WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?

Hebrews chapter 11














Today we are walking in: Where Is Your Faith?









Proverbs 20:6




Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful H529 man who can find?






FAITH






Today we look to the word FAITH-- H529- emuwn--faithfulness, trusting, faithful










The Torah testifies...............



Deuteronomy 32:20




And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith H529












The prophets proclaim..................




Habakkuk 2:4




Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith H529.








The writings bear witness............


*******














CHAPTER ONE


WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?


“Faith makes all things possible…love makes all things easy.”


Life


is full of mysteries. Questions on the nature and meaning of


life are universal in every culture and in every generation.


Everyone ponders the purpose of life to one degree or another. Like


our ancestors before us we stare into the starlit night sky in awed


wonderment at the majesty of the heavens and ask, “Where did I


come from? Why am I here?” We share a common bond with the


psalmist of old who wrote: “When I consider Your heavens, the work


of Your


what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care


for him?” (Ps. 8:3-4). We gaze into the face of a newborn baby and


marvel at the mystery and magni


mystery


expressed it well: “There are three things that are too amazing for me,


four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of


a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a


man with a maiden” (Prov. 30:18-19). Mystery surrounds us. Mystery


is part of what makes life worth living.


Many people don’t see it that way, however. They want life


broken into bite-size pieces for easy consumption. Uncomfortable


with mystery, they want the meaning of life distilled into diagrams


and bullet points with no confusion, no uncertainty, and nothing left


to chance. Unfortunately, they are bound to be disappointed


because life simply isn’t like that.If we want to build ful


meaning, we must be willing to embrace mystery. We must accept


the fact that we will never know everything we would like to know.


Some things will always be out of our reach, some issues perpetually


beyond our understanding. This means we must approach life with a


healthy dose of humility and admit that we do not—and cannot—


know it all. Our attitude must be like that of David, the poet-king of


ancient Israel, who wrote, “My heart is not proud, O Most High, my eyes are


not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too


wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned


child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel,


put your hope in the Most High both now and forevermore” (Ps. 131:1-3).


Humility and faith will help us deal with the mysteries of life.The Mysteries of Life


What do you do when life hits you on the blind side? How do you


react when the unexpected happens? Imagine what you would think


if your newly married spouse dies. Your father takes his life. Your


mother turns out not to be your biological mother of 30 years. Your


sister is a prostitute. Your father reveals his secret homosexual


lifestyle. Your new house burns down. Your healthy child suddenly


dies, or your


savings and investment in a company or institution is lost. Your


family members die in a plane crash leaving infants to care for. How


do you ever explain or understand these tragedies?


There are questions in life we can never answer. Some people insist


on knowing the answers to everything. They assume that no area of


knowledge is beyond human understanding. Consequently, when


something stumps them, they become depressed. Our insatiable


pursuit of knowledge and understanding is perfectly natural—to a


point. After all, our Creator designed us to be curious about


ourselves and the world we live in. The key is to keep everything in


proper perspective. Part of that perspective is acknowledging that


there are some things we simply will never understand.


People sometimes ask me why I never seem to be depressed or


frustrated. One reason is because I realized 30 years ago that there


are some questions I will never be able to answer. I search out


whatever answers I can, accept the fact that some things elude me


(and probably always will), and move on. There are some questions


we will never be able to answer. Acknowledging this truth makes


life so much easier.


There are things in life we can never explain. Some things we see or


experience in life defy rational explanation. Just accept them. You


will enjoy life more. Psychiatric wards are full of people who


cracked under the strain of trying to explain the unexplainable.Settle in your mind now that there are some things you will never


be able to explain. Otherwise, you will be depressed all the time.


There are things in life we can never change. Today I enjoy life no


matter what happens because 30 years ago I realized that there are


some things that I cannot change, so it is useless to try. It’s been


said that 90 percent of life consists of things we cannot change.


Most of us live frustrated lives because we spend all our time


fretting and worrying about the 90 percent of life we cannot change


instead of focusing on the 10 percent we can change. Weeping,


worrying, and wailing about the unfairness of life will change


nothing except, perhaps, your blood pressure, so don’t fall into that


trap.


There are things in life we cannot control. Some people are obsessed


with control; they have to micromanage every aspect of life, not


only for themselves, but also for everyone around them. We all


know someone like this: a boss, a parent, a child, a spouse. Most of


us have witnessed or experienced the devastating e


domineering personality can have on the lives of others.


Ultimately, however, none of us can control what anyone else


does, not even those closest to us. We can teach them our values,


make known our wishes, and even “lay down the law,” but in the


end they make their own choices and bear responsibility for those


choices. And we do the same. Maybe your spouse has decided to


leave you. You can beg, bargain, cry, cajole, and even pray, but if he


or she is determined to leave, there is nothing you can do. Perhaps a


sibling or a son or daughter is abusing drugs. You can rant, rave,


preach, and pester, but you really have little control over the


choices he or she makes. Let’s face it; there are some things in life


we cannot control, no matter how much we wish it were otherwise.


Accept this fact.


There are things in life we cannot stop. If you are standing on a


railroad track with a train coming toward you at full speed, you


have two choices: get out of the way or get run over. Life is like that


sometimes. Some things that come at you are unstoppable, so you


must learn how to make arrangements for them to pass you by. Ifyou try to stand in the way and stop it like a person facing down a


speeding train with his hand raised, it will continue on to where it is


going, and you will be destroyed in the process.


There are things in life for which we are not responsible. No matter


how well we raise our children, they still may make unwise


decisions or foolish mistakes that carry severe consequences. No


matter how carefully we prepare for the contingencies of life—





completely unexpected quarter and knock it down. Sometimes we


do our best and bad things still happen. We are not responsible for


those things. We are responsible only for how we respond to those


things and for what we do with the time and resources we have.


There are things in life we cannot exceed. Some people don’t know


their limits, while others refuse to accept any limitations. Such an


attitude is both arrogant and foolish. All of us have limits, and we


will be much happier when we acknowledge those limits. One of my


favorite statements in life that has kept me at peace is: “I don’t


know” That is one of the most powerful and empowering statements


any of us can make in life.


A prayer written many years ago by American pastor and


theologian Reinhold Niebuhr captures perfectly the attitude we


should take toward the mysteries of life. The


is very familiar to most of us, but the second part is just as apropos:


Yah grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot


change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to


know the di


Living one day at a time;


Enjoying one moment at a time;


Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;


Taking, as He did, this sinful world


as it is, not as I would have it;


Trusting that He will make all things right


if I surrender to His will;


That I may be reasonably happy in this lifeand supremely happy with Him


Forever in the next.


Amen.1Facing Life Successfully


With so much mystery and uncertainty in life, how can we have


any hope of facing life with con


success in life when so much is hidden from us? The secret of


success is knowledge. This is just as true for life as for any other


endeavor. The key to successful living lies in knowing four things.


First, we must know our limitations. The Bible says that if we


believe we are more than we are, then we lack wisdom and are


worse o


eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Prov. 26:12). The


original Hebrew word for fool here literally means “stupid” or


“silly.” In other words, the stupidest people in the world are those


who think too highly of themselves. Everyone has limitations, and if


we are wise, we will recognize our own. We have to know where


the line is drawn, where we have to stop. We must know when we


have gone as far as we can go.


Yah never expects us to move beyond our limitations on our own.


Anything He asks of us, however, He will empower us to


accomplish, even if it seems impossible from our vantage point. We


have limitations, but Yah does not: “For nothing is impossible with


Yah” (Luke 1:37). Knowing our limitations frees us to walk and live


in Yah’s in


we tap into His limitlessness.


Second, we must know what we are responsible for. For example, we


are each responsible for the decisions we make every day. Many


people today like to play the “blame game” by refusing to accept


responsibility for their own choices and actions. Instead, they claim


to be victims of their environment, their upbringing, or the behavior


of other people. This game is as old as Eden, where Adam and Eve


blamed each other for their own disobedience to Yah. In all


honesty, we cannot blame anyone but ourselves for the decisions we


make and the consequences they bring. Not only are we responsiblefor our decisions, we are responsible also for how we respond to the


adversities that life sometimes throws our way. We often have little


control over what happens to us, but we do control the way


adversity a


Third, we must know what we are not responsible for. This is just as


important as the previous point. Just as we are responsible for some


things, we are not responsible for other things. For example,


although we bear responsibility for our own actions, we are not


responsible for the actions of others. Our free will is under our


control, but the free will of others is not. Even Yah Himself is not


responsible for our free will. He will do everything He can to


in


Yahusha Hamachiach died on the cross for us. He freely gave His life for us,


shedding His blood so that we could be forgiven of our sins and


become eternal citizens of the Kingdom of His Father. Then He rose


from the dead as a guarantee that all who turn to Him will receive


eternal life. Yahusha did all of this—yet He still cannot save us without


our permission. He knows His limitation; it is self-imposed.


Violating our free will is a line He will not cross. There are some


things we are not responsible for, and successful living means


knowing where those boundaries are.


Fourth, we must know what we cannot do. Basically, this sums up


the other three. Success in life means learning not to walk in guilt


over circumstances or consequences that are beyond our control.


Many parents waste year after year blaming themselves for the


foolish decisions of their adult children. And how many of us get


caught up in the “if onlys” of regret, often over matters we could not


have changed then any more than we could change them now.


That’s no way to live. We cannot keep blaming ourselves for things


we cannot change. Contentment and success in life come when we


acknowledge that there are some things we cannot do. Our greatest


point of weakness is when we arrive at the wall of our limitation.What’s Your Motive?


Once we acknowledge the mysteries and unknowns of life and


accept the fact of our own limitations, what are we left with? How


do we live successfully under such conditions? There is only one


way: faith. It is my conviction that mankind was created and designed to


live by this essential principle called faith. It is belief in the unseen and


hope for the unknown that energizes the human spirit. Our Creator, the


King of the universe, is looking for strong faith on the part of the


people He created in His own image. Whenever He


strengthens it even more: “For the eyes of the Most High range throughout


the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him”


(2 Chron. 16:9a). At one point, Yahusha Himself asked, “When the Son


of Man comes, will He


looking for strong faith. It is interesting to note that He did not expect


to


education, or traditions, but faith. Perhaps He sees faith as the most


important component on planet Earth.


Your faith is only as strong as the tests it survives. How strong are


you? Strength must be tested before it can be considered reliable.


You are only as strong as what you can lift, so never brag about


your own strength unless you have tested it


On one of my many trips around the world, I sat next to a middle-


aged gentleman on the plane. After settling in for the 11-hour


to London, I asked him what he did as a profession. He said. “I am a


test driver and pilot.” I was immediately intrigued and dove into an


enlightening conversation that became a college course in the art


and science of machine testing. He proceeded to educate me on the


purposes, preparations, skills, and thrills involved in his work. Then


I asked him the big question: “Why is it necessary to test a new car


or aircraft engine?” His answer changed my life! He stated that


every credible manufacturer invests in testing their products in


order to guarantee its performance and to verify their claims


regarding the product. He said testing was necessary to establish themeasure of trust you can promise the customer. In essence, testing is


a prerequisite for trust. Simply put, tests verify claims.


Many believers walk around daily making claims and praising and


worshiping Yah—testifying to how good He is and how much He


has blessed them—but their faith has never truly been tested. It is


easy to say, “Yah is good” when things are going well, but what


about the bad times? What about the times when you can’t pay your


rent or your light bill, or when you lose your job? Under those


circumstances can you still say, “Yah is good”? Just as He did with


Job, Yah allows our faith to be tested so we can see how strong we


are. Yah had blessed Job greatly, yet He allowed satan to strip Job


of everything he had—family, wealth, health—to see whether Job’s


faith would stand the test. If you say, “I believe Yah,” get ready,


because Yah will allow the testing of your belief so that you and


others will see whether or not it is true. His purpose is not to


humiliate you or to catch you in a lie, but to help you grow because


He knows that untested faith is not valid faith and never amounts to


much.


The testing of our faith serves not only to show the strength of our


faith but also to reveal the motive behind our faith. If you say, “I


trust in Yah,” why do you trust in Yah? Is it because of who He is or


because of what you hope to get out of it? Satan accused Job of


following Yah only because Yah had blessed him, so Yah allowed


Job to be tested. He wanted to reveal the motive behind Job’s faith,


to reveal whether or not Job would continue to follow Yah even


after he lost everything. In the Kingdom of Yah, as in any country,


your belief in the nation’s constitutional promises and privileges can only


be veri


system. The testing of your faith in the Kingdom of Yah occurs through


circumstances which provide an opportunity for you to validate your


belief in the political, economic, social, and cultural system of Heaven on


earth.The Power of Motive and Faith


Have you ever watched a report on a tragic murder or horri


incident and wondered why the


authorities would be “what was the motive?” This is because the


most powerful force for human behavior is motive! Everything we


do is generated by some motive. What is motive? Motive is the


hidden reason or desire that initiates, sustains, and justi


action. All human action, no matter what we claim to the contrary,


is a product of a motive. Motive is internally justi


matter of fact, the absence of motive is a sign of death. Life itself


depends on motivation to give it meaning. Where there is no


motivation, there is no passion or energy. We all do everything for a


reason. It is motive that moves us. We are victims of our motives,


and we protect them from exposure.


Why is motive so important to the subject of faith? Motive is


birthed by our beliefs and convictions.


What is your motive for following Yah? The answer to that


question lies at the very heart of life. What motivated you to


acknowledge Yahusha Hamachiach as your Most High and to enter His Kingdom?


These are important questions because they test the motive of your


faith. The sixth chapter of John’s Gospel opens with an account of


Yahusha feeding a crowd of 5,000 people with only


and two


His disciples sailed their boat to the other side of the sea of Galilee.


Later that night He joined them in the boat by walking to them on


the water. The next day, the crowd who had been fed so


miraculously the day before went looking for Yahusha but could not





Once the crowd realized that neither Yahusha nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats


and went to Capernaum in search of Yahusha.When they found Him on the other side of the lake, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get


here?”


Yahusha answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for Me, not because you saw miraculous


signs but because you ate the loaves and had your


food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him Yah the Father has


placed His seal of approval (John 6:24-27).


The people were looking for Yahusha not because of who He was but


for what He could do for them. He could feed them; He could heal


their bodies; He could cast demons out of their lives. Their motives


were self-serving, and Yahusha knew it. He told them, in e


why you’re here. You aren’t looking for Me; you’re looking for a


blessing. You’re looking for more free


conceals and reveals the quality and nature of your faith.


Don’t we love it when Yah blesses us? And He has promised to


bless us. He has promised to add things to us. But blessings should


not be our motive for following Yahusha. What if He doesn’t bless


today? What if He doesn’t add anything today? What then? Do we


turn away and go somewhere else? Or do we continue to follow


Yahusha even when we’re not being blessed? What’s our motive? This


is the question of Kingdom faith: “Can you follow the light even in the


dark?”


Yahusha said, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that


endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” In other


words, we should not waste our faith on things that can go away in


the morning. Instead, we should place our trust in the “son of Man,”


upon whom “Yah the Father has placed His seal of approval.” The


only thing in life that is sealed and secure is Hamachiach. He is the only


trustworthy and reliable object of our faith—not His blessings, His


provision, or His healings, but Yahusha Hamachiach Himself. Even the


blessings of Yah are temporary, and thus we should place no faith in


them.Faith in Hamachiach: the Work of Yah


Like the crowd that sought out Yahusha in Capernaum so long ago,


many people today follow Him only for His blessings. You may trust


in Yah because He heals people, but will you still trust Him when


He doesn’t heal someone and that person dies? You trust Yah to


provide your rent money, but will you still trust Him when the rent


is due and the money is not there? You trust Yah to protect your


children, but will you still trust Him when one of them starts doing


drugs or gets in trouble with the law? Where is your faith? Is it in


Hamachiach or in what He can do for you? In the Kingdom of Yah our faith


is more in the nature of Yah than the products of Yah.


Yahusha’ response to the crowd that day must have ru


feathers because they followed up with some challenging questions:


Then they asked Him, “What must we do to do the works Yah requires?”


Yahusha answered, “The work of Yah is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”


So they asked Him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?


What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them


bread from heaven to eat.’”


Yahusha said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven,


but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of Yah is He who


comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:28-33).


The people were confused. In essence they said to Yahusha, “Well, if


we are not supposed to follow You for bread or


we can get from You, then what are we supposed to do?”


“Simple,” Yahusha replied. “Believe on the One the Father sent.” In


other words, don’t believe on the bread, don’t believe on the


don’t believe on the miracles. Don’t put your faith in the activities of


Yah because He may not act in the way you expect. This does not meanHe is unfaithful or untrustworthy. It simply means that His purpose


and will are not always completely visible from our limited vantage


point. Yah’s purpose is always greater than any of our personal


perspectives or circumstances. This is one reason why He calls us to


trust in Him and not His works. He is shifting our motivation from


things to Him and His nature because things change. Things


deteriorate. Things rust and break and fade away and are consumed.


Things are temporary and therefore unworthy of our trust. Only Yah


Jehovah and His Hamachiach are eternal, and only that which is placed in


His care will last.


The people around Yahusha that day tried to compare their


experience with bread and


the desert, when manna (bread) came down from Heaven to feed


them. Apparently they were trying to convince Yahusha that they


followed Moses because of the miracles: manna, liberation from


Egyptian slavery, the parting of the Red sea. Yahusha countered by


reminding them that the manna did not come from Moses but from


Yah. It is dangerous to trust in miracles because miracles are


temporary. The mortgage payment is temporary. The car payment is


temporary. We never know what Yah is thinking unless He chooses


to reveal His thoughts. He can provide the mortgage payment or car


payment, or He can test us to see if we can still be at peace in Him


even if we miss a payment.


This is why Yahusha tells us to put our faith not in the things of Yah but


in the Yah of the things. He says, “It is My Father who gives you the


true bread from heaven. For the bread of Yah is He who comes


down from heaven and gives life to the world.” There are two kinds


of bread being discussed here. First is the “bread” of blessings, such


as manna or the bread the people ate that Yahusha provided. The


second kind of bread is the “true bread” or “bread of Yah” that


came down from Heaven. Both the bread of blessing and the true


bread come from the same place—Heaven—but the bread of


blessing is temporary. We are not supposed to become satis


it. The purpose of the bread of blessing is to whet our appetite for


the true bread. And what is the nature of the true bread? Theprinciple of this discourse with the people is to teach us that the Source is


always more important than the resource and the Manufacturer more


important than the product. This is critical because the resource is


dispensable, but the Source is permanent. We should never put our faith


in the resource but in the Source. Yahusha explains,


“Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Yahusha declared, “I am the bread of life.


He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty. But as


I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe” (John 6:34-36).


In the Kingdom of Yah the issue is not how much faith you have, but


where your faith is placed. Are you following Yahusha Hamachiach, or are you


following signs and wonders and prosperity? Is your faith in Yahusha


Hamachiach the “bread of life,” or are you satis


blessing? Are you seeking to satisfy your spirit or merely trying to





in the One who satis


faith on the bread and not the Baker. The principle of Kingdom faith is


to trust the Source and not the resource.


Make no mistake about it: the Kingdom of Yah will meet our


every need, absolutely. But it is for this very reason that we are not


to trust in those things that will meet our needs but in the King who


provides them. As Kingdom citizens, our business is to trust, obey,


and serve the king; His business is to take care of us. This is what


Yahusha meant when He said,


So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we


wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need


them. But seek


as well (Matthew 6:31-33).


We don’t follow Yah for what we can get from Him. Kingdom


faith is faith in the king, not the king’s favor. It is faith in Him, not


His gifts.Faith in the Midst of Hardship


Living in the beautiful islands of the Bahamas in the Caribbean all


my life, I have enjoyed the pleasure of the crystal clear ocean,


abundant sea food, the perfect annual average temperature of 75


degrees, the economic and political stability that makes our nation


the envy of many, and the warm spirit of our people that drew over





where life is like a dream every day is also in the path of the annual


hurricane or cyclone track. During my life in these beautiful islands,


we have had to endure many major hurricanes that test not only the


durability of nature, structures, and people, but most importantly,


the trust we have in our governing system to guide and protect us


through these horri


not just for good times, but also for di


child and even today as an adult, our family gathering together,


riveted to the radio, listening to minute-by-minute reports of the


storms provided by the government national Radio Broadcasting


Corporation. As the 130 mph winds howled and the trees fell all


around us, our roof would shake, and the crash of thunder and


lightning would make us wonder if we would survive.


Our entire con


building codes which were warranted to protect us and ensure our


survival. The government building codes of our country were


determined by our location in the hurricane and whether we obeyed


the code, building our foundation and structure in accordance with


it; if so, then the government guaranteed the houses would stand the


test of any storm. I am pleased to report at the writing of this


manuscript that we have never had a house structure collapse on us


during a major storm. In essence, the government codes build the


nation for the inevitable tests. Our obedience to the codes brings us


peace and con


The spiritual-supernatural country of the Kingdom of Heaven with


its established colony on earth is no di


its citizens and establish building codes for the community of the


Kingdom which are designed for the storms of life. Many Kingdom


citizens assume that if they are going through di


means they do not have enough faith. Not so. Kingdom faith does


not remove us from hardship; it preserves and protects us through


hardship. Once again, the key is where we place our faith not how


much faith we have. On one occasion the King of Heaven addressed


this very issue of faith in the building code of His Kingdom:


Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man


who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and


beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone


who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built


his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against


that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:24-27).


The concept of tests, trials, and storms in the life of the Kingdom


citizen on earth is not one that should be foreign and unexpected


but rather anticipated with con


embraces storms and proves its worth in trials. The King of the


Kingdom in relating this concept said to His citizens on another


occasion:


I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have


trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).


Another governmental promise assures the Kingdom citizen,


I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of


the enemy; nothing will harm you (Luke 10:19).


Has anyone ever asked you, “Well, if Yah is so good, why is this


happening to you?” Yahusha answers that question right here. Perhaps


you have questioned why you are facing di


wondered if the King of the Kingdom knows your circumstances.


Our relationship with Yah has nothing to do with what happens to


us as it relates to trials, tests, challenges, and assumeddisappointments. The Most High doesn’t spare us from the hardships of


life just because we are citizens of the Kingdom. On the contrary, He


allows trials for the purpose of testing, strengthening, and purifying


our faith. Learning to persevere through hardship molds and


matures our character.


If you


Daniel. How would you feel if you were in Daniel’s place and had


just been told that because of your faithful obedience to Yah you


were going to be thrown into a den full of hungry lions? Maybe


Daniel prayed for deliverance and expected an angel to come. No


angel showed up. Perhaps Daniel then thought that he would be


translated supernaturally to safety, vanishing before the very eyes of


King Darius and his court. No vanishing took place.


As they led Daniel in chains toward the lion’s den, he may have


thought that Yah would catch him halfway down the hall, loosen


his chains, and set him free. It didn’t happen. By the time he heard


the growling of the lions, Daniel may have begun to wonder where


Yah was. When he was thrown into the den and surrounded by


hungry lions, he found out where Yah was—right there in the den


with him! Yah had sent an angel ahead of Daniel to shut the lions’


mouths, so that no harm would come to his servant. He saved


Daniel, but not until Daniel had faced the trial of the lions’ den


without knowing the outcome beforehand. Where was Yah? Daniel


had to shift his trust from the works of Yah to Yah Himself. (For the


full story, see Daniel chapter 6.)


Daniel’s quality of Kingdom faith is very rare today in the religious


community as many of our contemporary doctrines and belief systems


promote a shallow version of faith that focuses more on “avoidance


faith” than enduring and overcoming faith. It is a faith built on avoiding


troubles, trials, and tests rather than facing, enduring, and overcoming


these temporary opportunities to prove the eternal power of our


Kingdom. We need the faith of Daniel to be restored to our world today.


The same was true for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who


had to endure a


and discovered that Yah was with them in the chapter 3). This story of these three young Hebrew professionals


should serve as a source of great encouragement and an outstanding


example of true Kingdom faith. Let’s recount some of the details of


their encounter with the government of another Kingdom and see


the superiority of the currency of their faith as it activated the


economy of Yah in their favor:


Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court o


the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing


aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and quali


the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king


assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for


three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.


Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief o


gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael,


Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego (Daniel 1:3-7).


Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego


administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court


(Daniel 2:49).


…So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true,


Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my Yahs or worship the image of gold I


have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn,


kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if


you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what Yah will


be able to rescue you from my hand?”


Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to


defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the Yah we


serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He


does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your Yahs or worship the image of


gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:13-18).


The amazing thing about the faith of these young Kingdom


citizens was their expression of belief that even if Yah did notrescue them, the integrity of the Kingdom of Yah remained intact.


This is true Kingdom faith and must be restored in our daily lives in


the Kingdom. We need faith that is stable even when our


expectation of Yah’s strategy is miscalculated, faith that is willing to


be burned in the


ambassador, the apostle Peter said,


In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to su


kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes


even though re


when Yahusha Hamachiach is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7).


The more your faith is tested, the more your Kingdom con


grows. This is also true in the experience of the hurricanes in the


Caribbean where I live. Every time we survive a major hurricane,


the less fear and trauma we have in facing the next one until we


come to see them as a normal part of life in our region and actually


appreciate the bene


remove structures not built to government code, destroy rotten


trees, cleanse pollutants in the air, and inspire new growth and new


beginnings.


In the city of Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten, thrown into


prison, and locked into stocks for preaching the Gospel of Hamachiach.


Instead of whining and bemoaning their circumstances, they


worshiped and sang hymns to Yah right there in the prison. Yah


sent an earthquake that released all the prisoners. As a result, the


jailer was converted to Hamachiach along with his entire family (see Acts


16:16-34).


If our faith is in Yah, it doesn’t matter what happens around us


because Yah is stable. He never shifts or moves. He is the same


yesterday, today, and forever (see Heb. 13:8). Yahusha said, “Eat My





‘drink’ the blessings of life; drink Me. If you do, you will have life” (see


John 6:53-57). When our faith is in Him, we can endure anything


because we trust in His power, not our own, and because He will


not allow us to be tested beyond our ability to endure: “Notemptation has seized you except what is common to man. And Yah is


faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But


when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can


stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13).


How strong are you? You are as strong as whatever your faith


survives. Kingdom faith will always be tested; that’s how it grows


strong. Just as muscles develop strength the more they are used, so


too our faith gets stronger the more we exercise it. The greatest tests


of faith—and therefore the greatest potential for growth—come


during times of hardship. So if you trust in the Most High, get ready for


the tests. Examination day is coming. If you were to lose a job or a


house, or if your child were sick and continued prayer produced no


observable results, would you still believe in Yah’s omniscient goodness?


Would you still be con


in the a


In the Kingdom of Yah, many citizens only follow the King for the


good times and the good things. In fact the majority of the people I


have encountered in the Christian religious community seem to


have a relationship with Yah based on how they can bene


personally, rather than living as a citizen in a country with


responsibilities, obligations, and commitments to obey the laws,


maintain community, and function according to the principles of


Kingdom society. Many religious believers treat Yah as a genie in a


bottle whom they manipulate to meet their private wishes. This was


the attitude of the people in the village of Capernaum when Yahusha


visited them after providing them with free bread and


revisit that encounter:


Yahusha answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous


signs but because you ate the loaves and had your


food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him Yah the Father has


placed His seal of approval.” Then they asked Him, “What must we do to do the works Yah


requires?” Yahusha answered, “The work of Yah is this: to believe in the one He has sent” (John


6:26-29).


His assessment of their motive for following Him was for what


they could get from Him. They had no concept of Kingdom


citizenship and their obligation to serve the Kingdom despite of any


condition. The King’s statement, “do not work for bread that spoils”


implies that belief in Yah should not be motivated by the positive


bene


and nature of the benevolent King who loves His citizens. Consider


these words as Yahusha continues His discourse:


I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers


ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,


which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyoneeats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is My


world (John 6:47-51).


He was testing the quality and object of their faith and correcting


their misplaced focus.


Many of the people in Capernaum with Yahusha that day failed the


faith test. After all, the call to Kingdom faith is a call to rise to


challenges, overcome obstacles, and triumph over hardships, and


many people simply are unwilling to pay the price. This certainly


was true of many in Capernaum who were put o


eat His


On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”


From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. “You do not want


to leave too, do you?” Yahusha asked the Twelve.


Simon Peter answered Him, “Most High, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We


believe and know that You are the Holy One of Yah” (John 6:60,66-69).


Why did the people consider Yahusha’ words a “hard teaching?”


Because they realized He was calling them to follow Him with no


guarantees of


and Him alone; calling them to follow Him without knowing


outcomes in advance, content to leave the future in His hands.


Once again Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego demonstrated this


kind of faith when they stood before King Nebuchadnezzar,


threatened with death in a


king’s command to worship a great idol he had built. The arrogant


king demanded to know what Yah could rescue them from his hand:


Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to


defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the Yah we


serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He


does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your Yahs or worship the image of


gold you have set up (Daniel 3:16-18).That’s Kingdom faith: faith that trusts Yah whether He blesses or


not, whether He delivers or not, whether He heals or not. Kingdom


faith trusts Hamachiach no matter what because it knows that He has the


“words of eternal life,” and has discovered the same truth expressed


by King David who wrote, “Because Your love is better than life, my


lips will glorify You” (Ps. 63:3).


In the Kingdom of Yah when you don’t know what to do, trust Yah!


In another psalm, David declared, “The Most High is my rock, my fortress,


and my deliverer; my Yah is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my


shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Ps. 18:2). If you


are anchored on the rock, the storm doesn’t matter. If your trust is


in the living Yah, you are going to win no matter what happens


around you. Many of Yahusha’ disciples turned back from following


Him. Many today have done the same. Why? They were “


sandwich” disciples. They turned back because Yahusha took away


their


They didn’t want Him. He took away the gifts and gave them the


Giver. They didn’t want Him. He took away salvation and gave


them the Savior. They didn’t want Him. He took away the blessings


and gave them the Blesser. They didn’t want Him. In a kingdom, the


king is more important than the kingdom, for it is from him that the


Kingdom derives its legitimacy. The Kingdom does not make the king a


king, but the king makes the Kingdom a kingdom.


We are not here on earth just to get


change the world by feeding others the living bread. Where is your


faith? Is it in the works of Yah or in the Yah who works? Are you a


“


answer will determine whether your faith fails the test or stands





Here in the Bahamas where we enjoy the beauty and quality of


life of this tropical paradise, the government cannot guarantee


immunity from hurricanes, storms, or other natural disasters, but it


does guarantee protection, provision, resources, and restoration


where necessary. The country and colony of the Kingdom of Heaven


on earth is no di


guarantees they will come. Yahusha said,


Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man


who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and


beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone


who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who


built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat


against that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:24-27).


Kingdom faith is not afraid of storms, tests, and trials because


citizens have built according to the construction code of the


heavenly government and have ensured that their foundation is the


unmovable rock of the integrity of the King’s Word, character, and


promises. Kingdom faith is anchored on the rock of Yahusha Hamachiach.


Kingdom faith is faith that faces the storm and still stands


the storm has passed. Where is your faith?


Kingdom Principles


Your faith is only as strong as the tests it survives.


The question of Kingdom faith: “Can you follow the light even in the dark?”


In the Kingdom of Yah, the issue is not how much faith you have, but where your faith is placed.


The principle of Kingdom faith is to trust the Source and not the resource.


In the Kingdom of Yah, when you don’t know what to do, trust Yah!