read Numbers 32). 

2 Kings 4:26 "So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:" Here in 2 Kings 4:26 'yonder' is some distance away: close enough to recognize a person but far enough away that one cannot have a conversation with up close and personal. (Read 2 Kings 4)

Matthew 17:20 "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

Matthew 26:36 "Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder." 

Therefore, we can conclude that Yonder is a place we are not but will be. Yonder is a destination. Yes, I know where Yonder is. I'm headed there now.

JEHOVAH OR

 

JEHOVAH OR

(pronounced YAH-WAY ORE)

PSALM 27:1 "The LORD Is my Light and my Salvation. Whom shall I fear? The LORD Is the Strength of my Life, of whom shall I be afraid?" 

• This is that Light which shines in the darkness, distinguishing what is Good and what is Right from what is not. "And God said, Let there be Light and there was Light. And God saw that the Light was good, and He separated the Light from the darkness." (Genesis 1:3-4) {while the Light referred to in Genesis 1:3-4 is not the Light of God's Love, it still has the same general concept of light piercing the darkness}.
• This Light is the Path we take through the darkness around us: "Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet, a Light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)
• This Light delivers those who walk in darkness: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a Light has dawned."

This Light is not only to be walked in, but makes one fruitful in the things of The LORD. 

• "For you were once darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord. Walk as children of Light, for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth." (Ephesians 5:8-9)

JEHOVAH OLAM EL

 

JEHOVAH OLAM EL

(pronounced YAH-WAY O-LAWM El)

THE LORD EVERLASTING GOD

Genesis 21:33

And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

Isaiah 40:28

Do you not know? Have you not heard? the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will never grow faint or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.

Jeremiah 10:10

But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

Everlasting God by Chris Tomlin

JEHOVAH ROI

 

JEHOVAH ROI
(pronounced Yah-Way Ro-Ee)

YOU ARE THE GOD WHO SEES ME

Genesis 16:13

So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, 

“Here I have seen the One who sees me!”

Ezekiel 1:16-18

The workmanship of the wheels looked like the gleam of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. Their workmanship looked like a wheel within a wheel. -- As they moved, they went in any of the four directions, without pivoting as they moved. -- 

Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims 

were full of eyes all around.

There is no place we can go that God does not see us. Therefore we should want to be a people who delights in the things of God that our actions and our words might bring Him joy.

JEHOVAH ELOHIM SHAMAYIM

 

JEHOVAH ELOHIM SHAMAYIM

(pronounced Yah-Way Ay-Lo-Heem Shaw-Maw-Yeem)

THE LORD GOD OF HEAVEN

Genesis 24:7

The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from my native land, who spoke to me and swore to me, 'I will give this land to your offspring -- He will send His angel before you, and you can take a wife for my son from there.'

JEHOVAH ELOHIM TSABA

So, when I finished reading Jude, there was a cross-reference in verse 23 that took me to Amos 4:11, where I was compelled by the Holy Spirit to read through the end of Amos. And that's when this Name of Christ grabbed my attention.

JEHOVAH ELOHIM TSABA

THE LORD, THE GOD OF HOSTS

Amos 4:13

"For, behold, He Who forms the mountains,

Who creates the wind,

and reveals His thoughts to man,

the One Who turns the dawn to darkness,

and strides on the 

heights of the earth,

The LORD,

The GOD of Hosts Is His Name."

And I talked to The Spirit about how we were going to render this name pictorially. He reminded me that God's warriors are "flaming ministers". That's why each flame carries a sword. 

• Psalms 104:4
• Hebrews 1:7
• Genesis 3:24
• 2 Kings 2:11
• 2 Kings 6:17
• Ezekiel 1:13