Gifts and Callings for the Kingdom | Thy Kingdom Come
I want to share about the blessing and importance of having a vision, and how a vision can motivate us to accomplish the purposes for which we were created. When Yahweh created Adam and Eve from the dust of the ground, He didn’t just sit them in a glass case and say, “Look at what I did!” He created them to accomplish something, namely to take dominion over and subdue the earth, to tend a garden and to keep it. To be fruitful and multiply. He had a vision for them.
He also has a vision for all of us as a new creation in the Messiah Yahushua. He desires that we would tend to His spiritual garden, the planting of Yahweh. He desires us to be fruitful ones in our garden, bearing the fruits of His Spirit and multiplying by “Going therefore” and making disciples of all nations.
Matthew 9:35- Then Yahushua went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 – But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 – Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 – Therefore pray the Master of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Yahushua has been given all power and authority in heaven and on earth, but the inhabitants of the earth are given over to the ways of His enemy, and our enemy. We as the people of Yahweh, have been sent on a search, rescue and recovery mission. And, you know something? We may lose a few battles here and there but we ultimately will win the war. As soldiers in the army of Yahweh we have been called to do exploits for the King of Kings. As a people in exile to Babylon, we are seeking to gather together an army of foot soldiers and warriors. We are not in a time of peace and we are not in a time of rest. There is a war going on. And it’s the most important war in the world. The ramifications of this war, my brethren, will have eternal consequences. Think about this for a moment….
ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES!
This means that the things that we do in this age will affect how eternity will play out for us. Are we turning people to righteousness or are we causing people to stumble into unrighteousness?
Let’s consider:
Matthew 13:41- “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 – and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 – Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
So we see in this verse that not only will those who practice Torahlessness will be sent to the furnace of fire, but any that are causing offense… or causing others to stumble into sin.
Revelation 2:14- “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
Thus, we see in scripture that not only those who practice unrighteousness but also those who cause others to stumble into unrighteousness will also be cast into the lake of fire. Everything we do can either advance the kingdom of Yahweh or the kingdom of His enemy. Yahushua was against this assembly because they had among them those who put a stumbling block before others.
We need to be very aware of what our actions are doing for others. Are we a stepping stone or a stumbling block? Are we leading others to “observe all things, whatsoever Yahushua commanded” or are we leading others to disobedience? We are our brother’s keeper whether we want to be or not. Part of loving our neighbor is leading them to keeping Yahweh’s commandments. We see this in the book of Daniel:
Daniel 12:1- “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. 2 – And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 – Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.
Brethren, I want to be known in the age to come as one of those who turned many to righteousness. I want to shine like the stars forever and ever. It is not prideful to desire this, my brethren. It is never pride to desire the blessing of Yahweh. If we want to shine in the age to come, we must be humble in our present estate. He who exalts Himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted:
Luke 14:8- “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9 – and he who invited you and him come and say to you,`Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 – But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you,`Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11 – For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Do we see that Yahushua is motivating us here by helping us to see the blessing of humility. The blessing of humility is that Yahweh will exalt us in due time.
1 Peter 5:6- Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of Elohim, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 – casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 – Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
So it is not a bad thing to desire to be exalted in due time. It is not a bad thing to desire to shine like the stars forever and ever. Some have the “doorkeeper” mentality and say that they will settle for being a doorkeeper in the house of Yahweh. Let’s not seek the doorkeeper job, brothers. Let’s seek to be kings and priests unto our Elohim. Let’s desire the greater things.
It’s not bad or prideful to desire the greater things. In fact, I would say that it is a bad thing to NOT desire the blessing of Yahweh. Do we remember one of the differences between Jacob and Esau? Jacob wrestled with the angel all night, and would not let him go until he got the blessing. He even did some underhanded things that I would not really recommend to get the blessing and birthright of the firstborn because he valued Yahweh’s blessing. Esau didn’t care about the blessing of Yahweh, and Yahweh hated him for it:
Genesis 25:34- And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Romans 9:13- As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
Brethren, do we value the blessing of Yahweh and seek to actively participate in “Going therefore and making disciples” or do we focus on the here and now? Are we selling our birthright for a mess of pottage?? Are we seeking the riches and temporary things of this age and ignoring the blessing of Yahweh? Is most of our time spent on building an empire and kingdom that will not stand, or is most of our time and thoughts spent on building a kingdom that shall never fall?
When Yahweh gave Adam the command to take dominion, tend to the garden, etc. he was actually building an eternal kingdom. Yahweh’s desire was that Adam would rule the earth forever. But when death entered the world, everything changed. Now, everything we seek to build in this age will ultimately be destroyed.
It’s like building a castle made out of sand. A person goes to all this effort to build a big, beautiful castle… yet one day the tide will come and it will all wash away. That’s what we’re doing. The bank accounts, the houses, the cars, the furniture, the jobs, the income, the businesses, the big beautiful buildings.. it’s all nothing but castles made of sand. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity!
Ecclesiates 2:11- Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
Luke 12:15- And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” 16 – Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 – And he thought within himself, saying,`What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 – So he said,`I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 – And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”‘ 20 – But Elohim said to him,`Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 – So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward Elohim.”
People today talk a lot about “estate planning” with the goal of managing and accumulating property and wealth. Yahweh calls those who are putting trust in their retirements and so-called “nest eggs” as mere fools. It’s amazing the amount of effort that men will go to in order to gain this. Years and years of labor in college. Years and years of labor at various places of employment. Late nights, endless toil and sweat and tears… all so that they can attain that which they may never receive.
James 4:13- Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 – whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 – Instead you ought to say, “If the Master wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 – But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
We do not even know if we will draw our next breath. If we make any plans, we must acknowledge the giver of life and realize that our life is nothing but a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. THAT IS OUR LIFE on this earth my brethren.
So where are our priorities? Where are our eyes really focused? Is it on that which is not?
Proverbs 23:4- Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! 5 – Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
Yahushua said:
Matthew 6:19- “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 – but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Brethren, this is a command from Yahushua. We must lay up treasures in heaven.
We need to do some spiritual “estate planning” with the specified goal being to build up, manage and accumulate spiritual wealth, and accumulating spiritual acreage. The proverb says:
Proverbs 13:7- There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
Yahweh wants to build our spiritual estate in such a way that we have eternal riches that will never perish. And He wants to be the director of this estate:
Psalm 127:1- Unless Yahweh builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless Yahweh guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
Now, this does not mean we are required to be poor as dirt, for the proverb says:
Proverbs 3:9- Honor Yahweh with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 – So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
So with the temporary riches that we are given we want to invest it in such a way that it is used to honor Yahweh. Our goal isn’t to make a bunch of money that will one day perish, our goal is to lay up spiritual wealth that lasts into all eternity. I know a brother who retired with a really good pension after many years of hard work, but he chooses to live in a mobile home while he invests his retirement money into a spiritual things. I think his spiritual retirement account is going to be out of this world.
We are called to buy wisdom at all costs, buy things that invest in the kingdom of Yahweh.
Matthew 13:44- Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 – Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 – who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Proverbs 23:23- Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.
Yahushua chastised the assembly at Laodicea for their lack of spiritual focus:
Revelation 3:14- “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,`These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of Elohim: 15 – I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 – So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 – Because you say,`I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’– and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked– 18 – I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 – As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 – To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Brethren, this is the age that we live in. We are living in an age of plenty. The tendency in our age is to be neither hot nor cold. We must be careful that we are not assuming something. We must be careful that we aren’t assuming that the heat we have is actually “hot” in Yahweh’s eyes. It may only be lukewarm to Him. When I get into the shower, my wife feels the water temperature and says it’s not hot at all. But if I were to take a bath with the kind of water temperature that she takes a bath in, I would walk out with second degree burns. So is our heat really “hot” in Yahweh’s eyes?
I think it would be safe to assume that the heat the disciples were projecting in the first century assembly would qualify as “hot.” They set the tone for us as Yahweh’s people in this age. Their enemies said that they turned the world upside down. They took Yahushua’s command seriously. They are the pattern for us to look at. Yahushua’s said we would do greater works than Him. Well, let’s get started!!
How do we get started? How can we build up and accumulate spiritual wealth in an age where temporary wealth is the focus? First, we must value the blessing of Yahweh and place value in the spiritual wealth to begin with. I don’t know exactly what Yahweh has in store for us, but I believe it’s really really good. Yahushua even said:
Luke 6:22- Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. 23 – Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
Leap for joy when we are hated? Leap for joy when we are excluded? Leap for joy when we are reviled and our name is cast as evil? YES. REJOICE AND LEAP, LEAP, LEAP for joy Yahushua said. He must know something that we don’t fully know. I think it would be kind of like trying to explain to a man who has only had mush all of his life what apple pie tastes like. Could you describe it? No, you could only say, “Well, umm… it’s just REALLY GOOD! Trust me.” Maybe he would say, “well OK” and not really place much value to it because he can’t imagine tasting anything sweet would be like. Brethren, have we had just a taste of the sweetness of Yahweh? It is only a smidgen of what’s in store for us. Can we be like Jacob and believe His word that Yahweh’s blessings are worth it? And can we not only put value in the blessing of Yahweh, but pursue it and not rest until we have it? Or will we be like Esau and only value the blessing of Yahweh when we receive the riches that will perish? Yahushua compared the two:
Luke 6:22- Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. 23 – Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 24 – But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. 25 – Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.
If there was ever an accurate picture of the United States, I might say it’s verse 24 and 25. Our country is full of overeating rich people laughing their heads off at the entertainments of the world.
So my brethren, let’s be among those who value the reward in heaven and seek the eternal riches! Soooo much effort goes into that which is not! And soooo little effort goes into that which will remain for trillions of years into all eternity!
So how do we get started on a spiritual retirement program?
The typical church model is that only certain people are called into ministry, and when they feel “called” they go to seminary, they’ll get trained and get hired by some church that hopefully has a good pension so that they can retire at age 65.
But this isn’t Yahweh’s model. Yahweh’s model is that every one of us has a function in the body of Messiah, and therefore every one of us are called into ministry.
We all have gifts and talents that should be used for accumulating spiritual wealth, fulfilling the Great Commission. Yahushua spoke of spiritual wealth in the parable of the talents.
Matthew 25:14– “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 – And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 – Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 – And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 – But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 – After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 – So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying,`Master, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 – His lord said to him,`Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 – He also who had received two talents came and said,`Master, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 – His lord said to him,`Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 – Then he who had received the one talent came and said,`Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 – And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 – But his lord answered and said to him,`You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 – So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 – Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 – For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 – And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
We cannot hide our spiritual talent in the sand or we will be called “lazy.” We must use spiritual investments to bring increase out of it. Right after this parable, Yahushua spoke of separating the sheep and goats. The sheep were those who were busy with spiritual investments with personal ministry such as helping the poor and needy. The goats didn’t make spiritual investments, but ignored the needs of the people around them.
Matthew 25:31- “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 – All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 – And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 – Then the King will say to those on His right hand,`Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 – for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 – I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 – Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,`Master, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 – When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 – Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 – And the King will answer and say to them,`Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41 – Then He will also say to those on the left hand,`Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 – for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 – I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 – Then they also will answer Him, saying,`Master, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 – Then He will answer them, saying,`Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 – And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
But how do we begin to retrain our minds? We’ve been Greek-ized. We’re trained from the time we were small to value the things which are temporary. But Yahweh wants us to value the eternal blessings.
We need a vision.
Scripture says:
Proverbs 29:18- Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
I’m going to be frank and open with you here for a moment.
I personally got a vision for the importance of guiding my children to Yahweh in the late 1990’s. I had made a lot of mistakes as a father, much of it out of ignorance. I was raising my children the way most parents do in the world, with little spiritual instruction and just expecting them to follow my example through use of discipline. But after meeting a very impressive family that had all their children glowing with the Spirit and joy of Yahweh, I got a vision for raising my children in the same way. I never realized how much scripture had to say about the roles of Fathers and Mothers, Wives and Husbands and I felt so strongly about it, I wanted to share it.
I didn’t really have things together yet (and I still don’t) but I felt that what I had learned from Yahweh’s word in this area was so convicting, so inspiring, so amazing, and so so so needed in the body of Messiah, I wrote some studies on the subject and put them on the web site. On the study I mentioned that my family is in damage repair, and I don’t mind telling you that we still are. We continue to make mistakes and we are still learning. I’m still learning how to be a father like Yahweh our Father and husband like Yahushua our Bridegroom, and I haven’t always followed what I have learned, and even what I have taught.
But one of the things I have learned this past year is the importance of having a vision. Having a vision is an important part of being a believer. Without it, we have a tendency to struggle with sin. But with it, we keep Yahweh’s law and find joy.
Proverbs 29:18- Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
The mistake I made with my older children is a failure to help them cultivate a vision for their role in the body of Messiah. They were mildly involved in ministry but not in such a way that uses their gifts and talents to their potential. This is one reason for the change in how we do our broadcast. Yahweh inspired a man to fund the video equipment and KolaYah is now running the equipment, Kara is sharing her talent of writing and it really takes all 3 of us to pull this thing off. And, as you know, even our littlest ones are a part of the broadcast to share their bible memory verses 🙂
So my brethren, if you have children, please learn from my mistake and cultivate a vision in their hearts to serve in ministry. Learn what their gifts and callings are and let them be used to the glory of Yahweh. Part of what I desire to do in this ministry trip is discover what areas of ministry that Yahweh has called Kara and KolaYah to. I need to do a better job of keeping them motivated and focused. I believe that with families Yahweh will call them into ministries that mesh together into a corporate vision.
In the scriptures, over and over again we see that Yahweh would work with families:
- Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives
- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
- Moshe, Aaron and Miriam
- King David & Solomon
- Elizabeth, Zecharias & John the Baptist
- Joseph & Mary (who was related to Elizabeth), Yahushua the Messiah and James Yahushua’s brother.
- Andrew & Peter
- The sons of Zebedee: James and John
And I’ve seen this also in my own personal walk with Yahweh that Yahweh works with families.
I learned from Geoff Botkin an excellent model for planning a spiritual estate called the “Quadrovocational Mission.” He made the point that we all work for something. Work is often just drudgery, and most people can’t wait to retire because work is just some necessary means of survival.
But if we are dominion oriented, we understand that all work is a religious duty, and there is no separation between the religious and secular. We will have a vision or mission to be about our Father’s business like Yahushua was, with the ultimate goal of world conquest. Work, and even life itself will then take on a whole new meaning. Botkin speaks of a four-faceted mission statement of sorts.
We are setting up Multi-generational estates. Spiritual capital, and eternal wealth, making manifest the reign of Yahushua the Messiah. All work is a religious duty. The earth must be utilized to develop His covenant mandate. David understood this as he conquered various areas. Yahushua’s mandate to “make disciples of all nations” fits in well with this.
When we look at the world, and see some area of ground given over to the enemy… something that really bothers us. So as we look at the problems in the world or even in the assemblies today, each of us may have a specific problem we see standing out that really speaks to us. We see a specific area that the enemy is wreaking havoc in the world, causing major problems, and it really bothers us.
So we can have specific objectives in our mission/estate plan that will focus on fixing that particular problem. This will ensure that we have an area of focus that motivates and inspires us until the task is completed. You all know that my passion is in bringing Christians to the Torah. Maybe your area of interest is a little different, and that’s perfectly normal and acceptable. On the earth, we all own different property, yet we understand that the earth is Yahweh’s and all its fullness…so we all share in one estate. The same is true of spiritual estates. You may have a different piece of spiritual ground that you are wanting to conquer, and that’s okay. But ultimately, all believers share in one estate, one earth that belongs to Yahweh.
Now with families, there are inheritances so we all actually have one estate in a bigger way. If we all work alone, we will not be nearly as effective as we would be if we ALL, parents, children AND GRANDPARENTS worked TOGETHER as one large, cohesive unit for the kingdom of Yahweh.
I desire that my children would see themselves as arrows ready to be shot out at the enemy. And you know, if we have multi-generational estate where we pool resources together to help each other, it’s more than an estate.. it’s an empire! Empires can have international influence. When Yahushua appears to rule the world, I want my family to be known in the gates! It’s not okay to seek the glory in this age, but Yahushua taught us that it is important for us to seek the glory that comes from Yahweh in the coming age.
And you know something, there are also blessings in this age too.
How many of you have moments where you suffer from depression, anxiety, a feeling of worthlessness, and even fear?
Years ago we used to visit with an elder who had been keeping the Sabbath, the Torah and using the true names since the 1960’s. He was suffering from depression, anxiety and fear. We would try to cheer him up and encourage him. We would sing and read the word with him, and try to bear his burden in Messiah. But nothing seemed to help. This man was very knowledgeable and had written a number of scripture studies that blessed the body of Messiah over the years, but here he was suffering from these things. Finally, he decided to take a trip to Texas and attend a conference. When he was there, many of the people recognized him and greeted him. He began to see the needs that were there in the body of Messiah and there were people there who had an appreciation for the things he had written and he was encourage to get back to ministry again. So he did. He started writing articles and serving the body of Messiah. He went from a life of boredom to a life of serving, and you know what? The depression left him. The anxiety and feeling of worthlessness left him. He was no longer focused on self and the feelings of depression which stemmed from the focus on himself melted away.
So many of our problems stem from a lifestyle that focuses on self. But the more focused we are on serving others, the less self-focused we will be and the happier we will be. This is because we are doing what we were created to do.
The busier we are serving Yahweh & others, the more victory we’ll gain over temptations/trials. Serving takes the focus off ourselves. Joseph & Yahushua both overcame temptation, & both had a love-based servant’s heart. There’s a connection between, “whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” & “whoever does/teaches [the commandments]…shall be called great in the kingdom” (Mt. 20:26; 5:19)
We need to understand that we are in a war. We need a warrior’s mindset. We cannot fear, brothers.
2 Timothy 1:7- For Elohim has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8 – Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Master…
Believers do not retreat in fear of the enemy, we attack. We need to get off the American playground and go forth into the spiritual battleground, making exploits.
We are in a war, and no one sits on the sidelines. There are no spectators. We are all participants on one side or the other
Some of us are supply men, others are footsoldiers, still others are officers. But we are all needed, we all have a function in the body.
Yahweh doesn’t need a big army to do a great work. Paul, Apollos, Luke, Barnabas, Aquila and Priscilla, Timothy, Titus did a lot together to bring the good news of Yahushua to the Gentile world. Yahushua just chose 12 men and we need only read the book of Acts and see what a small number of men were able to accomplish by the power of Yahweh’s Spirit. They testified before kings. They established communities of believers in various cities throughout the world. I have no doubt that Yahweh can accomplish a lot with just a small number of people. Because the battle is Yahweh’s.
Who wants to go forth and subdue the earth, taking dominion for Yahweh? There are many different ways to accomplish this. Draw up a vision for you and your family and find the things that inspire you. Seek out the callings that Yahweh has given. Find out what the talent is that He gave you so that you can use it to double the increase. Seek it out and Yahweh, He will be with you.
May Yahweh bless you and may He have mercy on us all!