Friday, February 23, 2024

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In this blog, I provide encouragement and biblical teaching on seeking the Lord with all your heart, loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and living a life of holiness, righteousness, and truth.

As the Scripture says:

'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13)

And "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Mat 7:13-14)

Some of the topics covered include seeking the Lord, prayer, worship, tithing, inquiring of the Lord, hearing His voice, obedience, grace, godly attire and adornment, sanctification, consecration, backsliding, repentance, brokenness, suffering, humility, the fear of the Lord, the role of the commandments for the disciple of Christ, and the conditions of the New Covenant.  I hope this will be an edifying and encouraging experience for you that will help you to grow in your walk with the Lord.

Seeking the Lord Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God Holy Fire Baptism
Lifting Your Face in Prayer Lifting Hands in Prayer Crying Out to God Loudly
Pressing on Toward the Goal Taking Heaven by Force God Exalts the Humble and Brings Down the Proud
Whom Are You Seeking? Should you fear the Lord? Is a Woman's Hair Her Head Covering?
Aim for Perfection Obedience by the Spirit Is Obedience Optional?
Salvation with Fear and Trembling Holy Living in a Perverted World Drifting Away
The Cost of Discipleship Deleted Scriptures in the Bible? Is Tithing Required?
Where Should You Give Your Tithe? Walking in the Perfect Will of God Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian
The Obedience of Faith Did Jesus Nail the Law to the Cross? Law of Love in the New Testament
The New Covenant Law of Love in the New Testament The Law Fulfilled in Us
The Law Established Through Faith Costly Grace The Law of Christ
The Eyes of the Lord Garments of Godliness The Three Elijahs
The Burning Ones The End Has Come Now, But Not Yet
The Happy Hunters on Fire You're Better Off Following Jesus God Chooses the Weak Things 
The Beauty of Brokenness Seeing Jesus, Loving Him, Character and Glory Hearing the Lord's Voice
Hearing the Lord's Voice Inquiring of the Lord Praise the Lord!
The Loving God Who Bids Us to Come One thing Righteousness, Peace, and Joy
Is the the Self-Help and Actualization Movement a Sham? From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord The Self-Help Gospel
Checklist for Revival God Has Not Rejected His Jewish People, Has He? The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer
The Flaming Sword Clean Hands and a Pure Heart The Spirit of the Law
Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy An Open Mind that Loves the Truth Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?
Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth? The Apostasy Parables

The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught
The Disciples’ Prayer Is Tolerance a Virtue? Righteousness by Faith not Law
Life is Short. Eternity is Not. Noah's Ark a Type of Christ Grace, Mercy, and Peace
Ultimate Accountability Separation from the World The Knowledge of the Holy
The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness Ask for the Ancient Paths Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven
The Straight and Narrow Path Unhealthy Competition A Peculiar People
Listen to Jesus, Who Upholds Moses and the Prophets Hope for You

Beware of Philosophy and Empty Deception
The Love of Jesus The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer Having a Servant's Heart
Avoiding Worldly Worship Purge the Evil from Among You Who is God?
Living a Life Worthy of the Lord Praying for the Lord Jesus Who is God? - Part II
The Way, Will, and Word of God Overcomers in This Life Who is God - Part III
Saints Alive in Jesus Bowing Low in Worship Repentance That Leads to Life
Keeping a Good Conscience Remember Lot’s Wife Called to be Blameless
If -- A Picture Paints a Thousand Words The Lord Will Rejoice Over You The Nature of Persecution
The Wardrobe of the Saints Filled Up to All the Fullness of God Loving Deeply
Seeking Glory from God Amazing Grace God's Sovereign Plans and Purposes
Abominations in the Sight of God Identification with Christ Alabaster Jar
Running from God Forgetting the Past Was Jesus Seeker Friendly?
God's View of Public Bathing Is Secular Music for Christians? Ignorance is Not Bliss
In the Yolk of Christianity Songs of the Holy Fire Known by God
Modern Day Idols Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Walking in Truth, Righteousness, and Holiness
Escaping from Dead Religion Living Sacrifices in Consuming Fire God's Amazing Plan for Your Life
Your Identity in Christ Having the Love of God in Your Heart Knowing the Lord
Following in His Steps Our God is an Awesome God! Hide and Seek with God
Belonging to the Lord No Turning Back David, A Man After God's Own Heart
Living on Earth as They Do in Heaven Chosen for Obedience The Ironies Between Jesus and Barabbas
Dedication to God Keep Your Lamp Burning The Holy Fire Series
The Active Nature of Faith Why God Hides His Face Only What's Done for Christ Will Last
Praying Heart-Prayers Trembling at His Word Seeking Him in the Wee Hours of the Night
If My People Who Are Called by My Name The Flesh vs the Spirit The Sin of Sodom
Christian Perfection The Timeless Beauty of Holiness Stay at Home and Seek the Lord (COVID Quarantine)
Global Prayer Meeting Sins of Ignorance Sins of Omission
What We Should Always Be Doing The "Never" Promises to Sinners The "Never" Promises to the Righteous
Things You Should Never Do Things God Will Never Do The Throne of God
Peter and the Rooster: A Call to Watch and Pray The Fruit Test of a Genuine Disciple Black and White
The Blessing of Abraham Being Blessable Gospel Power vs Sin's Power
Grace in Its Various Forms The Afflictions of the Righteous Heavenly Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom
The Faith of God What Does It Mean to Repent?

Our gift of these articles by Len Lacroix is made possible in part by your gracious support of the ministry. Partner with us online.  You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Seek My Face" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

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___________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. Partner with us online by giving to DMI.

Friday, February 9, 2024

What Does It Mean to Repent?

Dear God seekers,

In our modern culture, people don't use the word repent any more, except in a some churches, but still many churches don't preach about repentance. People don't like being told to repent, which is a basic, fundamental part of the gospel. 

John the Baptist preached that men should repent. Jesus preached, "Repent for the kingdom of God has come near" (Mt 4:17), and the apostles preached, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins..." (Ac 2:38a). Paul the apostle said that God wants all men everywhere to repent (Ac 17:30). He preached that they should repent and turn to God, and prove their repentance by their deeds (Ac 26:20). And Jesus told five of the seven churches in Revelation to repent (Rev 2-3). 

So obviously this is very important and central to the gospel. You cannot truly believe in Jesus without repentance. However, many people still don't understand what it means to repent. Therefore, I would like to explain what repentance is.

The word "repent" comes from the Greek word metanoeō, which is taken from two root words: 1) "meta" and 2) "noieō"

1. meta, (met-ah') 

Can mean after, afterward, or together (there are also numerous other possible meanings).

2. noieō, noy-eh'-o

Means to exercise the mind (observe), that is, (figuratively) to comprehend, heed: - consider, perceive, think, understand.

Therefore, based on the definition of its root words, metanoeō (Greek word for repent) can literally mean "comprehend after", "comprehend afterward", "comprehend later", "consider after", "consider afterward", "consider later", "think after", " think afterward", " think later", "understand after", " understand afterward", or "understand later". 

By definition, metanoeo means - to undergo a change in frame of mind and feeling, to repent; to make a change of principle and practice. It's like turning around and going in the opposite direction. If you are walking along, and you suddenly turn around 180 degrees and walk in the opposite direction, that is an illustration of what it means to repent. It's a total change of mind, not just saying you're sorry. To repent is to regret so deeply as to change the mind or course of conduct and develop new mental and spiritual habits.

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary: The English word "repent" comes from repenten, "be grieved over one's past and seek forgiveness; feel such regret for sins, crimes, or omissions as produces amendment of life," from Old French repentir, from re-, here perhaps used as an intensive prefix, "very much", Vulgar Latin *penitire "to regret," from Latin poenitire "make sorry."

Since meta can also mean "together" we could also literally interpret metanoeo to mean "think together" (with God), "consider together" (with God), or "understand together" (with God). This reminds me of what the Lord says in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool." (Isa 1:18, NASB). When we repent, we are considering together with God, thinking together with Him, even reasoning and understanding together with Him that if we repent and ask Him for forgiveness, our sins will be white as snow.

God is good, and He loves you. He does not want you to perish. Peter wrote: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2Pe 3:9). God wants everyone to repent, rather than perish. For as Jesus said, "...unless you repent, you too will all perish." (Luk 13:3).

Closing Words
The message is clear, which is that all of us need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, being baptized for the forgiveness of sins. And even as baptized disciples of Christ, we still need to lead a life of daily repentance, which is all part of denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus, which He said we must do daily (Lk 9:23).

Pray and ask God for genuine repentance, and even tears of repentance. Then let's repent truly, quickly, and often, whenever we realize that we have sinned.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, where noted, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note: I also recommend reading Repentance That Leads to LifeSins That Will Keep You From HeavenAsk for the Ancient PathsThe Forgotten Sin of WorldlinessShould you fear the Lord?Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and HellEzekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and HellThe Judgment Seat of Christ, and The Book of Life. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

The Faith of God

Dear God Seekers,

In my article, Faith in Action, I wrote about the faith of God in the context of Hebrews 11, where Scripture recounts the faith of the ancients, which was demonstrated by their actions. I also wrote in that same article about the faith of Christ, which was demonstrated by His actions, especially in enduring the cross, as it says in Hebrews 12. If you have already read that article, then you can jump straight to the second half of this present article. That being said, I'd now would like to present to you a truth that some will find difficult to accept, but it is true nevertheless: even God has faith in Himself.

Even God Has Faith
Scripture says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Heb 11:3)

Our understanding of how God created the entire universe at His command is by faith. That understanding of ours is not based on reason or scientific evidence, although both of those have been proven to fully support our understanding of the creation. He made all visible things that we see around us -- on earth, in the sky, and in space, and He made them out of what was invisible. He calls things that are not as though they were (Rom 4:17). He had confidence about what He hoped for and assurance about what He did not see. That is the very definition of faith (Heb 11:1). He believed in His own power and ability. He knew that He was capable of doing what He wanted to do, therefore He believed in Himself, which only He can do, because He alone is God. He is all-sufficient. All things are possible for Him (Matt 19:26), and absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him (Jer 32:17). He simply spoke the Word, and the universe came into existence (Gen 1:3).

Someone may argue that God does not have faith. However, anyone who denies that God has faith in Himself would have to prove that. It would be quite silly to insist that God does not believe in Himself, wouldn't it? Why would He command us to believe in Him, if He did not even believe in Himself and His own ability to call things that are not as though they were.

The Scripture says, "I believed, therefore I have spoken." (2 Cor 4:13:14). Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak. God put His own faith in action and taught us by His example how to put into action our faith in Him. 

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mar 11:22-24)

Parallels to the Faith of God
For those who may still be wondering how it is that God could have faith in Himself, let me give you some other examples of similar things God has done, according to Scripture, which may be viewed as parallels to the faith of God:

God Swore By Himself
In the book of Hebrews, it says, "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.'" (Heb 6:13-14)

Just as God swore by Himself, since there was no one greater to swear by, he also believes in Himself, since there is no one greater to believe in.

God Sacrificed to Himself
In John's gospel, we read the first instance when Jesus was referred to as the Lamb of God, which was by John the Baptist. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" (Joh 1:29)

The following day, John once again used this expression for Jesus: "When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!'" (Joh 1:36)

Then the term, "Lamb", is also used thirty times in John's apocalyptic book, Revelation (Rev 5:6, 8, 12-13; 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9;  21:9, 14, 22-23, 27;  22:1, 3).

Since the Lord Jesus, God's only begotten Son, who was also God, was God's Lamb, that means that God sacrificed His only Son. Normally, according to God's Law, it is the human worshipper who must sacrifice a lamb to God. But in the fullness of time, God sacrificed His own Son for the world, in order to provide purification for sins, so that all who would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Since Jesus was surely God's Lamb, sacrificed by God for all mankind, to whom did God sacrifice? Since there was no one greater for Him to sacrifice, He sacrificed His Lamb, Jesus, to Himself.

God Praises Himself
The very fact that God created man in His own image to worship Him, demonstrates that God knows He alone is worthy to be worshipped and praised, and that He desires to receive this praise from the loving hearts of those who do so of their own free will. He forbids His people to worship any other gods but Him, so that He alone would receive our worship. Then there are countless psalms, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who is God, that command us to praise the Lord, and provide us with words of praise that we can sing and proclaim to God to express our love and adoration for Him.

Yet if all that were not enough to prove that God desires and requires our praise and worship, He even praises Himself, since there is no one greater than Himself to praise. Go and read Isaiah 46, and you will see what I mean. 

He says things like, "With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?" (Isa 46:5). Then He says, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me." (Isa 46:9b).

In fact, a man named Dean Braxton, who died, went to heaven, and came back to tell about it, said that just as all the saints and angels in heaven praise and worship God, He also praises Himself.

Putting it All Together
In summary, just as God praises Himself in Scripture and still does so in heaven, just as He swore by Himself, since there was no one greater to swear by, and just as He sacrificed His Lamb (Jesus Christ) to Himself, He also has faith in Himself. Let that be an encouragement to you today to put your faith in Him.

Attributes: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Faith in ActionRun with EnduranceFaith WorksWalking by FaithOvercomers in This LifeFrom Self-confidence to Confidence in the LordObedient to the Heavenly VisionBearing Fruit in Every Good WorkSeven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in HeavenLiving a Life Worthy of the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 


Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, December 1, 2023

Who is God - Part III

View Over Crystal Lake, C.V. Lacroix
Dear God seekers,

In my three-part series, Who is God, I've been explaining from Scripture who God actually is, and I hope to continue doing so in this present article. Let's begin with some of the Hebrew names of God:

Elohiym
This is the Hebrew word, 'ĕlôhı̂ym (el-o-heem'), meaning "gods" (plural) in the ordinary sense, which is used for the one, true, Supreme God. This word occurs 2,606 in the Bible, and one of the most famous verses is Genesis 1:27, proving that it is a plural word for God, thus revealing God's triune nature:

"Then God (Elohiym) said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:26-27)

God is the One in whose image and likeness we are made.

El Shaddai
The Hebrew expression, El Shaddai (Ēl Šaddāy) or just Shaddai is one of the names of the God of Israel. El Shaddai is usually translated into English as God Almighty. It means "the All-sufficient One", which indicates that He is not dependent upon anyone for anything, and that He is sovereign over all. 

One of the most famous and beautiful verses where this name for God is used is in the opening verse of Psalm 91, where it is translated as "Almighty":

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." (Psa 91:1)

El Elyon
This Hebrew word ‛elyôn (el-yone') means lofty, Supreme, upper most, or Most High, and it is used of the Most High God 28 times throughout Scripture, as in Psalm 91:1 quoted above, where it is translated "Most High". 

Another verse where this occurs is in Genesis 14:22, where it says, "But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'" 

El Roi
This Hebrew expression comes from two words, El, meaning God, and Roiy meaning One who sees. When the two words are combined together, they mean God Who Sees. This name is found in the account of Hagar by the spring in the desert, when she ran away from her mistress, Sarah.

"She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.' That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered." (Gen 16:13-14).

Râ'âh (raw-aw') is another Hebrew word, which is translated "sees" in the bolded part of that same verse 13 above. So the bolded expression above literally means El Roi sees me, or The Seeing God sees me.

We are told in many other places in Scripture that God sees us. For example, here are just a few:

"Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees (Hebrew, râ'âh) them from afar." (Psa 138:6)

"For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths." (Pro 5:21)

"The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." (Pro 15:3)

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1Pe 3:12) 

Other verses tell us that we must do what is right in the eyes of the Lord and not do evil in His eyes, and that we can also find favor in the Lord's eyes. For He is always watching, and He sees everything, even the thoughts and motives of our hearts.

El Olam
The meaning of this Hebrew name is "Everlasting God". It comes from the Hebrew word ‛ôlâm (o-lawm'), meaning "time out of mind (past or future), vanishing point, forever, everlasting, eternal, or perpetual." The very first time this name appears in Scripture is in Genesis where it says:

"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God." (Gen 21:33)

Perhaps the following verse in Psalm 90, which is a prayer of Moses, best describes the meaning of this name of God:

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting (Hebrew, olam) to everlasting (Hebrew, olam) you are God (Hebrew, El)." (Psa 90:1-2). From everlasting (past) to everlasting (future), He is God.

El Gibbor
This Hebrew name for God comes from the word Gibbor, which means "powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant: - champion, chief, giant, man, mighty (man, one), strong (man), valiant man." Therefore El Gibbor can be translated Mighty God, Warrior God, or Giant God. One verse of Scripture where this name is found is in Isaiah where it says:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isa 9:6)

Adonai
This Hebrew word meaning "Lord" is found 459 times in Scripture. One of my favorites is this verse in Isaiah that says:

"He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken." (Isa 25:8).

This word tells us that God is Master, or Ruler, possessing supreme power and authority. 

Yehova
Now let's look at some of God's names based on the name He called Himself, when Moses asked Him. He used the sacred name YHWH, which is the tetragrammaton that Jews do not pronounce. But when we add vowels to it, we get the name Yehova, meaning self-existent One. In Scripture, it is often translated into English as LORD.

Yehova Rapha
The Hebrew word râphâ' or râphâh (raw-faw') means to cure, heal, make whole, physician. So Yehova Rapha means the Lord your Healer.

"He said, 'If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.' " (Exo 15:26)

Yehova Rapha, the Lord your Healer, has the power to heal physically (2 Ki 5:10), emotionally (Ps 34:18), mentally (Dan 4:34), and spiritually (Ps 103:2–3).

Yehova Rohi
This name comes from the Hebrew word rohi (or "ro'i" or "ro'eh") for Shepherd. Yehova Rohi means the Lord is my Shepherd

King David, who was a shepherd himself, wrote in Psalm 23, "The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing." (Psa 23:1).

For more on this, please see The Lord, Our Shepherd.

Yehova Jireh
This name comes from the Hebrew word jireh, meaning to “see, to inspect, the perceive, to provide, to consider.” So Yehovah Jireh means the Lord my Provider. One verse where this is found is in the account of Abraham offering up Isaac on the altar to God in obedience, when the Lord provided a ram to sacrifice on the altar instead of his only son.

"So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.'" (Gen 22:14)

Yehova Nissi
This comes from the Hebrew word nês (nace), meaning "a flag; signal; banner, pole, sail, sign, or standard." So Jehova Nissi means the Lord my Banner. This is found in the account of the battle of the Israelites against the Amalekites. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, as if the Lord was a banner between his hands, but when he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner." (Exo 17:15)

Yehova Shalom
This comes from the Hebrew word shalom, meaning peace and health. So Yehova Shalom means the Lord is my Peace or simply the Lord is Peace. This is found in the account of Gideon seeing the angel of the Lord.

"When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, 'Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!' But the LORD said to him, 'Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.' So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites." (Jdg 6:22-24)

God is the One to Be Feared
This comes from a passage in Psalm 76, where it says:

"It is You alone Who are to be feared. Who can stand before You when You are angry?" (Psa 76:7).

There is a Hebrew word "yaré" in this verse that can be translated as "awesome" or "feared".

It also says in that same Psalm, "He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth." (Psa 76:12).

And the King James Version of that verse says He is terrible to the kings of the earth. So we could say that He is the Terrible One. This is consistent with all of Scripture, in which we are told to fear the Lord, and it is what Jesus taught us:

"But I will show you Whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him." (Luk 12:5)

God is Life
God is life. Jesus said:

"For as the Father has life in Himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in Himself." (Joh 5:26)

God Rewards Those Who Diligently Seek Him
We are taught by the apostle in his epistle to the Hebrews that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. It says:

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Heb 11:6)

Putting it All Together
To sum it all up in closing, God is Elohiym, the Supreme God. He is El Shaddai, God Almighty. "the All-sufficient One". He is El Elyon, God Most High. He is El Roi, the God who sees. He is El Olam, the Everlasting God. He is El Gibbor, Mighty God. He is Adonai, Master, or Ruler, possessing supreme power and authority. He is Yehova Rapha, the Lord your Healer. He is Yehova Rohi, the LORD is my shepherd. He is Yehova Jireh, the LORD Will Provide. He is Yehova Nissi, the Lord my Banner. He is Yehova Shalom, he LORD Is Peace. God is the One to Be Feared; He is the Terrible One. God is Life and He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

I hope that this series has edified you and brought you a lot of encouragement in your faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ, and your walk with Him.

The first two parts of this series are Who is God? and Who is God? - Part II.

Attribution notice:  Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. copyright Zondervan, used by permission. The "View Over Crystal Lake" painting by my seventeen-year old daughter, C.V. Lacroix. You can find more of her lovely artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: You are invited to read Who is God?Who is God? - Part IIThe Loving God Who Bids Us to ComeThe Bodily Form of God the FatherIs Jesus God?God is an Awesome GodThe Difference Between a Disciple and a BelieverThe Cost of Discipleship, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.



Heavenly Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom

Dear God seekers,

Today I'd like to encourage you that no matter what kind of situation you may find yourself in right now, you can ask God for wisdom, and it will be given to you. Don't rely on mere human or worldly wisdom, which is always opposed to the will of God. Let's compare the two types of wisdom.

Heavenly Wisdom
First, let's look at heavenly wisdom. According to Webster, "In Scriptural theology, wisdom is true religion; godliness; piety; the knowledge and fear of God, and sincere and uniform obedience to his commands." This is the wisdom which is from above.

James wrote: "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (Jas 3:17).

Notice all those wonderful attributes to heavenly wisdom. It's pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. So what do you do if you lack wisdom, or need to know what to do in a given situation? James tells us:

"If any man lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a man is double-minded and unstable in all he does." (Jas 1:5-8).

All you have to do is pray and ask God for wisdom, so that you may know what to do, being certain to ask in faith believing that you will receive it, and eliminate all doubts from your mind about whether you will receive it. He will not only give you the wisdom you need, but He'll give you a generous portion of it. Not only must you believe and not doubt initially when you pray and ask God for the wisdom, but when He gives you the wisdom on what to do, don't second guess and doubt that what He put in your heart and mind is really from Him. As long as it aligns with His Word, and is in no way contrary to it, then you can be sure He gave you the wisdom you asked for. At that point, you need to believe it and receive it. 

The reason we tend to doubt that we have received the wisdom is that the wisdom is not something our flesh or carnal nature wants to hear or do. Perhaps a couple brief examples will suffice.

I recall back in the 1990's, when my wife and I were still a young couple, who had only been married for about a year or two, we had some sort of heated argument. I went for a walk by myself in a lovely, peaceful neighborhood nearby, in order to clear my mind and pray. As I was walking along the avenue, I prayed according to 1 Corinthians 10:13, saying, "Lord, you said in your Word that you would not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we can bear, but with every temptation you would provide a way out. What is the way out of this situation?" After I asked Him, the next thought that came to my mind was that the cross is the way out of this situation. I had to deny myself and take up my cross. If the way out could be looked at as a door of escape, the cross was that door. I needed to crucify my sinful nature, and although that particular way out was not the one my flesh wanted, that is what I chose to do. 

I also remember another time when I was in Bible school, and felt led to go on after graduation to obtain my Master's degree from a graduate school in Virginia Beach, Virginia, called Regent University. I had read about the school and knew some graduates of the Bible school I was attending who had gone on to become students of Regent University. But I needed to know for sure if it was God's will for me to go there, too. So I decided to make a visit to the school. 

I had found solace in a verse of Scripture that says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." (Pro 16:9). I knew this meant that although I had made plans to attend Regent, and really wanted to go there, the Lord would ultimately be the One to determine my steps, and He would be the One to decide whether I go there. So I prayed and told the Lord that if it was truly His will for me to go on to Regent after graduating from Bible school, that He would let somebody share that verse from Proverbs 16:9 with me. 

While I was visiting Regent, the dean of the School of Divinity that I was interested in attending shared a message of encouragement to a group of us visitors. He said something like, "Regent is a wonderful school, and we would love to have you decide to come here as a student. But if you do, there will surely be challenges that you will face. That's why we want you to feel like the Lord is leading you hear, before you make your decision to come. You will need to know that it was He who led you here, in order to endure the challenges of student life here." So I felt that what he said to us was basically the essence of Proverbs 16:9, but since the dean didn't actually quote that verse or cite the reference to it, I still didn't feel like I had definite confirmation that it was the Lord's will for me to go to Regent. 

However, upon returning to Bible school, during my rounds on campus as a security guard, I happened to come across a sister in Christ that I knew, who asked me how my visit to Regent University went. So I told her briefly about the trip, and afterward she said, "Well, brother, in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." So that was how the Lord gave me the wisdom to go there, by allowing this sister to say the very verse I had prayed to the Lord asking for someone to share with me about my plans to go to that school. I ended up going to Regent, meeting the woman who would later become my wife, and both of us ended up graduating from Regent's School of Divinity with Master's degrees in Missiology. If I had doubted the wisdom I had received, I would have missed out on finding my wife that the Lord had for me, which was much more important that the degree I earned. 

Now let's contrast heavenly wisdom with worldly wisdom.

Worldly wisdom
Webster's dictionary defines the wisdom of this world as "mere human erudition; or the carnal policy of men, their craft and artifices in promoting their temporal interests; called also fleshly wisdom." 

For those who may not know, artifices are "clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others." Here's what James wrote about worldly wisdom: 

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." (Jas 3:14-16) 

Therefore James listed some of the characteristics of worldly wisdom as bitter envy and selfish ambition. He said that wherever you find these, you will also find disorder and every evil practice. If we walk in clever and cunning ways to further our own selfish interests and desires (e.g., by tricking or deceiving others), that is not wisdom from above. You can be sure that you'll end up walking in worldly wisdom if you follow your heart, do whatever you think is best, and listen to the counsel of the ungodly, whether in person or through the media. This kind of wisdom will always satisfy your flesh, but always produces bad fruit.

Closing Words
I hope this has helped to encourage all of you to ask God for wisdom in whatever you may be going through right now, and then believe without a doubt that He has given you the wisdom you asked for. It's important to be prayerful in the way you ask God, and also to be immersed in God's Word before, during, and after your prayer for wisdom, since this is one of the primary ways He will speak to you. The other way He speaks is by His Spirit directly to your heart and through others, who are led by the Spirit like that sister I knew back in Bible school. 

Let me encourage you to read a chapter from the book of Proverbs in the Bible each day, which enables you to read through most or all of Proverbs once each month, since there are thirty-one chapters. You could read the chapter corresponding to the date (eg., chapter one on the first, chapter two on the second, etc.). As you read through this book each month, cry out to God for wisdom, understanding, discernment, and insight. Search for them as for silver or gold. Though it cost all you have, get wisdom. Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and to understanding, "You are my relative," Then you will grow in heavenly wisdom day by day.

You will be able to discern the difference between worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom by their characteristics, as well as the fruit they produce. Worldly wisdom originates from our sinful nature (the flesh), from the world, and from the devil. It has evil, selfish motives behind it, and always produces bad fruit ultimately. On the contrary, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10; Pro 9:10), and in the end, wisdom is proved right by all her actions. It will keep you from the ways of wicked men, and from men whose words are perverse. It will save you from the adulterous woman, from those who would seek to seduce you. It will protect and reward you, make you prosper, and you will be blessed, if you find it. Then there will be a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Attribution notice: All Scriptures are taken from the New International Version (NIV1984), copyright Zondervan, used by permission, all rights reserved. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Should you fear the Lord?The Flesh vs the SpiritSins That Will Keep You From HeavenIs Obedience Optional?Holy Living in a Perverted WorldWalking in the Perfect Will of GodThe Straight and Narrow PathStriving to Enter the Kingdom of GodAsk for the Ancient PathsSeparation from the WorldThe Fruit Test of a Genuine Disciple, The Difference Between a Disciple and a BelieverBeing Blessable, and Doing What is Right. You can find more of my articles related to Seeking the Lord on the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.


Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.