Foreword : "Just as we would take our time to be with the person we love, how much more so should we do the same with our heavenly Abba (Father) and living Elohim? There is a Sacred Realm which awaits us, being outside the reaches of the dimensions of mass, space and time. Prayer, praise and worship is not something to be rushed through with the impatience of a "microwave society", but rather waited upon with a patient and fully expectant heart until His heavy-weighted Glory and Presence increases within our midst and charges our entire being and atmosphere with the divine Energy and Spirit of Heaven itself. The hot Flame of His passionate Love is able to melt the hardness of the iciest heart, enlighten the consciousness of the darkest soul, and lift the spirit from the lowest depths into the grandest heights. Our Abba is waiting for us with outstretched arms...."
In this world, we are beset on every side with all sorts of problems and this tends to raise the level of stress within ourselves to the point where we can become ineffective in a wide variation of ways. Our enemy, haShatan (the adversary) is very aware of this fact and works extremely hard in trying to distract us from consistently beholding Messiah. We are called to keep our (spiritual) "eyes fixed on Him who is the Author and the completor of our Faith", "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Master", so that we may become transformed from one level and degree of glory to the next (Heb. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18b). Perspective means everything, for whatever the continual meditation of our mind and heart is, that becomes our reality. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he..." (Prov. 23:7a)
It says in Matthew 6:22,23, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness..."
The word, "good", is translated from the Greek, "haplous", which means : "single", or "clear". This is speaking of a clear and focused vision with a singular mindset. A person who beholds the Master with clarity and focus will be full of His light. But as it is briefly mentioned in James 1:6-8, those who are double-minded will become unstable in all of their ways and they will utterly fail, becoming filled with darkness. YaHuWaH (יהוה) is not the author of confusion, but of divine peace, order, stability and clarity (1 Cor. 14:33).
Let me share an example: Have any of you ever looked through a telescope or binoculars? If so,....then you already know that if the lenses are not focused, with singular vision, then the images become blurred and distorted, and thus, rather than light coming through properly, presenting visual clarity, ...darkness will obscure(dim) your view and perspective.
As the popular saying goes, "The eyes are the window of the soul." I am not speaking mainly about our physical eyes, but of our spiritual eyes, of our inner vision, and how we perceive life, the world, spirituality, etc. It is imperative and necessary that we have the righteous and proper perception (awareness,
One of the greatest ways to keep our concentration on Him firm and resolute, is to cultivate a lifestyle of heartfelt praise and Spirit-led, intimate worship where "deep calls unto deep", or in other words, where the deep places of your heart is in sincere and passionately loving communion with the heart of our wonderful heavenly Abba. He continually seeks for us as His children to "worship Him in Spirit and in Truth" (John 4:23,24).
This is the "secret place" in the Spirit where our hearts progressively merge into a singular unity, and there is MUCH Power therein. Within the book of Psalms, we see that King David experienced much hardship with managing his emotions, and spent much time venting and complaining about his circumstances in a negative manner as he was battling frustration, anger, fear and depression. However, he understood that the answer to all of his problems was to seek the face of Him who sits upon the throne. This is why he willingly chose to praise and worship His majesty, and in doing so, we can see how his perspective and attitude changed from negativity to positivity in dramatic fashion. Always remember, "your attitude determines your altitude." As both the Word and medical science proves, we can become lifted or lowered by our own thoughts and emotions.
For those of you who are struggling within the realm of your deeply-seated emotions, whether it be crippling anxieties and fears (phobias) about various things, explosive episodes of anger and rage, or the suppressive weight of depression, etc., I want to share something with you that will inspire hope. You do not have to suffer needlessly from this harsh reality, for there is an answer. Whenever negative thoughts plague our consciousness, these are "fiery darts" from the wicked one and can be quenched by our "shield of faith" (Eph. 6: 16). Rather than willingly allowing these satanic suggestions to infiltrate our being to the point where we meditate on them and our emotions spiral out of control, we can use His Word with prayer, as well as singing praise and worship to our Abba to the point where our Spiritual vision is singular and focused upon Him.
Whenever this occurs, our entire being becomes filled with a greater measure of His Light, and His peace which surpasses all understanding can manifest within us a divine ease and rest which is extremely comforting and healing. At the same time, I am aware that there are those of us who are experiencing the affliction which stems from bio-chemical imbalances within the brain and this dramatically affects our emotions. In cases such as these, you should seek whatever treatment which is the most effective for you, while also being completely open and receptive by faith to our Abba's loving and healing touch.
As it says within Luke 4:18, our Messiah came with the awesome Power of the Anointing to set the captives free, in healing the brokenhearted and setting at liberty those who are bruised(oppressed).
This Scripture is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy within Isaiah 61:1,2. In verse 3, it is promised that He came to comfort and give us "the Oil of Joy for mourning, and the Garment of Praise for the spirit of heaviness(depression)". Do you see the "key" within that passage? It is the "Garment of Praise" in which He is giving unto us to replace the spirit of depression. Within a Covenant, one party exchanges all that he/she has in order to receive all from the other. So therefore, if we desire to receive whatever it is that we need from Him, then we must by faith give Him what we have. "Cast all of your cares upon Him who takes care of you"(1 Pet. 5:7).
If we attempt in vain to "control" and "take care" of everything with our own limited self-abilities,...then we are through lack of faith abiding in pride and resisting humility. In doing so, we refuse surrendering with meekness(with strength bent under restraint to a Higher Power), thus denying Him the opportunities to righteously govern and take care of every aspect of our lives. If we want Him to increase within our own lives, then we must decrease. This is the only Path towards receiving the measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah.
It is a documented medical fact that deep prayer, meditation (upon the Word), and worship stimulate the right hemisphere of the brain and within the Alpha brain wave state, extremely powerful biochemicals and neurotransmitters (substances which transmit nerve impulses across a synapse), such as endorphins, serotonin, etc., are released throughout the bloodstream, dramatically affecting our mental states and emotions in a positive manner, and producing deep feelings of peace, comfort, joy, and well-being. These physical changes in combination with the Power of the Presence of our Abba's Holy Spirit have the divine potential of creating experiences which are extremely beneficial and life-altering.
Just in case there are some who do not yet know the difference between praise and worship:
Praise is when we express favor, admiration, and approval of YaHuWaH, giving Him the proper honor. More often than not, praise involves a faster pace of music and song unto Him, in which we involve ourselves totally in a physical, emotional, and spiritual manner with dancing, clapping, rejoicing, singing loudly, etc., as His Set-Apart Spirit leads us. Worship is a broader and higher extension of praise in which we express ourselves unto Him in a more tenderly, devoted manner, with intimate affection from our heart/spirit unto Him. As we worship Him, we express ourselves with a greater sense of humility and deeper reverence. This touches the heart of our Abba like nothing else, and He seeks this from each and every one of us.
Whenever we release genuine and heartfelt praise and worship towards YaHuWaH, He inhabits and is enthroned within it (Ps.22:3). We are releasing His Power to work on our behalf whenever we praise Him. Just as His Word is the Sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17b ; Heb.4:12, so likewise, praise is a spiritual weapon.
(Psalm 149:5-9) "Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of YaHuWaH be in their mouth, and a two-edged Sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the written judgment--This honor have ALL the saints. Praise YaHuWaH."
In the ReNewed Covenant, the saints are not called by Him to fight against flesh and blood, like as in the Old Covenant, but are to wage war against the evil principalities and powers, the rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. (Eph. 6:12,13)
Praise and worship are part of our spiritual arsenal of weapons and are effective in pulling down satanic strongholds, and anything that opposes Messiah, punishing all disobedience. (2 Cor. 10:3-6 ; Eph. 3:10) One of the best ways to silence the forces of darkness whenever they are sowing evil thoughts and confusion in our midst is to vibrantly praise YaHuWaH.
(Psalms 8:2) "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have ordained strength because of Your enemies, so that You may silence the enemy and the avenger."
(Matthew 21:16) "And said unto him, 'Hearest thou what these say'? And Yahuwsha said unto them, Yea, have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have perfected praise?' "
If you notice from the comparison between these two Scriptures, the fact is that the Master quoted from the Psalms,...and the word "strength" (in Psalms) is paralleled with the word, "praise", which He used. There is a reason for this, and it is because praise IS power, strength, and divine Energy being released from our spirits by His Spirit unto the One upon the throne, and then His Presence increasingly inhabits this praise and He also loosens His angels to work and fight on our behalf, according to His will.
We see a very powerful example of this within 2 Chron. 20:21,22, in which the praisers and worshippers went ahead of the army of Yisrael and as they sang from their hearts as one, YaHuWaH sent forth His angels to create ambushments against the collective armies of Ammon, Moab, amd Mount Seir, and they were defeated. Wow! Can you imagine an army getting ready to defend their nation from foreign invaders,...and then the praisers and worshippers go out ahead of that army, singing unto YaHuWaH? His Power which was expressed through that praise and worship was more powerful than mere physical weapons, and thus, the enemy became confused, turned on themselves, and killed each other, as Yisrael watched.
We see a very powerful example of this within 2 Chron. 20:21,22, in which the praisers and worshippers went ahead of the army of Yisrael and as they sang from their hearts as one, YaHuWaH sent forth His angels to create ambushments against the collective armies of Ammon, Moab, amd Mount Seir, and they were defeated. Wow! Can you imagine an army getting ready to defend their nation from foreign invaders,...and then the praisers and worshippers go out ahead of that army, singing unto YaHuWaH? His Power which was expressed through that praise and worship was more powerful than mere physical weapons, and thus, the enemy became confused, turned on themselves, and killed each other, as Yisrael watched.
Another example is from Acts 16:23-26, where the apostles Paul and Silas were unjustly whipped and incarcerated and while they were in stocks, sitting in a smelly, cesspool-lined prison cell, they passionately prayed and worshipped, singing hymns in the Spirit. As they did so, the entire place was shaken with an earthquake and they became liberated from their captivity. This also opened the "door" of opportunity for them to administer the Gospel to the jailer. They could have very easily succumbed to carnal emotions and grumbled about how unfair everything was. But instead, they chose the Higher Path, in meditating on Him, and through this vibrant act of faith, He moved on their behalf in a miraculous manner which is still being spoken of, almost 2,000 years later.
In confirming Psalms 22:3, YaHuWaH is enthroned upon and inhabits our intensely vibrant praises and deep worship, manifesting His Shekinah Glory, as indicated in 2 Chronicles 5:14: "Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking YaHuWaH, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised YaHuWaH, saying: 'For He is good, for His mercy endures forever,' that the house, the house of YaHuWaH, was filled with a Cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the Cloud; for the Glory of YaHuWaH filled the House of Elohim."
The throne of YaHuWaH Elohim is surrounded by His seraphim who continually sing in praise and worship unto Him, along with the saints, according to Rev. 4: 6-11, etc. And in Heaven, His Glory is continually manifested. But whenever His angels (and His people) sing in true praise and worship to Him on the Earth, the result is the same, which is the increasing manifestation of His Presence and Shekinah Glory, for He inhabits and is enthroned within pure praise and worship.
(Isaiah 6:1b, 2a, 3-4) "...I saw YaHuWaH sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; ....and one cried to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the YaHuWaH of hosts; The whole Earth is full of His Glory!' And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with Smoke."
In closing, I challenge each and every one of you to rise above your negative situations and circumstances by consistently thinking on heavenly things with the divine Mind (Consciousness) of Messiah, meditating upon Abba's set-apart Scriptures-Word and praying in His Spirit. Express the fullness of your heart in Spiritual intimacy and communion with Him, speaking and singing within your native language and also within the divine utterance (in other languages/tongues) as the Set-Apart Spirit leads (if you have the gifting ; 1 Cor. 14: 2,15).
Rather than allowing your emotions to be inspired by the fleshly, carnal nature, and your environment to dictate to you the terms of your inner spiritual lifestyle, willingly choose to walk and live in the nature and "fruit"(set-apart emotions and character) of the Spirit (Gal.5:22,23). It is a process which begins with the first step. Never give up, no matter how many times you fail, for a quitter never wins. As Paul said, "I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of Elohim in Messiah Yahuwsha..."
As you surrender your everything to Abba, He will give you everything which you need in order to endure and overcome temptation and ultimately receive the fullness of your destiny within the Kingdom of Light. "Being confident in this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you SHALL carry it on to the day of completion..." (Phil. 1:6)
As you praise and worship the Most High in Spirit and Truth with purity and devotion of heart, waiting on Him with genuine patience and self-control, He shall deliver you from darkness to Light and from captivity into Liberty.
(Eph. 5:17-20) "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of YaHuWaH is. And do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation[excess]; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Master, giving thanks always for all things to Elohim the Abba in the name of our Master Yahuwsha the Messiah."
(1 Peter 2:9) "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His glorious light."
(Jude 24) "Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, to Elohim our Savior who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Ameyn."
Peace be with you.
In Him we live, move, and have our being,
Yahuwnatan
This is very good, and, I accept yur challenge!
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