There are four things I wish to cover under this topic.
1. Our Solitude with Him
2. His solitude with US
3. His Call to US
4. The Costs of His Call
Go to Mark 4:34. This suggests Our Solitude with Him. “When they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples” (Mark 4:34).
Yahshua doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. Some understanding may come from the lives of others who may be examples for us, but G-d requires us to examine our own souls. To have a face-to-face meeting with Him. It is slow work—so slow that it may take G-d all of earthly time to make a man or woman conform to His purpose. And we must know that we can only be used by G-d after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We don’t even recognize the envy, the laziness, or pride within us when we see it. But Yahshua will eventually reveal to us everything we have held within ourselves before His grace within us began to work. It is a slow process for how many of us have learned to look inwardly with courage and honesty? Few, I’m afraid.
First, we have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That’s always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is G-d. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of G-d, we could never give in too our own understanding. As long as we harbor this fallacy of understanding about ourselves, G-d will continue to close us in until He gets us alone for wherever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining, Yahshua can’t teach us anything. Instead, He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires—things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to all of us, and often without effect. But eventually, when G-d gets us alone over them, He will reveal them to us and they will be clear.
Have you ever Been Alone with G-d? And that brings us to His Solitude with Us.
In Mark 4:10 it reads:
“When He was alone they that were about him with the twelve asked Him about the parable (Mark 4:10)
When G-d gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken friendship, or a new friendship—when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us. Notice Yahshua’s training of the Twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were confused. Prior to receiving the Ruach HaKodesh you notice that the disciples were vying for position in His Kingdom. They wanted authority, position and prestige. They were asking questions loaded with their own personal agenda. They constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly explained things to them, but they didn’t understand until after they received the Ruach HaKodesh (see John 14:26).
As you journey with G-d, the only thing He intends to be clear on is the way He deals with your soul. The sorrows and difficulties in the lives of others will be absolutely confusing to you. We think we understand another person’s struggle until G-d reveals the same shortcomings in our lives. There are vast areas of stubbornness and ignorance the Ruach HaKodesh has to reveal in each of us, but it can only be done when Yahshua gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now? How many of us are too busy pontificating or talking or so concerned with our own ideas, friendships, and cares for our bodies that He can never get us alone? Yahshua cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him.
When we can be quite, we can experience the Ruach within us, then we can learn and then and then only can we hear the CALL OF G-D.
What is G-d’s Call to US?
In Isaiah 6:8 it reads:
“I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me’ ”
Please look carefully at that verse and there are many more like it in scripture. G-d did not direct His call to Isaiah alone—Isaiah overheard G-d saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” The call of G-d is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear G-d’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. In the Messianic Scriptures it reads: “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). The word translated “called” is from the Greek word kletos meaning “invited.” The word-translated “chosen” is from the Greek word eklektos meaning “to make a choice or to elect.” Simply put, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with YHVH Elohim through Yahshua HaMashiach, and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened from their time alone with Him. Then they hear “the voice of YHVH Elohim” asking, “who will go for Us?” G-d doesn’t single out someone and say, “Now, you go.” He did not force His will on Isaiah. He will not force His will upon you. And even in the sense of a Damascus Road experience like Sha’ul’s, Paul’s’ spiritual attitude was already G-d oriented and He was receptive. Isaiah and all the Prophets and great characters of Scripture were already in the presence of G-d, and they overheard the call. We too should be in the presence of G-d to overhear the call. And our response like their response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, “Here am I! Send me.” Their ears were open.
Remove the thought from your mind of expecting G-d to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Adonai Yahshua called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His “Follow Me” was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive from having been prepared by their aloneness with G-d. Their ears were open. (Matthew 4:19). Be Quiet so that you can hear that voice for If we will allow the Ruach haKodesh to bring us face to face with G-d, we too will hear what Isaiah heard—”the voice of YHVH.” In perfect freedom we too will say, “Here am I! Send me.”
In the past I have spoken about the costs of following Yahshua. In conclusion I want to speak about What My Obedience to G-d’s call Costs Other People
“As they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon, a Cyrenian; and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Yahshua” (Luke 23:26).
If we obey YHVH , it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. Listen carefully, if we are truly in love with YHVH Elohim, obedience does not cost us anything—it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our loving obedience does cost them a great deal. If we who are obedient obey G-d, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, “You call that following G-d?” Now, we could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to G-d. We must let the cost be paid.
I’ll going to give you a personal illustration on one level, but don’t forget the other levels. The differences between husband and wives, sons and daughters, friends, and even between those that call themselves believers. If they are upset or their plans are thwarted we must let the costs be paid. Now for my personal illustration. When I began this ministry I taught Torah Obedience and exposed error, wherever I found it, and still do. Neither is popular to most people and many left or withheld their support. In my pride I said “I will never accept anything from anyone” and “I’ll do it on my own.” for I felt my acceptance of support indebted me in some way and might even cause me to soften or compromise my message. Many people feel that their support of a ministry guarantees them the right to dictate their perception of the spiritual direction of that ministry and I have seen many a minister dilute their message to guarantee continuance of that support. But I learned in my aloneness with YHVH that we must let the costs be paid, or disobey G-d. We have no right to think that the type of relationships we have with others should be any different from those Yahshua Himself had (see Luke 8:1–3).Let me read:
8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of YHVH: and the twelve were with him,
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.
I was denying others the mitzvot of giving in some cases. I had to learn to accept support and let G-d deal with the motives of the givers and handle the consequences of those that had a hidden agenda. What I’m saying to you here- is that a lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. We have to let the costs be paid even if it is by loved ones or friends or fellow believers, because we are so involved in the universal purposes of G-d, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to G-d and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent? Or will we do just the opposite and say, “I will not cause other people to suffer”? We can disobey G-d if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but it will grieve YHVH Elohim. If, however, we obey G-d, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him.
Beware of the inclination to dictate to G-d what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.
Seek Him, be alone with Him, have your ears opened, be true, be obedient, and YHVH will handle the rest.
Amein, Rabbi Davis