Chapter 21: Transformed in a New Direction

19 People in Tziyon, who live in Yerushalayim, you will weep no more. At the sound of your cry, how gracious He will be when you cry for help!  As soon as He hears, He will answer you.  20 Although Adonai gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk ye in it.” Isaiah 30:19-21

"Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil:  he that keepeth his way, preserveth his soul. Proverbs 16:17   

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Yeshua.  2 Corinthians 10: 3, 5

My sheep wandered around aimlessly on every mountain and hill; yes, My sheep were scattered all over the land, with no one to search for them or look after them. 7 "'Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of ADONAI: 8 "As I live," Adonai ELOHIM swears, "because My sheep have become prey, My sheep have become food for every wild animal, since there was no shepherd, since My shepherds didn't look for My sheep, and instead My shepherds fed themselves but not My sheep," 9 therefore, shepherds, hear the word of ADONAI! 10 Adonai ELOHIM says, "I am against the shepherds. I demand that they hand My sheep back to me. I will not allow them to feed the sheep, and they won't feed themselves either. I will rescue My sheep from their mouths; they will be food for them no longer." 11 "'For here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: "I am taking over! I will search for My sheep and look after them, Myself. 12 Just as a shepherd looks after his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so I will look after My sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. 13 I will bring them back from those peoples, gather them from those countries and return them to their own land. Then I will let them feed on the mountains of Isra'el, by the streams and in all the livable places of the land. 14 I will have them feed in good pastures; their grazing ground will be on the high mountains of Isra'el. They will rest in good grazing grounds and feed in rich pastures on Isra'el's mountains. 15 Yes, I will pasture My sheep; and I will let them rest" says Adonai ELOHIM. 16 "I will seek the lost, bring back the outcasts, bandage the broken, and strengthen the sick. But the fat and the strong I will destroy - I will feed them with judgment."  Ezekiel 34:6-16

The sheep knows and follows the Good Shepherd, Yeshua, through the sheep gate that leads to safety.

"Yes, indeed! I tell you, the person who doesn't enter the sheep-pen through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 But the one who goes in through the gate is the sheep's own shepherd. 3 This is the one the gatekeeper admits, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls His own sheep, each one by name, and leads them out. 4 After taking out all that are His own, He goes on ahead of them; and the sheep follow Him because they recognize His voice. 5 They never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him, because strangers' voices are unfamiliar to them." 6 Yeshua used this indirect manner of speaking with them, but they didn't understand what he was telling them. 7 So Yeshua said to them again, "Yes, indeed! I tell you that I Am the gate for the sheep. 8 All those who have come before me have been thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them.  9 I Am the gate; if someone enters through Me, he will be safe and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure. 11 "I Am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:1-11

The Good Shepherd did lay down His life for His sheep and those of you who believe in Him, not knowing the paths ahead, follow because of love and trust, the One ADONAI, Yeshua, who is leading.

1 A psalm of David: ADONAI is my Shepherd; I lack nothing. 2 He has me lie down in grassy pastures, He leads me by quiet water, 3 He restores my inner person. He guides me in right paths for the sake of His own name. 4 Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for You are with me; Your rod and staff reassure me. 5 You prepare a table for me, in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Goodness and grace will pursue me every day of my life; and I will dwell in the house of ADONAI forever.  Psalms 23:1-6

"I Can Only Imagine"

performed by Mercy Me with the London Symphony Orchestra

Yeshua answered: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  John 14:6

Genuine saving faith changes your lifestyle, transforms your thinking and behavior and puts within your heart a New Direction.  With this New Direction also comes a new set of desires to please God by growing in the likeness of Yeshua.  How does one begin this journey?  You do not live by the standards of this world, but have enlisted in basic training to follow the example of Yeshua.  God issues each a spiritual armor!

3 For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; 4 because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God's power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

The Spiritual battles that fight the forces of evil require Spiritual Armor! 

10 Finally, grow powerful in union with the Lord, in union with His mighty strength! 11 Put on the Full Armor of God, so that you will be able to take your stand against the devil’s deceptive tactics. 12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. 14 Therefore, stand firm then, with the Belt of Truth buckled around your waist, with the Breastplate of Righteousness in place, 15 and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of the Gospel of Peace. 16 Always carry the Shield of Faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 And take the Helmet of Salvation; along with the Sword of the Holy Spirit, that is, the Word of God; 18 as you pray at all times in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-17

Every day is a new day! God has given you His Spiritual armor to protect your mind, body and soul.  An effective way to follow these instructions is when your feet hit the floor each morning, pray this prayer; Lord, for this day, I pray for Your sandals of Peace, Your belt of Truth around my waist, Your breastplate of Righteousness, Your sword of the Holy Spirit, Your shield of Faith, and Your helmet of Salvation for wisdom to rightly divide Your Word of truth and protection from evil.  In Yeshua’s name I pray, Amen.  

You are not what you used to be, for by the love, mercy and grace of your Heavenly Father God, in repentance, you have turned from evil and are now pursuing the things of Yeshua by faith believing with the power of His Holy Spirit within.  Forget the past; your sins are gone!  You have dropped your baggage of sin at the cross where it is remembered no more!  When you chose Yeshua, you are justified from sin by your faith in Him. 

"He Reigns"

performed by Newsboys

10 It is in connection with this will that we have been separated for God and made holy, once and for all, through the offering of Yeshua the Messiah's body. 12 But this one, after he had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God. 14 For by a single offering He has brought to the goal for all time those who are being set apart for God and made holy. 17 He, Yeshua, then adds, " 'And their sins and their wickednesses I will remember no more.' " 18 Now where there is forgiveness for these, an offering for sins is no longer needed.  Hebrews 10:10-18

Keep your mind on living His way and not the ways of self. Recall the scripture Yeshua quoted as the believers Greatest Commandment:

32 `I am the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz'chak and the God of Ya`akov'? He is God not of the dead but of the living!" 33 When the crowds heard how He taught, they were astounded; 34 but when the P'rushim learned that He had silenced the Tz'dukim, they got together, 35 and one of them who was a Torah expert asked a sh'eilah to trap Him: 36 "Rabbi, which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?" 37 He told him, "`You are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.' 38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. 39 And a second is similar to it, `You are to love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot."  Matthew 22:32-40

The attitudes for the believers’ lives are found in the early ministry of Yeshua in the Sermon on the Mount.  These attitudes are called, “The Beatitudes” and can be found in, Chapter 10 “Come! Follow Me.”  Continue to set your mind on living the ways of Yeshua, through the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

13 For, brothers, you were called to be free. Only do not let that freedom become an excuse for allowing your old nature to have its way. Instead, serve one another in love. 14 For the whole of the Torah is summed up in this one sentence:  “Love God wholeheartedly and love your neighbor as yourself" 15 but if you go on snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other! 16 What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. 17 For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the system that results from perverting the Torah into legalism. 19 And it is perfectly evident what the old nature does. It expresses itself in sexual immorality, impurity and indecency; 20 involvement with the occult and with drugs; in feuding, fighting, becoming jealous and getting angry; in selfish ambition, factionalism, intrigue 21 and envy; in drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you now as I have warned you before: those who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God! 22 But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, 23 Humility, Self Control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things. 24 Moreover, those who belong to the Messiah Yeshua have put their old nature to death on the stake, along with its passions and desires. 25 Since it is through the Spirit that we have Life, let it also be through the Spirit that we order our lives day by day. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.  Galatians 5:13-26

This is your New Direction, remove your hands from the steering wheel and follow the leadership of the power within; God’s Holy Spirit.  Allow the Holy Spirit to continue to transform you into the likeness of His Son.  The Holy Spirit is now your teacher and guide, giving you the wisdom and understanding of God’s Word which comes alive as you hear, see and understand because you know Yeshua personally, the Good Shepherd, whom you are following.

Even if you don’t have all the answers, you still have something amazing to share.  As a new believer, the most effective way of telling others of your first hand experience of God’s love and grace is by sharing your personal testimony.  Reference the scriptures from this section of Chapter 18 – God’s only way of Salvation.

The Holy Scriptures speak for themselves: 

God’s Only Way of Salvation

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

In the beginning was the Word (Yeshua), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1,14

Yeshua said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

For Yeshua also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Yeshua died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Yeshua Messiah, Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord Yeshua. Acts 3:19

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9        

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! James 2:19

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua Messiah and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Therefore whosoever confesses Me (Yeshua) before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33

Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yeshua Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

Yeshua said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbors as yourself.” Luke 10:27

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Rejoicing shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth! Luke 15:7

The next chapter continues with more new gifts…

"More Than Ever"

performed by the Gaither Vocal Band