JEHOVAH

Isn’t it amazing that there is no one single name that can completely describe the greatness of Who God is?  Yet God, Who is so magnificent, desires that we know Him intimately and in the fullness of Who He is. The more extensive our understanding of God’s greatness, the more we become in awe of Him.

One of God’s names is Jehovah. This name appears in the bible more than any other. The name Jehovah comes from the name Yahweh and has been considered by the Jewish people to be too holy to speak or to write. When scribes would translate the Old Testament manuscripts, they would remove the vowels and only write YHWH. This was a name that filled the Jewish people with awe because they realized the worthiness and holiness of the name. It saddens my heart when I see how today God’s name has been reduced to a slang phrase that is carelessly spoken and used almost in a comedic way.(OMG)

There are several dimensions to the name Jehovah. Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew word that means “to be” or to become. He is the self-existent Creator Who always has been and always will be. He Himself was not created, He always was and is.  When Moses was going to speak to the Israelites in behalf of God, he asked God Who should I say that You are? Exodus 3:14-15

14 God replied to Moses, “I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is My eternal name, My name to remember for all generations.”  In essence God was and still is saying, “I am that I am. I am the self-sufficient One. I am everything you will ever need. I am with you. I am eternal. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. This name, Jehovah, declares the absolute existence of God and reveals Him as the dependable, faithful God Who desires the full trust of His people.

God is saying those same words to us today.  “I am all that you need. Won’t you TRUST ME?”

ELOHIM Part 3

The next facet of God’s name Elohim, is the God Who makes covenants.  A covenant is stronger than a promise as we know it. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties, a life long commitment, and a guarantee. God’s covenant, or promises, are between Himself and His people.

The name Elohim, first appears in Genesis 9:11-13.  God declared to Noah that He would never destroy the earth by a flood again. He gave us a rainbow as a reminder of that covenant. God also used the name Elohim when He promised Abraham that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars in heaven. (Genesis 15:2-6)  Abraham believed in that promise even though he and his wife were childless and well beyond child bearing years.

The greatest covenant God has given to mankind is salvation. Romans 10:9 “ If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Once we make the decision to allow Jesus to be Lord of our life, we are joined into a covenant relationship with God which gives us access to all of His promises.

When God makes a covenant with man, it is an agreement that He will not break. God differs from man in that He does does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever; and He cannot lie.

Numbers 23:19 says,  “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent (change His thinking). Has He said, and will He not do it?  Or has He spoken and will He not make it good and fulfill it?”

  

Hebrews 6:16-18 states, “Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. 18 So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.”

Think for a moment of the importance of these two truths...God can’t lie and He is faithful to His Word. God and His Word can be trusted in and through every circumstance. That statement gives me such a sense of security, knowing I can trust God completely and believe what He says is Truth.

Our faith grows as we begin to believe God’s Truth, His Word. We can depend on His promises and know that for every situation we face in life, God has an anecdote.

There is no situation that we can go through that God does not have an answer. God’s desire is always to be reconciled with His people and to bless us. Even when we feel we are alone God is saying: “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]. Hebrews 13:5

What an awesome promise. Just knowing God is always with me brings enormous peace and comfort.

I encourage you to stretch your faith, believe His Word and allow God to change your life.

EL ELYON PART 3

Today we’re going to continue with God’s name, El Elyon. During Wednesday night’s message at church, Apostle Byrd said, “we should have an appetite for the impossible.” I began thinking about things that seem impossible to me, but are NOT impossible to God the Most High. In Luke 18:27 Jesus said,” the things that are impossible with men are possible with God.” Two people in the bible recognized this aspect of God’s character.  One is Mary, mother of Jesus.

This is a familiar account for many. An angel approached Mary and told her she would become pregnant and that child would be the Son of God. Not only was this a physical impossibility since she was a virgin, but because she was not married, pregnancy would lead to disgrace and being stoned to death. Her response in Luke 1:34 was similar to what many of us have said in regards to God and His Word, “how can this be?” The angel told her “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” He also told her in Luke 1:37  “with God nothing will be impossible.”

I believe at this point a revelation of Who God is came upon Mary because her response was, “ Let it be to me according to your word.” She saw the impossible become possible. She saw El Elyon, God Most High, as Who He is...Most High over the physical, Most High over the supernatural, Most High over every situation and circumstance.

Now let’s look at Daniel.  This historical account is found in Daniel 6. Daniel was taken to Babylon as a slave when he was a teenager. Although he was a slave, his intelligence, wisdom, and appearance secured him a high position in the king’s court. This caused men within the court to become jealous and they devised a plan to have Daniel killed. They tricked the king into signing a law stating whoever worships any god or man other than the king will be thrown into the lion's den.

Even though Daniel knew this law had been signed, he refused to dishonor God. Instead, he knelt down, prayed and thanked God. As a result Daniel was thrown into the lion's den which should have resulted in his death. Daniel knew the consequences of not following the law, but he chose to worship God.

I don’t know if Daniel was afraid, but I do know that he recognized God as Most High and would not worship another.

One thing I like about this story is in verse 16 when the king said, “your God Whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Even the king recognized the power of God. In the natural there was no way Daniel could have lived through this torture, but God miraculously shut the lions’ mouths.

This took place thousands of years ago, yet today we are still facing the challenge of worshipping other gods. There are many things that can become a god  (anything more important than the God Most High) in our lives: money, lust, power, acceptance, fear, and the list goes on and on.

God desires to be Most High in each of our lives. When we recognize God for Who He is, the impossible becomes possible.

Names of God

Have you ever asked yourself or has someone asked you Who is God? This is not an easy question to answer. When I think of God I think of a multi faceted diamond or a prism that shows a multitude of colors when you look through it. God, like the diamond or prism, is also not one dimensional. To describe Him is almost beyond human words or vocabulary. In this blog I am attempting  to describe the magnificence of God.

In the original old testament, which was written in Hebrew and the original new testament, which was written in Greek, God had many different names besides God. Because each name describes a facet of God or a part of His Character.Let's begin with the different names of God.

The names of God are holy. Jesus tells us this in the book of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 9. When His disciples asked Him how to pray. Jesus answered by saying, “Pray this way: Our Father Who is in heaven, Hallowed (holy) be Your name”. Jesus was telling us we need to honor and revere God’s names. Why? Because His name is a reflection of Who He is. In Hebrew the word "name" means a mark of individuality with implications of honor, authority, and character. A person’s name was a link to his or her character. For example Jesus renamed Simon to Peter which was a prophetic word for his future. God renamed Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel. Throughout scripture God used names as revelation to the character of men and women. If human names were that important to God, how much more important is His name. Psalm 8:1 declares  ”Lord, our Lord,  how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!”

To me when God reveals Himself to us through His name, it’s as if He’s saying: I want to reveal something about Myself to you so you can know Me better, more intimately. How exciting is that?

The first name I am going discuss is, El Elyon.

In Hebrew the word "el" comes from a root word that means might, strength, and power.

"Elyon" comes from the root word "alah" which means to go up, ascend, climb, and exalt. El Elyon means the God Most High or The Mighty One Most High. Let’s think about this for a moment. It is exciting to think about God being so mighty and powerful that He is above all other gods!! He has power and authority above ALL things. There is nothing higher than God. Isaiah 46:9 says: ” Remember the former things, those of long ago;    I am God, and there is no other;  I am God, and there is none like Me.”

None like God. I can’t stop thinking about that verse and what it means. When we are struggling with circumstances that seem impossible we must remember El Elyon is above that circumstance. If you are facing what seems impossible, remember El Elyon is above all.