Week 5 ~ Day 5

GROWING THROUGH PRAYER (A 'LOVING GOD GREATLY' BIBLE STUDY)

February 12, 2016

Week 5 ~ Day 5

Read:  Luke 6:27-28

SOAP: Luke 6:27-28

S:

“But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.”

O&A:

Oh, my Yah.  Your Word is so rich!  I haven’t even gotten past “hear” in my studies, but I am listening to Your Ruach, and will address my learning of that shortly.

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.  What I am receiving from these words of wisdom is to do what is contrary to our flesh!  What do we want to do in these circumstances?  I can’t answer for anyone else, but especially before following Yeshua, I would rather do nothing to those who hate me, I probably didn’t want to bless those who cursed me, and if I prayed for those who mistreated me, it may not be a selfless prayer.  I certainly didn’t love my enemies. 

Fast forward to today’s times à

What is a standard response to getting hurt?  You step on something (Legos are the worst); do you want to kick it away from you?  There have been times I may or may not have threatened to burn all Legos that I step on.  What about if someone steps on your toes in the theater as they sidle past to their seat?  Or your dog rakes his claws across your bare toes?  (Sorry for all of the toes being mentioned here - I inherited my mom’s sensitive feet, plus I have some nerve issues from the junk going on in my back, so they are totally over-receptive to pain, and therefore providing a great platform for teaching AGAINST the flesh.) 

What about someone who spews mean and hurtful words at you like venom?  Is our natural response, “Bless you!  Love you!”  If it is, we should make certain it’s not the Southern mannerism of “Bless your heart”, which everyone knows doesn’t always mean the speaker has your best interest in mind.  Same with “I’ll pray for you.”  Will we really pray for them, asking Abba to have His way, or are we being facetious?  The point is, we tend to have an inclination to lash out when we are offended, or hurt, almost like a defense mechanism. 

Yeshua is seemingly telling us (those with ears to hear, who are willing to listen, and understand, and discern what He is REALLY saying), “Do what is contrary to your flesh.  Don’t hate your enemies, don’t do bad to those who hate you, don’t curse those who curse you, and don’t speak/think bad about those who mistreat you.”  Don’t give in to what your flesh thinks is right, because the flesh is generally at odds (best circumstance) with YHVH’s Spirit within you, or completely opposite the Ruach within you.

If we have ears that don’t hear, we are spiritually deaf.  Sometimes it’s a missed opportunity, and other times, maybe it’s more selective hearing.  What we hear isn’t what we want to hear, so we pretend not to hear it, or say, “That part is not really for me.”  We have become our own masters at that point.  We are dividing the Word, but not rightly so, as outlined in 2 Timothy 2:15. 

As a mom (my boys call me Eema – Hebrew for mom), I know what it is like to be on the receiving end of selective hearing.  As a homeschooling Momma, I double-dog know it.  “Come on fellas, time to start math!”  -crickets-  “Guys, come on, y’all, it’s your night for cleaning the kitchen.”  -quiet grumbles (sometimes, not always)-  “Sons, y’all want to have some –“ – can’t even finish the question because they know there’s a treat in store, lol.  (Disclaimer: I’m totally not bashing my kids, just using these as examples.  They are learning to hear and obey, physically and spiritually, just as their parents are.) Selective listening isn’t just for our children, but as His children, do we sometimes still practice it?  How about the selective spiritual hearing?

In order to hear what Yeshua is saying, we must stop listening with only the holes on the sides of our heads, and listen with the spirit that YHVH put in us.  Pardon my bluntness, but if the hearing were only for the physical ears, then a person with physically limited hearing, or no physical hearing at all, would never have the opportunity to receive Messiah, nor the Word of Elohim!!!  This is specific to me, because I do have issues with my ears.  I almost lost my hearing when I was around 6 years old.  I had constant, chronic ear infections for a long time, and had to have P.E. tubes put into my ears.  Even now, at somewhere in the vicinity of specifically 36 years of age, I still get really bad ear aches, sometimes infections, and I still have a hard time hearing at times.  I have difficulty hearing my husband when he speaks in lower tones, can’t hear anyone if I’m in the kitchen and the water is running, have a hard time hearing voices on the phone that I’m not familiar with, etc., etc., etc., and when I go to the Dr., they always ask me if I knew that I had such terrible scarring in my ears.  I might be discouraged if it were the case that I could only hear Abba with these flawed ears!  But praise Him!  That is not our only means of hearing Him!

Look past the physicality, and into the spiritual meaning.  Do we have a teachable spirit?  That’s what He is looking for.  You can’t teach someone who won’t listen.  Spiritual ears mean understanding with the heart, and turning to follow Yeshua in the Words and teachings of YHVH.  Ears to hear.  Eyes to see.  Let him hear à put the words of Messiah into action, rather than just listening to them.  Don’t just sit in the assembly or fellowship and receive a temporary fullness of Messiah.  Take what is learned, and apply it, share it, help transform lives by sharing the besorah – the Good News.  Live out the Good News by the spiritual hearing of Yeshua’s teachings, and the physical doing of His words. 

P:

Abba, You have really deposited a lot into me this morning, and I praise You!  Abba, I pray that those who are willing to accept Your teachings, Your ways, Your right-rulings, and Your Son as their Messiah will have ears to hear of Your Good News on the very day that they are reading this.  I pray that we, Your people, will stop selectively hearing Your word, and be totally teachable by You.

Abba, I lift up in prayer all whom I have hated and even disliked, those I have cursed, those I have mistreated, those I have spoken ill of, and I ask You, Abba, in Yeshua’s name, that You would forgive me, no matter how far back those offenses reach.  It’s not that I’ve never asked this, but I seek severance, Abba, of unfruitful vines, withering vines, and when these things come to mind, I give them to You.  I praise You, Abba, and I thank You, for there is none like You.  I can’t go back in time and erase my deeds, but You are able to speak into hearts and change outcomes. 

You are forgiving, and loving.  Abba, I ask that You would change my heart so that I would love my enemies, that You would show me how to do good to those who hate me, that I would rightly bless those who curse me, and that I would pray for those who mistreat me, as Messiah loved those, did good to those, blessed those, and prayed for those who gathered around while He died on the crucifixion stake, because in my own strength, I am not strong enough to do these things.  It is only Messiah in me that makes me able.  Protect our hearts, and enlarge Your Ruach Kodesh in us as we are being transformed by Your word, Abba.

In Yeshua’s name, Amein.

As we are preparing to enter into Shabbat this evening at sundown (Friday evening), I'd like to take the time to greet you properly with a song sung around the globe during this time! 

Shabbat Shalom!

#‎LoveGodGreatly‬