May 10, 2022

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord. Isa 54:17 nkjv

For a moment, let me draw our attention to the two words, “heritage and servants.” For the born-again faithful follower of Yeshua (Jesus), there is an eternal inheritance (heritage) waiting in the world to come, and beneficial provision in this life as well; you might ask what is “heritage” in biblical terms… look here

The second word “servant,” in biblical terms, is a very strong bond… even a bond servant. The born-again bond servant to Yeshua is one faithful to the Word of God, (one who does the Word) in deed, not just knowing about it. This is connected to James saying, “faith without works is dead.” James 2:20, 26 nkjv. One faithful to the Word of God is what the Bible calls an “Israelite;” and if you really want to know what that means, let me encourage you to study and learn the “roots” of your Biblical origin… as a “faith” Child of God, as Yahweh defines it on His terms… look here

With those two terms in proper Biblical perspective, let's reconsider Isaiah 54:17 nkjv, above. My hope in this weekly devotional is to inspire us as to who we are, and what it is, that we have "going for us," in this temporal life. Satan would, if he could, use a "weapon" against us to kill, steal and destroy all things concerning our well being as Yahweh intends it to be. We must not allow the tricks of the devil, temptations, nor the distractions of life's challenges to separate us from the promise of Isa 54:17. How does this happen…? All weapons of Satan are juxtaposed to our thinking, saying and doing things, ready to breach the protective shield of God's Word that is active in us... which can only afflict us if our carelessness and disobedient ways open us up to his attacks upon our lives.

I think the most dangerous threat to our God-given provision for our heritage and identity, as a true bond servants of Yeshua, is to stray off the "narrow path" Yeshua said was the only way to salvation and citizenship in the world to come. This is most often a gradual decline into cultural and social temptations that seem harmless enough, but in reality are trick-baits to dull our spiritual perception so that we don't "see" or "hear" the warning signs that protect us. My observations of today's "Christian" community causes me great concern, as I see to many compromises with objectionable activity and tolerant identity with worldly ways, all unacceptable to a Holy God’s expectations of His beneficiaries of the heritage provided for His "servants." Repentance is the only remedy for such shipwrecked lifestyles.

Thankfully, Yahweh is fully aware of our condition and has provided for our reconciliation to Him from careless and disobedient foolishness, through Yeshua our redeemer. Yeshua’s Luke 15:11-32, parable of the prodigal son’s foolishness and reckless living, not unlike so many “believers” lifestyles today, clearly tells us the “once living” son of the father, was considered to be “dead in his trespasses,” (because of his chosen behavior), but after returning with a repentant heart, was now alive again… what a remarkable example of hope and restoration. It is time to return to the Father!

Shalom… John