Embrace the Within no. 95

"The power of man has grown in every sphere, except over himself."

Winston Churchill

Our society is one of no internal control. I live among gluttons of all types. Some of our gluttony is visible and some of our gluttony is not easily perceived. BUT gluttony is still a problem all around me and maybe even within me if I allow it to be.

“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”

Proverbs 25:28

People talk a lot about having boundaries BUT often those boundaries are just to keep other people and other ideas out while the city the walls protect are empty and barren. The great thing about walls is the ability to control what gets in and what goes out. What is the point of boundaries if there is nothing for the wall to protect?

I think Torah shows us the need for walls, for borders, for boundaries in our lives. BUT those walls are to control what is inside of me from being a burden or even a problem on others. If I fail to control what goes into my city, then I will definitely have a lot less control of what comes out of my city as well. So, I have to be careful of what I consume with my mouth, with my ears, and with my eyes. Those things that I feed my body, my mind, and my spirit are what eventually end up making me.

Our food becomes our body. So it is important to consider what I am using to fuel my body. Our study becomes our mind. So it is important to consider what I am learning. Our mindset becomes our spirit. So it is important to consider on what I focus.

I can’t be healthy and aligned without a plan, without boundaries, without a wall. And I have to work on making certain that wall protects something good. I have to work on making certain what I export from my city is also good. Self control is an important fruit of the spirit. It is one that is often overlooked and set aside with scriptural excuses that are not often in alignment with the commands of Christ and Adonai.

If you love God, then you will keep His Commandments. If you love yourself, then you control what comes into your city. If you love your neighbor, then you will control what goes out of your city.

“Do you want to be a mighty warrior?

It’s better to be known as one who is patient and slow to anger [The Septuagint is “It’s better to be forgiving than strong"].

Do you want to conquer a city?

Rule over your temper before you attempt to rule a city.”

Proverbs 16:32

I need to tame my tongue and my heart before I can be a leader of men, that is the Way of the Lord. There are many leaders of men that have no control. There are many leaders of men that have no boundaries. There are many leaders of men that have no walls around their cities. And they would have you tear down your walls as well. BUT the Lord has rules and so should I. And our rules should be His.

Shavua tov. Shalom to your home. Bless your being. The reign of YHWH is now. Be a blessing to YHWH and others.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #NoKingButChrist #MyNepheshMyChoice #ChristsLifeMatters #EmbracetheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH #GodKnows

Embrace the Within no. 94

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

Tim Keller

To know love is to know God. To not know love is to not know God. It sounds really simple BUT there are a lot of simple answers to how complicated I pretend life is. I make things a lot more complicated than they ever need be.

I have spent the last few years working on simplification. I am doing this because the less distractions I have, then the less I have to turn my attention from what is important. I can get myself so busy and so worried about so many things. I can divert my attention to so many distractions and diversions. Or I can choose to simplify and find the solutions in simplicity.

God answers really simple solutions. Solutions so simple that the way of the world finds them foolish. And that is the point of the Way of the Lord. His Way looks foolish to their way. When I was in that way, all the simplest answers seemed ignorant and foolish too. I thought things had to be complicated and involve so many steps. BUT, I have learned that the simplest steps in accepting Christ and following His Commandments, as simple as they are, are extremely difficult. Those two basic commandments of loving God and my neighbor seem so basic and simple BUT are quite often a daily struggle. If I love God, then I need to follow His rules. If I love God, then I need to love my neighbor. Both sound so simple until we step outside.

I see so many broken people and broken lives in my walk. I am sure you see them as well. They have an incomplete understanding of love and you just want them to know how complete that feeling can become. And knowing that all it takes is simple obedience. All it takes is to simply SHEMA to what He says. To really listen and act on what He says.

BUT, I used to think I had better answers. I used to think I was going to bend this world into my image. I was going to make a better world. BUT the perfect world is out there and I just didn’t see it. And a lot of us still don’t see the simplicity of our walk with Him. Two simple commands that take an eternity to embrace.

“My sonne, forget not thou my Lawe, but let thine heart keepe my commandements. For they shall increase the length of thy dayes and the yeeres of life, and thy prosperitie. Let not mercie and trueth forsake thee: binde them on thy necke, and write them vpon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou finde fauour and good vnderstanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and leane not vnto thine owne wisdome. In all thy wayes acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy wayes. Be not wise in thine owne eyes: but feare the Lord, and depart from euill. So health shalbe vnto thy nauel, and marowe vnto thy bones.”

Proverbs 3:1-8 GNV

Shavua tov. Shalom to your home. Bless your being. The reign of YHWH is now. Be a blessing to YHWH and others.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #NoKingButChrist #MyNepheshMyChoice #ChristsLifeMatters #EmbracetheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH #GodKnows