Stay Focused
More than ever before, we believers must remain focused on our spiritual walk and stay connected to the Creator. These days with so many distractions, staying focused is easier said than done. There are ongoing wars and rumors of wars to come. The weather is upside down with floods in some places, unprecedented heat and drought in others. Earthquakes are shaking the earth, with seismologists predicting even bigger ones on the horizon. Inflation is at an all-time high worldwide. Countries have undergone and others are facing economic collapse. Strange illnesses are increasing and wickedness is running rampant. Stay focused you say, with all that going on? Absolutely!
Discern the Time
Instead of going crazy with the rest of the world, those set apart unto our Heavenly Father should be so plugged into Him that we praise Him through it all and use the things going on in this world as our prophetic time clock. Everything that has happened, currently happening and has yet to unfold was all prophesied!
2 Tim 3, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unrighteous,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (no self control), fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady (rash), highminded (prideful), lovers of pleasures more than lovers of Alohim;
5 Having a form of righteousness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moshe (Moses), so do these also resist the Truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
10 But thou has fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Master delivered me.
12 Yea, and all that will live righteous in Mashiach (Messiah) Yahshua shall suffer persecution.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14 But continue thou in the things which thou has learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them;
15 And that from a child thou has known the consecrated Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Mashiach Yahshua.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of Alohim, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of Alohim may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Yahshua himself informed the apostles of the coming tribulation, things that must first happen before his appearance and what we should be doing,
Matt 24:21-51, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Mashiach, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Messiahs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there the vultures (G105 aetos) will gather.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great honor.
31 And he shall send his messengers with a great sound of a shofar, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This time (age) shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the messengers (angels) of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Master does come.
43 But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man comes.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Beruk (blessed) is that servant, whom his master when he comes shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My master delays his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The master of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
**Note that verses 40 & 41 above does not constitute a rapture, but that is a blog for another time.
Transform Your Mind
Our aim is eternal life dwelling in the Kingdom of YAH with Yahshua and other set apart believers. We look forward to the Kingdom free of wickedness where the righteous can dwell and worship YAH in shalom. As we strive for the Kingdom, our actions should all be in obedience to Father YAH reflecting the fruits of His RUACH; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, humility and temperance (Gal 5:22-23).
So how do we transform our minds in order to be acceptable before YAH? The performance of these six things are essential:
- Follow the perfect example of Yahshua (1 Pet 2:21-25)
- Do not conform to this world, (Rom 12:1-2)
- Do all things with a pure heart, nothing wavering (Heb 10:22-23)
- Let go of fear and take hold of the Power of Alohim (Isa 41:10, 2 Tim 1:7)
We strive for the Kingdom therefore we cannot be bound by fear of things going on in this age of the world, nor the afflictions we may have to endure,
2 Tim 1:7-8, “For Alohim has not given us the ruach of fear; but of Power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Master, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Besorah (gospel) according to the Power of Alohim;”
- Focus on true repentance (repenting & not continuing to willfully sin) and being sealed by our Creator just as the ancients were before the nation of Yashar’al (Yisrael) fell to Babylon.
Ezk 9:3-7, “And the honor of the Alohim of Yashar’al was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And He called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;
4 And YHVH said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Yerushalam, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
5 And to the others He said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.”
The marking of YAH’s elect is happening again:
Rev 7:2-4, “And I saw another messenger ascending from the east, having the seal of the living Alohim: and he cried with a loud voice to the four messengers, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our Alohim in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children Yashar’al.”
Rev 14:1, “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.”
Those who do not have the seal of Alohim, Rev 9:2-6, “And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of Alohim in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he strikes a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”
6. Make YAH our refuge.
If we are to be afflicted then Father’s will be done. However, we can pray to be withheld from the madness and only behold it with our eyes; Father’s will be done.
Ps 91:2-11, “I will say of YHVH, He is my refuge and my fortress: my Alohim; in Him will I trust.
3 Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His Truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shall thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou has made YHVH, which is my refuge, even the MOST HIGH, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For He shall give His messengers charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”
MYSTERY ALERT!!!
When the seven messengers who have the seven last plagues bearing the wrath of Alohim upon the world is poured out, the keen spiritual eye notices something peculiar; there is a difference in the location of those who receive the wrath of YAH’s last plagues and those who obtain victory over the beast, and over his image, over his mark, and over the number of his name. Let’s explore this.
Group 1 are those who are fooled and or purposefully accept the mark, image or number of the beast because they were not attentive & obedient to the Word of YAH. Rev 16:1-21, “And I heard a great voice out of the Temple saying to the seven messengers, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of Alohim upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
3 And the second messenger poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
4 And the third messenger poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the messenger of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O YHVH, which art, and was, and shall be, because thou has judged thus.
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou has given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, YHVH Alohim Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth messenger poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of Alohim, which has power over these plagues: and they repented not to give Him honor.
10 And the fifth messenger poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the Alohim of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
12 And the sixth messenger poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of Alohim Almighty.
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Beruk is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh messenger poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the Temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before Alohim, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed Alohim because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”
We don’t want to be caught up in this first group. Let’s check out Group 2.
Group 2, those who have watched (stayed focused), kept their garments (unspotted from the world) and obtain victory over the beast, over his image, over his mark, and over the number of his name.
Rev 15:1-3, “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven messengers having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of Alohim.2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of Alohim. 3 And they sing the song of Moshe the servant of Alohim, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Master Alohim Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”
Not only are those who overcome the beast, his image, mark and number of his name found worthy to escape the last seven plagues of the wrath of YAH, they also sing the Song of Moshe and the Song of the Lamb! Note, there was no, “pre-tribulation” rapture mentioned as that doctrine is not validated by Scripture. Those marked with the name of our Beloved Creator are sealed from the last seven plagues that bear the wrath of Alohim, to be poured out on this earth. They are not “caught up” prior to the onset of tribulation. YAH’s elect escape the judgement of His wrath upon the earth because His elect, who obtain refuge in His Son, are not appointed to wrath (1 Thess 5:6-10). Oh YAH, how marvelous is thy Truth and the reward of those wise enough to heed and live it! HalleluYAH!
Okay, now we know how we must transform our minds and that YAH is our Strong Tower and gives us refuge in His Son, Yahshua. Let’s continue with what else we should be doing to stay focused.
Stop Chasing
Money
1 Tim 6:7-10, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Don’t get me wrong, we must all work to live and eat. However, if YAH bestows upon us riches, we must use it wisely, not wickedly as we are told in the book of Timothy.
1 Tim 6:17-19, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living Alohim, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
HalleluYAH! It is not easy to be rich and stay focused. Those who can are a treasure, which is why Father has entrusted them with great riches. They know that their wealth does not belong to them but to our Great Creator who has the Power to give wealth and take it away.
Going forward, we should use Wisdom and pray to Father for what is sufficient for our needs, if righteously desired, some wants. Yet, let that which is given be sufficient for us and not overthrow us,
“Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is YHVH? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my Alohim in vain” Prov 30:7-9.
Don’t grow weary
Isa 40:28-31, “Has thou not known? Has thou not heard, that the everlasting Alohim, YHVH, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon YHVH shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not grow weary.”
Gal 6:7-9, “Be not deceived; Alohim is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the RUACH shall of the RUACH reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Lucas (Luke 9:62, “And Yahshua said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of Alohim.”
Growing weary would cause us to start tossing away our spiritual armor, leaving us open to attack. This has happened to many people in the past and continues to happen to many people today.
2 Tim 2:16-18, “But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more unrighteousness.
17 And their word will eat as does a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the Truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.”
Surely people can’t still be teaching the doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus! Sadly, some are still peddling that trash and are overthrowing the faith of some who choose to eat it. They then turn back to the ways of this wicked world and gladly wallow in the mire because the Truth was never truly rooted in them (Lucas 8:5-14). Most today are running to and fro looking for someone to preach or teach a doctrine that is pleasing to their ears, granting them an excuse to do the unrighteous things marinating in their hearts. We, however, must continue to stay focused and stand firm in YAH’s Truth.
2 Tim 4:3:1-4, “I charge thee therefore before Alohim, and the Master Yahshua Mashiach, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom;
2 Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
That time has come and the Truth is “out of season.” People are calling good evil and evil good (Isa 5:20). Anything goes; it’s a Y.O.L.O life for them.
For those of us with spiritual sense, it is a time to stay hunkered down with YAH’s Wisdom and feast on His Truth. Through the RUACH granted us by the favor of the atonement and righteousness of Yahshua, we will continue to be provided pure, set apart nourishment enabling us to transform into vessels of spiritual perfection.
Walk with Wisdom
We must stay girded up with the entire armor of YAH as even someone that we may think with certainty is set apart unto YAH, may very well be used to test our obedience to our Creator. We may pass one test, get lax and trip up and fail an unexpected test that follows. Let us reference, 1 Kings 13:7-26,
“And the king said unto the man of Alohim, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
8 And the man of Alohim said unto the king, If thou will give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
9 For so was it charged me by the Word of YHVH, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou came.
10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethal (Bethel).
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethal; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of Alohim had done that day in Bethal: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of Alohim went, which came from Yahudah (Judah).
13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the donkey. So they saddled him the donkey: and he rode thereon,
14 And went after the man of Alohim, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of Alohim that came from Yahudah? And he said, I am.
15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
17 For it was said to me by the Word of YHVH, Thou shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou came.
18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an messenger spake unto me by the Word of YHVH, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the Word of YHVH came unto the prophet that brought him back:
21 And he cried unto the man of Alohim that came from Yahudah, saying, Thus saith YHVH, Forasmuch as thou has disobeyed the mouth of YHVH, and has not kept the commandment which YHVH thy Alohim commanded thee,
22 But came back, and has eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which YHVH did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers.
23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the donkey, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of Alohim, who was disobedient unto the Word of YHVH: therefore YAH has delivered him unto the lion, which has torn him, and slain him, according to the Word of YHVH, which He spake unto him.”
The prophet of Alohim let his guard down as soon as the man told him that he too was a prophet of Alohim and was given another set of instructions. Sadly he failed his second test because he leaned to his own understanding, hearkened to the voice of untruth, and tossed away the very Word of YAH that was spoken directly to him. Hearkening to the Word of YAH is so important that in this passage, we are not even given the names of the 2 prophets; only locations and the King’s name (Yeroboam). The focus is not on the prophets, it is on the message brought forth through the words and actions of the prophets. In addition, we can’t fall prey to false doctrines or “scientific” explanations that mimic the facade of Pharaoh’s magicians (Exod 7-9) that seek to point us in other directions causing us to backslide from the faith. Doing so will leave us open to the biggest set up yet to come in history; a false messiah, a one world religion, and stiff global governance over money and resources under the guise of sustainability (of money/resources), justice and world peace for all.
1 Thess 5:1-6, “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of YHVH so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”
Those of the world continue to call evil good and good evil (Isa 4:20). This evil will continue to overcome them. We, who are in the world but not of it, will continue to overcome evil with good, because we serve a Mighty Alohim.
Rom 12:21, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Rev 12:9-11, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world (Precept John 14:30): he was cast out into the earth, and his messengers were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our Alohim, and the Power of His Mashiach: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our Alohim day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
The Lamb refreshes all those who learn of him, Matt 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Summary
Stay focused: