No Time for Distractions
The image above is beautiful but it is an image of a dry deserted desert. It reminds me of my walk at times, beautiful but it can be a dry and deserted walk on this ancient path.
It is 7/11/2023 around 7:45pm PST which means it is 10:45pm here in TN where I am writing this next devotional. I decided to take a break and touch on this topic as it just hit me and is still fresh with me. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I like to get to bed early, in order to rise early; but as my traditional job would have it, I’m still awake. 😁 Last week as the world celebrated their holiday, my job gave me that day off too, which my sister in the faith fittingly calls “a bonus day.” I added another day to that bonus day and enjoyed 5 days off enjoying Shabbat as well as enjoying NOT having to paint, plaster walls, move furniture and organize junk. It’s been 7 long months recovering from a remodel gone wrong and while there are things still left unfinished, I do praise YAHWEH for getting me through the worst of it all because it was a pretty bad experience, but a learning experience that showed me a lot about myself, and some of the people in my life.
-Continuing this devotional 7/13/2023 because I have been working OT non stop since 7/11 and I finally got a bit of rest last night.
Brothers and Sisters I previously did a devotional called “My First Love” and I am revisiting this topic as I have finally reached the book of Revelation and while meditating on the letters to the 7 churches, I could not help but to again resonate with the letter to the assembly of Ephesus. It is a little more meaningful to me now as I was in prayer last night, and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of being separated from my ELOHIM. YAHWEH knows me and my heart better than myself so I prayed for Him to search it for anything that is insincere and for anything that is false within my walk and in my life. I prayed for the removal of obstacles that have consumed me and caused me to have desires that are not aligned with His Will for my life. If you have been reading my devotional for any length of time you will know that the beginning of my walk started with only wanting desires that aligned with His Will. In order to continue forward, I had to look back to where it all began. So with that said, 2023 thus far has been no joke. 🥹 It has been a very trying, testing, and lonely time for me. I have been challenged mentally, emotionally and physically; and when it all seemed to be coming to an end, where I thought I would feel the most victorious, instead I felt defeated. I woke up this morning, with pieces of this verse on my mind.
I know what you have been doing, how hard you have worked, how you have persevered, and how you can’t stand wicked people; so you tested those who call themselves emissaries but aren’t — and you found them to be liars. 3: You are persevering, and you have suffered for my sake without growing weary. 4: But I have this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. 5: Therefore, remember where you were before you fell, turn from this sin, and do what you used to do before. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place — if you don’t turn from your sin! Revelation 2:2-5 (CJB)
I am at a place of rebooting. This is a computer generation so I think you all will understand when I say that I need to do a hard shutdown. ☺️. The first 6 months of this year I have been consumed with things of this world neglecting my First Love. I allowed myself to be the victim which caused me to make excuses for why writing this devotional and my deep penetrating study life was shifted. While prayer and study was not neglected, it did not come first. But isn’t this walk what that’s all about; standing firm in the midst of adversity, never wavering? No matter how hard things get, how big the load, or how I must shift, juggle and struggle, I must do it all; all that He would have me to do for His Kingdom FIRST,, and anything in my life left undone outside of that is just not important. It is being made clear to me that nothing and no one is more important than my First Love YAHWEH and what He would have me to do for Him.
I am in year 3 of this walk, continuing to straighten my path as I live for Him and still I am purging and learning that what is for me will only be for me to advance His Kingdom and everything else, is of the world. People, places and things; all the nouns in my life, if they distract me from the Will of my Father YAHWEH, He will leave me to myself and that is not a situation I want to be in. I am grateful because I do continue to wake up every morning in my right mind with the ability to worship, love and praise Him. There was a time where I didn’t think about YAHWEH at all. Sure I was a christian and I believed in “Jesus”(YESHUA), but my prayer life was minimal and I never studied His word or His ways. Studying His word allows the RUACH HA’KODESH to remain active in my life to show me when I get off track and begin to “quicken”, after I have claimed to die to self.
I have to remain sober and circumspect on this walk; I’m still alive, living in an extremely prophetic time in this world and there is no time for distractions. My plans are not my own and just because I didn’t transgress back into my old wordly ways does not mean that I am immune from getting caught up in the world. I have heard the saying “if satan can’t make you transgress, he makes you busy” I don’t want to be busy about anything that is not of YAHWEH-YESHUA. I purpose in my heart to continue to work hard and persevere, to hate the wicked and wickedness, to remove myself from anyone who have shown themselves to be insincere, deceptive liars who truly do not walk with YAHWEH as people like this are stumbling blocks stagnating our walk causing us to lose our First Love. I pray you all either join, or continue on this path with me.
Shalom & Berekah!
Just a few supporting verses:
I know what you have been doing, how hard you have worked, how you have persevered, and how you can’t stand wicked people; so you tested those who call themselves emissaries but aren’t — and you found them to be liars. 3: You are persevering, and you have suffered for my sake without growing weary. 4: But I have this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. 5: Therefore, remember where you were before you fell, turn from this sin, and do what you used to do before. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place — if you don’t turn from your sin!
-Revelation 2:2-5 (CJB)
Focus your minds on the things above, not on things here on earth.
-Colossians 3:2 (CJB)
I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to put restrictions on you — I am simply concerned that you live in a proper manner and serve our ADON with undivided devotion.
-1 Corinthians 7:35 (CJB)
In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh (this world). Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds; so that you will know what YAHWEH wants and will agree that what he wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed.
-Romans 12:2 (CJB)
YAHWEH, teach me your way, so that I can live by your truth; make me single-hearted, so that I can fear your name.
-Psalm 86:11 (CJB)
Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
-1 Peter 5:8 (CJB)
No one can be slave to two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.
-Matthew 6:24 (CJB)
but the worries of the world, the deceitful glamor of wealth and all the other kinds of desires push in and choke the message; so that it produces nothing.
-Mark 4:19 (CJB)
Children, guard yourselves against false gods!
-1 John 5:21
and I fear that somehow your minds may be seduced away from simple and pure devotion to the Messiah, just as Havah was deceived by the serpent and his craftiness.
-2 Corinthians 11:3