A Christian Devotional

[Shammu]

Learn to STOP!

Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

With the elections finally over in the U.S., we've been receiving numerous emails from readers who are anxious about what the election results may mean for the future – and understandably so! Nevertheless, even in this climate of anxiety, we are preparing to enter into Shabbat (the Hebrew word for Sabbath) this afternoon. And as we do, we are remembering again, the deep lesson of God's entering into His rest following the six creation days.

After working for six days – He entered into Shabbat. The word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew verb "shavat", which literally means "to cease". Shabbat implies that we need to stop working -- stop trying -- stop doing.... simply, to cease from our own work. We need to simply let go, and let God! In a way it's different kind of work. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews puts it this way: "Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." [Hebrews 4:11] So, this is a "work" of faith, where we are no longer working, but trusting God to accomplish the work He has begun and is perfectly able to complete!

This Shabbat, if you dealing with fear of the future, rest in the fact that YOUR future is already secure in the finished work of Messiah! You can trust Him, in faith, knowing that not a single hair of your head can fall to the ground without Him allowing it!

Enjoy your Shabbat tonight and embrace the profound lesson of the Sabbath – let go, and let God! Remember that the only real rest from anxiety, worry and fear … is found in HIM – Yeshua, the Lord of Shabbat!

[Shammu]

Learn to shift gears!

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Every time I turn on the news it seems the new buzzword is – CHANGE! So how can we just shift gears and change? Let's learn a lesson about basic automotive mechanics. Generally a car has between 4 and 5 gears. The first gear maximizes power in exchange for speed. As you move through the gears, you can continue to go faster, yet without using any more power, and before you know it – you have to look at the speedometer – cause nobody wants a speeding ticket!

So what can we learn from this? Do you want a breakthrough? Do you want a new direction? Then you need to take that first step! You need to put all your focus – all your energy into that first initial gear! Yes, it takes all your strength, and yet it seems like you're moving sooo slow -- but be encouraged, because once you start moving, you'll be able to shift gears -- and before you know it –- you'll be sailing along, and even need to check to see if you're speeding!

The first step is always the hardest -- but it's necessary for change! You can breakthrough with the power of God empowering you, so GO FOR IT! Put everything you've got into that first start. And just like driving, it'll get easier; and before you know it -- we might even have to issue you a speeding citation, just to slow you down a bit..! With so much work to be done, let's not stay in neutral -- let's get in gear, and start shifting!

[Shammu]

Beware of snakes!

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give to you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the authority of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you.

For the past 5 days, I've been home alone with my two young children while my wife is ministering in Germany. For the past few days she's been worshiping and ministering with German believers as they commemorate the 70th anniversary of 'Kristallnacht', the night that became prelude to the Holocaust. So as you can imagine, I've been a little busy with the kids! So I thought I'd take them to the zoo in Jerusalem. As we walked around, we entered the snake house to look at all those beautiful snakes.

As Elianna was looking in each snake aquarium, she was pointing out the snakes that she could find -- but most of them were camouflaged extremely well. They weren't easy to find, but once you spotted one and recognized its markings it became much easier.

So George, why are you telling me about your trip to the zoo? Interestingly, the Bible speaks of the enemy as a serpent, and he's camouflaged very well. He's lurking in unsuspected places waiting for an opportunity to strike! I know it would be so much easier if Satan just came out and said, "I'm here to destroy your life!" -- but it's just not going to happen. He's coming to rob, steal and destroy -- and most of the time when he does, people don't even realize he's doing it! We need to be aware of how he's trying to enter into our lives, so that we can spot his markings and remove ourselves from the danger!

Don't give the enemy an opportunity for deception by failing to spot his camouflage so he can strike! Pray to become skilled in discerning his subtle serpent wiles, remembering he comes as a "minister of righteousness" or an "angel of light" who can easily blend into the background of the world. Don't go by feelings alone, but let God's Word dwell richly in you and be filled with His spirit. Then you'll be well defended, and equipped to finish the work God's called you to!

[Shammu]

Speak a word of encouragement in due season!

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

The United States has entered a new season of political change. Since the election I've received several emails from political colleagues of mine discussing the impact of this new climate upon issues which strike at our core as believers, such as abortion, Israel, and conservative values in general.

All of this has reminded me of William Wilberforce and his campaign against the British Parliament to abolish slavery. During the course of his intense efforts, Wilberforce came to a desperate place of discouragement, feeling he had absolutely no more strength to continue. In this condition he was about to give up, when his elderly friend, John Wesley, lying on his deathbed, was informed of his friend William's distress. Wesley requested pen and paper, and with a quivering hand, wrote these words,

"Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them stronger than God? Oh be not weary of well-doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery shall vanish away before it."

John Wesley died six days later, but William Wilberforce fought for forty-five more years, and in 1833, three days before his own death, witnessed the abolition of slavery in Britain.

Do not grow weary in well-doing, for we can still triumph! It's exactly when everything looks hopeless that our God has opportunity to display His awesome power. Even the great men that changed history needed a word of encouragement now and then – so be encouraged, and be an encourager! You never know when you may enable another saint to continue pressing on, or how that may change the world!

[Shammu]

Walk in prophecy!

2 Kings 23:16-17 And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.

This is an interesting passage of Scripture which details how Josiah, a young and Godly king, went forth to cleanse the land, and in doing so, finds that he was fulfilling a prophecy given years before. Josiah went forth doing what was right -- and in doing so, was walking out the works that God preordained for him -- he was fulfilling the calling that God had set into motion years before!

Each of us is alive for such a time as this, living in this day and hour, and all around us prophecy is being fulfilled. Quite honestly, the prophecies of these last days seem to be being fulfilled faster than I anticipated -- but nevertheless, we are witnessing the signs all around us, and they are not so comforting.

So what is our mandate, our calling, our destiny for these days? Will we walk as Josiah, steadfast after God? Because in our day as well, there is prophecy spoken by Jesus himself concerning these last days in which we live: "because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." [Matthew 24:12] Josiah walked amidst incredible idolatry and sin in Israel, (just like we are now), but instead of catering or yielding to it, he used all the authority he had to tear it down. He was fearless in his hatred of sin because of his intense love for God. Jesus' words imply a specific calling for us in these last days: Don't allow your love to grow cold!

Sin abounds all around us, and maybe to some extent, IN us– but it's already written that we can triumph over it if we will just keep our love for him HOT! On the cross he won an astounding victory which we can claim and walk in each and every day of our lives! If we walk in his victory, we too can fulfill the prophetic words of the greatest prophet, because he did not say "the love of ALL will grow cold". So let us be those who fulfill this prophetic destiny the way King Josiah did. We CAN be the ones who keep that passion for God, even in these terrible times!

[Shammu]

Hold the fort, Jesus is coming!

Luke 19:12-13 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

During the American Civil War in the 1860's, a fierce battle took place at Altoona Pass. It was a key supply point for the Union Army, so the Confederate Army led by General Hood sought to take Altoona Pass which held over a million and a half rations. When Union General Sherman realized Hood's plans, he dispatched General Corse along with 1,500 men to hold the city.

As the battle ensued, General Corse and his forces were forced into a small fort on a crest of a hill. The Northern army was being overwhelmed, with nearly half the men either killed or wounded in the battle. Things were looking extremely bleak, when in the distance from a mountain top twenty miles away a while flag was being waved, and those in the fort knew the message being sent, "Hold the fort; I am coming. W.T. Sherman."

This sign gave the beleaguered army renewed strength to continue fighting the battle for another three hours until reinforcements finally arrived.

From this battle, a famous Christian song was written and its chorus is so eloquent for us today, "Hold the fort, for I am coming, Jesus signals still; Wave the answer back to heaven, By thy grace we will!"

In the midst of spiritual battles we can often feel besieged on every side – but HOLD THE FORT! Get some rest this weekend and renew your strength in the Lord for the victory is already won – we just need to continue fighting because He is coming!

[Shammu]

Look out your window!

John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

Here’s an interesting fact about American church history that you may not know. Years ago, when the first New England churches were designed, they were built with clear windows rather than the stained glass ones we see so often today -- and the graveyard was usually built in the churchyard, which would normally be seen from the pulpit. Why?

It was so that the pastor could see the graveyard while he preached and be reminded of the urgency of his message! It was so he could be reminded that everyone who sat in the pews before him as he spoke, would eventually fill a place in that cemetery outside the window and ultimately have to stand before God to be judged. Can you imagine?

Back then, the first and foremost priority of the church was to bring men and women into a right relationship with the Lord. What’s happened to us that we’ve started building churches with windows you can’t see through!?

There is a harvest outside! Let’s uncloud our windows and give ourselves to the work that needs to be done! Let’s make a commitment to share the good news with someone today!

[Shammu]

Silent, yet powerful!

Colossians 4:12-13 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.

Epraphras is not a name you hear much of. He was a member of the church in Colosse, and obviously a dear saint in the Lord. We know that he suffered imprisonment with Paul at one time. But the thing that really impresses me about this saint is what Paul wrote about him– he always labored fervently in prayer!

The intercessory work of the saint through prayer is the work behind the scenes, the silent ministry that the world knows little of, yet more powerful than any weapon on earth unleashing power from above that makes demons tremble!

This was a man with whom Paul must have been accustomed to praying, and clearly the apostle knew of his zeal from personal experience. But notice what Epaphras prayed for – that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God! That's my prayer for each one of our readers!

In this day and age, when you can feel the winds of spiritual warfare swirling all around – when faith will be tested to the extreme – my prayer is that you will stand perfect and complete in the will of God! With so much work to be done, and so many of us under severe attack, never neglect the power of prayer – for this silent ministry counts so much more than you may realize, not only here on earth-- but also, where it really counts.... in heaven!

[Shammu]

The best is yet to come!

Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

One of the mysteries of God is how He has placed the prophetic clock according to the Hebrew calendar. The feast of Sukkot is a harvest feast, which is also known as the feast of ingathering. This is one of the few feasts that has not yet been fulfilled prophetically.

To give you an idea of how God is working according to the Hebrew calendar, when Messiah broke bread in the upper room with His disciples, it was in the beginning of the feast of Unleavened bread. When He was crucified, and became the Lamb of God for the world, it was on Passover. When He rose from the dead, it was precisely on the feast of first fruits. After His ascension to heaven, and 50 days after Passover was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost or the Hebrew feast of Shevuot. This indicated the beginning of the harvest season. We have been in the midst of the great harvest for the past 2000 years.

In the world, the focus of life is -- NOW! The world focuses on youth, beauty, health and ability. In the autumn of life, there's less celebration because according to the world, life goes downhill. But with God, it's completely opposite!

God is saving the best for last! While things of the world get worse, become old and fade away. The things of God only get better! Rejoice and look toward the day when there is no more death, no more sorrow, no more pain because in Him all these things will pass away. Throw away all the worldly pursuits and pursue God because the greatest celebration awaits us!

Keep going, even if it gets tough -- because it only gets better in God!

[Shammu]

Learn a lesson from the balloon!

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

The other day, our little one year old, Obadiah started playing with a blown up balloon left over from Elianna's birthday party this past weekend. When it accidentally popped in his face, Obi was a bit startled, as you might imagine. Thinking quickly, in order that he wouldn't start bawling, I grabbed an unblown balloon from the table, blew it up real big and then let it go. Boy did he love that! He started laughing hysterically as he watched this balloon fly quickly all around the room until it ran out of air and plopped down on the floor. As we playing this game, I thought of a funny analogy.

In a sense, I think we need to be like balloons, filled to entirety with God's breath and then let go to experience the ride of our lives. Equally important is that we recognize when we're running out of air -- when we're depleted of His power, anointing, and purpose and need to run back to Him for more. Recieving the infilling of the Spirit is not a single event, but a lifetime of refilling, sothat we don't become useless for His Kingdom, trying to do things on our own strength. Amen?

The Lord doesn't entrust us with His power in order for us to sit around idly -- but rather that we would boldly share the good news of the Gospel, and do great things for Him wherever He may take us. Let's get filled again today! Ask, seek, knock, read, worship, meditate on His promises, get FILLED!

[Shammu]

Be sure to enjoy life!

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I read this story on the internet, and I thought I'd share it with you.

A wealthy businessman was shocked to see a fisherman sitting beside his boat, playing with a small child. So the businessman asked, "Why aren't you out fishing?" The fisherman replied, "Because I've caught enough fish for one day." "Why don't you catch some more?" the businessman further inquired.

"What would I do with them?" asked the fisherman. "You could earn more money," said the businessman. "Then with the extra money, you could buy a bigger boat, go into deeper waters, and catch more fish. Then you would make enough money to buy nylon nets. With the nets, you could catch even more fish and make more money. With that money you could own two boats, maybe three boats. Eventually you could have a whole fleet of boats and be rich like me."

"Then what would I do?" replied the fisherman. "Then you could really enjoy life," answered the businessman. The fisherman looked at the businessman quizzically and asked, "What do you think I'm doing now?"

Let's not get so wrapped up in work, that we simply forget to enjoy life – the life that He wants to give us more abundantly! Take some time out this weekend and be sure to praise God for the life that He's provided. Have a great weekend!

[Shammu]

Are you a good citizen?

Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this verse, the word conversation ("politeuomai" in Greek) means citizenship.

When we think of being a good citizen, we probably think of a law-abiding, productive contributor to society who takes pride in their country. I’m sure all of us would like to be thought of as good citizens of the countries in which we live. My wife has dual citizenship, she’s both Israeli and American -- I guess that means she has to work extra hard at being loyal!

We, as believers in Jesus, have to remember that we have dual citizenship! We must become great citizens of both heaven and earth! How do we do this? We love God with all our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbor as ourselves. We become productive contributors in our local assemblies and/or in our local ministries. We continually boast of the awesome work the Lord has done -- and all the great things He’s yet to do.

So often we often forget that we are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13), but let’s remember that while we make our pilgrimage in the flesh here on earth, we are here as ambassadors of the King of Kings!

[Shammu]

How little are you?

Matthew 18:4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Hudson Taylor was scheduled to speak at a Large Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introduced him in the most eloquent and glowing terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China, and then presented him as “our illustrious guest.” Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying, “Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.”

If we want to do great things for the Lord, it is crucial that we become humble before Him! When we realize that we are but little servants of an illustrious Master -- it is then that God will use us in a mighty way. After all, it is not our agendas, our purposes, our plans that God wants to bless --- it's God's agenda -- God's plan -- God's purpose for our lives that He will bless to overflowing!

Let's humble ourselves, get "little" before the Lord today and get our minds set on His purpose instead of our own. There's much work to be done!!

[Shammu]

Practice makes perfect!

Psalms 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

In Budapest, a man goes to the rabbi and complains, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?"

The rabbi answers, "Take your goat into the room with you." The man in incredulous, but the rabbi insists. "Do as I say and come back in a week."

A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. "We cannot stand it," he tells the rabbi. "The goat is filthy."

The rabbi then tells him, "Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week."

A radiant man returns to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, "Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there's no goat -- only the nine of us."

This is a funny story but how many of us know how to be truly thankful in the face of trial? Many powerhouses of the faith who preceded us realized the importance of mastering thankfulness. How much more should we who have so much more than they!

We have an opportunity this Thanksgiving week, to practice being thankful! If we’re struggling today, let’s practice paising God in thankfulness for all the good things He's done! He deserves all of our praise regardless of our circumstance!

[Shammu]

Ya can't always get it the way you want it!

Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

We're preparing to celebrate our 5th Thanksgiving here in Israel, and as you may or may not know, the majority of Israelis have never heard of this holiday. So it's always an adventure on the day we go out hunting for a turkey and all the other Thanksgiving foods which Americans are normally accustomed to. You see, most Israelis have never contemplated the idea of cooking a turkey whole, (not that the little Israeli ovens could even fit one if they had).

Facing this Thanksgiving challenge year after year has improved our hunting skills, but nothing in past years compares to the first year we celebrated Thanksgiving -- it was a total fiasco! We pre-ordered a turkey several days in advance from the local butcher, and when we went to pick it up, he informed us that they had to cut it up for parts, because they ran out of meat. By that time it was Wednesday evening, we were looking forward to a slew of guests arriving the next day for Thanksgiving dinner...TURKEYLESS!!! We ended up having to pay a whole LOT of money for this ugly, frozen, lopsided, skinny, feathery, turkey (with the neck still attached) the afternoon of Thanksgiving, with barely enough time to cook it (thank God it was skinny!). We actually had to saw off the neck and pluck the ugly thing with tweezers! Then, when we went to the grocery store, we asked for canned cranberry sauce and they pointed us to the beverage aisle, having no earthly idea what we were talking about. Even with all the chaos however, we stayed hopeful and determined to get the job done. We ended up having a wonderful time and got to share the Good news of Messiah with a number of searching Israelis.

So every year since then, we have praised and thanked God that it's nothing like our first Thanksgiving in the land. But the moral of the story really is, that sometimes things don't go exactly the way we'd expected or hoped -- yet we still need to hang in there for the sake of the final outcome, because our God has a way of making us thankful, even when we are turkeyless, or even when we feel like turkeys.

If things aren't going your way today, don't get all flustered and featherless, feeling like you've been gobbled up. Keep your eyes on the prize! The Lord never promised it would be easy, but he did promise us great rewards for enduring till the end! And that's something to be really thankful for. Have a grateful and joyful Thanksgiving!