Tag: faith

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!