The Value of a Preposition

Prepositions are cool words. This part of speech is not as easily understood as nouns or verbs, but is essential nonetheless. I commonly think of them as linking words, as their function is to link a noun or pronoun to the rest of a sentence and create a prepositional phrase.

This is especially interesting in the phrases "walking in" and "walking through." We use both at my ecclesia. These two phrases are extremely different because of the simple prepositions.

Which one do you think is temporary? That's right, walking through. "Through" implies that you'll eventually come to the end of something and leave it behind. If you're walking through a forest, eventually you will reach the other end of the forest and move on from there. You wouldn't stay in the forest forever, nor would you stop when you reached its end.

Walking in, though, doesn't have an implicit end. The goal of walking through something would be to reach another destination. The goal of walking in something is less defined. You might walk in a forest and never leave it. It could be your home. You might go in and come out of the forest at different times. It isn't really as structured as the former phrase.

What is interesting is that a person can be walking in and walking through some things at the same time. Walking in, to me, implies more permanence when it comes to spiritual things. One can walk in truth, walk in freedom, walk in faith. These are things I wouldn't want to ever stop walking in. But then, there's no need to. Freedom, faith, truth... they're all infinite and eternal. There ISN'T an end to them.

Walking through can also be termed walking out. I generally think of the latter phrase as walking out of something. One can walk out the process of being freed from a debt, thus walking out of debt. One can walk through a season in their lives in which they struggle with a lack or temptation. These things are temporary. Yahweh never created them to be eternal.

For Kingdom people, walking out something is fairly common. Yet we can always, even in the midst of this walking through, walk IN what Yahweh has for us. Or really, walk IN Yahweh. Because that's all there is in the end anyway.

And as we walk in Yahweh, Yahweh lives in us, so that, in all things, we become inextricably One.

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.

Translators

We are intercessors. We are translators.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But faith without works is dead. Because faith isn't faith without obedience.

I speak English, Spanish, and can count to ten in a few other languages. There are currently about 7,000 languages spoken today. Syllables, phonemes, letters. They call these words. But they're not.

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with Yahweh. And the Word was Yahweh. For Yahweh speaks Himself.

But He speaks a language that few people understand anymore. The Tower of Babel was not the first time  multiple languages were spoken in this world. No, that happened at the Fall. When Adam and Eve--and by extension all of creation--began to speak a language Yahweh doesn't speak. And stopped understanding Him.

Adam, a creative being that Yahweh formed in his image, continued to create. Only now without the help of the Creator. What he and his lineage created by their words came to be known as Babylon. The world system, aided by another being whose very existence is the opposite of Yahweh's. Adam's descendants have been creating ever since then. Making things Yahweh never wanted. Never spoke. For they could no longer hear Him. The part of them that spoke His language was dormant. Dead. Asleep.

But then He sent the TRANSLATOR. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, that we might all again speak the same language. And some did not want to hear Him, for to do so meant they could no longer claim ignorance. To do so meant they could no longer presume to speak for Him. So they killed Him, hoping that would end it.

But it did not. Instead, He left us another Translator. A helper. Comforter. The Whisperer. Holy Spirit. So that now we can all speak His language. We can understand His heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, a man speaks. And what comes out of the overflow of Yahweh's heart is righteous creation.

But still creation is under the stewardship of man. And not all men speak His language. Some have refused to do so. They, even now, create using words that Yahweh never spoke.

For the worlds were framed by the Word of Yahweh, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Creation comes through words.

But what language do we speak? Yahweh's or another?

Without faith it is impossible to please Yahweh. Faith comes by hearing His Word. When we hear what Yahweh has spoken, agree with it, have faith for it, and carry out the obedience that makes it complete, then we translate from Yahweh's language to creation. And Yahweh can again create beautiful things in the world.

We are the translators. The intercessors. We speak in a language that is otherwise impossible to understand. Many mistranslations have occurred throughout the aeons. We call those religions. There are many religions. But there is only One Spirit. One Yahweh. One Word: Yahshua.

See what Yahweh has spoken. When we translate correctly what Yahweh has spoken, we make what we've heard seen. So that what we've hoped for...what HE has hoped for all along...has substance.

The Kingdom--It will Only Cost You Everything

This is a statement I've heard many times since entering the Kingdom. While I've found it true, I've also found that what I've gained is immeasurable compared to what I've lost. So much so that I forget what I've given--what it's cost--to get to this point. Because everything I had to lose wasn't good for me anyway.

On the one hand, it is hard to willingly hand over absolutely everything to the control of Yahweh. Especially since it seems you know Him more and more only AFTER you've given these things up. But of course that's the case. These things are hindering your relationship with Him. Only once they're gone can you see Him more clearly. Blessed was I to see enough of Him to trust Him with everything. Blessed am I to receive His faithfulness in response to my own.

But I was considering this statement earlier today. It will cost you everything to be in the Kingdom. Honestly, superficially it sounds like a religious statement. I've read it in countless religious books, heard it in many religious songs. But to actually SEE it and EXPERIENCE it is another matter.

Because it is far from a religious experience.

It is, rather, life.

Because existence costs EVERYBODY everything, whether or not they enter the Kingdom. I haven't lost anything that wasn't already perishing. And in return I've gained things that will last eternally.

But those who refuse the gift of the Kingdom lose everything anyway. What they attempted to hold onto is wrenched unsympathetically from their grasp as they agonizingly try to hold onto it so much that, in the end, they lose themselves along with that which they were unwilling to surrender.

Kingdomheirs, on the other hand, release it willingly into the hands of our Creator who we trust and adore. And He, miraculously, gives it back to us in purer form than it was given to Him. We even give Him ourselves. Our very beings. And He takes us, labeled and searching and desperate as we were, and returns to us Ourselves. Identified, Found, Complete. One with Himself. The Creator of the Universe.

I've counted the cost. And yes! It IS worth it!