Tehilim1

Tehilim1
Hold On To The Written Torah

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Through Water & Fire


I have discussed trust, faith and encouragement in my previous posts and as I've posted about these subjects I've found that I have only scratched the surface of each one. So in this post I would like to encourage you to look deeper into the One who we should put our trust and faith in.
As you read the following passage, take it in and make it personal.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43 1-5 But now, thus says Yahweh, who created you, O Yaakov, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am Yahweh your Elohim, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you.”
Now that we have this encouragement, we can have confidence that when we are faced with the rising waters of anxiety we will not be swept away into the abyss of despair. When the fire of fear is lit within us we can know that we will not get scorched if we put our trust in Yahweh. It is an amazing thing to be told that Yahweh has called us by our name. This tells me that He has placed us here on His planet for a purpose. Even when that purpose doesn't seem clear or even apparent, we can have confidence that Yahweh will bring us out of the water and the fire of hopelessness.
I have made metaphoric references to the water and fire in this passage, but I’m well aware that these are physical promises as well. There is a great account of three men who endured a very hot fire and came out of it without even the smell of fire upon them. The account is in Daniel 3. Now please bear in mind that when we read these accounts that they were to prove out the faith of the individuals. I’m in no way suggesting we go out and do anything that would put us at risk. If you notice all of the accounts of water and fire are faith related to show the sovereignty of Yahweh.
So look up to The Holy One of Israel, your Savior and be strong and courageous in the face of great trials.  

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

In whom do we place our trust?


When we are faced with dire circumstances we often find ourselves asking “who can we trust?” “Who will save me?” Let’s think about the word trust for a moment. The English definition offers us this; a person on whom or something on which a person relies. This definition gives us a clear choice on where we can place our trust; we place it on someone or something.
A Hebrew definition offers us this; חָסָה Chasah from (Shamuel Bet (2 Samuel) 3) to seek refuge, flee for protection and to put trust in, confide or hope in. With the Hebrew definition we are given the impression that we are seeking refuge and hope.
Look at what David said in Shamuel Bet (2 Samuel) 2-4 and he said: “Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The Elohim of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.”
So with this very powerful statement we are encouraged by David to place our trust in Yahweh Elohim. So when we are faced with fear and doubt we can trust that when we call upon Yahweh He will hear us and save us from our enemies!
What or who are our enemies you may ask? For this post I’m going to suggest that we think of fear and doubt as our enemies. I have found that when we are faced with a dire situation fear shows up almost instantly and the feelings of anxiety and doubt begin to creep into the front of our minds. This, as I have said before, is usually because we were told certain negative things in our past that cause us to have a negative reaction to the event that is currently happening to us.
What then can we do to combat these real feelings? I would suggest that we first be honest and admit that we have them and then move into a trust position right away. This is not an easy task to accomplish at first, but as we place our trust in Yahweh, as David did we will find it easier each time an uncertain incident comes forth.
Remember the key statement of the passage David wrote; “Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The Elohim of my strength, in whom I will trust.”
May you be blessed and encouraged!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Fear Not



If I haven’t mentioned it before I would like to suggest that we can live without fear. How do I do that you should ask? Well I have discovered it is not an easy thing, to live without fear. But it is possible however. Look at what Yahweh spoke in
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 41: 8-10 “But you, Israel, are My servant, Yaakov whom I have chosen, the descendants of Avraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, you are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your Elohim. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” This is very encouraging when we feel that we are slipping into that dreadful state of fear and anxiety. We can feel confident that no matter where we are on this planet, that Yahweh has created, that He will help us and uphold us.
It is a wonderful thing to know that we are chosen and that we are not cast away. To know that we are strengthened by Yahweh our Elohim should give us the confidence and joy to combat any fear that wells up from within our pool of despair, that has been created by the negative bombardment, from all those who have filled the pool with doubtful and deceptive words.
It is even possible to live without fear when we are faced with economic uncertainty. This however, can seem a bit more difficult especially when our finances are tied to our being able to stay in our homes and keep the lights on. When a person is faced with this particular reality, that individual must grab onto a passage like Yeshayahu 41: 8-10 with both hands and accept it as a reality for ones life.
So it is possible to live life without fear, even when we feel afraid, we can turn to the promise of Yahweh our Elohim and be courageous!