December 3rd, 2022: THE FIRE OF TESTING & THE SHIELD OF FAVOR
ADONAI is calling His people to get ready, to be prepared in these Last Days!
The FEAR of the LORD is what is going to keep us protected, humble, give us the favor, wisdom and discernment to distinguish between the holy and profane.
"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night." Psalm 1:1-2
The fear of ADONAI is understanding that He is the only One who fully comprehends everything, who is truly in total control, seated on the throne, omnipresent, omnipotent, and who sees the intentions of every heart! There is none like Him! And He wants to bless those who are surrendered to Him completely, because He has proven Himself faithful.
As it states in Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
The Fear of the LORD is the root for obtaining wisdom! And this is what's going to keep us from the snares and traps of the enemy. Especially as the world gets darker, where evil and wickedness runs ramped everywhere.
There are many snares of death that have been set for us, daily traps the enemy sets, both in the physical and spiritual realms!
This is why we need the spirit of the fear of the LORD, now more than ever!
And this is why the fear of the LORD is our SHIELD of FAVOR! Because when we are obedient to Him and honor Him in our daily living, He honors us and protects us with His shield of favor. "For You bless the righteous, ADONAI. You surround him with favor as a shield." Psalms 5:12
We need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We need to walk in the fear of ADONAI. "His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation." Luke 1:50
There is real blessing in the fear of the LORD! It is part of holiness and setting ourselves apart unto Him!
This is why we need to ABIDE in YESHUA daily spending time in prayer, seeking His face, reading His Word so that we can receive the daily fresh empowerment, encouragement, wisdom, discernment, clarity and endurance we need to persevere in the day-to-day decisions, challenges and battles we face.
We also need to become familiar with the Word of God, memorizing it so that we can face the enemy, engaging in spiritual warfare, interceding, pressing in and going up into higher places in Him! Going from strength to strength and from glory to glory!
The Word of God is a double-edged sword in our hands! (Psalm 149:6) When Yeshua comes back He will have a sword in His mouth! This is how He will fight - with the Word in His mouth! HalleluYah!!
By allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way in us, this gives Him the ability to pour into us everything that we need to keep persevering in the hope and joyful expectation of the good plans that ADONAI has in store for us! Plans to give us a hope and a future! (Jeremiah 29:11)
"But understand this, that in the last days hard times will come— for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, hardhearted, unforgiving, backbiting, without self-control, brutal, hating what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!" 2 Timothy 3:1-5 TLV
The LORD also warns us about the deception of people who may appear to be holy and godly on the outside but are deceived and deny the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives!
This means we need to be watchful, being very careful with the company we keep, with who we allow to influence our lives and the decisions we make, so that we ourselves are not deceived by going in the wrong direction. Staying in the fear of the LORD keeps us in the straight and narrow path, and allows the RUACH HA'KODESH (Holy Spirit) to illuminate the way, making clear to us who we should associate ourselves with, and who we need to cut out from our lives.
YESHUA never promised that life would be easy, but He DID PROMISE that He would NEVER LEAVE us nor forsake us and that He would give us the VICTORY and the ability to navigate through unchartered waters.
The LORD also uses difficulties to get our attention, to test our faith, to make sure we are anchored in Him!
Have you ever seen a sacrifice without a fire? ADONAI refines us through the fire. When we go through the furnace of affliction, ADONAI will always turn this process for His glory, if we trust in Him and persevere through the refining fire.
"Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” Exodus 20:20
The LORD will always glorify His Name and reward us with favor, if we show ourselves approved during the times of testing. The fire of trial, with obedience, becomes the fire of the Spirit burning in us!
When we are crucified in YESHUA, and we let Him make the choices for us, then we are giving Him the pen to write our book. And the outcome of this surrender and complete obedience will be favor and eternal reward. Are you ready to give Him the pen?
“LORD write my book. Let my life be a beautiful story, for Your glory. In Yeshua's Name!”
Look at Joseph's life, who endured a huge test for 14 years in prison, where he was falsely accused of going after Potiphar's wife (talk about being in bad company!), when
he had already been betrayed by his own brothers! Yet, Joseph stayed faithful to the LORD, and was greatly rewarded for his faithfulness!
He ended up becoming the best governor, having great wisdom and discernment from the LORD, to navigate the entire country of Egypt through an intense period of famine!
"The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field." Genesis 39:2-5
Most of the time, favor comes after a trial or period of testing. First the LORD tests us and then He rewards us with favor.
Another example of this was with the children of Israel in the desert:
"He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper." Deuteronomy 8:16
Daniel also prospered after his ordeal in the lion's den (Daniel 6:27).
Faith brings favor:
We don't see things in the natural, the way that ADONAI sees things. Our natural perspective is very limited. We can only see the here and now in the present, with our physical eyes.
Sometimes, when we see the wicked prospering, we think it's the LORD'S favor upon them, but it could be a test that that person is going through, to determine the intentions of his heart.
Money can also be a test to see who really is "Lord" over our lives.
Not all material wealth is favor from the LORD.
This is why we need the fear of ADONAI operating in us, and a higher sensitivity to the RUACH HA'KODESH (Holy Spirit). This way the Holy Spirit can give us supernatural insight and understanding into a situation, shedding light on what's really happening underneath the surface. It's only through the Holy Spirit that we are able to see things supernaturally, from ADONAI's perspective, and know clearly what He would have us do in that moment and in each season/trial we're going through.
"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." Isaiah 30:21
The RUACH HA'KODESH is the key to learning the important lessons, and being able to move into the LORD's shield of favor and blessings!
It is only through the empowerment of the Spirit that we are able to navigate through spiritual warfare successfully,
and come out victorious on the other side! Then our faith will be rewarded, just like Joseph's and Daniel's and so many others who humbled themselves and received the fear of the LORD!
"So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty." Zechariah 4:6
Favor Comes To Those Who:
1) Exercises FAITH beyond words spoken; Being willing to take risks, acting upon the word the LORD gives us to do. Remembering that ADONAI is looking for availability and obedience, more than just listening and the capability to do it. We prove it by our actions:
"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His purpose." Philippians 2:12-13
2) NEVER give up on your faith in YESHUA. Understand that TESTS WILL COME to ALL who profess to believe in the MESSIAH YESHUA! And He is looking to see those who will STAY FAITHFUL to Him until the VERY END!
"Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10
We are doubly blessed with favor in this life and in the life to come! HalleluYah!
“Truly I tell you,” Yeshua said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Luke 18:29-30
3) Put your GIFTS to work. Whatever gifting you have been given, use it for the glory of ADONAI, so that you may be a vessel of honor for the advancement of His Kingdom, and fulfill His purposes in your life.
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities."
Luke 16:10
In the Parable of the 10 Minas (Luke 19:11-27): The King favored those who were faithful and productive with the 10 minas they were each given.
Each one of the servants were given the same amount equally.
In the same way, God distributes to all of us spiritual gifts, talents, favor and blessings throughout our lives (our 10 Minas).
But He leaves it up to us to make wise choices in how we invest and use these Minas to bring multiplication for the Kingdom of ADONAI!
It's very important to note that these Minas from the LORD were never ours in the first place, nor are they to be used for our own selfish gains! Neither are we to hide them and do nothing at all with them; out of fear or for thinking we've been unjustly given the bad end of the bargain! Otherwise, even what is given to us will be taken away and given to someone else who has shown and proven themselves responsible of using their Minas for the LORD!
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10
We need to remember that even what we do receive as favor, is borrowed. NOTHING IS OURS! We should never take it for granted. Instead, we need to take these Minas seriously, acting in obedience and in the fear of the LORD. Giving generously, just as we've been freely given!
This is the first restoration that ADONAI is searching for: The fear of the LORD in Israel, in the nations, but first of all within us, His children! Above all, may we show ourselves approved!
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." 1 Corinthians 3:13
The fear of the LORD is what causes us to become a living sacrifice. And obedience is the conduit by which we practice the sacrifice of worship unto our King Yeshua, our ultimate sacrifice! It becomes a lifestyle, where Yeshua also becomes a treasure and our greatest reward.
May we become a living sacrifice when we go through the fire of testing, in YESHUA'S Name.
16 "Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; 17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. 19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty...
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; 22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed. 23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him...
25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing." Psalm 37:16-26
Let Us Pray:
Father, by the power of the RUACH HA'KODESH, teach us to be sensitive to You and to Your leading. Cause us to humble ourselves before You, to be teachable, shapeable and moldable, surrendering our lives completely unto Your control. Fill us with Your spirit of the fear of ADONAI, which is the beginning of wisdom!
Cause us to HATE what is evil! Teach us to hate sin! As it is written in Your Word in Proverbs 8:13:
"To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech."
LORD, we renounce sin from our lives! Help us to walk in Your ways and to do what is right in Your sight!
As we approach Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, we consecrate and rededicate our lives unto You Oh LORD. We belong to You! Help us to choose to "Seek first Your Kingdom, and Your Righteousness, so that all of these things will be added unto us as well." (Matthew 6:33)
In YESHUA'S Mighty Name, Amen!
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