NiYi – Page 2 – Rivers in the Desert

Do NOT be disMAYed

December 2023 was the first time I really really heard (experienced) God say these words to me. I may have connected with it the way I did because I heard it in the context of my birth month (May) and understood it to mean to NOT be discouraged from being all that I was birthed to be – all that God created me to be. This meaningful understanding reinforced my preference for the month of May 🙂 .

Prior to this experience, May was already my favorite of all the months (for obvious reasons). I always look forward to May – specifically my birthday, which happens to be the day of the month 😊. Slightly more than a decade ago, I started taking my birthday off all else but me to quietly celebrate. While a part of the celebration involved acknowledging God (giving Him thanks and praise), it wasn’t until 2020 that my birthday time-off became more about being still and knowing only God. Since then, I’ve spent my birthday weekend, week, or month exclusively with God. In this regard, this year was no different – I took time away from all else to just be with God Who is always with me. In alignment with what I believe was God’s say-so, I followed my dream to a place called Rehoboth. I didn’t know what to expect other than God (in whatever way, shape, or form He chose to show up). I was all kinds of excited, maybe the most excited I’ve ever been about this time of the year.

The Genesis Week …

It was a joyful Genesis Week … each evening gave way to a fresh, new Morning: an expression of God’s GOOD-ness unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. God did not only show up, He showed off! He made His Presence known in ways that I’m yet to fully process let alone comprehend. It was like finding a Wife (a Good Thing) … the Wife of my youth, of my beginning – my genesis. It was like being on a honeymoon … like Sweet Wine, a perfect mix of bridal joy and the joy of a new husband – dare I say, the JOY of The LORD. It was like when God’s work was beginning … before earth saw its first sunrise – Proverbs 8:22-30 (VOICE). What a Genesis Week it was! I wanted what came next to be an equally joyful Exodus (Deuteronomy 33:18A) … with praise in the air as I set sail with God (Isaiah 42:10 VOICE) and go out to sea – the place appointed for me: Zebulun, the perfect marriage gift 💖.

… two days later …

From what seemed like nowhere, a storm hit! What began as a moment of discontent progressively sky-rocketed into a Tsunami. I was tossed left, right, center … and then knocked down to size (little, small, weak). Excessive eating and entertainment (binge-ing) was way easier than seeing me weak/fail … easier than processing the discontent-now-turned-disappointment-in-myself with God through prayer. Amidst the storm, there were pockets of time when I’d hear Rabbani-Rabboni (the HolySpirit of Yeshua: my Divine LORD and Teacher) remind me of things He has told or taught me:

… Leave your Father’s House: The Exodus.

… Be a Son.

… DoN’T be Ruthless.

… Do NOT draw back your hand.

… Peaks and Valleys.

… Clay, meet Potter.

I read through the above teachings multiple times. In some moments, I’ll be up-lifted. In other moments, I’ll be down-casted. The latter was more prevalent. I was downcast mostly by the reality that I hadn’t learnt what I’ve been taught …

Also, the uplifting moments didn’t last long because I wasn’t sure if, like the binge-ing, I was merely using God’s teachings to excuse my way out of feeling and thinking all that I was feeling and thinking, most of which was about me still failing after all these years of being groomed by the Bridegroom and the Vinedresser (HusbandMan).

That this happened right after such a Genesis Week was discouraging to say the least. WHY am I like grass? Flaky … here (with God) when it’s easy and feels good, but fall short and blown away by the wind when the going with God gets harder?

O you afflicted city,storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in fair colors (in antimony to enhance their brilliance) and lay your foundation with sapphires.
Isaiah 54:11 (AMPC)

It didn’t matter how far tossed or blown-away I was, God was with me. Like a Help-Meet, His Word came to meet me … even at my lowest, and regardless of the fact that I was too fearful, weary, and weak to hold tight to Him. I wanted to … He was all I had going for me, the only One rooting for me, the only One in my corner (even I wasn’t in my corner) … YET I struggled to keep up (stay uplifted). With all the up, down, and downer … I couldn’t let myself be encouraged because it (the encouragement) seemed like a temporary band-aid or an interim work-around back to square one. I had been round this mountain too many times … from desire and excitement to distress … I was exhausted. Enabled by Grace, I’d go to God … sometimes, I’d just sit there with Him in silence. Other times, when words don’t fail me, I’d ask God for Help … for Mercy … for God to do for me what I was failing to do 👉 weather the storm with Him like Jesus did in Matthew 4:1-11 and at Gethsemane, by choosing God over and over and over again especially when it’s hard to do so.

… Today

My first waking thought was a reminder of a promise …

… as described in Hebrews 6:17, in His desire to show more convincingly the unchanging character of His purpose (Glorification by Mercy: Salvation), God guaranteed His promise to me with an oath – His Word:Psalm 34:19.

“BUT Beulah you will not be without Me“, these are the words I experienced God say to me earlier in the year (Jan 26). It was in response to me dreading what has now happened these past few weeks … me NOT wanting to see me fall short or fail when temptations come (Matthew 18:7). Recognizing that I was the weak-link in Our relationship … the weak spot of the City/House that He has made me to be for Him, I did NOT want to see how incapable and unwilling I can be WHEN push comes to shove, when the rubber meets the road, when “stuff gets real” … WHEN the storms of Life hit as they have this past few weeks.

In reading my notes from Jan 26, not only did I experience God teaching, I also experienced a spark that ignited me to be as God presents His PRESENCE to me. TODAY, as I hear God’s Voice (Hebrews 3:7-8), I don’t stand aloof from the Living God – Hebrews 3:12 (AMPC). Instead, I go with the flow of the HolySpirit by sharing (saying out loud) what God has come to teach… that I may hear it again, and maybe someone else in a similar boat might hear it too – Hebrews 3:13 (AMPC).

I AM The LORD your God, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar … I can make the oceans roil with storm and roll with great waves … I teach you how to talk, word by word, and I personally watch over you …
Isaiah 51:15 (AMP, VCE) 16(MSG)

(1)The LORD Who gives you the bread of adversity and water of affliction (Isaiah 30:20A)is also The LORD Who delivers you from them all(Psalm 34:19). He is your Teacher – the very same One Who won’t hide Himself from you (Isaiah 30:20B), the One your eyes must constantly behold as He guides you (Isaiah 30:21) by instructing and teaching you along the best pathway for your life with His watchful eye upon you (Psalm 32:8). Indeed, He is the LIFE of (A) The Bread of Life (John 6:35), (B) the Rivers of Living Water (John 7:38), and (C) the Tree of Life in the Garden of Delight (Eden).

Are we to receive only good at the Hand of God and not also adversity, trouble, or evil (hardship)?
Job 2:10B (CJB, AMPC, NKJV, NIV, KJV)

In the same way that the Tree of Life and the Tree of the knowledge of Good and ~~Evil~~ Hardship are good, so too is what comes from The LORD, your God, Who is GOOD. Eat that which He gives you even when it is hard to swallow … it is good.

(2)Do NOT be disMAYed– do NOT be contrary to the good soil that God created you to be. In the same manner that the good soil clings to a sown seed, take firm hold of God’s instruction … His teaching: Wisdom, the Wife (Good Thing) that you have found in God. Do NOT let Her go (Proverbs 4:13). Do NOT let go (Proverbs 3:3).

Do NOT be disMAYed … Do NOT be discouraged …Do NOT be defeated. Defeat results in letting go, and is what the enemy wants in order

(A) to get you to let go of God’s Hand (Isaiah 41:10,13) so that you do not take root and as such not be the evidence of what God sows … the evidence of Jezreel (Hosea 2:21-22), OR

(B) to get you to not see God’s Hand (1 Kings 18:41-46) so that you’re not encouraged to run and get to Jezreel – the place of your appointment.

He knows that being discouraged leads to being defeated, which then leads to being disappointed (not at your place of appointment), and ultimately being disMAYed (contrary to who God created, birthed, called, and appointed you to be i.e fruitfully good) …do NOT be disappointed(lost) in yourself.

(3)Yes, you are the weak link … a weakling,suffer it to be so for now because it is the fitting way for both you and the HolySpirit to fulfill the righteousness of God, together (SOS 2:15 TPT) … as one(2 Corinthians 12:9)– His Strength (Love for God) is made perfect (fulfilled, complete) and shows itself most effective in your weakness. Let it be so for nowby trusting in the Wisdom of God’s choice (His choice of finding a Wife in you). Permit it to be so for nowby resting on the promise of God’s election of you(Ephesians 1:4). An election made in spite of the intel He had on you even before the foundation of the world, when the Lamb was slain … an election made in spite of you and all because of Him.The promise of God’s election of you is MERCY… the promise of His election of you is that He will do it for you.

(4) Yes, you’re like grass. God is NOT unaware of this(Isaiah 40:7)YET He saysbe like little children– they are reliably (always relying on and) in need of their guardian i.e. their parent, teacher, neighbor, or custodian … they don’t hesitate to speak, say something, or even cry out loud when they need help … they always need help. As such, they are always with (in the presence of) their guardian.

In saying be like little children, God is saying be reliably in need of God: your Heavenly Father, your Teacher, your Neighbor (Proverbs 27:10) – the Friend Who is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24B) … even the brother who was born for adversity or times of trouble (Proverbs 17:17B).

In saying be like little children, God is sayingalways need God… be trusting of Him and His care … be lowly – humble yourself (1 Peter 5:6-7) … cry out loud – God will be gracious to you at the sound of your cry (Isaiah 30:19) … be loving (giving of God), even to yourself … be forgiving, even to yourself …cleave to God(Matthew 18:6A) … be present (or represented) before Him, in His PRESENCE (His Name), looking up on His Face (Matthew 18:10B) and seeking His Strength always. In other words,be with Godas He is with you: ALWAYS … and all the way.

Seek The LORD and His Strength … seek His Face
… seek to be in His PRESENCE continually.
1 Chronicles 16:11

(5) The HolySpirit’s loyalty and devotion to God (The Father) is your only Hope (certainty) of Salvation.

This HOPE is NOT a disappointing fantasybecause we can now experience the endless Love of God cascading into our hearts through the HolySpirit Who lives in us.
Romans 5:5 (TPT)

The Strength of the HolySpirit’s Love for God (The Father) is your blessed assurance of Salvation … your saving Grace … your only certainty (Hope) of Salvation in every moment. Always acknowledge Him (in all your ways) …do NOT look around you in terror and be disMAYed– Isaiah 41:10 (AMPC). Instead, seek God continually and your eyes will behold your Teacher … cling to Him as He leads you to your place of appointment in the Kingdom of God. It is The Father’s good pleasure to give you His Kingdom – you belong there. (Mark 10:14, Luke 18:16). He destined, devised, and decreed it before the ages to bring (lift) you into His Glory (1 Corinthians 2:7). As such,this Exodus will happen… NOT by your own might, power, understanding, or desire for God, BUT (and only) by His Merciful Spirit. Seek Him continually … His Strength (Grace, Love for God) is sufficient.

… I will keep My good promise to you, causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you – thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you an expected end. Call to Me(persistently, like little children)… Come and pray to Me(persistently, like little children)… I will be found by you. I will make sure you won’t be disappointed … I will release you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have driven you. I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried captive,you can count on it, says The LORD.
Jeremiah 29:10B-14 (AMPC, MSG)

… great will be the Day of Jezreel!💜

The Desire for PRESENCE

… additional content to be displayed soon.

Peaks & Valleys

What do you see when you look at the image below?

The semblance of the rhythm of a heartbeat? a voice note? OR even that of a radio wave? The more I consider each possibility, I find that (in essence and to a significant degree) each one is an accurate depiction of what the image represents 😊. That said, whose heartbeat is it? … whose voice note is it? … whose radio wave is it? I dare say that it is that of the Righteous!

The righteous falls seven times BUT rises again (each time).
Proverbs 24:16A

[Contextual Definition] The Righteous is the Man in whom God’s handiwork (or workmanship) is expressed. The one through whom God demonstrates His Righteousness – the one for whom God expressly does what He has done, the Man who lets God do it (what God desires/wants/wills and has done) for him/her. The one who runs into and calls upon the Name of The LORD and is thus saved.

While the above diagram depicts the rise, fall, and rise again of the Righteous, it represents something else – this something else is what I’d like to shed some light on in this blog. This something else is the land that God has given us here on earth –a land of hills and valleys (Deuteronomy 11:11).

The land which you go in to possess is NOT like the land of Egypt where you were once slaves … the land which you enter to possess isa land of hills and valleyswhich drinks Water of the Rain of Heaven – a land for which God cares …
Deuteronomy 11:10A,11,12A

I recently found myself in a valley (a low place) – at first, I did not like it one bit! Not especially having just experienced a peak (a high) moment with God few days prior. I’m not sure how or when I got to the valley but I knew I was there. As always, it did NOT feel good! A few days prior to being in the valley, God had a series of conversations with me about the dawn, sunrise, and morning … it was Our time to meet/commune, and I desired it so. BUT THEN here I was: struggling to get up at dawn to hangout with my GOOD MORNING (Yahweh) just few days after I desirously and excitedly said I will. I wanted to … I wanted to spend IDAJI (the time between dawn and sunrise) with God BUT I didn’t.

It is not of him that willeth nor of the righteous that runneth … it depends NOT on how badly you want it, your own willingness or strenuous exertion (effort) as in one running a race … it does NOT originate in our bleeding hearts or moral sweat. BUT it is of God Who has the first and last WORD: MERCY (Romans 9:18B MSG, Jeremiah 33:26B MSG)
Romans 9:16 (KJV, TPT, AMPC, MSG)

When I finally got up (which was well past sunrise), I couldn’t help but look at me – Did I not want to spend time with God? What is wrong with me? I couldn’t make sense of why my heart failed … why my desire didn’t result in action. Very quickly, the enemy came in like a flood – the flood of thoughts from the enemy’s camp were down-casting and finger-pointing indications that I’m mostly desire and excitement but not enough action … all talk but not much walk … that I keep failing (falling) … that I keep failing to execute or finish. Each finger pointed at me was a vivid reminder (evidence) of undeniable facts yet zero truth because none of them pointed me to God. To be honest though, considering the facts, I was weary BUT HEY …

Though my flesh and my heart may fail, God is the Rock and firm Strength of my heart and my Portion forever.
Psalm 73:26

… there He was: The WORD that God is, my Standard (Jehovah Nissi), the Strength of my failing heart. The One Whose rod and staff comfort me. Time and again, The WORD of God encourages and lifts me up. With lovingkindness, He draws me to Himself: The ROCK that is higher than I. This is what He did on the morning in question. Although the enemy came prepared to sift me like chaff (hence his attempt to judge me worthless, unreliable … and unfit for use by God), God was (and continues to be) my Saving Grace – this is God’s banner of Love over me … God’s WORD: MERCY – this is my Story and my Song!Isaiah 12:2, Psalm 118:14💖

I agreed with the HolySpirit that my weakness or shortcoming is NOT reason enough to prevent me from spending time with God … I may not have walked the talk BUT there was no rule against being carried😊. Carried by Grace, I was enabled to still spend some time with God that morning before going about my day.

The next morning was … well, somewhat the same, so let’s just fast forward to later in the evening. During my quiet time with Yahweh (Grace), I opened up to Him about not liking the feeling of being in the valley. His first response was lovely – He said:I AM here in the valley too. Immediately, the scenery changed. Yes, We were still in the valley but it mattered not. I was more engulfed by God-with-me (Immanuel) and less mindful of where We were (the valley). Yahweh indeed saves! I was saved by the Teaching of Grace! Altogether, He responded by teaching (showing and telling) me3 things that make the valley worthwhile… 3 things that make being in the valley worth the while or duration of Our temporary stay.

(1) He is in the valley with me.

(2) He CAN use the valley season for His Glory.

(3) I am more aware of (and in tune with) my need for/of Him in the valley than I am anywhere else. As a result, I call out to and for Him even more, I depend on Him even more. Thus, like the peak, the valley is God-glorifying too 💖.

With this in mind, my dislike and dread of the valley reduced significantly! For the first time in my walk (my being carried by God) with God, I honored (made space for) the valley to be the God-glorifying moment that it really is meant to be. For the first time, I experienced the valley as a blessing (something of value) for me that blesses (speaks good of) God. Resultingly, and as strange as it might sound, I desired it … I desired the valley, which (to me) had become a thing of beauty. What an unexpected turn of events! The enemy meant to use my weakness for evil but God turned it around for good, like the turning of the tides – Psalm 118:15,16(MSG)

The adversary thrust solely at me that I might fall, BUT The LORD helped me.
Psalm 118:13 (AMPC)

True to His Word: God’s Grace is sufficient –2 Corinthians 12:9– His Grace (His Name, His PRESENCE) is sufficient enough to turn the tides from a failing heart to a desirous one … to a God-shaped heart(Ezekiel 36:26).

Furthermore, the Spirit that God is inspired me to look up scriptures on valleys – my search led me to Deuteronomy 11:11which was where I saw that the land God has given His people to possess is a land of hills (peaks) and valleys. To mean that the peaks and valleys come with the territory and make up the lay of our God-given land – the place wherein we are to worship God. God purposefully designed it so. Yes, He has the power to level the field(Isaiah 40:4)and He will. In the interim, their God-intended purpose is to glorify God – this is in line with all things made by God (The Potter). He made all things by His WORD (the Message that is Christ – John 1:3), this includes our new (no-longer-slaves) Life – a resurrected Life made possible by the Spirit that God is (Romans 8:11), the very same HolySpirit that every believer receives from God (Ezekiel 36:27).

Did you receivethe HolySpiritby your own works (your own doing or striving)? Was it not by hearing the Message that is Yeshua (Yahweh saves) and, with faith, believing it? Didyour new Lifebegin because you worked hard to please God or by simply responding to God’s Message to you – by trusting in what you heard God say to you and trusting Him to do them in you.
Galatians 3:2,3,5

When you have a moment, consider reading Exodus 23:20 (VOICE) … Ezekiel 36:27-29 … Joel 2:23-24 (APMC,MSG) …Galatians 5:25… and Deuteronomy 11:12-14. These verses underpin the summary of what I’d like to convey through this blog to anyone struggling with navigating the valley or the DOWN after each UP … Don’t lose heart or be weary (devoid of desire for goodness). Instead, let God continue to shape your new heart/Life, like the Vinedresser (HusbandMan) carefully tends His vine/vineyard. God, your Husband (Isaiah 54:5), is not angry with you (Isaiah 54:9).

For your Husband is your Maker, The LORD ALMIGHTY, YAHWEH is His Name, The LORD of Hosts, your Kinsman-Redeemer … He is NOT angry with you. For though the mountain should depart and the hills be shaken or removed(though the peaks crumble or disappear)His Grace, Unfailing Love, Compassion, Lovingkindness will never end. The LORD Who loves you said this.
Isaiah 54:5,9-10

When you fall short and find yourself in a low place like the valley, don’t mistake your contrite heart for guilt. The truth is that you’ve been set free from the power of sin (i.e. guilt) –Romans 8:1-4(AMPC). Don’t give in to guilt or do its dirty little work. Instead, throw yourself at God’s MERCY.

Don’t give sin (anything non-God-glorifying i.e. guilt) a vote in the way you conduct your new life. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run errands that are connected to that old, former dead state (or so called “life”). Remember you’ve been raised from the dead, sin can’t tell you how to live. Wholeheartedly throw yourself into God’s Way of doing things full time(not part-time and only when things are UP, but also when things are DOWN … at all times, including all cares … cast (throw) all of your concerns on God for He cares for you in the same way that He cares for the land that He has given you – 1 Peter 5:7)
Romans 6:12-14 MSG (elaborated)

MERCY is God’s Way of doing things (of setting things right). A God-inspired definition of MERCY that I’ve come to trust and hope in is thatMERCY = God doing it for me (on my behalf). Where Righteousness is what God does (the end, result, or outcome), Mercy is God doing it. MERCY is the means by which Righteousness is given, credited, bestowed, and/or birthed. This Righteousness is fully met in all who believe and accept the sacrifice/blessing of God’s MERCY –Romans 8:3(AMPC). This Righteousness is fully met in those who live and move(Acts 17:28)NOT in the ways of the flesh (the wicked ways) BUT in the ways of the HolySpirit … those who are actively being governed/led by the Standard that God is –Romans 8:4(AMPC).

Don’t try to fix your weakness or shortcoming by yourself … this self-help or break-fix-attempt is the wicked way that God mentioned in2 Chronicles 7:14. Don’t be Ruthless, INSTEAD, be a Babe … humble yourself and pray – call upon the Name of The LORD like Blind Bartimaeus did when He said: Yeshua, SON of David, have mercy on me (Mark 10:46, Luke 18:34). In other words and in alignment with1 Peter 5:6-7, Blind Bartimaeus was saying: God, do it for me. This is the heartbeat of the righteous … a heart that calls upon the Name of The LORD again and again, a heart that beats for MERCY, a heart that hopes in and desires MERCY. God desires Mercy too, He is full of it –Psalm 86:5(GW). He is Righteous. It’s God’s Heartbeat too.

Whereas we fall, God does NOT. He, however, is the safe place into which we fall and/or run (Proverbs 18:10). He comes to our aid … He stoops low to meet us where we are and draws us to Himself in compassion. He carries and bears us up as He prays for us in alignment with His Heart –Romans 8:26-27(AMPC, TPT). MERCY is His Heart’s cry too. MERCY (not anger) is God’s Wavelength and it endures forever.

The next time you find yourself in the valley – be it the valley of the shadow of death(Psalm 23:5)or the valley of Achor(Hosea 2:15)or the valley of dry and disjointed bones(Ezekiel 37:1-3)– keep your wavelength short; your wavelength is the time between getting knocked down and you calling on God for MERCY.

Do NOT lean on your own understanding of the dark, troubling shadow from your past “life”. Don’t get blindsided by the staggering facts of the quack doctor’s report or go down the rabbit hole of trying to make sense of why you are still selfish with God even when you don’t want to be and especially considering that He has been nothing but GOOD to you. Do NOT fear, panic, or rage … this is what the enemy wants (1) so that he can distract you from the truthful reality of where you are: with God, Yahweh, your Righteousness, and (2) so that he can tempt you into the filthiness and futility of self-righteousness, which is what happens when we panic – we tend to want to fix things ourselves. Instead, know God. He is the ONLY understanding you need –Proverbs 9:10B(AMPC). As opposed to fixating on the fact that you have a weak, failing, or broken heart, be still and actively know the Way, the Truth, and the Life: Yahweh (God with you). Unlike the quack doctor that the enemy is, God does not use your weakness against you. He does not despise your broken heart (Psalm 51:17). He will help you navigate the valley and direct your path – He wants to. Trust Him to do it for you. Keep the wavelength short by crying out for MERCY. Call upon on the Name of The LORD and be saved.

Keep the wavelength short by prayerfully moving forward with and in God –Galatians 5:25(AMPC). They say fail-forward … I say: LET yourself fall in GOD with God. To mean do NOT be afraid of failing, let yourself fall in God and see where you land (with God, DOWN tends to lead UP) … LET yourself fall in LOVE with God 😊. This is one perspective of the gift and blessing that the valley is – it is an opportunity to fall in LOVE (in GOD) with God Who is with you. Heretoforward, do NOT let your weakness stop you … it is NOT a show-stopper (the show being God’s Glory, a display that can NOT be stopped). God can use your weakness for His Glory … let Him. Let God use every part of you (including your shortcoming) for His Glory. Let God use every moment of your life in the land of the living that He has given you for His Glory – this includes times when you fall short and find yourself in the valley. He is the God of the living … the hills … and the valleys. Therefore, let God use not only the UPs for His Glory, give Him the DOWNs too … give God the valley, give God your I-want-to-but-I-can’t-help-myself, give God your weaknesses, give God your shortcomings, and let Him love you (show you Himself) through each one … let God love Him for you with all of your heart, with every part of the land of the living that He has given you and the threshing floor that you are. Let God love Him for you with your entire being –Deuteronomy 11:13 Deuteronomy 6:5– Let God do it for you. Choose Life –Proverbs 21:21 (AMPC) … choose MERCY.

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Oaks of Righteousness, you are the planting of The LORD. Indeed, JEZREEL! God planted you into this Land of the living. He transplanted you from that old dead state to this new resurrected state (Psalm 80:8) by His Spirit – your new (resurrected) life in God is through the HolySpirit. It started when you were awakened to Christ, at which point sin became dead to you and you too became dead to it; you were made alive in Christ. This new life can ONLY be lived by the HolySpirit (Zechariah 4:6). He is the Water and Rain from Heaven that you drink. Yes, you are the Land of the living (here on earth) that God has given you – a land of hills and valleys. Don’t despise the valley, it is God-Glorifying too. Like the Waters cover the sea, it too shall be filled with Water (2 Kings 3:17 CJB) … drinking Water! The HolySpirit is the early and latter Rain that God (Our Father) gives/sends (Joel 2:23 AMPC, MSG). He is the Heavenly Messenger from The Father Who goes before you to protect you during your journey with Him and to lead you to the place prepared by God for you (Exodus 23:20). He will enable you to hear The Father’s Message of Christ, pay attention to all that He shows you and respond to what He tells you for He carries the Father’s Name and Message: Yeshua (Yahweh saves) – it is the Message of Salvation. By the hearing that comes by The WORD of God (Romans 10:17 AMPC) and thus by Faith (the knowledge of God), keep responding to The Father’s Message to you via His Spirit (John 16:13). Respond to the Rain that the HolySpirit is so that the Threshing Floor and Land that you are may yield abundant grain, new wine, and fresh oil … like the abundant offspring of the sand and sea (Isaiah 48:18-19) … and sky (Genesis 15:5). Let your response be God (Who God IS: LOVE, His Banner … His WORD: MERCY). Let your response be MERCY: Yahweh, do it for me.

When God Reveals His Name (1, 2, 3, GO)

This is part 2 of a two-part blog series, both intended for those to whom God is revealing His Name – you are in good company: a host of us! Yahweh, The LORD of the Host of us, wants us to know and trust His Name –Isaiah 43:10(VCE, AMPC).

you are My witnesses; you are My proof. you whom I chose for a special purpose, My servant, in order that you would know Me, believe Me (trust Me), and be faithful to Me …
Isaiah 43:10A (VOICE, AMPC)

In part 1 (Be a Babe), we saw that:

(A) God is the One Who reveals His Name.

(B)God’s Name is Yahweh (The LORD), andHis Son’s Name(Jesus) is Yeshua which means Yahweh saves. God’s Son is called by God’s Name – as it is with Jesus so it is with anyone to whom God reveals His Name or Self.

(C)WHEN God reveals His Name/Self to you, He is doing two things simultaneously: revealing His PRESENCE to you AND calling you. Who God presents His PRESENCE as to you is the Name by which He calls you.

(D)The humility of the HolySpirit (the FIRST LOVE humility) is the (our) expected response to the revelation of God’s Name and His calling. Hence, be a Babe – be a newcomer, one who humbly comes anew to God.

Here, in part 2, we’ll take a further look at (1)WHYGod reveals His Name to us, (2)WHAT HAPPENSwhen we respond as expected, and (3) whatTHE EXPECTED RESPONSEof being a Babe means in practice.

Therefore My people will know what My Name is and what it means; they shall know in that day that I AM He Who speaks; Behold, I AM!
Here I AM! I AM ready.
Isaiah 52:6 (AMPC, VOICE)

WHY?

Why does God reveal His Name to us? Why does He want us to know what His Name means? Here’s WHY:so that we can say His Name by calling upon Him again and again…

“Say My Name … Say My Name“, says The LORD

Backed up by Exodus 3:14 and Exodus 34:6, this 👆 was going to be the title of this series 😊. Both times, God said His Name twice! I increasingly believe that this is God’s name-calling style …

Furthermore, I believe that God wants us to call Him in like manner: again and again … this is the manner in/by which God comes.

In part 1, I likened God’s name-call repetition to the ‘Knock Knock’ on a door … an expression of the gentleManly nature of God’s PRESENCE. This is but one facet of God’s name-calling style. The emphasis (name-call repetition) can also be seen as an echo of God’s Voice (Psalm 62:11 NKJV), an assurance, a confirmation … it is the hearing and hearing effect by which Faith comes (Romans 10:17). It is a surety, a certainty (a HOPE).

Contrary to popular ~~belief~~ unbelief, HOPE is not a maybe. In Truth, howbeit unseen for a time, HOPE is a certainty, the evidence (substance) of which comes with God’s Voice … it comes when God calls you by His revealed Name.

Faith is the assurance, confirmation, substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen … Without Faith, it is impossible to walk with God and please Him. Those who come to God (Babes) must necessarily believe that HE ISand thatHE ISa rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:1, 6 (AMP/C)

Every Babe needs Faith … every Babe needs evidence of HOPE. This in part is why God reveals (and calls us by) His Name. His revealed Name is the evidence we need, our strong hold and foundation –Proverbs 18:10– our Strong Tower of defense against doubt, the sin that readily besets, attacks, or hampers us IF we respond in fear instead of Faith (the knowledge of God).

Isaiah 43:10tells us that God wants us to know and trust Him, and to be faithful to Him. To be faithful to God is to be FULL of Faith in our response to Him and all else. We can not be God’s Babe (we can not be humble, or come anew, or call on God again and again) without FIRST knowing and trusting Him.

To know and trust God is to know and trust His Name. This is what God wants and here’s WHY 👇

… SO THAT we may truthfully say His Name.

**************** A Quick Note ****************

While God wants us to call on Him again and again, it is important to note that not everyone who says LORD, LORD truthfully says God’s Name – Matthew 7:22-23. There’s a distinction … and it goes beyond merely repeating God’s Name. Those who truthfully say God’s Name are known by God because they bear and thus GO only by the Name God calls them: His Name. Case in point: Moses – God knew his God-given name. I think it was Beautiful (Exodus 2:2) and very likely why Moses had beautiful feet (Isaiah 52:7). In any case, God knew him by name(Exodus 33:12B)… Another example is Gideon – he was called by His God-given name: Mighty man of fearless courage(Judges 6:12)and so he was.

Everyone to whom God reveals His Name is given a God-given name … a name that expresses God’s Name. This God-given name is your calling (your purpose), a calling that happens when God presents His PRESENCE to you. Another reason to NOT take God’s Name-Reveal lightly – SeLaH.

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To truthfully say God’s Name is(1)to call upon His Name (Zephaniah 3:9) AND(2)to proclaim His Name (Psalm 68:11, 1 Peter 2:9, Matthew 5:14-16) in HUMILITY (Side Note:Humility is extravagantly Truthful– SeLaH).

How are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him (to trust in and rely upon Him) of Whom they’ve never heard? How are they to hear without a PREACHER?
Romans 10:14

The PREACHER is coming … FAITH (the knowledge of God) is coming … Yahweh, the Ever-Present One, is coming. For those wondering about how HE IS here and yet also coming, kindly note that coming in this context does NOT mean “not yet here”, instead, it means to unveil or reveal. Indeed, God is revealing His Self/Name to Babes across the four corners of the earth. WHEN this happens, LISTEN for and TRUST His Holy Name. Like Samuel, you will hear Him when He comes (Romans 10:17, Psalm 40:6 AMPC) … you will hear Him because what He says (Who He presents Himself as to you) is Who enables you to hear Him. WHEN this happens, LISTEN for God’s Name-Reveal to you … it is intimate, thus be intimate with Him. Welcome and honor (make space for) His Name. What a privilege it is to be God’s chosen dwelling place for His Name! Indeed, we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar nation –1 Peter 2:9💖.

To TRUST God’s Name is to actionably GO by the Name that He calls you (to bear His revealed Name to you).Totruthfullysay God’s Name is to say His Name in THE Way that matters to Him: obediently… trustingly– this is what happens when we respond to God’s Name-Reveal (and calling) with the humility of our first love for God. Every time we respond in this manner, we actionably say: God can NOT lie … we actionably say: God is TRUTH … we (by our actions) meaningfully say His Name. Something happens when we truthfully (humbly) say God’s Name – I Peter 5:6-7, 2 Chronicles 7:14-16.

WHAT HAPPENS?

GOD HAPPENS!

This is what the The Blind Man in John 9 was saying to the people who would not listen – He essentially was telling them that God happened! That God came to pass … that God passed by –John 9:1(CJB).

When we trustingly know God’s Name and thus truthfully say His Name …

… GOD MOVES!

… a translation happens i.e. The Blind see – this is what transpired in John 9:38… a God-inspired translation from darkness to Light (to all things bright and beautiful) happens! When God moves, things shift … things move: heaven (God’s throne) and earth (God’s footstool) move. It is accurate to say then that when we truthfully say God’s Name, God effectively moves heaven and earth! No one else can do this … none besides Yahweh 🥰.

Still on what happens when we truthfully say God’s Name …

… SHILOH COMES!

The PRESENCE of God comes to pass … to make a move. In so moving, God makes the place of the feet of His Heart GLORIOUS(Isaiah 60:13, Isaiah 52:7)… oh! how BEAUTIFUL are the feet of His Heart! The feet of His PRESENCE! God makes them so because He moves … because God moves, His host move as well (on earth as it is in heaven, none missing a mate) …

… an EXODUS HAPPENS!

Like the Pillar of Fire by night and the Pillar of Cloud by day, the ANGEL of God’s PRESENCE goes to work! He is Mighty to save! As a result …

… SALVATION HAPPENS!

God reveals His Salvation (His redemptive Name), He reveals the Kinsman-Redeemer. God reveals His Name in His Son’s Name:Yeshua: Yahweh saves!He does it through the open DOOR-Way (HEY) of Salvation that His Son is –John 10:9. In other words, God reveals Himself!

As He did with Moses, God comes to show you His Way, His Glory – He lets His Goodness pass in front of you, right before your eyes. God Himself passes by and shows you Himself: Salvation(Psalm 50:23) Peace and Prosperity(Haggai 2:9) … Good Success (Psalm 118:25)… Oh the GLORY! Both that of the early and latter RAIN (Joel 2:23)

Deuteronomy 11:14,Isaiah 45:8(AMPC) – This RAIN of SALVATION and the bounty thereof (Haggai 2:19, Joel 2:19, Hosea 2:22) … this Righteous Gift of Salvation (Hosea 10:12) is what happens and what you can expect: The GLORY of God! His POWER and MIGHT … His PRESENCE! God in FULL view!

Look! Here is your God! Look at Him! Yahweh comes in power, ready to go into action. Behold (HEY), Yahweh comes with might, and His arm will rule for Him. Behold (HEY), His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.
Isaiah 40:9B -10 (MSG, CJB, AMPC)

THE EXPECTED RESPONSE

Rightfully put, the expected response is to be a Babe … always. Another way to put it is: One … Two … Three … Go! Always Go to God anew, with God and in God. Let’s take a look at what this means in practice.

(1)Respond with Thankful Praise

It is the praising life that honors Me. As soon as you set your foot on the Way, I will show you My SALVATION.
Psalm 50:23 (MSG)

Honor God with a response of Thankful Praise – this is exactly what Jesus did when God revealed His Name … when God revealed Himself (Salvation) … when God called Him by His Name. Indeed, Salvation is Jesus’ calling – Who and What He is called to be. A calling and revelation to which Jesus responded with overflowing JOY … the Joy of Salvation aka The Joy of The LORD.

Jesus, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit (the Ruach HaKodesh), said: I thank You Father, Lord of heaven and earth,BECAUSEYou concealed these things relating to SALVATION from the sophisticated, educated … know-it-alls yet You revealed these things relating to SALVATION to Babes, to new comers, to those who humble themselves. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this Way.
Luke 10:21 (CJB, AMPC, MSG)

Jesus responded with Yahweh’s Joy –Psalm 16:11(AMPC), the Joyfulness of God’s PRESENCE (the FULLness of Joy found in God’s PRESENCE).

(2)Give God PRESENCE

Here I am
Genesis 22:1,11, Genesis 31:11, Exodus 3:4,
1 Samuel 3:4-10, Isaiah 6:9

This is the ULTIMATE RESPONSE … it is inclusive of both (1) and (3). I’ll elaborate more on this when I share on The Desire for PRESENCE. In the interim, it is worth noting that Abraham (Genesis 22:1,11), Jacob (Genesis 31:11), Moses (Exodus 3:4), Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4-10), and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9) each said ‘Here I am’ to God when He presented His PRESENCE to them – in other words, each of them were present (in attendance, they attended to God’s PRESENCE).

(3) Bless The LORD … Bless Yahweh

What does it mean? What does it mean to bless The LORD? What does it mean to bless The One Who is Blessed … the One from Whom ALL blessings flow? How does one bless Yahweh? All VERY valid questions 🙂.

How about we start with what it means to bless …

(1) To bless is to give something of value to someone. The something given is of value to the recipient AND comes at a cost to the giver. The perfect example: God gave us redemption (His Righteous Gift of Salvation) at the cost of His Son –John 3:16💖.

(2) To bless is to speak good of someone or something. I found and thoroughly enjoyed seeing this definition in the AMPC version of Genesis 2:3 🥰👌.

God blessed (spoke good of) the seventh day. He set it apart as His Own and hallowed it because on it God rested from all His work which He had created and done.
Genesis 2:3 (AMPC)

We bless God when we speak good of Him in our thoughts, with our words, and by our actions … we bless God when we praise His Name – when we exalt His Holy Name above all else. We exalt God’s Holy Name when we actionably believe Him i.e. trusting and obeying Him. When we believe (accept, embrace, welcome, honor, trust, obey) His WORD: When we believe that HE IS Who He says HE IS … when we believe Who He reveals His Name as or Who He presents Yahweh as.

Keep in mind that this presentation may not always come in the manner that you expect. When God presented His WORD (PRESENCE) as Yeshua in the person of Jesus, a lowly man from Nazareth, many did not believe Him … they would not (they willed not to) believe Him.

In returning to Me and resting in Me shall you be saved; in quietness and in trusting confidence shall be your strength. But you would (willed) not. Oh, that you had hearkened to My commandments. Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a flowing river, and your righteousness like the abundant waves of the sea. Oh, that My people (Israel) would listen to Me and walk in My ways (not their wicked ways).
Isaiah 30:15 (AMPC), Isaiah 40:18, Psalm 81:13

Who are those who willed not? Those whose unbelief (whose unwillingness to trust that God has done what He said He would do) shut them out from stepping foot into all that God has in store and has prepared for them. They were given the Good News and the opportunity but they willed not to humble themselves … they willed not to receive it, welcome it, or honor it. This inevitably led to disobedience,Hebrews 3:7 – 4:7(AMPC). They did not say blessed is He Who comes in the Name of The LORD because they did not believe that Jesus (Yeshua) came from God … they did not believe that He was The Anointed (Blessed) One: they did not speak good of Him.

We bless (speak good of, praise, exalt) God when we obediently trust His WORD – this happens as a result of believing that God is Who He reveals Himself to be and that He has done what He said He will do. God values obedience … it belongs to Him – Genesis 49:10(AMPC). It is an integral part of believing and thus trusting God … it is an integral part of actionably, trustingly, truthfully, or meaningfully saying God’s Name – THIS is what it means to bless The LORD. We bless God by our welcoming (receptive) and humble (responsive) action of whole-hearted obedience.

As mentioned earlier, it is costly to bless … as such, blessing God will cost each one of the host of us something. Believing, trusting, and obeying God will cost us ~~something~~ … actually, it will cost us everything – everything we are and have within us. Blessing God will cost us everything just as it cost Him everything (Himself) to bless us with Salvation (Himself). Like Jesus too was broken or broke (and no, I don’t mean money-wise), we too must be broke in order to truly bless God. We must be all-broken-hearted or whole-heartedly broke, having poured out all of our heart before God … loving Him (giving God to God) with all that is within us.

It is from this place of costly broke-ness (or brokenness) that we trustingly and truthfully say: Yahweh! Yahweh! It is from this place of nothing-else-ness that we bless The LORD with all that is within us and thus meaningfully say God’s Holy Name: The LORD! The LORD! It is from this place of humility that we cry: Abba! Father! … here is where we call upon the Name of The LORD and are saved by Him. He does not despise nor forsake a broken heart. Like the fragrance of a broken jar of pure spikenard or spice, whose every costly content is poured out, God values and glories in our broken (humble) heart. He is blessed by the humility of our obedient trust. It is from this place of obedience that we GO with God and that we walk humbly with Him. This humble, obedient walk with God is key to what happens next … MORE! God! He is The MORE 💖. Oh sooo much MORE!

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The PREACHER (the One Who speaks) is coming – His Name (Yahweh) is near. The One from Whence He comes (and to Whom all obedience belong) says:

Now get yourselves ready. Look! I AM sending a Heavenly Messenger – My Angel (The Angel of My Presence – My PRESENCE) to pass before you – to protect you during your journey with Me and to lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay attention to all that He shows you and obey whatever He tells you … He carries My Name in Him.
Exodus 23:20-21(MSG, VOICE)

HEY faithful … humble … Babe, The LORD your God is coming to reveal His Name to you … to present Himself to (and then through) you … God’s PRESENCE is coming. He is The Divine LORD (Rabbani) … The TEACHER (Rabboni) … The PREACHER … The Heavenly MESSENGER … He is The One Who speaks. Listen for Him (seek Him). Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving and His Courts with Praise. Bless Him with ALL that He is (deepest) within you –Psalm 103:1(AMPC).

His Name is in you (in your deepest, most intimate and private part – the secret place of The MOST HIGH). He truly is as near as the tongue in your mouth and the heart in your chest – a treasure chest. His Name is the weight of His Glory in you – His glorious inheritance. GO here-to-forward proclaiming the praise of His glorious Name (Grace). GO humbly forward with God and give Him what He values most: PRESENCE … a weighty splendor!

When God reveals His Name (Be a Babe)

Who has ascended into heaven and descended? … What is His Name?andWhat is His Son’s Name?
Proverbs 30:4

The inspiration to share this blog came when the HolySpirit was writing Do NOT be Ruthless with, in, and through me. It also stemmed from the start of the year when God called my attention to His Name: El Shaddai and then Yahweh, both of which share a connection with the Hebrew letter: HEY … a letter whose number (5) and meaning are of great significance to me and in relation to 2025 (5785). I find it fascinating that HEY is represented twice in God’s MOST Holy Name: Yahweh 💖.

While He was writing on the tablet of my heart, the HolySpirit showed me that there is significance to the revelation of God’s Name. In hearing Him speak, Faith came … a just cause for another blog, so I drafted what He showed/told me – the essence of which is what I’ll be sharing in this two-part blog series by the ever-present help that the HolySpirit is.

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From Genesis and all the way to Revelations, we see God reveal His Name/Self to His lovers (loved ones) – a task that Jesus (God’s WORD), the One Who has ascended to heaven and descended(John 16:7)is entirely committed to accomplish by His HolySpirit (Zechariah 4:6), Who also is equally committed to the task of revealing God to mankind (John 16:13-15).

I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your very Self, and I will continue to make You known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them (felt in their hearts) and that I Myself may be in them.
John 17:26 (AMPC)

Chronologically speaking and naming just a few of the loved ones to whom God revealed His Name/Self, there was …

(1)Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob … individually, God revealed His Self to them as El Shaddai – Genesis 17:1, Genesis 26:24, Genesis 28:13, Exodus 6:2-3 (AMPC). Something to note 👉 God’s revelation to Jacob (the one God loves) started with a dream of God’s angels (host of God’s messengers) ascending and descending on a ladder set up on earth, with its top reaching up to heaven (Genesis 28:10-19). Jacob called the place Bethel – the House of God … the gateway to heaven. Jacob experienced God’s PRESENCE 💖… Jacob experienced The PORTION OF JACOB: The PORTION of God-seekers: the generation of those who seek God’s Face – Psalm 24:6.

(2)Moses … God revealed His Self to him as I AM and Yahweh (The LORD). In other words, God revealed Himself to Moses as I AM Yahweh– Exodus 3:14-15, Exodus 34:6. God explicitly told Moses His Name💖- this happened when God made His PRESENCE known to him and in response, Moses turned to look … to behold … to see … to HEY (Exodus 3:1-4).

Seek The LORD … Seek His Face and to be in His PRESENCE continually!
I Chronicles 16:11 (AMPC, MSG) Psalm 105:4

(3)Speaking of God’s Face, Gideon … God revealed His Self to him as Shalom (The Peaceful One: Shiloh) – Judges 6:11-24.

(4) Samuel … God revealed His Self to him as THE WORD – 1 Samuel 3:3-7, 8-11A, 21. I 💖 verse 11A … it says: The LORD (Yahweh) said to Samuel: Behold (HEY) 🥰. I believe this was the point when THE WORD was revealed to Samuel. We are in the season/year of HEY … oh that, like Moses, we would turn to behold God WHEN He calls us to Himself by revealing His PRESENCE! That, like Samuel, we would say: speak LORD for Your servant is listening … that we would be present. This is the response that God wants us to have (Matthew 17:5).

(5) Isaiah … God revealed the Spirit of His Son to him as Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God (El Shaddai), Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Shiloh) – Isaiah 9:6. In addition to telling Isaiah about the essence (Spirit) of His Son and how He will be known by His people, felt in their hearts, and thus called, God told Isaiah His Name 💖 – Isaiah 42:8 .

(6) Jeremiah … God revealed His Self to him as Yahweh (The LORD) – Jeremiah 31:3. Also, God told Jeremiah His Name 💖 – Jeremiah 33:2.

(7) Joseph and Mary … individually, God revealed the Name of His Son to both of them as Yeshua – Matthew 1:21 (AMPC) , Luke 1:31. In telling them His Son’s Name, God actually also told them His very Own Name💖. YeshuameansYahweh saves. Indeed, God’s Name is in His Son’s Name (Exodus 23:21) … I wonder if this is what Agur was alluding to in Proverbs 30:4 🤔 – SeLaH

(8) Peter … God revealed to him that His Son is The Christ … The Messiah (Shiloh) – Matthew 16:15-17. What a revelation and a blessing!

(9) The Samaritan Woman aka The Good Samaritan … better yet, The Good News Samaritan 🥰. God revealed The Messiah to her as The One Who speaks – John 4:26 (AMPC). I 💖 that in His response and introduction to the Samaritan woman: “I … AM He”, Jesus also said God’s Name (I AM).

(10) The Blind Man … God revealed His Son to him as The One Who speaks – John 9:35-38.

(11) Paul, another blind man who saw God – Acts 9:1-5 (AMPC). Like He did at the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), God revealed His LIGHT, His VOICE, and then His Son to Saul-later-turned-Paul .

(12)John … God revealed multiple expressions of His Self, His Name, and His Son to John. No wonder John is called the beloved – God reveals things to His beloved. Chief of all the revelations that God gave John is THE WORD, the Name that God exalts above all His other Names. God revealed THE WORD to John at The Beginning (John 1:1), at The End (Revelation 19:13), and as both (Revelation 22:13).

The details of each of the above referenced encounters is quite the intrigue, each one unique yet connected toIsaiah 52:6. Another common and important theme across the board is that God, not man, is the One Who does the revealing of His Name – His PRESENCE (His ever-present Self). It is a deep, intimate, and personal (DIP) revelation. It is the greatest honor to be given this revelation. I say so becauseWho God reveals His PRESENCE as to you is who He calls you to be– case in point: the ones who, instead of names, were givena honorable titlei.e. The Samaritan Woman and The Blind Man. God revealed Himself to either of them as The One Who speaks … and boy, did they speak! Like the Good News People mentioned in Zechariah 8:13 (MSG), they spoke good of God.

The Samaritan Woman turned many blind folks to God by saying “Come and See” (John 4:29,39-42). The Blind Man went toe-to-toe with the so called know-it-alls or “subject matter experts” who were blind like Paul once was before God revealed Himself to him on the road to Damascus (John 9:10-33) – he spoke Godfidently of God.

Another point worth noting is that, more often than not, God doesn’t out-rightly start His relationship with us by revealing His Name/Self. He seems to first have one or more interactions before this revelation happens – Abraham is an example of this. Genesis 12:1 is the first bible record of God speaking to him – he was 75 years old at the time. Genesis 17:1 is when God revealed His Self to Abraham as El Shaddai (The Almighty God … The Strong and Breasted One) – at this time, Abraham was 99 years old. I share this NOT to say or imply that it takes 24 years for God to open up – no, each person’s experience is unique. I share this to point out that God’s revelation of His Name/Self is as significant and intentional as the timing of it. It’s NOT mere happenstance.God’s Name-reveal is well-timed … it comes well or well-comes(it is welcoming) and can happen at any or multiple points in our journey HERE on earth. Never feel like or think that you’re too new (young) or too mature (old) in your walk with God for it to happen. Speaking in Joel 2:28, God says:

I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh (all mankind), and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your your young men shall see visions.
Joel 2:28

When God reveals His Name(He will), treat it as a big deal (it is). Treat it with humility …treat it withthe humility of your FIRST LOVE. DoN’T take it lightly. DoN’T be surface, or shallow about it. Instead, be DIP … yes, be deep about it. Make room for Him (honor Him). Treat Him as Holy –Leviticus 10:3(NASB). Go near … like Moses, turn to see Him, go deep into God’s revelation of His Self/Name to you: Seek Him … wholeheartedly, open-heartedly.

Seek The LORD (Yahweh) while He may be found (claiming Him by necessity and by right); call upon Him while He is near.
Isaiah 55:6

When God reveals His Name, He is simultaneously revealing His PRESENCE and calling you … it’s a two-in-ONE deal💖.

(1) Who God reveals His PRESENCE as to you is His Way ofcalling youby His Name. God name-calling you is NOT in vain, NOT even if/when He does it twice! Another note-worthy recurring theme 👇

God does NOT stutter. Moreover, I believe that the name-call repetition is like the Knock Knock on a door. It is a reflection of the patient, persistent, enduring, faithful, unrelenting, yet gentleManly nature of God’s PRESENCE. My personal experience of God’s ‘gentleManliness’ is waking up to find Him waiting for me to wake up … to open up, to open my eyes, to HEY, to LOOK UP, to open up the doors or eyes of my heart for Him to flood them with LIGHT and so that I can see Him.

(2)God revealing His PRESENCE to you is His Way ofcalling youto Himself. He has NOT, does NOT, and will NOT call anyone to seek Him in vain (Isaiah 45:19). This is true because He calls you by His Name, a Name that He Himself does NOT use in vain. Therefore, when God makes His PRESENCE known to you …when God reveals His Name, DoN’T be vain about it. Take His Name for yourself (Psalm 33:20-22 MSG) … and do it with the humility of the HolySpirit (your FIRST LOVE).

Through His HolySpirit, Who also is the Spirit of His Son – the Spirit of THE WORD, God is still revealing His Name to us today –John 17:26(AMPC). InLuke 10:21Jesus revealed that it pleases God to reveal things to babes … to newcomers … to those who humble themselves.

This newcomer (or FIRST LOVE) humility isthe humility of the HolySpirit’s FIRST LOVE or His LOVE for The FIRST (God, The Father). In other words: God, The Father, is the Holy Spirit’s FIRST LOVE and vice versa.

Jesus testified of the HolySpirit’s humility toward The Father in John 16:13B-15… the HolySpirit is ONLY ever ALL about glorifying The Father which in turn means glorifying The Son.

When the Truth-giving Spirit(The Giver of Himself, El Shaddai)comes, He will guide you into all Truth – the whole and FULL Truth. ForHe will not speak His Own Message or on His Own Authority BUT He will tell whatever He hears from The Father– He will give the message that has been given to Him, and will announce and declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:13

Another testimony of the HolySpirit’s humble LOVE for the Father is seen inGenesis 1:2. With Him being the Spirit of God and ALL, the HolySpirit knows ALL and is ALL that is in God’s Heart (1 Corinthians 2:11) – the HolySpirit is the ALL in ALL💖. To know and be all that is in God’s Heart means that He knows all there is to know about what God desires and what gives God the MOST pleasure. Knowing this, He could very well just go do all these things BUT He waits for The Father to command it … He exalts God’s Command above all else. Even above His Own authority to get stuff done. Even above His Own passionate, zealous, unstoppable desire to please God … He waits –Isaiah 30:18 (AMPC)💖.

Let me try to describe what this is like for the HolySpirit in the way that He described it to me – it’s like the moment before a Kiss. He is ready, He is aroused (the AMP/C version of Isaiah 30:18 says He lifts up Himself on high) … in order words, He is high (aroused) like the rising of the Sun, He is ready –Isaiah 52:6(AMPC). He wants it … oh He wants this Kiss! YET He waits. In His “gentleManliness”, He waits. In His humility, He waits … expectantly, desirously, earnestly! Can you imagine the force it takes to hold an unstoppable force? That’s what the HolySpirit does when He waits.

He knew about and was the one Who performed all that God commanded in Genesis 1 … He knew it was good and could very well just go do it, YET He waited … He hovered over the face of the waters UNTIL God said LET there be … What a right, willing, and Holy Spirit!

This newcomer humility is ALSOthe humility of our FIRST LOVE.The HolySpirit is our FIRST LOVE … our First Kiss. He is the very first knowledge of God that we had. His Kiss is what gave us birth – this is what happened at the beginning when we were created (Genesis 1:27), even at the beginning when Adam was formed (Genesis 2:7), before we were formed in our earthly mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5), and at the point when we became born again in Christ (John 1:13). He is the Womb in Christ that carries us(Isaiah 46:3-4)…The Womb Love that births usagain … anew … afresh.

Think about the moment you said YES (the welcoming word) to Jesus Christ … not when you responded to an altar call out of fear, no … not that time. I mean when you said YES with your heart, not just your head and/or mouth … the moment when you yielded to God and said YES to His Love in absolute surrender … the moment when you said His Name – Revelation 3:14 (AMPC, MSG) … think about that new-believer or newcomer moment. What you were responding or attracted to is the HolySpirit, your FIRST LOVE. What you were expressing is your FIRST LOVE – the HolySpirit’s LOVE for The FIRST through you.

The humility of our FIRST LOVE isan echo or an exact replica of the humility of the HolySpirit’s FIRST LOVE – it is the humility of new or little beginnings. We see the HolySpirit express this humility at the beginning when the earth was without form, empty, and void – an emptiness that exists when The WORD hasn’t been given or because God hasn’t commanded it otherwise – this was the case inGenesis 1:2, and what our lives is like BEFORE God reveals Himself (LIGHT) to us.

When God does reveal Himself to us, we become Lights that shine. The LIGHT that makes us Light … that makes us arise and shine, the Word/Truth entrusted to us and in our hearts, can only be guarded (kept from going into our heads) by the help of the HolySpirit(2 Timothy 1:14)– this requires humility (asking for and receiving help requires humility). We see David ask for the HolySpirit’s help in Psalm 51:10-12… like David, we all should be in this place of needing and asking for the ever-present help that the HolySpirit is and gives.

Unfortunately, many “grow up” thinking that “they’ve got it” and they start leaning on their own understanding. In the process, they lose the humility of their FIRST LOVE because they let the Light get into their heads instead of keeping it in their hearts (where it belongs) by relying on the HolySpirit. Inevitably, they become arrogant like king Saul, a man whose story simultaneously makes my heart break, frightens the hell out me, and puts the fear of God in me (now that I say this, I wonder if his story was written in order to have this exact God-intended effect … hmm 🤔).

Okay, back to the topic at hand 👉 these so called grown-ups or know-it-alls become arrogant about the fragrant knowledge of God (Truth) that they’ve been given – they use the Name of The LORD in vain and for vain glory (self-glorification and self-presence). This is NOT right … this is NOT of the right spirit that David was praying for inPsalm 51:10. What David was asking for is the Babe (newcomer) posture of awe-struck openness to God … the heart-posture of a newcomer in and to Christ… the heart-posture that humbly responds to God’s calling with YES … the response of a heart that says God’s Name with all-broken-heartedness, with whole-heartedness, with whole-hearted devotion.

God reveals things to His Babes … to those who always come anew to Him with FIRST LOVE humility. Therefore, understand this:

(1) God wants us to be FULL of Him … to be FULL of Faith (the Knowledge of Himself that He gives us). He wants us to grow in stature and in strength –Isaiah 40:31(AMPC, MSG, TPT)

(2) God, however, does NOT want us to outgrow or despise the humility of our little beginning of YES (Zechariah 4:10)– He instead wants to always see the humility of our FIRST LOVE response to Him.

God wants us to respond to His Name-reveal and Name-calling by coming anew to Him like the dew fresh out of the Womb of the Morning so that we can hear Him speak like Samuel did, like Moses did … like every newcomer (Babe) does.

[Definition] Babe – the one who comes anew (who comes well) in the Name of The LORD. The one who truthfully welcomes God’s PRESENCE by giving PRESENCE to Yahweh. The one who welcomes the Name of The LORD (Exodus 34:6). 🤍 The CHIEF of all Babes is God Himself 🤍. Like the Sun, He comes new every morning – Lamentation 3:22-23.

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HEY Babe, The LORD your God comes anew … in like manner, come anew to and with Him – always a Babe, God’s Babe! Always come in and to God with child-like innocence and humility … always be a newcomer, whose first-love burns increasingly brighter and does not wax cold. Indeed, blessed are you as you come into God’s PRESENCE under His Guardianship –Psalm 118:26.

HEY Babe, be loved. The LORD your God comes to reveal His Name to you, be receptive and responsive to Him. Receive God and then give God to God (love God) with ALL that He is within you(Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37)… with the right spirit within you, with the humility of your FIRST LOVE. To respond contrary to this is what it means to take The LORD’s Name in vain (Exodus 20:7) – please DoN’T. DoN’T be vain about God’s Name-reveal and Name-calling, always be God’s babe! He is your gentle HusbandMan – the One Who knocks.

Behold, I stand at the DOOR and knock; if anyone hears, listens to, and heeds My Voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will sup (eat) with him, and he will sup (eat) with Me.
Revelations 3:20

Do NOT be Ruthless

At the start of the first day of the year, God put a new song in my heart while I was yet sleeping … I first heard it as a hum. I listened closely … then I heard the words of the song. I didn’t want to forget both the lyrics and the tune, so I woke up to record it (like Asaph 😊). As I sang the song out loud, God called my attention to His Name: Almighty God (El Shaddai, The Strong and Breasted One) … thereafter, He called my attention to His Name: Yahweh. I learnt that the Name: Yahweh can be interpreted as a promise of/from God saying: I will be with you or I AM with you (always). This reminded me of Ruth 2:4, specifically the words: THE LORD with you. It was in this moment that I experienced God say to me:Do NOT be Ruthless.

In this blog, I’ll call-out a few things about Ruth – the details of which can be seen in the actual book. My focus will be on what it means to NOT be Ruthless … to NOT be Ruth-Less, to NOT be any less than or any less like Ruth. For those who are not as familiar with her story, consider reading the book of Ruth in the bible … it’s quite the story! It’s worth the refresher even for those who already know her story – you just might find a never-before-seen or hidden treasure in the field (Matthew 13:44). This is how Boaz found Ruth. To him, she was a never-before-seen treasure in his field. Ruth is a representation of the treasure God seeks to find in His field (earth) when He comes. With this in mind, let’s talk about Ruth 👇

[Ruth 1:1-19A, 22]Ruth left her father’s house (Moab) to go to Judah YET she did NOT act as though she didn’t have a Father (BECAUSE she had a Heavenly Father – Abiezer: The Father of Help).

Many say The LORD’s Prayer, which starts with Our Father in Heaven (Matthew 6:9), YET sometimes still worry. Truthfully speaking, these two do NOT mix – like wheat and chaff, one is NOT like the other. One, like bread, is for eating (wheat), the other (chaff) is not.

As for you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be NOT rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.
Ezekiel 2:8

NOTE: a rebellious house is a ruthless house – a house without Ruth in it. This is a succinct description of the house of Moab or Self (flesh) – the human nature without God – the father’s house that every Ruth must leave.

Taking a selfie (a quick self-check), I find that I worry in moments when I don’t actively know God … moments when I’m not actively using, applying, or keeping the knowledge of God (Truth) that He has given me. I’ve since found that the underlying cause of worry is unbelief or disbelief – this results in distrust and is the result of ignorance (not knowing God) and forgetfulness (not remembering God). How can one truthfully believe, trust, know, and remember God YET worry? It’s impossible … it’s impossible to actively know The Father that Abiezer is and still worry – ask the lilies (Matthew 6:28B), they’ll tell you the Truth.

Why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and learn how they grow, they neither toil (worry) nor spin.YET I tell you the Truth, even Solomon in all his magnificence (excellence) was not arrayed (clothed, protected, covered) like one of these lilies.
Matthew 6:27-29

It is impossible to actionably know The Father that El Shaddai is, to know that He knows our every need (Matthew 6:8B,32B), and still worry. Ruth, like the lilies, never worried– I believe and say this because there is no record of it written in relation to her … not once!Not once did she act like she did not have a Heavenly Father.

Did she have reasons to worry? She most certainly did! Actually, Naomi gave her a handful to start with [Ruth 1:8, 11, 12, 13, 15]. Ruth was unmarried (without a protector) and was heading to a foreign land with no papers – she had no citizenship – no legal claim (title or deed) to the land. Naomi, her only “LinkedIn” contact (her only link or point of contact to the land), had just given her the I-have-nothing-to-offer-you speech. Nevertheless, Ruth did not give in to worry. At no point in time on the way to Judah (as well as while in Judah) did she worry. Not once did she act like she was Godless or without a God Who is The Almighty God and MIGHTY to save – Zephaniah 3:17💖

Like Ruth, we will have reasons to worry (John 16:33) AND self (the human nature without God) will naturally want to (and will) worry because that is its nature, BUT the Spirit-Man that God created us to be (Genesis 1:27) is not without Yahweh (The ever-present One) … we are NOT without God. For God Himself has said:

I will NOT in any way fail you, give you up, or leave you without support.I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless,forsake you, let you down, or relax My hold on you. Assuredly Not!
Hebrews 13:5B (AMPC)

We are not without Abiezer (we are not fatherless) … we are not without Help (we are not helpless) … we are not without God (we are not godless). To give in to worry is to act as though we are godless, helpless or fatherless … to worry is to act as though Yahweh (The LORD) is not our Father/Helper/God. To act this way is to be Ruthless (to be un-like Ruth) … DoN’T.

PS: To worry is to be Restless (SOS 3:1 MSG).To be Restless is to be Ruthless– to act as though one is Godless, Helpless, or Fatherless –Do NOT be Restless.

[Ruth 1:16, 17]Ruth truthfully (actionably) KEPT her VOW.

Ruth 1:16is the first bible verse that records Ruth speaking. Here’s what she said:

Urge me not to leave you or turn back from following you – in other words, cast me not away from your presence (Psalm 51:11A)– for where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
Ruth 1:16

The latter part of what she said –your people will be my people, and your God will be my God– is an echo of El Shaddai’s words (Genesis 17:1,7) … an echo of Yahweh’s words 👇

God said to Moses:I AM Yahweh. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai (The Almighty God). I did not make known to them My redemptive Name: Yahweh (The LORD) … Tell the Israelites that I say to them:I AM Yahweh…I will take you as My people, and I will be your God…
Exodus 6:2-7

When God speaks, He gives and entrusts us with something USEFUL … something to USE (to effectively apply) … something to KEEP(2 Timothy 1:14)– to put to use as intended or put where it belongs.

Everything God gives is for USE i.e. Seed for sowing (it belongs in the soil), Bread for eating (it belongs in the mouth). Like the Seed and the Bread (both of which God gives, daily – 2 Corinthians 9:10, Psalm 68:19 (KJV)), God’s Word is for KEEPS – His Word (Truth) is to be KEPT: to be eaten or sown. This is exactly what Ruth did!

HOW did Ruth, a Moabite, hear the Words of the God of a people she was not? My guess is: Naomi … that said, it matters less that it was Naomi (or someone else) who spoke Yahweh’s Words in her hearing. It matters infinitely more that Ruth heard Him! WHY? Because Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). Faith is a must-have.

“Let the one who has ears to hear be hearing… “

Going by Romans 10:14, it is right to say that because Ruth heard God’s Word, she practically believed God – she kept (used) God’s Word in every worrisome situation, including the one where Naomi presented her with reasons to worry.

By acting on the belief that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her of/from The LORD, Ruth was blessed(Luke 1:45)– God, all three in One, came and made His home with her(John 14:23)… He became The LORD (Yahweh: ever-present) with her – He became her GOD, and Ruth became His people. God said so Himself 👇

… I will say to those who were not My people: you are My people, and they shall say: You are my God.
Hosea 2:23

The evidence that God was with Ruth and that she was blessed can be seen inRuth 2:4– the exchange between Boaz and the reapers. Boaz (like Jesus) came from Bethlehem … he came to his field (one might say: his garden – SOS 6:2). Upon his arrival, he found Faith (the knowledge of God) – Boaz experienced the STRONG and MIGHTY Presence of God (that, unbeknownst to him, was emanating from Ruth). In response to God’s Shekinah Glory, Boaz said to the reapers: The LORD with you! To which they responded: The LORD bless you! Both Boaz and the reapers expressly proclaimed the presence and blessing of God that tabernacled on Ruth, thus making her a home (place) for His Name – SeLaH.

In every place where I record My Name and cause it to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
Exodus 20:24B

Ruth is a representation of the Bride for whom Christ (our Kinsman-Redeemer) comes to do His part. His part is to redeem, marry, love, protect (clothe, cover), and save His Bride. The question is: when He comes, will He find His Bride keeping her Vow … will He find His Bride keeping the Faith – will He find His Bride truthfully using (or applying) the Knowledge of God that He is and has given her?

There is no Bride without a Vow. What Ruth said inRuth 1:16Bwas her Vow. I know this partly because of the “till death do us part” in Ruth 1:17. Addressed to God directly, they translate to:I will be Your people and You will be my God.This Vow still stands today because (1) God said it – they are His words (Luke 21:33), (2) physical death can NOT part from Yahweh those with whom Yahweh is Yahweh (Romans 8:38-39) – nothing can! God is as close to Ruth (every bride and bride-to-be of Christ) as the heart in our chest and the tongue in our mouth – Deuteronomy 30:14. God’s people are never without Him or His Name – His Name is His Vow, ours as well. #His&Hers #His&Ours

Yahweh – His Name (the pledge of His ever-present Presence) is our Vow, one we must keep. He is a Keeper … KEEP Him we must … USE Him we must. We use God when we actionably know/remember Him … when we, by our actions, apply the knowledge of God that He gives us per time. We use (know/remember) God in every situation when we respond based on Who He is: His Word – His Word (Truth) is His Name and Who He is. With her first recorded words, Ruth actionably spoke God’s Heart out of her mouth – she actionably said His Name: Ruth kept her Vow.

To say a person’s name is to invoke their presence or memory – a form of remembrance occurs when this happens. As God’s people, we are to remember The LORD our God – we are to truthfully call upon His Name. Acting contrary to this inevitably results in self-dependent “sufficiency“: an attribute of the Ruthless, underlain by pride and haughtiness (Isaiah 13:11). To forget or not remember God in practice (by our actions) is to forget or not keep one’s Vow (aka adultery). Do NOT forget The LORD your God – Do NOT be Ruthless. Like Ruth, call on Him by means of His Name – even if it means going against traffic, the norm, or the law.

[Ruth 1:18, 19A, 22]Having fully girded her loins with Truth, Ruth went against the law and ALL in.

No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter into the congregation of The LORD; even to their tenth generation, their descendants shall NOT enter into the assembly of The LORD forever.
Deuteronomy 23:3

Going by when the Moabites did what was captured in Deuteronomy 23:4, Ruth certainly was within the ‘tenth-generation-descendant’ bracket – she might actually be a first generation Moabite. In either case, by law, she wasn’t allowed in – she wasn’t permitted among God’s people YET she went in … she went against the law! She was allowed by God and went in solely on the basis of the Spirit-Word-Truth of God that she kept or spoke actionably (by her actions). The Word of God is Spirit-Life-Truth. This Truth is Who sanctifies us(John 17:17)– He is the ONLY Way to Godfidently go against the law. He is the ONLY Way to come into God’s Presence. God approves of this Godfident entry –Hebrews 4:16

More often than not, we will be presented with reasons to not go to God or go all in with God … reasons to not enter into God’s Rest … reasons to not enter into and receive the promised land that God has given us as well as all that He has done for us. At face value, these reasons seem legit, maybe even too legit to quit i.e.Numbers 13– there are giants in the land! …1 Samuel 17– it’s Goliath we’re talking about here! This is a BIG sin! Yes, I get it … giants, like mountains, are big. That said, no matter how sizeable the roadblock is or may seem, an active Faith, howbeit small as a mustard seed, is MIGHTY enough to overthrow any giant, goliath, or mountain (Matthew 17:20, Mark 11:23, Micah 7:18-19). The Name of The LORD (The Truth of Who He is: His-and-our Vow) is ENOUGH – His Grace is Sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9)… David’s episode with Goliath is evidence of this.

Goliath was Ruthless (prideful and haughty). According to the Word (Vow, Name) of The LORD, he was brought down to size –Isaiah 33:11B. The same verdict (righteous judgment) applies to every giant-like reason or little fox that aims to steer us away from going all in to God and what He has prepared for us in His Presence. It applies to guilt, shame, the fear of rejection, weariness (trying in your own strength and failing many times over) … even our very own weaknesses. All of which stem from or lead to the thought or suggestion that we are not worthy to come close to or before God. DoN’T let this 🚫 you. Take God’s Word and come – Hosea 14:2 (AMPC). On the basis of The Truth of Who God is, Godfidently enter into God’s Presence (His Name). Dare to sit at His feet … dare to kiss His feet … dare to touch the hem of His Garment like the woman with the issue of filthiness did (Matthew 9:20-22).

To see God’s Garment, let alone touch it, we must first come close – we must first come into His inner circle (His inner court) – He beckons us. Therefore, ENTER into God … enter into all that He has for you by sowing the Word of God (Seed) that you are (the Word of God that He has given you) deeply into Him – this is how you take root like Ruth!

We take root in God by sowing our God-given Seed (Faith: The Knowledge/Word of God) deeply into God. We take root in God by sowing The Word of God that we are deeply into God. We take root when we STAND firm in the Name (Presence) of God and NOT oscillate between ‘is God with me?’ versus ‘is God not with me?’ – Exodus 17:7. The back-and-forth or in-and-out of the latter is what it means to be Rootless.To be Rootless is to be Ruthless– DoN’T. Do NOT play fast and loose with Life – Lamentation 1:9 (MSG) … do NOT play fast and loose with God – Psalm 76:11A, 12B (MSG) … do NOT use rules to play fast and loose with God’s Command (His Word, His Name, His Revelation of Himself to you) – Matthew 15:3-9 (MSG). Instead, practice them …

… put them into practice, every single Word of this Revelation (of God). Yes. This is no small matter … it is your Life. In keeping God’s Word, you’ll have a good and long life in this land that you’re crossing over the Jordan to possess.
Deuteronomy 32:46B-47 (MSG)

To play fast and loose with God for the sake of (or in favor of) rules is to be Rootless –do NOT be Rootlessinstead, TAKE ROOT. Endure, persist, go where Yahweh goes … stay where Yahweh stays – be present with Him as He is present with you, and WAIT until Morning like Ruth did!

[Ruth 3:1-18] Not only was she humble (faithful) enough to ask, Ruth was persistent … She waited until morning.

Step out of the traffic! Be still … Take a long (deep) look at Me (take root) and KNOW that I AM God
Psalm 46:10A (MSG, NIV)

In an attempt to get Ruth a protector (a Husband), Naomi essentially told Ruth to GO against traffic! Naomi told Ruth to do two unconventional things:(1)To GO meet Boaz on the threshing floor at night – this was a no-no (Boaz implied this much – Ruth 3:14B) …(2)To GO propose marriage to Boaz! A woman proposing to a man? This certainly was not the norm at that time (let alone now) … one might say it was against the law or rules!

Going against all odds, Ruth readied herself, went to the threshing floor at night to meet Boaz, and she proposed! Having done all that Naomi told her to do, Boaz told Ruth to STAND … to DURO (yoruba for stand, stay, wait) … to WAIT until morning!

“Wait here with Me till Morning when I come … I will come“

There’s a lot to unpack here but I’ll unpack the link between waiting UNTIL morning AND faithfulness. Come with me to Luke 18:1-8 … a parable of a widow (like Ruth) who waited until morning (like Ruth). Here’s the gist of it 👇

It was late at night (a valid reason to not go asking anyone for anything) … still, this Ruth-like widow went to ask for justice from the person whose title/name (Judge) represents what he should be doing i.e. serving justice. This judge acted wickedly in that at first he did not do what his name said – he didn’t give her the justice she needed (notice I didn’t say deserved – there’s a difference). The wicked Judge said no to her ask/cry for justice BUT she didn’t let this 🚫 her. She kept going … she persisted … she waited UNTIL he said Yes! Until he protected (clothed, covered) and defended her … she waited until he gave her justice – UNTIL justice, like Breakfast, was served. In other words, she waited UNTIL Morning.

Psalm 30:5B tells us that Joy comes (is restored) in the Morning.To be like Ruth is to wait UNTIL Morning– having asked, wait for the Joy of being avenged by God … wait for the Joy of God’s Salvation … wait for the Joy of God’s Lovingkindness: God’s undeserved but much needed justice (the satisfaction, refreshment, nourishment, water that ONLY God is) … wait UNTIL Breakfast (justice) is served! Do NOT be Ruthless – don’t play fast and loose …WAIT for Breakfast!SeLaH

2 Peter 1:19Brefers to this time of restoration of Joy as WHEN The Morning Star/Light dawns on/in our hearts. This happens WHEN Saving-Grace comes in Yahweh’s Name (in the Name of The LORD). Regarding such a time, Yeshua asks: Will I find persistence in Faith on earth? … Will I find faithfulness when I come?

“Will I find those who WAIT on, in, and with Me for Me?Will I find those who persist – those who are enduring like I AM? Will I find those who are endearing to Me – My people (those who endure)? Will I find My type– those who will dare to go against the law (i.e. man’s way of thinking and ~~doing~~ failingly attempting to do My part i.e set things right) … Will I find those who would step out of the traffic to follow the Way of Peace: The LORD is Peace (Shalom) … the Peace (Truth) that I give (John 14:27) …those who will restfully WAIT on Me to come and do My part(the part of a Kinsman-Redeemer)for them…Will I find Ruth on the field when I come?“Luke 18:8

MORNING will come (evening always gives way to morning) – this is sure.Do NOT be Restless… eat your Bread by casting it upon many waters (God’s Voice – what God says He has done). In other words, do NOT worry, pray instead – Philippians 4:6 (MSG).Do NOT be Rootless… sow your God-given Seed (the Word, Truth, Faith that He has given you) according to righteousness(Hosea 10:12) and into God so that you may take deep root.Do NOT be Ruthless… having asked (having prayed), WAIT until MORNING comes – The LORD with you will come. His coming is as sure as tomorrow’s sunrise –Hosea 6:3.

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HEY, Bath-Rabbim, your LIGHT has come … HEY, Ruth … look … see 👉 MORNING! He is GOOD, His Name is near –Psalm 75:1(AMPC). This SUNRISE is for keeps (for use) … for you. Breakfast will be served –Psalm37:4-8 (AMPC). Therefore, delight yourself in The LORD – He is for you to have: a GOOD MORNING indeed!

The Purpose of Sons: Be a Sun

The Power of God is the One Who saves and calls (draws) us to live in His LIGHT … He does this because of (and to further) God’s Purpose and Grace which He gave us in Christ Jesus before time began. This is the Purpose and Grace that He now makes known, fully discloses, and makes real to us through Christ Jesus (our Savior), Who annulled death, obliterating all its effect and brought eternal Life – a steady blaze of shinning Light through the Gospel (the very Good News and Good Gift that He is).

In Be a Son, I mentioned that the Purpose of Sons is a coin that belongs to God. I also mentioned that the Purpose of Sons is to bea Son AND a Sun– the two sides of the coin. Synonymously, they both say the same thing, which is to be like God – we are and were made for this exact reason (Genesis 1:26).

One key take-away from Be a Son is that Sons speak Truth (Sons do NOT lie). With this in mind, it is accurate to say that Truth is synonymous to Son which (as will be seen in this blog) is synonymous to Sun. All three are expressions of Who God is. Surely, He is the purpose and scope of Life here on earth as it is heaven.

Having shared on what it means to Be a Son, the focus of this blog will be on being a Sun. To get us started, lets take a look at the VERY FIRST known words out of God’s mouth(Genesis 1:3A) …

He could have said anything … anything at all. YET, for His first words, God purposefully chose to say: Let there be LIGHT. This speaks volumes about what God wants and the Purpose of Sons – a Purpose no different in meaning from what God said inGenesis 1:28A(Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth). Another set of FIRST words out of God’s mouth, this time, it was said explicitly to Man … to Sons … to believers of God: those who live by every Word (Truth) that comes out of God’s mouth. Without His Truth, nothing exists(John 1:3). Considering the significance of God’s Word, and the understanding that He prizes/exalts Him above all His other Names, it is accurate to say that the FIRST words out of God’s mouth is an imperative – one that pertains to Sons.

My Son, pay attention to My words … Let them not depart from your sight(2 Corinthians 3:18); keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.
Proverbs 4:20-22

Sons are Light

Every good (perfect) gift is from above; it comes down fromThe Father of(all that gives)Light … in the shinning of Whom there is and can be no variation or shadow cast by His turning.
James 1 :17 (AMPC)

With God (Our Father) being The Father of Light, it means then that,Like Father, Like Son,we (His Sons) are Light … I’ll uncover this truth by sharing two and a third reinforcing truths. Side Note: unlike a lie which is covered up and furthermore reinforced by more lies, truth is uncovered and furthermore reinforced by more truth – SeLaH. Here are three witnesses upon which stands the truth that Sons are Light:

1. Genesis 1:14-17

And God Said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from night, and let them besignsand token of God’s provident care and seasons (i.e. seed time and harvest). Let them be in the expanse of the skyto give light to the earth. So, God made the Sun … and the moon. He also made the stars and He set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.
Genesis 1:14-17

Reading this 👆 by itself may not readily translate or connect the dots between Lights and Sons. Try reading it alongside Isaiah 8:18 or Genesis 15:5-6 👇.

2. Genesis 15:5-6

God brought him outside (in broad daylight) and said: Look now toward the heavens and count the stars if you can number them … so shall your descendants be. Abram believed GodandGod counted it to him as Righteousness.
Genesis 15:5-6

[Definition] Righteousness: the Good Works that God does in and through the Knowledge of Himself, all of which God has already done. The Works of Faith: The Works that the Knowledge of God births – The ACTS of Faith: God’s Handiwork.

I think Genesis 15:6 (the very point where he believed God) is the point where the soon-to-be-called Abraham became a Son. This thought brings Genesis 12:1-4 to mind … Abram left his father’s house because God told him to YET the bible does not record that God counted that to him as righteousness. Did Abram not believe God when he left his father’s house? Did he make the move leaning on his own understanding? Did he obey but not trust God?

I don’t know the answer to these questions however, a note-worthy take-away for me is that it is possible to “obey” yet not trust in or lean on (the knowledge of) God – this is a classic case of works without faith. Both are requisite to Life.

Abraham’s descendants (Sons) are likened to stars in broad day light – there’s quite a bit to uncover here but I’ll stay in this lane for now. Abraham’s many Sons (the many who believe God) are the very same stars described inGenesis 1:14as signs of God’s provident care … the very same chosen generation described in1 Peter 2:9, who set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues of God Who calls us out of darkness (your father’s house) into His marvelous LIGHT: the broad, unending, everlasting Day-Light that He is 👇.

3. Malachi 4:2

Unto you (Sons) who revere and worshipfully fear My Name shallthe SUN of Righteousness arise (alight) – Isaiah 60:1 – with healing in His wings and His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves released from the stall and leap for joy.
Malachi 4:2

Jesus Christ, the Son of Sons, is the SUN of Righteousness. This means then that to be Christ-like is to be a Sun: a Sun of Righteousness … a Light. Jesus Christ, the first of the many brethren (Sons), is the LIGHT of the world(John 8:12)… so are we – the many brethren (Matthew 5:14).

It is important to note that, in order for the Lights described in Genesis 1:14 to be, the LIGHT in Genesis 1:3 (Jesus) first had to be … He had and has to come first.

Arise! Shine for (THE LIGHT that lights) your Light has come, and the Glory of THE LORD has risen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1 (Isaiah 60:19)

Sons can’t be Lights without the Life (LIGHT) that is the Light of Man –John 1:4,9. Jesus has to come (and be put) first in order for us to arise, shine (give light), and glorify Our Father in heaven – this is the Purpose of Sons. It is a Purpose that stands(Proverbs 19:21)… an out-standing Purpose. Like the immovable, unshakable, ever right-standing ROCK described inMatthew 7:24-25, this Purpose is the Stand for the Lamps that Sons are.

The Spirit of Man (that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God) is the Lamp of THE LORD …
Proverbs 20:27 (AMPC)

The Lamp and The Lamp-Stand

We are chosen and called out of darkness (your father’s house) into God’s marvelous LIGHT (Jesus) for a reason: to show forth God’s praise – to actionably praise His Name … to glorify Him … to be a Light … to stand out and shine(Mathew 5:14-16)– we’ll come back to this. First, let’s take a look at the diagram below (PS: I really enjoyed putting this together 😊).

Though intended for another blog that is still a work-in-progress, I thought to share this diagram here because it’s a good visual depiction of the relationship between the Lamp which represents Sons and the Lampstand which represents the means by which the Purpose of Sons stand: the One on Whom we lean/rest in order to shine like the Sun … like stars that give light and show forth God’s provident care and wonder-FULL works: the good works(Ephesians 2:10), greater works(John 14:12), and infinitely-MORE works that the HolySpirit does in, for, and through us(Ephesians 3:20).

God wants the Lamp that we are to be wholly filled and flooded with Light – this Light is the Love of God that Paul prayed for inEphesians 3: 17-19 … this Light is the Glory of God that fills His Temple – both the temple that we are to Him(1 Corinthians 6:19)and the Temple that He is to us(Revelation 21:22). The temple that we are to God is the righteous city described in Revelation 21:9-23 – a city whose length, breadth, height, and depth is equally and fully filled with Light … with Love, both of which are synonymous to the Glory of God. This is the interest (desire) of God that the HolySpirit pursues and seeks to accomplish in, for, and through Sons – He does this solely and entirely for the Pleasure of God that He is.

For it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you, energizing and creating in you the power and desire, both to will and to work for His good pleasure, satisfaction, and delight.
Philippians 2:13

The Purpose of Sons is impossible without the HolySpirit. Without the Lampstand(Zechariah 4:1-6)and all its inner-workings … without the Holy Spirit: THE LORD, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of The Word of God, the Honey from the ROCK aka the Oil, there can be no Light. He is the Wisdom that makes us Lights that shine. He is the Oil and we (believers of God), like Christ, are the Sons of Oil – those who stand on and are continuously fueled by the Name of THE LORD. His is the Name (Flowing Oil) that we bear … His is the Name (Stone of Help: Ebenezer-Eliezer … the ROCK) upon which we are built and thus stand, solely because He bears us up.

Light can NOT be (shine) without the HolySpirit. The evidence of this is seen in the beginning(Genesis 1:2B)– The HolySpirit was there when God said: Let there be LIGHT(V3)… He was there when God said: Let US make man in our image and likeness(V26)… He was our very first Breath – God’s first words to Man(V28)… the very same Breath Jesus breathed into the twelve disciples (Sons) in John 20:22. The HolySpirit is the Power of God Who makes all things God-glorifying possible. He is the Oil (fuel) that powers the Purpose of Sons, this includes that of Jesus (THE Son of Sons). While He was here on earth as a Man, Jesus was governed, accompanied, and empowered by the HolySpirit(Acts 10:38). My point is: we need the HolySpirit … we are and can accomplish nothing without Him. I reckon that this nothingness is the darkness described in Genesis 1:2A, Isaiah 60:2, and Matthew 6:23 – this is NOT what God wants.

What does God want?👉 The Shining of Light (His Glory)

It is worth noting that not all lights shine – Matthew 6:23 speaks of a light that is darkness. This is likened to salt that has lost its saltness or fruitlessness in the case of a fig tree with no fruit in its season and even when out of season (when God expects fruits of it – SeLaH). Either is the opposite of (what God wants 👉) fruitfulness: the birthing of Sons, the showing forth of His Name (praise) … the shining of Light.

God wants our body (His temple) to be fully filled with LIGHT, with Love, with Himself (the Knowledge of His Glory). This is what God wants – evidently so. Not only did He make this expressively known with His first words:Let there Be Light … Be Fruitful, Multiply, Fill the earth… we see this depicted at the end of time when God makes all things new (Revelation 21:1-7, 10-11, 22-23, 22:5) … when God makes us something brand new, fully-filled with the Knowledge and Glory of God!

… the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of God like the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14

This knowledge of the Glory of God is the fruit described inIsaiah 27:6and the fragrance described in2 Corinthians 2:14. The multiplying release or spread of this fragrant fruit is how we show forth the praises of God and thus fill the earth (Genesis 1:28) with Light.

you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own redeemed special people, that you may show forth the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness (your father’s house … life without Him … nothingness) into His marvelous LIGHT.
1 Peter 2:9 (Isaiah 43:7, 21)

The Language of Praise (Truthful Peace)

There is a language … the language of praise, and it isTruth– Yup! the language of Sons – the language of the HolySpirit:God’s Love language… it’s no wonder that God desirously seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (Proverbs 12:22, John 4:23-24), or that He continually pours His Oil … His Strength … His Truth … His Love into our hearts (Zechariah 4:6, Romans 5:5). Indeed, God actionably desires Truth in our innermost being (Psalm 51:6); for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks:the fruit of our lips.

… I create the fruit of your lips: a new language of praise – a new word:Peace. I will heal you and make your lips blossom anew with speech of thankful praise … a language undistorted, and the people will finally hearMy Truth…
Isaiah 57:19(AMPC, MSG, ERV)Zephaniah 3:9(MSG, VOICE)

Keep in mind that the above reference to mouth or lips is related to every part of us that speaks: our words, our thoughts, and our actions … even our eyes. When we speak Truth in words, thoughts, and actions (by way of the good and greater works of Righteousness which results in Peace: God’s Face or God’s likeness), we personifyGenesis 1:14. When we tell The Truth, we glorify God, we set forth His Praise – this is how we DO it!

Everyone who is called by My Name (Sons), those I have created and formed for My Glory … the people I formed for Myself that they may set forth My Praise – they shall DO it.
Isaiah 43:7, 21(AMP/C)

Truth-telling is how we DO it. That said, let me be clear 👉 by DO it, I mean God does it for us through His HolySpirit Who is the Spirit of Truth … He is God’s Face (Peace) – the God of Peace(Hebrews 13:20-21)… therefore, love Truth and Peace(Zechariah 8:18)… love, embrace, honor the HolySpirit. Love Righteousness – love the work that the HolySpirit does in, for, and through you. He is the LIGHT (Righteousness) and the Way of Peace by which we MUST go.

… if you try to go it alone, or presume to light your own torch, or walk by the light of your self-made fire, the light by which you go will be your own consuming fire, and the torches you light will be your undoing …
Isaiah 50:11(VOICE, TPT, AMPC)

Jesus, our perfect example, came to earth to do the Father’s Will and He did. That said, it is important to note that He did this by the Power of the HolySpirit (aka the Grace of The Lord Jesus Christ) – Acts 10:38. Without the Oil (Strength, Power) that the HolySpirit is, it would have been impossible for Jesus to do all that He did. He did nothing of His own accord(John 5:19, 30 AMPC)– He was enabled by the Spirit (Voice) of the Word of God that He is: the inseparable power duo of God’s Spirit and Word💖.

I cite Jesus’ example to emphasize that Righteousness (the shining of Light) is what the HolySpirit does … He is the One Who does it for us. We can not and must NOT attempt to ‘do’ it on our own, in our own strength, or by leaning on our own understanding. Instead, we must always exalt Peace (God’s Name, God’s Face, LIGHT, the HolySpirit, Truth) above and beyond our own understanding (Philippians 4:7). Assuredly, the HolySpirit is how we DO it – He is the power and desire in us that wills and works for God’s good pleasure, satisfaction, and delight. His singular focus and prayer (The LORD’s prayer) is for God’s Will to be done so that God’s Name is hallowed and that God is glorified. All the HolySpirit (the Voice) does and jealously wants to do is glorify God – Revelation 19:5.

It’s no wonder thatGalatians 5:16(AMPC) encourages us to walk and live in the HolySpirit … in Him is where we have our being (Acts 17:28) – in Him is the only place we can be Lights that shine, in Him is where and how we become the faithful city of Righteousness/Truth mentioned in Isaiah 1:26,Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16, as well as Zechariah 8:3. The HolySpirit is how we arise (stand erect) and shine like Jasper – He makes it so (Psalm 29:9A AMPC ❤️) … He makes us birth Sons … He makes us give Light. Like the lamp resting on the Lampstand, we are the city set on a hill – this is what is written of Sons in the volume of the books (Psalm 40:7-8).

you are the Light of the world. A city set on a hill that can not be hidden.
Matthew 5:14

Let’s not be like those who hide (John 3:20) … let’s not be undercover, let’s come out from among them and leave your father’s house. By the Grace of God Who carries us, let’s stand out … let’s stand erect(Leviticus 26:13 AMPC)and shine – this is our priestly duty, this is the Purpose of Sons 👉 to glorify God, to speak/practice Truth (John 3:21), to set forth Our Father’s praise (Name) … to shine … to let God shine in and through us … to let there be Light! Therefore, heretoforward, come into the LIGHT.

Those who love/practice Truthcome out into the LIGHT so that their works may be plainly shown to be what they are: God-produced fruitful works, what God wants, works done with God’s help and in God (LIGHT).
John 3:21(AMPC, TPT, NLT, CEB)

Arise(stand erect, uprightly)and Shine

you are the Light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, neither does one light a lamp and cover it with a bowl. Instead, it is put on a Lampstand (Lightstand), and it gives Light to everyone in the house. Therefore, do NOT hide the Light that you are.Let your (God-lit) Light shine brightlybefore all people that they may see your God-produced fruitful works of Righteousness (Peace) andglorify yOur Father in Heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

This is WHY God wants there to be LIGHT: to glorify God, to make Himself known – this is the Purpose of Sons. This is WHY God made Man (Sons) – we are His Light-bearers … His Glory-carriers … His Peace-makers … His Workmanship.

Jesus is the perfect example of this Father-Son relationship. A face-to-face, priestly, no-other-God-before-Him, and no-veil-in-between relationship (bond) that is established in and sustained by the HolySpirit. He is the One Who draws and carries us into and before God, Who then looks us FULL in the face –Ezekiel 39:29(MSG) – that we may Purposefully resemble and reflect Him every where we go with and in (within) Him … so that we can be and give Light.

I keep my eyes always on the LORD, setting Him continually before me. He is ever present with me; at all times He goes before me. I will not live in fear (instead I will live in Peace, in His Face) … I will not abandon my calling because He stands at my right hand.
Psalm 16:8 (NIV, AMPC, VOICE)

In and before God is where and how we become God-lit Lights (Lights that shine). In Him … in His LIGHT we see Light(Psalm36:9)… face-to-face with Him, we mirror and reflect Him(2 Corinthians 3:18)as we go from glory to glory (shining brighter and brighter) until we become a picture-perfect mirror and reflection of God … a spitting image of God‘s likeness: the Word out of His mouth – the Truth and Peace that Sons love, speak, and practice.

Therefore, set The LORD ever before you … be ever before Him, that you may display and express the Glory-Light and Peace of God. Let Truth’s shining Light guide your choices and decisions –Psalm 119:105-106(TPT, MSG). Be a Son … speak Truth – Psalm 119:110-111(TPT, MSG). Let God (His Name: Peace, His Word: Truth) be your response. Exalt His Word-Name … His Holy Name. Tell the Truth … subdue every shade of grey, shadow of doubt, and darkness by the Light that they can not comprehend or gainsay: Truthful Peace 💖. Be a Sun … be God’s Face, speak Peace (the effect of Righteousness) by walking in the Way of Peace, the path where Truth and Righteousness echo God’s Name –Proverbs 4:25-27(TPT). Let there be Light in and through you. Multiply and fill the earth with Sons (fruitful works) of Righteousness, with good and greater works, with the knowledge of the Glory of God. Be a Son … Be a Sun … be Purposeful: Let there be LIGHT!

Leave your Father’s House: Be a Son

THE LORD said to Abram:Leaveyour country, your relatives, andyour father’s houseto the land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:1

In both testaments of the bible, we see men and women who left their Father’s house to journey with God (Our Father) into the unknown and/or a never-before.

Each of them left their Father’s house for a God-glorifying purpose. Think of this God-glorifying purpose as a coin that belongs to God … I also refer to it as the Purpose of Sons. As with every coin, there are two sides (of the same thing). In this blog, I’ll speak to one side of the coin: be a Son. God willing, I’ll speak to the other side of the coin (be a Sun) in a future blog. Both sides say the same thing –the Purpose of Sons is to be like Our Father:Like Father, Like Son…to glorify Our Heavenly Father– Yes, Our Father glorifies Himself(Exodus 34:5-6)… every part of Him does.

In the first part of this blog-series (The Exodus), I mentioned that the instruction to leave your father’s house is NOT a call to be fatherless (orphaned or not belong) – far from it. Instead, it is a call to experience the Fatherhood of God … a call to know (experience and express) God’s provident and protective care.

“Come out from among them(unbelievers) and be ye separate”, says THE LORD. “Touch no unclean thing (lies), and I will graciously receive and welcome you with favor, and I will be a Father to you, and you will be My Sons(and daughters) who will prophesy (Joel 2:28, Zephaniah 3:9 VCE) – My people (Hosea 2:23)”, says YAHWEH
2 Corinthians 6:17-18

The response to the call to leave your father’s house begins with a God-led Exodus that leads to becoming a Wife (becoming undivorceably married to God) and then being a Son. In the same way that Wives don’t have two husbands, Sons can NOT have two Fathers (Matthew 6:24). This is why leaving your father’s house is an absolutely necessary prerequisite to being a Son of Our Father in Heaven. The Our in Our Father is inclusive of Jesus – the first of many brethren, one of whom is Ruth. She is a testimony of2 Corinthians 6:17-18… she came out from among them by leaving Moab for Judah where she ultimately transitioned into being a Son – she was bestowed the honor of Sonship and was titled: better than seven sons – a honorable title indeed!

Like Ruth, this transition to Sonship is the path every virgin-servant (christian, bride of Christ) must walk (Matthew 25:1-13) – it begins at the point where you and God meet, court, and God ~~puts~~ ~~a ring on it~~ gives you His Signet (2 Corinthians 1:22). Without this Engagement Ring, it is impossible to leave your father’s house let alone enter into Our Father’s House of many mansions. This Engagement Ring is the powerful Truth that translates us from darkness in to Light wherein we are made one with God (as members of His Body) and are therefore able to be fruitful(Genesis 1:28A)… to multiply … to birth Sons. This birthing of Sons is what it means to be a Son – it is a key characteristic of Sons.

In an attempt to uncover and elaborate on this truth, I’ll be sharing four essential distinguishing characteristics of Sons. In and through this blog-share, I desire that God pursues His desire to teach, encourage, and inspire Sons to meaningfully and actionably be Sons. Like Manoah, I too pray that The One Who’s Name is Wonderful Counselor will (through this blog) teach and guide us into all truth related to the birthing of Sons –Judges 13:8B 🥰.

Who is a Son?

Fundamentally, a Son isanyone who actionably believes God– anyone who accepts and exalts God’s Word as the be-all and end-all like Ruth did inRuth 1:16or like Abraham did inGenesis 15:5-6 (Romans 4:3). In line with the scripture that says to us a Son (Sonship) is given, Ruth was given the right of Sons while Abraham was given the righteousness of Sons.

As many asreceived, accepted, welcomed, andbelieved Him(Jesus: The Word of God) by trusting in His Name (His Person/Power),God gave the authority(right)to become Sons of God– God gave the Righteousness of Sons.
John 1:12

To better understand the above definition of who a Son is, let’s take a look at the Son that was given to Abraham –Genesis 15:1-7; 16:1-16; 17:1-8, 15-21; 21:1-5; 22:1-2. By earthly standards, Ishmael was Abraham’s first-born and would naturally be identified (ID-ed) as Abraham’s Son BUT not so by God. By God’s standard, Isaac was Abraham’s only Son (Abraham’s only true son).

Take now your Son, your only Son Isaac, whom you love (the Son of your Love), and go to the region of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt sacrifice upon one of the mountains of which I tell you.
Genesis 22:2

One might wonder/ask: why was Isaac a Son and Ishmael not? The answer to this question reveals a core characteristic of Sons.

Let me explain: Isaac’s birth was predicated on Truth(John 17:17B)– he was conceived and birthed by the Word of God. As such, he became a living evidence (Faith) of what God said (Truth) and what God did (Righteousness) … Isaac became a living testimony/witness that God can NOT lie and that God did what He said He’d do. On the flip side, Ishmael’s birth was predicated on a lie.

[Definition] Lie: anything that is not according to God’s Word.

Sarah’s plan to obtain children and build a family through Hagar was NOT according to the Word of God(Genesis 16:2)– it was a lie – Sarah actionably told a lie by clinging to her own righteousness. This do-it-myself, do-it-my-way, arm-of-flesh move (lie) led to Ishmael’s conception and birth. True to form, whatever is born of flesh is flesh(John 3:6) … whatever is born of a lie is a lie and inherently stands in opposition to the Truth – herein lies the difference between a Son versus not. This distinction is determined based on what a person expresses or says (in thought, words, and/or actions) – what each person’s core responds to and with: Truth versus Lie. What does your core respond to and with? What are you core-responding to and with? What are you corresponding to and with?

Sons always speak Truththus, they stand right with God … this right-standing is the Righteousness of Sons; it is a position of trust in God. Due to the core or seed of his conception: an unrighteous seed, Ishmael embodied a lie – one could say that he was a bodily or ‘living’ expression of a lie. This, I believe, is why Ishmael was not a Son by God’s Standard (Truth: God Himself). God can NOT lie, neither do Sons – this is characteristic numero uno 🙂.

Characteristic #2:Sons bear Our Father’s Name– Sons embody the reason (the WHY, the purpose) for all that God does (i.e. the making of Sons) – this reason is: His Name … it’s all for His Name’s sake. In part 1 of this blog-series, I shared that a Father is the one who’s Name we bear. I’ll use the example of Jesus and Isaac to buttress this point – both of them embodied God’s Name. Jesus – the Son Who is given – is named Everlasting Father(Isaiah 9:6), a name that reflects/expresses Our Father Who is everlasting (eternal). Isaac embodied the Name of God known as The Fear of Isaac – another name for the Fear of God. Keep in mind that (1) the Fear of God is Love for God, and (2) this Love for God is The Spirit of God(Isaiah 11:2)… THE LORD is this Spirit(2 Corinthians 3:17)and THE LORD is His Name. This precious Holy Spirit of God is the heritage of Sons (He is the Name/Love/Glory of God, Our most-prized treasureIsaiah 33:6AMPC) – He is THE LORD, our Peace … THE LORD, our Righteousness.

This peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition (lies) is the heritage of the servants of THE LORD – those in whom the ideal Servant of THE LORD is reproduced; this is the righteousness which they obtain from Me – this is that which I impart to them as their justification (peace), says THE LORD
Isaiah 54:17B(AMPC)

Like Abraham, the righteousness imputed, credited, imparted, or given to us by God is the righteousness of Sons … it is the righteousness of the many who actionably believe the Word of God – those who obey God’s Command.

Like a robe to be worn or a name that we bear (wear or put on), this God-given gift is the breastplate of righteousness on which is the representations of Sons (the twelve gemstones for each tribe of Israel … for each Son, for each Disciple – those who leave your father’s house to follow God to God). Surely, all who are led by God are Sons of God(Romans 8:14)… He is our God-given righteousness, the very same righteousness that leads us to Peace(Isaiah 58:8)– to God Himself (Peace).

… by His knowledge of Himself (which He possesses and imparts to others), My uncompromisingly righteous One (Jesus) shall justify many and make many righteous …
Isaiah 53:11(AMPC)

This imparted righteousness (right standing with God) is the authority we’ve been given by God to be called Sons … the authority on which we call Our Father: Abba! Father! His is the Name by which we are called: THE LORD, our Righteousness (Jeremiah23:5-6)– this gift of Sonship is the gift of belonging to God, the unearnable privilege to be called His people – a Name Sons wear proudly on their chest like the breastplate of righteousness. FYI: God puts this on too! (Isaiah 59:17).

When it counts, I wantto be found belonging to Godand NOT clinging to my own righteousness (my own way of doing things) … I want to be found actively relying on the Faithfulness of The Anointed One. This is Righteousness: it is supplied by God, and acquired by Faith (the Faith of the Son of God which is the knowledge of God, the knowledge of Himself – the very knowledge through which God has made available to us all things pertaining to life and godliness: God-likeness, Sonship).
Philippians 3:9(VOICE) , Galatians 2:20B(KJV) 2 Peter 1:3

Characteristic #3: Sons belong to Our Father. I alluded to this in part 1, where I shared that we bear the image, likeness, and name of the one we belong to. I believe that this third characteristic of Sons (at least in part) is why God asked for Isaac and not Ishmael inGenesis 22:2. In asking for Isaac, God was asking to be given what belonged to Him: Isaac – the one who was birthed by God’s Word and thus embodied God’s Name (God’s Name is the Glory of God that is to be given to God).

Isaac was a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God … he was a well-pleasing sacrifice of worship offered to God in Spirit and in Truth – a righteous offering(Deuteronomy 33:19)… right and truthful worship(Zephaniah 3:9)… the offering of Sons, given with a singular purpose of glorifying God’s Name … of saying His Name.

Sons belong to God and are uniquely His for His Name’s sake, for His Glory … no sharing allowed –Isaiah 42:8(VOICE). Sons are given for the Glory (the revealing, revelation, or unveiling) of God – to make God known. Same is the story of Abraham and Isaac in relation toGenesis 22:2– Isaac (like Jesus) was given to Abraham for God’s Name’s sake, for the knowledge of God, for God’s Glory – this experience led to the revelation of God’s Name: Jehovah Jireh (God, Our Provider) – another expression of the Fatherhood of God.

To be found belonging to God means that you have left your father’s house and have become God’s people. He calls you: “My people“(Hosea 2:23) and says “you are Mine“(Isaiah 43:2)– this is the very same claim that Our Father made of Jesus, when He said:

This isMy beloved Sonin Whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3:17

Right before Our Father spoke these words👆about Jesus, something pivotal happened – the Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on Jesus(Matthew 3:16)… this is how Sons are made (made known, ID-ed, revealed). Jesus’ time had come! God was ready to give the Command (Grace) … God was ready to make all Grace abound to Jesus. Note: the HolySpirit is the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ that rests on, abides in, and leads those who are Sons.

Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me … apart from Me, you can do nothing.
John 15:4-5

The indwelling of the HolySpirit is the proof that we (Sons) belong to God. He is the One Who makes the Fatherhood of God real to us as He whispers truth in to our innermost being saying: you are God’s beloved child. The HolySpirit is the Love of God that God pours into our hearts and that we ought to receive (welcome) in order for Him (the Spirit of God) to rest/settle on and dwell/abide in us.

We can NOT be Sons without the HolySpirit. This was the case with Jesus – He could not be a Son without the HolySpirit (John 5:30 Acts 10:38)… this was the case with the twelve disciples (Sons) – the HolySpirit settled on each of them and they were filled with Him(Acts 2:1-4)– this was the only way they could be Sons. This also was the case in the beginning, when Man was made – when Sons were made.

The Making of Sons (aka Love-Making)

In Genesis 1:26 when God said: Let US make Manin Our Own image and likeness, I believe He was saying:Let US make Sons…Let US make Love. This love-making … this fiery Love and consummation of Faith is in effect how Sons are made (conceived) and then birthed, revealed (Romans 8:19), or made (ID-ed).

you owe not your birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh nor to the will of man, but to God – you are born of God (Who is Love and gives you Himself).
John 1:13

This love-giving (love-birthing) process starts with and is implemented by The Spirit-Word of Truth that God is: The HolySpirit. The timing of each part of this process is solely determined by Our Father(Acts 1:7), the orchestration of every part of the process is done (made possible) by the HolySpirit. He is the Grace that elected us(Romans 11:5)and the Love of God that chose us(Ephesians 1:4)… He is the willing Spirit of God –Psalm 51:11-12(AMPC, KJV) – He is God’s free Will 💖.

It was of His Own free Will that God gave us birth by His Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creation – a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself (to uniquely belong to Him).
James 1:18

Sons are made (conceived) and made (birthed, revealed, or ID-ed) NOT of him who wills (the determination of man), nor of him who runs (i.e. the righteous), BUT of God’s free Will: His mercy, His delight, the HolySpirit.Romans 9:16 Micah 7:18B

Our prime example, the only begotten Son and the first of many brethren: Jesus was no different – He too was made (conceived) >(Luke 1:35)and made (birthed, revealed, ID-ed) > (Matthew 3:17, 16:17) by the HolySpirit!

Just in case you’re wondering how Jesus is both the only begotten Son of God(John 3:16)and the first of many brethren(Romans 8:29)… let me shed some light on this. For context, let’s circle back to Isaac real quick – he too was referred to as an only Son even though Ishmael was already in the picture. What made Isaac an only Son is what makes Jesus an only Son … and, it is what makes every believer of Yahweh an only Son.

[Definition] Only Son: the only ones in whom God is pleased.

This is the description of the Sons of God’s pleasure/love/delight i.e. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, David … Jesus (the Son of Sons 💖), and every true son – those in whom is the ONLY Pleasure by which Our Father is well pleased: The HolySpirit, the Spirit of Truth – He is the Faithfulness of God … He is the fullness of Faith that pleases God fully 💖.

The HolySpirit is the passion and consummation of Faith that happens in the Son-making (love-making) process. He is the Tongue of Fire that rests and confers on us the honorable title of Sons … He is the Spirit and Power of God that enables Sons to prophesy – to speak/birth truth (Joel 2:28 Acts 2:17)– In deed, Truth begets truth. This brings us to the fourth characteristic of Sons 👇.

Characteristic #4:Sons are birthed by the Spirit-Word of Truth AND thus birth Truth.Whatever is born of the Spirit is Spirit … Like Father, like Son: God is Spirit, so are Sons. Like the Spirit of Truth that God is, Sons actionably speak (live out, bring forth, birth) Truth. This is one of the underlying meaning of what God said inIsaiah 63:8A

Surely they are My people, Sons who will not lie …
Isaiah 63:8A

Be a Son … do NOT Lie:Be Fruitful, multiply

This was the very first words out of God’s mouth to Man right after we (Sons) were made – SeLaH.

God created Man in His Own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, saying: Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth …
Genesis 1:27-28A

In telling Man (Sons) to be fruitful and multiply, God actually was saying:be like Me… beget (only) Sons – this is what Our Father does. He is fruitful and He multiplies(2 Corinthians 9:10 Isaiah 51:2) … To be a Son is to be what God says – He does what He says. To be a Son is to be an imitator of God … to copy Him:Like Father, like Son… Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, is our perfect example: He copied God to the letter (as it is written of Him in the volume of The Book, Psalm 40:7) – He did only what He saw The Father do. He was all about The Father’s Will and Purpose(John 6:38)… He was all about Our Father’s Will being done(Matthew 6:10)– all of which is done by the HolySpirit.

To be a Son is to be a spitting image of God … to be the Word out of God’s mouth – the Word out of God’s mouth is Truth. This Truth is the Merciful Love that God desires to be in our hearts –Psalm 51:6 Romans 5:5. As we receive and speak this Truth, we give Love (we give God), we birth Sons – this is what it means to be a Son … to let God pursue His desires/delight in and through us … to let God’s Will be done in and through us … to continue in The One Who is True by being in His Son (Jesus Christ) –1 John 5:20(AMPC) … to continue to abide in The Father’s Love – John 15:9B (AMPC) … to continue to abide in the Presence of God Who goes with us – in Him we live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). This being of Sons is impossible without the HolySpirit … we can only be in the HolySpirit and have our being (have our God-given purpose be fulfilled in and through us) when the HolySpirit tabernacles or settles on us. In other words, the Purpose of Sons is impossible without being in the dwelling Place of Sons: the HolySpirit is the dwelling Place of Sons 🥰.

Do you feel like you’ve strayed away from this place … from your God-given place as Sons? This happens – the righteous falls BUT gets back up. Two quick testimonies of this, and I’ll wrap up with a prayer 🙂.

Samson was conceived by the Word of God(Judges 13:3)… to ensure his birth, his mother was instructed to ingest no unclean thing (lie). She was on a clean diet(Judges 13:4,14)… one could say she ate Truth (John 17:17), she ate the Word of God: the root of the character of Sons, of Nazirites (dedicated ones), of those who prophesy (Sons). The free Will (mercy and grace) of God gave him birth, thus he was to be consecrated to God – to exclusively belong to God. YET, like Solomon (1 Kings 11:4), he too was distracted and side-tracked. He was temporarily blind-sided like the prodigal son (the lost sheep) who went about his own not-so-merry way(Luke 15:11 -20A).

If any of this relates to you, fear not … be encouraged in The LORD (in the Merciful Truth and Love that He is). There is Hope for your future (for the Sons that you will beget 🙂). What’s done is done and gone … there is hope in the not-yet –Isaiah 42:9(VOICE). Look heretoforward … expect Love, Love, and more Love –Jeremiah 31:3(MSG). Our Father wants you back – He is unrelenting in His pursuit of you (the Spirit-Man He created). All that is required is repentance – turn to face God, return to Him(Hebrews 4:16)and you will be pleasantly surprised to find that, like the Father of the prodigal son inLuke 15:20-24, God is ready, eagerly waiting with arms wide open to welcome you Home: the dwelling Place of Sons.

We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same time that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand – out in the wide open spaces of God’s Grace and Glory, standing tall and shouting our praises(1 Peter 2:9). This is the way God puts it: they found Grace out in the desert … Israel, out looking for a place to rest, met God out looking for them!
Romans 5:2(MSG) Jeremiah 31:2

Assuredly, this reconciliation (of Truth) is impossible with man. Nevertheless, with God Who is The More, all God-glorifying things are possible – this is the sole basis on which I pray that heretoforward, the sweet fellowship, presence, and companionship of the HolySpirit Who is both the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God, will always be with us … leading us, carrying us, and enabling us to live by the Faith of the Son of God (Jesus Christ) Who gave Himself for us that we may be Sons – this is the first, foremost, full, and whole purpose of Man.

All has been heard: the end of the matter is:Fear God– revere andworship Him, knowing that He is …keep His Commands – this is the whole of Man (the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character … the adjustment (reconciliation) to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun). This is the whole duty for every Man (Son).
Ecclesiastes 12:13

Leave your Father’s House: The Exodus

Hear, O daughter, and incline your ear to My instruction – don’t miss a Word: forget your own people and (leave) your father’s house, put your home country behind you … Be here – The KING is wild for you. He desires your beauty. Honor Him, bow in humility and reverence before Him for He is your LORD
Psalm 45:10-11

I excitedly intended to share this blog back in June (on Father’s Day) but God had other plans – He has since continued to teach me what it means to leave your father’s house: a very important step in each person’s walk/union with God.

Before you continue reading, I’d like to ask that you read the words ‘your father’ as a compound word that represents a single entity. Think of it as the name of a place or person. For now, let’s call this person or placeholder Moab. I’ll explain later.

In my narration of Tamar’s story in How will I know, specific to being told to go back to her father’ house, I hinted that there’s significance to leaving your father’s house. In this blog, I’ll shine some light on this with the hope that you would see and understand what it means to leave and not go back to your father’s house. Moreover, I pray that in reading this, you’ll come to honor and embrace the Merciful Truth of God’s Love like never before. This Merciful Truth is God’s Word – the ONLY power that makes the exodus out of your father’s house possible and permanent (such that we don’t look or go back).

Your Word have I taken to (hid in my) heart that I may not sin (lie or set my self) against You.
Psalm 119:11

It is important to keep in mind that the instruction to leave (forget) your father’s house is NOT a call to be fatherless. On the contrary, it is a call to experience the Fatherhood of God. He is The Everlasting Father … Our Father in heaven.

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name.
Matthew 6:9

Our Father versus your Father

What is the difference between the two? Simply put: anyone we call father who Jesus does NOT (can NOT) call father is ‘your father‘. Anyone we call Father who Jesus ALSO calls Father is ‘Our Father‘. In other words,the difference between the two is based solely on Who Jesus calls Father.Who do you call Father?

Before you answer, first check outMatthew 23:9

Do not call anyone on earth your father; for you have One Father, Who is in heaven.
Matthew 23:9

God knows all about human genealogy … He designed how babies are formed in the womb – He is very aware that a seed must first be sown/planted by a father in to the womb (hearth) of a mother. God Himself acknowledged the place of fathers (and mothers) when He said: therefore a Man shall leave his father (and mother) to become one with his marriage mate (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-5), YET in Matthew 23:9God says to call no one on earth father. This confirms to me that the definition of father in the context ofPsalm 45:11andMatthew 23:9is beyond the natural sphere or human-language definition of earthly birth-fathers. That said, while earthly birth-fathers are not the archetype and definition of Father in the context highlighted in this blog, they are a representation that can help contextually understand who a Father is.

Who is a Father?

As a starting point, a Father isanyone who begets a Son(there’s no Father without a Son and vice-versa). To be clear, the term ‘Son’ in this context is inclusive of both male and female –Genesis 1:27

Across all cultures, there are two and a third way of becoming a member of a family: by birth, by marriage, or by adoption. When this happens, the new family member is typically surnamed. This surname is an insignia – proof of membership (or belonging); it grants access to the familial privileges and resources through which household needs are met. Without this name, access is revoked or not granted. Like a crest, this surname (or household name) is the name that all family members bear. Herein lies the principal/primary definition of a Father:the one who’s name you bear.

When a woman marries into a family (this can also be seen as a form of adoption), she takes on the family’s household name. With this in mind, it is safe to say that a Father isa Husband– this is particularly true in relation to God, THE (Our) Father in Heaven.

… your Maker is your Husband – THE LORD of Host (Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies) is His Name – The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called.
Isaiah 54:5

Summarily put,a Father is anyone who’s name you bear by birth or by marriage… or by adoption. A Father is the One through Whom all household needs (i.e. our daily bread) are provided/met.

Accounting for the multi-faceted definition of a Father, I’ll make this a two-part blog series. This part will focus on becoming a member of God’s family by marriage, while the second part will focus on being a member of God’s family by birth – being a Son (or the birthing of Sons). This seems like the right order, given that there can be no birthing of (true) Sons without the Wife/Mother into whose womb (soil) the Seed of the Father is sown/planted. Let’s dive in …

The EXODUS

Leaving your father’s house is a must-be-done part of any marriage/union. Every wife-to-be must first leave her father’s house in order to be a wife … in order to bear her husband’s name. It is this name that grants her access into her husband’s house. As long as she meaningfully bears her husband’s name, she has access to him and what’s his.

To bear a person’s name is to be found always belonging to that person. This involves always representing or being in the person’s name … it translates to putting on the person’s name or always bearing the person’s image and likeness.

Case in point:Mark 12:13-17… here, Jesus was asked a question about paying tribute (taxes) to Caesar. In His response, Jesus called attention to the image on the denarius (coin). This call-out was pertinent to Jesus’ answer; it also highlights a key principle that God Himself abides by.

Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar … Give to God what is God’s. I believe that this principle is the basis for which God called (asked) for Isaac and not Ishmael in Genesis 22:2and perhaps why God chose Jacob over Esau (Malachi 1:3). I’ll elaborate on this in the second part of this blog-series.

I believe also that this principle is the basis for whichPsalm 45:10 says to leave your father’s house (the house to which you don’t belong) – you don’t belong in your father’s house. Instead, you belong to The KING and He has given you His Name. This given Name is His invitation and the Name by which He calls you: My people!Hosea 2:23🥰

The Name of The KING is the Crown that you’ve been given –Revelation 3:11 – it is the Crown and Glory of your head, your beauty – the Beauty that The KING desires. God is the Crown, Glory, and Head of the family that He calls/invites you into.

Keep in mind that it is possible to be given The Name of THE LORD (to be surnamed by birth like Esau or by marriage like Tamar) and yet be displaced. Esau displaced himself by selling his birthright – he traded his right of passage into the Household of God for food. Tamar was displaced by her father-in-law (Judah) who told her to go back to your father’s house. Thankfully, her story didn’t end there – God, THE Father (Lion and Head) of the Tribe of Judah, was merciful to Tamar and gave her The Way back into His House: a consummation, one which established her union with ~~Judah~~ THE Father of the House of Judah. Tamar was given a signet and a staff – both inherently represent Judah’s Household Name: Truth, a Name Judah couldn’t deny or lie/sin against(Genesis 38:25-26A).

Tamar was given a binding … unbreakable, undeniable, undivorceable covenant. Undivorceable? Yes, very much so.Romans 7:2says that a married woman is bound to her husband for as long as he lives however, if he dies, she is released (auto-divorced). The first two times Tamar was married into the household of Judah, both husbands died. Nevertheless, her third entry was different – by virtue of being given the Signet and Staff of The House of Judah (God’s Covenant-Promise and Oath, the two immutable things by which God can NOT lie), Tamar was marrying The Lion-KING of the Tribe of Judah … she was marrying God Himself. Her third entry into the Household of Judah by marriage was an undivorceable one because she married The ever-living God, The ever-lasting Father. As such, till today and for all of eternity, Tamar is known as belonging to God. She left your father’s house and was eternally placed before The KING Who is Our Father.

Tamar isn’t the only one who left your father’s house to come to Judah. Ruth did as well. Before we get into Ruth’s story and how she left your father’s house, let’s take a look at Moab – a representation of the house that we are called to leave.

It all started with a Lot (a man named Lot), Abraham’s nephew. He had two virgin-daughters who were betrothed to be married but the marriage never took place and was not consummated. Both sons-in-law-to-be did not take God’s Word to heart, as a result, they were destroyed along with the rest of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Unmarried and desiring to birth Sons (to Be a Son), both daughters willfully decided to have their way with their father instead of leaving his house (cave).Genesis 19:30-38

The elder said to the younger, our father is aging, and there is not a man on earth to live with us in the customary way. Come, let us make our father drunk with wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve our race (our place) through our father.
Genesis 19:31-32

Wait a minute (quick side bar) … no man on earth???

Okay, back to Moab’s origin story. Both daughters took turns having their way with Lot while he was drunk and none the wiser. Their willful act of sin led to the birth of two sons – one by each daughter. The first-born son was Moab! Like the first-born son(s) of Egypt, Moab represents the pride of the flesh that exalts its SELF against God in the same manner that lie sets it SELF against Truth. Moab was born in sin and represents a house of sin. Moab is an expression of all things born of the seed of deception (sin) – all things born of the seed of the father of lies.

Keep Moab’s origin story in mind as we look at Ruth’s story – Ruth was from Moab (born and bred) BUT by the Merciful Truth of God’s Love Who works all things together for the good of those who love Him (those who give God to God, those who give Him what belongs to Him), Ruth was established in Judah forever.

The prequel to Ruth’s story was a backslide to your father’s house – the story goes thus: Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons, namely: Mahon and Chilion, left their home country and tribe (Judah) because of the famine in their (God-given) promised land. In stead of calling upon, waiting, and trusting in The Name of THE LORD, they did things their own way (the way that seemeth right to them) … they went looking for food (self-perseveration) and sojourned in the country of Moab (your father’s house). Thereafter, Elimelech died in Moab, leaving Naomi and their two sons who later took wives of the women of Moab: Orpah and Ruth. Time passed and both Mahon and Chilion died as well. At this point, Naomi had lost everyone she came into Moab with. Let’s put a pin in the story to quickly acknowledge Proverbs 14:12 and Romans 6:23

There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him but in the end it leads to death. The wages which sin pays is death BUT the bountiful free gift of God is Eternal Life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.
Proverbs 14:12 Romans 6:23

Indeed, the wages of sin is death. The house of ~~lies~~ sin that Moab represents is a house of self-gratification, self-preservation, self-reliance (do-it-your-self), and self-exaltation, all of which is based on (1) the deception, falsehood, or lie that we can satisfy our own needs or fix things, AND (2) the seed of doubt sown by the father of lies that God is not Who He is: Jehovah Jireh (THE One Who provides for all your needs), Jehovah Raah (The Shepherd Who always takes care of all who belong to Him: His Sheep). The house of ~~cards~~ sin that Moab is ends in destruction – it takes (steals) our pearls and crown, with the sole purpose of leaving us desolate, empty and void of life: dead. Death is Moab’s end ‘game’ – first the stealing, then the killing and destroying. Death is the consequence of (the house of) sin – Jesus was not exempt from this consequence when He took on our sins.

To make a Way for us, like God did for Tamar, Jesus Who knew no sin was made sin. He took all of our sins (once and for all time) on Himself and suffered long; He suffered the consequences and endured DEATH (separation from God) –2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24,Hebrews 12:2B. All this happened while we were yet sinners (while we were yet in Moab, while we were found belonging to Moab, while we were busy dying in Moab). Knowing fully where we were and how we got there (self-inflicted disobedience), Christ died for us anyway. In doing this, Jesus conquered Death and deprived it of power to harm us –John 16:33(AMPC),Isaiah 54:17(AMPC),Romans 8:1. In doing this, Jesus became THE Way back home to THE Father – THE Way in the wilderness that God made for us (Isaiah 43:19) so that we can come back to Him like Naomi did.

I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to THE Father except through Me.
John 14:6

Leaving Moab (the house of sin) is impossible for man but possible with God, by His Spirit. Leaving the house of sin requires dying to death. This is what Jesus did on the cross and what the HolySpirit enables us with daily. Leaving your father’s house requires truthfully, actionably, and actively saying to Moab: you are dead to me (get thee behind me), without looking or turning back.

… our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life – you are no longer captive to sin’s demand … WHEN Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word … From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you. God speaks your Mother tongue(Zephaniah 3:9-10) and you hang on every word. you are dead to sin and alive to God – that’s what Jesus did. This means that you must NOT give sin a vote in the way that you conduct your life. Don’t give it a time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with the old way of life … Sin can’t tell you how to live – you are not living under that old tyranny any longer(Isaiah 14:5 VOICE); you are living in the freedom of God … you do NOT owe that old do-it-your-self one red cent. There is nothing in it for you at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!
Romans 6:11-14(MSG) 💖; Romans 8:12-14 (MSG)

The only way to leave Moab behind is to believe and keep believing God … to set THE LORD before you (Psalm 16:8)by speaking His Word of Truth – this is how you set yourself before The KING Who is God’s Word (2 Corinthians 3:18) and how you seek His Kingdom of Righteousness. THE LORD is your Righteousness – this is the Righteousness that conducts your steps to Judah: The Forever Place of peace, prosperity, and good success (Isaiah 58:8B,Joshua 1:8). This is how Naomi made it out of Moab! She believed and trusted God.

Her exodus began with God’s signature fragrance …

…God sent His Wordand made sure it reached Naomi even though she was far away and out in sin – God gave her Faith: the ONLY means by which Man lives and walks with, in, and to God. While she was still in Moab, Naomi heard The Word of God … she heard that THE LORD had visited His people in giving them food. In hearing The Name of THE LORD (Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Raah) … in hearing the Truth (God’s Word), Faith came – this Faith, though seemingly small in size, was sufficient. This mustard-like seed of Faith was the Grace Naomi needed to rise up and walk out of Moab toward Judah … this Faith (knowledge of God) … this truthful evidence of Righteousness (what God has done) was the Mercy that God extended to Naomi – through it,God turned the tides that brought Naomi back home to Judah… to Him.

In the same way that the Israelites exited Egypt –Exodus 12:11(AMP), Naomi girded her loins with Truth by believing God. She took her staff or walking stick of Faith in her hand, and began her (God-orchestrated and God-led) journey back to Judah. She left Moab and did NOT look back or turn to face that place of destruction. Instead, she sought after the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. Thank God forthe Mercy of God thatkept her gaze fixed on Him, as He guided her toward Him.

God’s Mercy was extended toward Orpah and Ruth as well. They left Moab with Naomi however, somewhere along the way, after much or less persuasion from Naomi, Orpah returned to Moab but Ruth did not. Instead, Ruth clung (held tight) to what she had been given (the God in Naomi) and was resolute in her choice to continue on with Naomi, saying:

Urge me not to leave you or turn back from following you; where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God
Ruth 1:16

What beautiful (faithful, believing, unwavering) words! Ruth was NOT distracted by the lie (seed of doubt) that she could be rejected by Naomi’s God on the basis that she was a foreigner and that she might not belong or that she would not be acceptable to The KING. More so, in saying: your God will be my God, Ruth echoed God’s Heart and Will …Hosea 2:23B … she echoed what God said:

… you shall be My people and I will be your God
Jeremiah 30:22; Jeremiah 31:33

… Ruth echoed Truth: The Word of God … she said God’s Name(Revelation 19:13). In saying God’s Name … in speaking His Truth, Ruth set THE LORD before her with her eyes unflinching like a flint, all by the Mercy of God. She said No to Moab and Yes to God like a bride saying I do. Her Yes was Yes and her No was No – she was resolute. She said Yes to God’s Yes and No to God’s No – this is the agreement by which two walk together! And so Ruth’s walk/union with God began.

Ruth was married (adopted) into God’s family by virtue of her undivorceable union with The KING, the evidence/proof of which was signified by (1) her marriage to Boaz and (2) the consummation that birthed their Son: Obed – the Father of Jesse, who birthed David (the ancestor of Jesus Christ). What a glorious and eternal honor! Ruth was made a part of The Beginning Line (the very Lifeline) of David who is a representation of THE Son-Shepherd-KING that Jesus is, and in Whom THE Father is well pleased.

Note that Ruth was married first to God and not to Boaz’ “Christian” family. Same as with Tamar’s third marriage, Ruth entered into an undivorceable union with God THE Father and Husband – this secured her place in Judah. Furthermore, Ruth was described as being better than seven (perfect) sons! She was characteristically likened to a Son – a glimpse into the meaning of this can be seen in Be a Son.

God’s call to leave your father’s house is a wedding invitation – one where you are the bride. Make no mistake, it is NOT a call to marry into a so-called “Christian” family – Tamar did this twice and she was displaced and misplaced … BUT for the Mercy of God, she would have been consumed (lost forever). God’s call to leave your father’s house is a call to be married to God first and foremost … Ruth was married first to God before Boaz came along. This first-love marriage/union with God is what He calls us to: The Wedding Banquet, an invitation to become equally yoked and one with Him, truthfully living and walking before Him in Love, faithfulness, and humility.

God calls us out of Moab, darkness, lies, your father’s house by His Name because He desires and unrepentantly intends to betroth us to Himself – He is not a man that He should lie or the son of man (the seed of deception) that He would repent –Numbers 23:19. Will you say ~~I do~~ Yahweh, do it for me (Mercy), will you say His Name (YES), will you truthfully, actionably, and actively bear His Name. Will you say YES to The One Who first loved you (your First-Love: this is His Name). He wants you back and this is what He says:

My Love endures, and I want you back … I will take you back in Love. Don’t be afraid, you’re not going to be embarrassed. Don’t hold back – you’re not going to come up short. you’ll forget all about the humiliations of your youth, and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory. you were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief … I welcome you back. I AM bringing you back … you will call Me Ishi (my Husband). The name Baali will be out of your mouth and will no more be mentioned or remembered. I will betroth you to Me forever. YES, I will betroth you to Me in Righteousness and Justice, in steadfast Love and in Mercy. I will even betroth you to Me in stability and Faithfulness, and you will know Me … I will sow you for Myself anew in the land … I will say to you: you are My people, and you will say to Me: You are my God.
Isaiah 54:4-7 💖(VOICE, MSG); Hosea 2:19-23 🥰

What say you? Ishi or Baali … JUDAH or Moab … LIFE or DEATH. I pray that the Merciful Truth of God’s Love will be the Grace and Faith with which you leave your father’s house and say The Name of THE LORD by means of His Name both now and forevermore. AMEN (YES).

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ADÉ orí mí (The Glory-Crown of my head), I bow before Your Glorious Throne (Itẹ Ológo tó ń dán gbinrin) – Your Glorious Kingdom reigns forever! You are my Forever Place. Your Glory is my Beauty, my Light. You are THE Father of Light, in (the shinning of) Whom there is no variableness, no shadow of turning or doubt, Kábíyèsí!!! You are TRUTH, undeniable, irrefutable, unquestionable … undoubtedly so! You create calm (the absence of doubtful questions) with Your comforting Love. Olùtùnú mí (my Comforter) … Ẹlẹ́bùrúìkẹ́, it is with age-enduring, lasting love that You tenderly care for me (E fi itoju ya mi soto … Ọbẹ̀ Yin dùn la wọ mi, mo n dán gbinrin). Afẹ ní là fẹ́ tàn (You love me completely to the very end … to the endless END that You are) … I say YES to Your YES! … I say do it for me, I say Grace, Grace, Grace to it! You are my response to You. Your Name (Love) is my Banner, my Logo, my Strength … I say Your Name: YES and AMEN. Help me to always say Your Name. Ishi, I choose You. Help me to always choose You. Ishi, it is You I want. #IshiNOTBaali

Do NOT draw back your hand

I thought my next blog would be in June when I share on: leaving your father’s house – a Father’s Day special! BUT many plans are in a man’s mind however, it is the LORD’s purpose for him (her or me in this case) that will stand. Truly, it is NOT in me to direct my steps – God does this, and in doing so, He makes my feet beautiful!

When God speaks who can but prophesy(Amos 3:8B). My point is, I really had to share this kiss! I could not restrain ~~myself~~ my hand … like the pen of ready writer, my fingers excitedly went to work. With that said, it is my desire that you enjoy this kiss even as I did and still do … I pray that this Kiss from God’s gracious sweet lips awakens you at your core to His call – you are a people called by God’s Name.

This blog is a spin-off of the Judah and Tamar saga! One of the many lessons to be taken from it is this: do NOT draw back your hand.

My righteous servant (the just) will live by Faith … if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him.
Hebrews 10:38B

It is for this reason that God teaches and tells us these things so that His delight and pleasure may be in us fully, completely, and overflowingly. For our way is not that of those who draw back(Hebrews 10:39A).

Who are those who drew back?

1.Onan– Judah’s second son and Tamar’s second husband. He died because he withdrew his ‘hand‘ thus preventing conception(Genesis 38:6-10). His deliberate intent on preventing fruitfulness/multiplication displeased God and he became a ~~deadline~~ … a dead end.

2. Zerah– Tamar’s second son (Perez’ twin). At the time of their delivery, he put out his hand and could have been born first BUT he drew back his hand(Genesis 38:28-29A).

When birth pangs signaled it was time to be born, Ephraim was unwise to come out of the womb. When the passage into life was opened up, he comes not to the place where children break forth – he doesn’t present himself at the mouth of the womb. Don’t stay long where children are born. The moment of birth has arrived! Do not withdraw your hand.
Hosea 13:13 (paraphrased)

3. The children of Ephraim(Psalm 78:9-11)– they were armed and carrying bows, yet they turned back their hand in the day of battle. They kept not the Covenant of God and refused to walk according to His Command (Grace). They refused to walk according to God’s Word (The Staff) … they forgot God’s Face, a forgetfulness that happens when one does not keep The Signet and The Staff … a forgetfulness that could lead to being forgotten (like Tamar would have been) – a dead end.

I have set the Lord continually before me. He is ever present with me; at all times He goes before me. I will not live in fear or abandon my calling because God stands at my right hand.
Psalm 16:8 (AMPC, VOICE)

Flipping it from 6 to 9(to better things … to princely things), let’s look at examples of people who did NOT draw back their hand. First, the little boy with five loaves of bread and two fish –John 6:9– this was all he had in his hand. I’m not sure how the disciples knew about this little lad’s lunch. My guess is that he offered … he probably was like: hey, here’s my lunch. However these princely things may have transpired, I reckon that this little boy (who I’m very much inclined to call Gideon or Perez) willingly … fully … and outstretchingly gave what he had in his hand. He certainly did not withdraw his hand – he was a cheerful giver. We all know from2 Corinthians 9:7 that God loves Him some cheerful giver and giving! Through this little lad’s outstretched hand, God demonstrated His nothing-like-it-ness … God demonstrated His Holiness (John 6:1-13).

Before we look at Moses, let’s take a look at Ehud – another person who did NOT draw back his hand in spite of being restricted. The story goes thus: after 40 years of peace, and following the death of Othniel (a man used by God in response to the Israelites cry to God for deliverance from their self-made oppression), the Israelites did evil in the sight of God …. AGAIN! As a result, evil befell them … eighteen (2×9) years later, the Israelites cried to God again for salvation/deliverance. In response God used Ehud, a left-handed man (a man restricted in his right hand as we all are) to do the job. It didn’t matter that he was restricted in his right hand (which is popularly mistaken to be a person’s strong hand) … Ehud gave his (left) hand regardless, and God used him to run a secret (ninja, samurai-like) errand! When you have a moment, check out the details of the story inJudges 3:1-30– you’ll understand why I said it was ninja and samurai-like 🙂. Not only did he not withdraw his hand, Ehud did not withdraw the sword in his hand! He took what was in his hand and went all in! A God-glorifying commitment to the task he was given/assigned/appointed!

What is that in your hand?
Exodus 4:2

Exodus 3captures God’s early conversations with Moses. God called Moses to Himself using the burning bush with fire that was not consumed – a semblance of the Word and Spirit of God –Jeremiah 23:29A…Hebrews 12:29. In this conversation, God tells Moses Who He is and what’s on His mind (salvation). Furthermore, God lets Moses in on his part in His Plan and gave Moses His Name – what a preciousness! Moses was called by God’s Name.

InExodus 4:2and in response to Moses’ reservation to all God revealed to him, God asks: what is that in your hand? Moses responds saying: a staff!

A quick side note: God always gives us the Faith (Staff) we need – this Faith, this Staff, is the evidence that we step into by GRACE. It is God’s Footstep (which is untraceable and has not been revealed to the human senses – Psalm 77:19) … it is the Footstep of God that we step into by Grace. It is what we must lean on and walk/live by. Moses already had in his hand what God could use: a shepherd’s staff! A representation of The SHEPHERD’s STAFF! ALL that matters/counts is that God can … NOT that you can‘t.

With the staff in Moses’ hand, God gave him two and a third sign to ease his reservations. Twice during this show and tell, Moses had to stretch out his hand. Thereafter came the part where Moses almost withdrew his hand (Exodus 4:10,13) BUT the mercy of God stepped in and stayed his hand (Exodus 4:11,12…14-17). I believe this is a significant part of the story because, like Moses, many of us tend to look at ourselves (and others) when God tells us to “do” something … when God tells us to move in and by His Spirit. Sometimes (more often than not), when God calls us forth, we tend to very quickly see all the ways in which we can’t, are weak, or will fail – indeed, we can’t, we are weak, and we will flat-out fail in and of ourselves – all these are facts! BUT we are NOT the criteria! Thankfully so.

Not by might, nor by power, but ONLY by My Spirit says The LORD of Hosts.
Zechariah 4:6

I use the example of Moses to highlight that the response of fear is common to us all, including the best of us. Jeremiah also expressed his version of this fear response inJeremiah 1:6-to-9. In Moses’ case, he said and I quote: “O Lord, I am not eloquent nor am I a man of words, I never have … not even since You’ve spoken to me in this conversation, I am slow of speech. I have a heavy and awkward tongue … Oh, my Lord, I pray You, send by the hand of some other whom You will send.”.

Without mincing words, that right there👆was Moses in the process of withdrawing his hand. Thank God for God (His Mercy) … Moses could have been a dead end BUT the Mercy of God would not have it so. The same Mercy has been extended to us …

I will extend Mercy …
Isaiah 14:1

For all of us, our experience of God’s Mercy starts with an invitation or calling from God to come into Him, to give Him our hand (including our right hand of weakness). Holding our hand in His, as we walk with him (hand-in-hand), God shows us His out-of-this-world, nothing-like-it-ness Plan (Promise). The PURPOSE of which has already been fulfilled in faithfulness – Isaiah 25:1 …

A holy calling to further God’s Purpose and Grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus BEFORE the world began. It is this Purpose and Grace which He now has made known and has fully disclosed (made real to us) through Jesus Christ, Yeshua, Who annulled death and made it of no effect and brought life (immunity from eternal death) to light through the Gospel – the power of God unto salvation.
2 Timothy 1:9-10 … Romans 1:16

Like Abraham entered into what God was doing for him and through him (Romans 4:3 MSG), GRACE is how we enter into and remain anchored in God’s Purpose, Plan, and Promise for/to us. PURPOSE and GRACE – a match made in heaven and realized (reali-ti-zed) here on earth. God’s purpose on the earth will not want or lack her mate (GRACE) in fulfillment –Isaiah 34:16.

When God reveals your part in His Plan to you, do NOT look at yourself … do NOT respond based on you. Instead, look unswervingly and undistractedly at His Face and respond based on what you see on His Face. Keep your eyes of Faith fixed on His Face, fixating on the delight on His Face for what’s to come … for what comes next. On His Face, you’ll find no deadlines, no dead ends, instead a Lifeline, a no-way WAY! God will ALWAYS make a way! Yes … even in the wilderness!

Like He parted the red sea and the Jordan river, God has set aside and cleared completely out of our way any opposing enemy (enemies of righteousness). Don’t be the enemy standing in your God-paved way … don’t be the blockade in the God-traveled road that you are. Stretch out your hand and allow (let) God demonstrate His Holiness through His Right Hand which holds your right hand.

Always remember God’s Right Hand.

The Right Hand of the LORD is exalted! The Right Hand of the LORD does valiantly and achieves Strength!
Psalm 118:16

If ever you feel fear, do NOT draw back your hand. Instead, remember that God’s Right Hand is holding your right hand. Speak His Word in response to His Word (what He tells you) – speak to The ROCK – and watch Him demonstrate His Holiness! Like Elisha threw the stick into the water and a like-never-before happened(2 Kings 6:1-7), speak God’s Word (speak with holy fervor born of Faith) in(to) the seemingly impossible task at hand, and watch God demonstrate His nothing-like-it-ness! Watch heavenly realities that have their foundation in the holy being of God happen here on earth! God’s Glory revealed!

Fear not, forI AM with you … do NOT be disMAYed forI AM your God. I will strengthen you … yes, I will help you; I will hold you up and retain you with My victorious Right Hand of righteousness and justice. I the LORD your God holds your right hand. I AM The One Who says: Fear not; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:10,13

These are the verysame wordsthat God spoke to Joshua at the start of his assignment and God’s conversation with him(Joshua 1:9) … dear reader, do NOT draw back your hand like Zerah did. Instead be like Perez and break forth as the LORD calls you forth and commands your strength! Strength! Courage! Grace! Grace! Grace to it!