Part Seventeen
Counting the Cost
Luke 14:28
This truth is a prophetic sword, and you don’t have time to procrastinate."
The devil will raise you up, put you on a pulpit, and give you the kingdoms of this world if he can steal your soul. But what will you give so that you do not lose your soul? What will you forsake? “What does it profit you if you gain the whole world” and keep all the religious traditions—yet are blind, deaf, and dumb? (Matthew 16:26) Just because it is more comfortable and it keeps your family together and everybody happy, doesn’t mean it is right in Yahveh’s eyes. At the close of the age you should be setting an example, leading the way for others to flee from darkness. This truth is a prophetic sword, and you don’t have time to procrastinate. Flee, run for your life from the destruction or you will be cast out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, even though you are pounding on the door saying, “I did all this. I went to church. I did everything that ‘believers’ are supposed to do.” (Luke 13:28) Then Yahshua (Jesus) will say, “I do not know you, you do not do the will of My Father, go away from Me—out into everlasting darkness.” (Matthew 7:21) Our Savior does not mince words. We have inherited minced-meat words, man-made doctrines and traditions. If we continue in them, He will spit us out of His mouth because we say we are in need of nothing. (see Revelation 3:15-18)
We need His Spirit not to depart, but to abide mightily in us because death will be the price we pay for continually leaning on our own understanding.”
- Proverbs 3:5 -
In truth, though, we need everything. We need Yahveh and His Commandments in our hearts. We need His Spirit not to depart, but to abide mightily in us because death will be the price we pay for continually leaning on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) “Thus says Yahveh [the LORD]: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from Yahveh” but “Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahveh [the LORD], and whose hope is Yahveh.” (Jeremiah 17:5,7) All idols, stubbornness, rebellion, and “ways that seem right to us” have to be broken! (Proverbs 14:12) “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” (John 8:36) Yahveh our God impresses the truth upon our hearts, but many have been in a religious system where errors, falsehoods, deceptions, and pagan-rooted compromises have been intermingled and mixed with the pure and holy worship of the Almighty. Yahveh is breaking all those inculcations* that a religious spirit has stamped and impressed so deeply in you. He is getting it out of you, but you have to “work out your salvation” and “be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you might prove what is the good and perfect will of Yahveh, the Holy One of Israel is. (Philippians 2:12, Romans 12:2) He is the Author of the Scriptures and the Giver of His Commandments by which we are to live. The Almighty is going to have His way.
Satan and his demons are not going to take this lying down; you will be toe to toe on the front line of battle. Yahveh will give you a new arsenal so you can continually be “more than conquerors” through Yahshua (Jesus) Messiah who lives in you, strengthens you, and causes you to triumph. (Romans 8:37) You are going to be on the path called “the Highway of Holiness” until you arrive at your destination. (Isaiah 35:8) HalleluYAH!
We hold so dear these error filled traditions in our hearts, but we don’t know what we are holding. We need to let our Savior be our all in all, not our religious traditions."
“Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths [of Yahveh’s word], ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’” (Jeremiah 6:16) Yahshua (Jesus) gave us everything as Yahveh in the flesh, so we could fulfill His desire to have a holy priesthood and a people who truly worship Him in His Spirit and uncompromised truth. (John 4:24) Truth according to the Almighty’s plumb line of truth, not “Christianity’s” version or Judaism’s version with their error-filled traditions that Yahshua (Jesus) was always dealing with. There is one spirit behind it, Satan who twists and distorts. He wants to siphon off all the worship from Yahveh, nullify all Yahveh’s words, and bring a mixture of truth with lies, errors, and deceptions. That is the truth; we hold these things in our hearts so dear, but we don’t know what we are holding. We need to let our Savior be our all in all, not our religious traditions.
One day we are going to be standing by ourselves in front of Yahshua (Jesus). All that will matter is that out of hearts of love we were obedient and with humble, contrite, repentant hearts we trembled at His word and confessed our sins. In His faithfulness they were forgiven and we were cleansed from all unrighteousness. (See Isaiah 66:2, 1 John 1:9) For the “…lawless one will be revealed whom Yahveh will slay with the breath of His mouth … that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10) Now if you really love Yahshua (Jesus), you are going to have a love for the truth and you are going “to count the cost” to walk in uncompromised truth, knowing it will cost you your comfort zone. (Luke 14:28)
“Do not think that I [Yahshua] came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34) and His sword is going to divide right down the middle of your family. That is in your natural family and your spiritual family; and if it doesn’t do that, then you have not allowed the sword of His uncompromised truth to be exemplified through your words and deeds. Yahveh is calling all of us to lay down our lives so that the love of Yahshua (Jesus) can bless one another. It is written, “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) As apostle Paul said, “So death works in us, but life in you.” (2 Corinthians 4:12) Our flesh has to be dying so that the life of Yahshua (Jesus) is manifest through us, so that they see and hear His words. Our Savior only spoke what He heard the Father say. (John 5:19) “‘…The Lord knows those who are His, and, ‘Everyone who names the name of Yahveh is to abstain from wickedness’” (2 Timothy 2:19), which is law breaking; the breaking of His Commandments and statues.
We were not redeemed to become Jews, we were not redeemed to become “Christians,” we were not redeemed to become religious people—we were redeemed to become sons and daughters, priests, disciples, and ultimately a bride for the Most High King of Glory!"
Yahshua (Jesus) said, “Surely Elijah will come to restore all things.” It will be a battle to restore because we will be fighting what the Savior fought. He was not fighting the demons—they were immediately cast out by His words. He was fighting the religious spirits, which come from Satan’s deceptions. It is going to be religious spirits that will take over the one world religion. So religion is a major component of the world’s system. We were not redeemed to become Jews, we were not redeemed to become “Christians,” we were not redeemed to become religious people—we were redeemed to become sons and daughters, priests, disciples, and ultimately a bride for the Most High King of Glory! We are called to become soldiers in the special forces of Yahshua (Jesus) our Commander-in-Chief—and we don’t come out alive. We die fighting in the Spirit, on the front line of battle for our King’s advancing kingdom. This fight is not for the spineless or the cowardly. If you look in the book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem comes down, the bride makes herself ready, and then comes the list of those who are not going in. (Revelation 19:7, 21:2,8) First on the list are the cowardly. (Revelation 21:8) Do we want a desk job in His kingdom when He has called us to be a soldier in His army? (2 Timothy 2:3) We are to lay our lives down as good soldiers and not get re-involved in civilian life because we don’t love our life so much as to shrink from death. (2 Timothy 2:4, Revelation 12:11) We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb covering our sins every time we know we fall short of His decrees, Commandments, and righteousness, and because of the word of our testimony, and we will not love our life even when faced with death (see Revelation 12:11).
* Inculcation: the act of inculcating, or teaching or influencing persistently and repeatedly so as to implant or instill an idea, theory, attitude, etc.
