Ruach

07/01/2024

El Shaddai ~ All Sufficient one

As a child, there is no hesitation in asking our parents to provide for our needs and wants. God wants us to come to him in the same way. In Genesis 17:1-8, God calls Himself El Shaddai, which means “God Almighty,” to Abraham.

El is another name that is translated as "God" and can be used in conjunction with other words to designate various aspects of God's character. Another word much like Shaddai, and from which many believe it derived, is shad meaning "breast" in Hebrew. This refers to God completely nourishing, satisfying, and supplying His people with all their needs as a mother would her child. Connected with the word for God, El, this denotes a God who freely gives nourishment and blessing, He is our sustainer.

God is a loving God that wants to care and provide for His people. We must understand that our prayers are not a burden to God. The same way a parent celebrates their child coming to them for help, God wants to hear our prayers. He wants to lift our burdens.

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

If we begin to understand that God is our sustainer, then we will pursue a relationship with Him daily. We will understand that we are not walking through struggles alone. Each day our Heavenly Father goes before us. A verse from Hillsong’s song “At the Cross” says it best:

“You go before me.
You shield my ways.
Your hand upholds me.
And I know you love me.”

06/01/2024

Jehovah Shalom ~ The God of my Peace

Don’t forget that Paul was Jewish, so when he said “the God of peace be with you,” he was saying “Jehovah Shalom be with you.” “Jehovah Shalom” is Hebrew for “the God of peace.” Now, the first appearance of the name Jehovah Shalom is in the Old Testament story of Gideon in Judges 6.

As we read Gideon’s story, we discover that the Midianites terrorized Israel day and night, descending upon them like a swarm of marauding locusts and destroying their crops and pillaging their livestock. Fearful of their cruel enemies, the Israelites hid in dens and caves in the mountains.

It is no wonder Gideon was petrified and hid himself at the bottom of an abandoned winepress to thresh the measly stalks of dry grain he had somehow managed to scavenge. He was bound by fear and overcome by all the news of terror that surrounded him.

In the midst of Gideon’s fear, “the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’” (Judg. 6:12).

Are there moments when you feel besieged by fear? When you hear reports of terror or exposure to some virus, do you feel fearful and anxious? Has fear driven you into hiding? The truth is, regardless of how you feel, when our Lord Jesus looks at you right now, He sees you as a mighty man or mighty woman of courage.

Isn’t it amazing how our Lord looks at us? It’s not how we see ourselves that defines us; it is how our Lord Jesus sees us that defines us. That’s why we read His Word. We read it to discover what His Word says about us. My friend, no matter what state you are in right now and how messed up your life might be, the Lord Jesus sees the best in you.

He sees your potential, your gifting, your call, and your destiny to do great things in this life! And as the ending of Gideon’s story shows, He will guide you and cause you to be a testimony of His protection as you trust in Him and see yourself and your situations through His eyes.

05/01/2024

El Sali ~ The God of my Strength

We first hear this name for God in the book of Exodus 17:6.
"I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

In Exodus 17 we read about the Israelites walking through the desert, having fled from Pharoah in Egypt and they had just miraculously crossed the Red Sea a few days earlier. They had seen the most awesome miracle by God to save them, yet they still did not trust God to supply their need for their thirst.

They were hot, tired, thirsty, and out of water! They complained to Moses and their wise leader prayed to God. God told Moses to strike the rock and because Moses trusted and obeyed God, water gushed out of the rock to quench the thirst of the Israelites. In their moment of need, they received life-restoring and refreshing water from God, their El Sali.

Paul the apostle refers to this event in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4.
I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.

Jesus is your El Sali. He is your Messiah who is the living water that delivers you from sin and death, and refreshes and restores your soul.

🗡

04/01/2024

Jehovah Shammah: The God who is already there

The name of God that promises His presence. 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us, “you are a temple of God and the spirit of God dwells in you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, He will not fail or forsake you.”

God promised the nation would be restored and His presence would return to Jerusalem. The city would be called Jehovah-Shammah. Prophesy was fulfilled when God’s presence returned to the temple. The way it happened wasn’t at all what anyone expected. God’s presence was restored to Jerusalem in the form of a tiny baby brought to the temple to be offered back to God by his parents, Joseph and Mary.

Jehovah-Shammah is found Ezekiel 48:35, “The distance around the entire city will be 6 miles. And from that day the name of the city will be ‘The Lord is There.” Jehovah-Shammah is the name of God that means I am the Lord who is there and is symbolic of Jerusalem. This name promises His presence. God wants us to experience His presence every moment of every day.
Our God is already in our tomorrows.

Jehovah-Shammah is the God who is there. Our God is already in our tomorrows. Jeremiah 29:11-12 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with My victorious right hand.”

God is here for us, now. The Holy Spirit is our reminder that God is here for us, He is closer than a brother. Matthew 28:20 says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jehovah- Shammah is the God who is here for all of us who cry out, today, tomorrow and forever.

03/01/2024

Jehovah Jireh: The God Who Provides

The Name appears in Genesis 22:14 when after Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, God stopped him, provided a ram, and Abraham in reflecting on the event called the name of the place “The LORD will Provide” (Jehovah Jireh).

Many of us understand intellectually that God provides, but in the midst of busyness, difficulty, or pressure, we often forget this simple yet important truth – God provides.

Provision is an interesting word made up of: “pro” (before) and “vision” (to see) – literally “to see beforehand.” God sees beforehand and makes provision for the circumstance. It’s not that He necessarily changes the situation, but we can rest in the confidence and trust that anything we go through doesn’t take Him by surprise and that in the midst of any moment in life, He is Jehovah Jireh – God who makes provision for the situation.

02/01/2024

Jehovah Rapha - The God who Heals

God first revealed Himself as Jehovah-Rapha to the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt.

After three days of wandering in the Desert of Shur, the Israelites desperately needed water. They discovered a river. However, the waters were unfit to drink. As a reflection of the quality of the water and their emotional disposition, the Israelites named the river Mahra (bitter).

God divinely cleansed the waters by instructing Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water, thereby making it drinkable.

After this miracle, God declared Himself as Jehovah Rapha to His people by saying,

“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.” (Exodus 15:26)

This promise was also a gesture of assurance from God to the Israelites, who had witnessed the ten plagues that God had released over all of Egypt prior to their release from slavery.

Ruach is a safe space where you can change your life by the power of your words. Galatians 5:25

01/01/2024

El Roi : The God who see's me!

”She called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said, “Have I even stayed alive after seeing him?”“
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬ ‭

When we feel most invisible and forgotten by everyone else, we can remember that God does see us. He witnesses our struggles and comes alongside us. After all, if he sees the sparrows and takes care of them (Matthew 6:26), how much more does he care for us in our greatest time of need?

31/07/2023

“But now, God’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭MSG‬‬

30/07/2023

“You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭16‬ ‭TPT‬‬

29/07/2023

“You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully you shaped me from nothing to something.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭15‬ ‭TPT‬‬

28/07/2023

“But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬ ‭AMP‬‬

27/07/2023

“And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has. We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬ ‭TPT‬‬

26/07/2023

“Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭37‬ ‭TPT‬‬

25/07/2023

“He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭AMP‬‬

24/07/2023

“Jesus looked at them and replied, “With people it is impossible, but not with God—God makes all things possible!””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬ ‭TPT‬‬

23/07/2023

“I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭14‬ ‭TPT‬‬

22/07/2023

“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭MSG‬‬

21/07/2023

“Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new. And God has made all things new, and reconciled us to himself, and given us the ministry of reconciling others to God. In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world, not even keeping records of their transgressions, and he has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭TPT‬‬

20/07/2023

“So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭TPT‬‬

19/07/2023

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.””
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

18/07/2023

“Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been given the treasures of redemption by his blood—the total cancellation of our sins—all because of the cascading riches of his grace.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭TPT‬‬

17/07/2023

“Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭28‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

16/07/2023

“He will guard and guide me, never letting me stumble or fall. God is my keeper; he will never forget nor ignore me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭121‬:‭3‬ ‭TPT‬‬

15/07/2023

“Yet, Christ paid the full price to set us free from the curse of the law. He absorbed the curse completely as he became a curse in our place. For it is written: “Everyone who is hung upon a tree is cursed.” Jesus Christ dissolved the curse from our lives, so that in him all the blessings of Abraham can be poured out upon gentiles. And now through faith we receive the promised Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭TPT‬‬

14/07/2023

“But you are God’s chosen treasure —priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭TPT‬‬

13/07/2023

“At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish this truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bo***ge of our past.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭TPT‬‬

12/07/2023

“You will bring God glory when you accept and welcome one another as partners, just as the Anointed One has fully accepted you and received you as his partner.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭7‬ ‭TPT‬‬

11/07/2023

“I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abundance. For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭TPT‬‬

09/07/2023

“You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood, so by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God!”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬ ‭TPT‬‬

07/07/2023

“But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬