November 11th, 2022 – 7:33am – Haifa Hostel, Haifa, Israel:

My mom introduced me to a book called The Unseen Realm by Dr. Michael S. Heiser. I proceeded to purchase it on Audible and I have so far listened to all but 2 hours of the 15 hour audiobook. It has had a huge impact on my cosmic viewpoint, my spiritual understanding, and my future ministry focus. Almost as much impact to my life as Imagine Heaven by John Burke. Both of these books have drawn me into a deeper understanding of who God is and who I am in relation to Him and to the world around me.

Purpose. Calling. Destiny. Path. Gifts. Heir. Ruler. King. Priest. Prophet. Seer. Brother. Divine Counsel. Eternity.

This life is a blink. It is a closing of the eyes. And before you realize it you’ll be opening your eyes again in eternity. Then you’ll know what awaits you. But… in this life and in these moments we are given time. The slow moving perspective of days, weeks, months, and years. Why? To have the time to make our final choice. To choose God or to not choose God. There is no middle ground. And there will no no excuses:

“For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.” – Romans 1:20 AMP

And:

“Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:8-9 AMP

And…

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish with a [mighty and thunderous] roar, and the [material] elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and the works that are on it will be burned up.” – 2 Peter 3:10 AMP

I am so grateful for God’s patience with me and His grace and forgiveness that He gave me through Jesus on the cross.

I am not in Israel to somehow convert people to a naturally, man-made religion… but to share my relationship with God with others. I am here to be a witness of what life with God truly looks like. In all my mess and my brokenness and my struggles and my past… somehow God’s light manages to pour out of me to others. Somehow in the moments where I listen to them, feed them, give them a gift, show them this city, and share daily life with them they see Him. His love pouring out of me…

I am here to say, “There is a Living God who loves you and wants to be a part of your life. He wants to be your Father, to care for you day after day. He wants to walk with you and talk to you. He created you for a specific purpose and He is patiently waiting for you to choose Him.”

I am living in a hostel… and hostels are a place where there is a daily flow of people from all around the world, people who have come to see Israel. In the little over a month that I’ve been in Haifa I have probably met well over a hundred people. Each unique, each with their own story and journey. And I have moments with which to show them some kind of love. I am lucky really… I am asked why I am learning Hebrew daily… and I give a million answers to that question… because the truth is I don’t actually have an answer… my mom said that I should say, “Because God asked you to.” And yes that is the truth but it is not the why? That people are asking. They are asking about the end results of this “learning Hebrew”… I don’t know why I am learning Hebrew in Haifa, Israel. But when God asked me to do it, I said yes. It cost me everything I know and love to be here. But He is worth it. My relationship with Him is more important than anything else person or material possession. He is the “why”.

I get to meet people and see them and hear them. I get to serve them in a million small ways. And I get to just love them. Smile and be kind and just be me. And in this way am I not being like my Father in heaven? Like Jesus who gave His life for mine. Yup. Love God love people. It’s really that simple.

So in pondering Loyalty… since that is the title of this blog… and the theme I wanted to express today. Loyalty to Yahweh. Loyalty to the Living God. Loyalty.

In the book, The Unseen Realm, the author said something that keeps rolling around in my head. When we accept Jesus as our savior and we are born again spiritually into the family of God we are changed. We are set on a path to heaven. And our very nature is changed. We may live our whole lives trying to live for ourselves but will find no fulfillment in that life. Self seeking is the dead life of the past and our new nature in Jesus is like the nature of God Himself.

It’s funny cause most people who choose Jesus as savior don’t realize the death of self that comes from that… then they try to continue to live for self and it doesn’t work, it can’t work, it’s incompatible, and makes for a very miserable life. For the believer, only loving God and loving others brings fulfillment. So the Unseen Realm just expressed what I already knew in a new way that’s made me think about my life and ministry differently.

I want to take this moment to share my YouTube video of the 16 podcasts I recorded earlier this year. The topics span from my relationship with God, my dad, to my encounters with heaven and angels. I hope in some way if you take the time to listen you’ll hear my heart and my faith:

https://youtu.be/REavJ-puBjk

All the podcasts are in one video so it’s really long but that makes it easier to share and for people to keep track of what they’ve heard.