How do we know the way to walk as a disciple of Yeshua?
Jesus/Yeshua told us in John 14:6. He is the way. The way to where? The way to eternal and abundant life.
These are the hallmarks of the Kingdom of God. Our walk as a disciple begins from transferring our loyalties from the Kingdom of this world to the Kingdom of God. This involves repenting (turning) from sin and turning towards God and following our Messiah.
People are blind to sin because society doesn’t regard sin as sin.
Truth is, sin is destructive. It effects you physically, emotionally and spiritually.
All sin is deceptive. It makes you believe something that’s not true. For example in the Garden of Eden God said “You will surely die.” The enemy, the serpent told Eve “You will surely not die.” The strategy is the same today. The enemy of our soul nullifies the Word of God. He entices and tempts us to sin by offering pleasure and advantage. We must discern that we’re being lied to so we don’t give in to the temptations.
Sin starts in our mind and always brings forth death because it separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2)
Our solution is Romans 12:2 – to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is not a one time process. It’s life-long. We need to continually be praying the Psalmist’s prayer of Psalm 139:23-24. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Are we willing to be honest with the Lord and ourselves? We must be if we’re to be strong disciples who walk in Yeshua’s footsteps and in obedience to God’s Word.
Repentance (changing our minds and our course) is necessary and we must know we’ve been forgiven. Repentance starts with experiencing the new birth that Jesus talks about in John 3:7. We must be people who are born from above. The natural birth, when we’re born on this earth is miraculous. We don’t know how much time we’ll be given on earth and we don’t know if our years will be filled with good things or bad things. The second birth, the spiritual birth is guaranteed to be good (Revelation 21:4) and is even more miraculous, as it brings us eternal life.
THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION YOU’LL EVER MAKE!
If you’re Jewish and reading this page, please let the Tanakh (Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim – the Holy Scriptures) define your belief about your need for atonement, before you negate what’s written below, based on what you’ve learned traditionally.
Scripture references below are from both the Tanakh and the Brit Hachadasha (New Covenant). Both are the Word of God, based on the seamlessness of the contents in relationship to one another – See Jer. 31:31-34 and Matt. 15:21-24.
We’re born into this world as three part beings. We have a body, a soul (mind, will, and emotions) and a spirit.
Unfortunately, our spirits are dead to the things of God and the truths about His Kingdom, because of our sin nature. Sin is something we’re born with. It manifests as selfishness, pride, disobedience, rebelliousness, etc.. (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
As our Creator, God is King of all the universe. His Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom. He has a right to rule in our lives, but in our pride we exalt ourselves as King. This pride is one example of sin (imperfection) and sin separates us from God – who is perfect.
By faith (trust, belief), God puts His Holy Spirit into our spirit and makes it come alive. (Romans 8:11) Having life in our spirit is what enables us to recognize and understand the truth about God’s Kingdom. It enables us to communicate with God and turn from our sin and live righteous and holy lives. The healing and cleansing that follows brings life and vitality to our lives.(Acts 3:19) This doesn’t happen automatically though.
God sent a manifestation of Himself/the Messiah to the earth. He and the Messiah were One. (John 10:25-30) This manifestation wasn’t the first time God had come to earth! See these scriptures for more examples: (Genesis 11:4-7; Genesis 32:24-30) Messiah Yeshua came to teach us about the Kingdom of God and to die on the cross so the sins of humanity could be forgiven (Matthew 1:21).
Just as medicine prescribed by a doctor will not heal a sick person unless it’s taken, we too must believe in and ask the Messiah’s sacrifice to cover our sin.
The sacrifical system that God gave to the ancient children of Israel was a foreshadow of God’s redemptive plan for all humanity. There is supernatural power in Messiah’s shed blood. (Luke 22:20)
When we confess our faith in Messiah and spiritually appropriate His blood (Leviticus 17:11) to our lives this is called receiving Yeshua, Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. Making this choice causes us to be ‘born again’ (John 3: 5-7) by the spirit and our spirit comes alive to God and the truths about His Kingdom.
God has given us all free will and our decision to follow Messiah in this way is the only way to for us to have eternal life with God in heaven. To know Messiah is to know God (John 8:19; 14:7); to see Him is to see God (John 12:45; 14:9); to believe in Him is to believe in God (John 12:44); to receive Him is to receive God (Mark 9:37); to hate Him is to hate God (John 15:23); and to honor Him is to honor God (John 5:23).
We know there’s real power in the sacrifice and the blood of Yeshua/ Jesus because though He was crucified and died, He rose from the dead. Hundreds of people saw Him alive. (Acts 1:3) This proved that He conquered sin and death forever. The great healings that took place while Yeshua lived on earth also showed us the great compassion of God toward us, and the power of His Kingdom. (Matthew 4:23-25)
Many people say many things about eternity and how many lives we live etc…but the Bible says we live only once and then we will be judged. (Hebrews 9:27) If we have ever lied, stolen, coveted, or gone against any of the other 10 Commandments in God’s law, we will be condemned to eternal separation from God and will spend eternity in torment. (Daniel 12:2) (Matthew 13:49-50)
When we accept the forgiveness of the Messiah by believing in Him, and place our trust and hope in Him and what He can do in our lives, God breathes His own life to our spirit. It’s then that we are assured that our eternal destination and home is with our Heavenly Father, God, and that His Kingdom (a place of great joy and love) exists both here on earth, and in Heaven. (John 3:16)
By proclaiming and living the truth that Yeshua, Jesus is the Messiah and therefore Lord, we come into right alignment with the Kingdom of God and reap all the benefits that God, the Creator of the universe has to offer us. As we study and apply His instructions found in His Word, our lives become fulfilled and we begin to live out the unique destinies that we each were created for. It doesn’t mean that we won’t have problems or hardships, but we are assured that when we walk in God’s ways of living, as outlined in the Bible, and when we apply ourselves to know God more (through prayer and Bible study) we begin to live lives of fulfillment and abundance no matter what life brings our way. (John 10:10)
If you’ve never prayed to receive Messiah Yeshua-Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior read this prayer and as you do, mean it in your heart. (Prayer is simply speaking and listening to God.):
Lord, God, my imperfection is called sin.
You are perfect God, and I understand that You came to earth in the form of the man
Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, to die as payment for my sin.
I believe that You were raised from the dead and I have a hope that through my faith
You can set my life on a better path. Forgive me of my sins.
Come into my heart. Cleanse me. Turn my life around and guide me.
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Your Ruach HaKodesh.
Help me walk in Your ways. Prepare me for my eternal home in heaven.
Use me on this earth now for Your glory, Your honor
and the furtherance of Your Kingdom on earth. Thank you for saving me.
It’s in Yeshua, Jesus’ name that I pray.
Amen.
If you prayed that prayer for the first time, or if you have questions, we want to hear from you. Please contact us so we can pray for and encourage you.
This is the most important decision you’ll ever made in your life. God has wonderful and marvelous things in store for you.
*Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua, actually means “God is salvation.”
What a beautiful picture of the truth of what God has done for humanity through His Son,Yeshua!