During my prayer time with God, I was listening to some Worship Music. I was worshiping God and then suddenly a bad thought and feeling came and stole my joy. I thought it was strange how it was contrary to what I was thinking and praying about. I asked God about it and my focus changed as if I was understanding it from God’s perspective. It was as if God was venting to me how He and His children are mistreated by the thief. The thief had stolen my joy, because he hates God. It really upsets God when His children are stolen from and lied to by the thief in an effort to ultimately hurt God. God loves us and enjoys blessing us and spending time with us!
The Thief and Liar
The thief had come to steal my joy and lie to me, because he was jealous of God getting my love and praise. He is jealous of God and that is why he steals from us. The thief hates it when we praise God. The thief is constantly looking for ways to steal our blessings and the praise of God, because he is consumed by his jealousy and hatred of God. The thief also lies to us about God. He likes to make us feel guilty about those stray thoughts that pop up and are contrary to what we really feel and believe. The thief hates it when we affirm that stray thought is not true and how we really feel, as we turn to God lovingly instead.
Accusing God
The thief and liar want us to blame God for not stopping him. He wants us to blame God for the thief’s actions. He was happy when Adam blamed God for creating the woman that tempted him to sin against God. It makes him happy when we blame God for the evil actions of others and when we blame God for our own disobedience. He is happy when we do not praise God and spew bitterness and words of hate instead. The thief hates it when we ask God to have mercy on us. The thief hates it when we are forgiven, and especially when we learn how to forgive others.
Punishing God
The thief wants us to stop doing good and doing whatever blesses others. He likes it when we quit doing good out of fear, anger or pride. He does not care why we stop doing good, just as long as we stop! He does not want us to do whatever God has asked us to do, because it blesses us as well. The thief likes it when we are angry about our circumstances. The thief likes it when we are angry with God. He hates it when we seek to talk to God honestly about our feelings. He hates it when we ask God to heal our relationship. He hates it when we seek to please God, because we love Him.
God’s Timing
The thief likes to say that God is slow in answering prayers. He lies to us and tells us we are not very important to God and our prayers will not be answered. He likes it when we blame God when someone that has done evil has not been punished appropriately by humans or God. He hates it when we see things through the eyes of faith, and trust God will punish our enemy in His perfect timing. He hates it when we read the Scriptures and believe God will keep His promises.
Jonah’s Bitterness
The bitterness in Jonah’s heart against Nineveh caused him to run away from doing good for God. This bitterness described in Jonah 4, is a tool used by God’s enemy. Even God’s people sometimes demand that God punish someone that has done evil. Jonah wanted the people of Nineveh to literally die and go to hell. Just like Jonah, some people today, do not want the evil doers in this world to have the chance to repent and turn to God and start doing good instead.
War Zone
The liar hates it when we start to understand that we are living in a world ravaged by war. There is a war against God, a war of good and evil. God wants everyone to have the opportunity to turn away from evil, receive His mercy and to do good instead. God’s enemy uses our bitterness to entice us to be disobedient and turn away from doing good. The enemy hates it when we pray, because God moves when His people pray. He hates it when we are obedient, because God blesses our actions.
Job’s Love
God’s enemy accused God of blessing Job so much that Job only loved God, because of the blessings from God. God trusted Job and knew that his love for God was real and not based only on the blessings of God. God allowed Job’s love to be tested by the enemy. In Job 42, God restored what the enemy had stolen from Job. Right now, Job and his family are being blessed in God’s presence in ways that are so awesome, we cannot even begin to imagine what they are.
What Can I Do?
Isn’t this God’s problem? He created the angels and humans with free will. Everyone is free to love God or reject Him. Everyone is free to choose to do good or evil. God does explain in the Scriptures in Ephesians 6, what the problem is and how we should pray. He also explains in 1 Samuel 17:47, that we can praise Him when the Battle belongs to the Lord and trust Him to fight for us.
Read and Remember
God explains in His Scriptures that He is holding back His anger and punishment against the enemy of God, until everyone has had the opportunity to repent and turn away from evil. God does not want anyone to go to Hell and be lost. He wants everyone to have the opportunity to decide for themselves who they want to spend eternity with. Is that all we can do about the thief?
Understanding Through Scriptures
I now more clearly understand that when I am attacked and hurt by God’s enemy that it is an attack designed to hurt God, because He loves me and takes joy in my love for Him. I felt in my Spirit that there was more I could do for God, something that would make me stronger against the thief and liar. I just did not know what the answer was. I was still pondering my question, “What can I do?”
Messengers of God
I put aside my question and personal worship to watch a YouTube video of Congregation Beth Hallel in Roswell, Ga. Then, God answered my question and blessed me with a video and these two Scriptures: James 1:16-17 and 2 Cor 4:15-17 and the message delivered through Rabbi Kevin Solomon in the Messianic Jewish video Shabbat, Nov 29-30, 2024. The message delivered by Rabbi Kevin is about HOW to take action to change my attitude. I heard God through His Scriptures and understood God wanted me to purposely seek to have an attitude of daily Thankfulness. I saw that by changing my attitude with God’s help, that my new attitude would make me stronger and add another layer of defense against God’s enemy.
James 1:16-17 Do not err, my beloved brethren.17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
2 Cor 4:15-17 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
My Prayer
Lord God Almighty, Holy Father of Love, sanctify me in Your holiness and truth through my Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, the Messiah of God. All things are possible by our Lord God. Praise You for moving upon this prayer. Help me pray according to Your will as I pray Eph. 6, for Your Messianic Believers, Christians and those that do not know You yet. Lord, help me praise You daily and especially in all of our battles with Your enemy. Be glorified as You work to deliver us all from Your enemy and lead us in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.
Lord God Almighty, Your enemy seeks to steal our blessings whenever possible in order to ultimately hurt You and harm our relationship with You and Your people. Lord, scatter and weaken Your enemies and help us take back what the enemy has stolen. Save those people lost and alone that do not know how much You love them. You are patient and do not want anyone to be lost. Help me pray according to Your purpose and plan for Your Kingdom and Your People. Please bring salvation to the lost and increase the body of believers all over the world.
Lord God Almighty, help me walk with You and seek Your face and to apply what You are teaching me through Your Holy Scriptures. Create within me a humble and teachable Spirit with an attitude of Thankfulness as I seek to follow Your commandments and apply 2 Cor 4:15-17. Father, help me take authority in the name of Your Son, the Messiah of God, Yeshua (Jesus) over everything that You call me to do. Your will be done.
Lord God Almighty, be glorified and praised as You move upon this prayer and bless Your people with a richer Christ Centered life. Bless Your Kingdom workers and increase their numbers. Cover Your workers with Your Holy Spirit. Rise up within Your people and strengthen them with Your glory. Please bless others through the overflow of Your many blessings for Your People in the world, those I love and even me. Amen.
The YouTube Video that God used to bless me.
I have found I am able to enjoy the message better by understanding a few Hebrew terms. If you have never experienced a Messianic Service a few English translations may help you enjoy the Service better too. The term Shabbat means Sabbath in English. Yeshua (Hebrew) and Jesus (English) both mean Salvation. The Tanach (Bible) is also seen as the Old Covenant (Old Testament) and the New Covenant (New Testament). The New Testament of the Bible is called the B’rit Chadasha and it means New Covenant. The Torah (Law) is the first 5 Books of the Bible given by God through Moses. The Haftarah is readings from the Books of the Prophets.
The Scriptures confirm that Messianic Jews and Christians can worship together as different branches of the Kingdom of God through salvation in Christ. The first non-Jewish believers are introduced in the Book of Acts 10 after the vision of Peter. In Acts 11, 15 the differences between the two branches and faith through Christ are addressed. The Book of Galatians themes of salvation by faith, freedom from the law for the Gentile (non-Jewish) believers, and the unity of believers through Christ helps us see the differences, while still worshiping God in unity as joint-heirs with Christ.
The message from the Rabbi Kevin Solomon begins at 1:06:00 in this video. I recommend you carve out some time to watch the whole video. I feel like I am taking a trip to the Holy Land with Christ Jesus (Yeshua) as my Tour Guide, when I experience a Messianic Worship Service.