Courage

Courage is when our desire to please Yahweh supersedes our desire to avoid pain.

Battle

Gideon's 300 were soldiers, and they were sent into battle. They didn't do battle in the traditional way, with swords and danger and rushing the enemy. They did battle with faith, believing the Word of Yahweh and willing to move in the direction that Word led them, even if it looked foolish at the time.

Gideon took 300 men and armed them with a torch, a pitcher, and a trumpet. He then strategically placed them around the camp of the enemy, a large number of people who were willing to not only destroy Israel, but CONTINUE destroying them. For Gideon was not fighting a newly invading army, but a group of people who were entrenched in their position.

Gideon, when called, was threshing wheat in a wine press in order to avoid the occupying enemy. The enemy was not new to the battle, Gideon was.

And he stationed his men around the camp of the enemy and gave them instructions. Really, he repeated the instructions he had been given. For Yahweh told him to simply station the men around the camp and blow the trumpets and break the pitchers. Their swords weren't even out of their belts (because how can you hold a trumpet, a torch, a pitcher AND a sword with only two hands), or if they were, they wouldn't have been ready to use.

Instead they used a more powerful weapon, a more powerful sword, the Sword of the Spirit--the Word of Yahweh. That, along with the full armor of Christ, allowed them to win the battle without lifting a natural sword. For when they were obedient, the enemy began destroying itself. Because the nature of the enemy is to self-destruct.

And Gideon and his 300 liberated Israel from the oppressors, giving glory to Yahweh and accomplishing His desires.

The requirements for Gideon's 300 were that they be not afraid, have prophetic vision, and be united under their authority and the Word. But what do these things mean? Does it mean they were feeling invincible that day and had not a lick of fear? Did it mean they could see the future with clarity that made it as real to them as the present? Did it mean they wholeheartedly accepted Gideon's leadership and never questioned whether or not he was ready to lead?

Because we must see things with Yahweh's eyes. I could condemn Gideon--who was threshing wheat in a wine press so the enemy could not steal it from him and who was afraid to cut down his father's idols in daylight--for fear. I could condemn Gideon--who had to ask Yahweh for a sign that He was even the one speaking to Gideon and for not one but TWO signs before he even accepted his position as leader of the 300 and then had to go down into the camp to listen to the enemy speak of his dream of his own defeat when Yahweh told him he would be victorious--for not having prophetic vision. But Yahweh did not condemn him. He used him. So how could I judge Gideon harshly?

Today I feel like Gideon, or at least like one of his 300 soldiers. It is nearly time to go out into the battle, and I know I am ready. I know I am victorious. I am brave, equipped, and have the full armor of Yahweh. Yahweh's Spirit is within me, and I do not venture forth alone. Yet, it is a heavy responsibility for all that Yahweh carries all the weight.

For my enemy, like Gideon's, is not new to the battle. It is well-entrenched. I am the newcomer. And yet I am omnipotent, for Yahweh has established my authority. He has armed me, while disarming the powers and principalities that in the past held sway over the battlefield.

I am not alone. Yahweh my God goes with me. He will never leave me nor forsake me. And He has established me. I am bold and courageous. And I am successful. I am mature. I am prepared in ways I wasn't the last time I fought this battle.

This time it will be better, though I don't expect it to be easy. I will fight in the rest. I will live in my Yahweh and I will see what He has spoken. I will enjoy the battle, and revel in the fact that I am bringing glory to my God, my King. I am GIVING Him something, and gifts can be costly. But it matters. It means something. I have a purpose. So it's ok. It's worth it. My face is set like flint. I am ready.

The End of Summer

Well, the end of this summer, at least. It isn't the end of ALL SUMMERNESS EVERYWHERE! *cue scary music*

This post is odd, in a way, because it is more personal than most of my posts, although there is plenty of revelation in there. Still, I felt I couldn't let the last day of summer go by without some sort of farewell post, a line of demarcation.

Because it is a line of demarcation. And that's ok. And possibly a little scary. Or not. Definitely not. Because it has been a great summer. I mean, the most amazing summer ever. I mean, in this summer I've grown in ways I didn't even know possible. So much so that I am actually ready to go back to school tomorrow.

But with all the goodness that has been this summer, it can be hard to contemplate bidding it goodbye, knowing I can never have another summer like it. Knowing that, tomorrow, everything changes. No longer can I sleep until 9 or 10 am. No longer can I make lunch plans with friends or hang out at out-of-the-way places (like malls and movie theaters). At least on weekdays. Basic things will be different now. Routines, times for certain things (like meals and sleeping). Energy will be funneled into working instead of playing or sitting around. Exercising will be different as I (gasp) have to do it earlier in the morning. Everything will be different.

And that is (definitely not) a little scary. Because it has been so good. What could possibly be better?

And yet, I willingly bid summer goodbye. Because Yahweh always has something better for you when He asks you to give something up.

Because if I tried to keep it, it would never remain good. And unless I give it up, I cannot receive what Yahweh has for me in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. No, it won't be like this summer. It can't be. But that's okay, because I'm not leaving anything behind in this summer. I've gotten everything I can from it. I'm ready for school. I am ready to receive what Yahweh has for me in the next season.

And here's the revelation part. It's so big to me. Yes, it can be scary to let go of something, whether because of how awesome it is or because of lack of knowledge of what is coming. But if you cling to something too long, the sweet turns sour and the beauty crumbles to ashes. Something good--like summer--was meant for such a time as this. But remove it from its time and it shall become something else. Carry it on too long and it shall wither and die--and steal from you.

Because if you cling to what is fleeing, that ever-worsening thing that you hold onto is taking the place of what Yahweh has in store for you now, in this time, Today. Your hands are not free to grasp the new things He has for you. They are, instead, held captive by the embers of your dying fire, the wilted stems of your faded flowers. The faded tendrils of what used to be a tapestry.

When Yahweh holds out a larger flame, a bright and fragrant bouquet, and a tapestry in which you and He are woven and sewn together in a more intricate and intimate way. All waiting for you. As soon as you drop what is past its time.

So I won't keep summer. It's time is nearly past. Almost over. In only a few hours, I shall embark on this new season of life. And I fully expect great things from it. Because then it will be Today.

And Today and Today only, I can hear Yahweh's voice. I will not harden my heart.

And for now, in these last few hours of summer, I embrace fully the Today that is now. HalleluYah!

Thy Will Be Done on Earth As It Is In Heaven

Another title for this post could be "desires."

Desires are important. They are often what dictate our actions. Frequently, they have a negative connotation due to the fact that people who allow their fleshly desires to rule their actions often do negative things. However desires aren't negative, provided they are Yahweh's desires.

But let me back up. My previous post, Translators, talked about Words. Words, or the Word, is Yahshua. He is Yahweh. And Holy Spirit. A trinity. They are one yet three. And they are the Creator. Words are creation, or rather, they're the building blocks of creation.

But words that are spoken in languages--English, Spanish, Chinese, etc.-- have components to them. Syllables, letters, phonemes (sounds). So what, I wondered, is the Spiritual equivalent of syllables and letters? What is the building block of Words?

This is where we come to desires. Or the will. Specifically Yahweh's will. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. But what is in the heart? Desires. If we delight ourselves in Yahweh, He will give us the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37:4) So, then, desires are the building blocks of Words, which are the building blocks of Creation.

So desires are important then. Desires influence our speaking. Desires compose our words. With unsubmitted desires, people--whom Yahweh made to be creators-- can create things like debt, selfishness, etc. With any fleshly desires, people can manifest Babylon.

But with desires that are delighting in Yahweh--with desires that are His--we can make it so that Yahweh's will is done on Earth as it is in Heaven. And when our desires are Yahweh's desires, we will receive the desires of our hearts.