Mentoring Minutes

First of all let me say I pray that you have a very blessed Good Friday and a joyous Resurrection Sunday!  With that said let’s look at some more of the Names of God that are made real to us because of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Let’s start with…

(Psalm 54:1) – “Save me, God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your power.” 

Jehovah Mephalti – “God Who Delivers” (Psalm 18:2)

What a powerful way to think of God’s Name or Names as we continue with this wonderful series on the Names of God. To think that His Name is the One that can and does save us.  Also by His awesome Name He vindicates us from any guilt!

So as we move along with the Names of God found in Psalm 18:2 that we started with last week’s post, this one is perhaps the one we need more than any other… JEHOVAH MEPHALTI – GOD WHO DELIVERS (GOD OUR SAVIOR in some translations). If it weren’t for Him in His grace and mercy being willing to lovingly forgive us and cancel the debt for our sins we would have no hope. But He has delivered us, He has saved us because of His love for us He was willing to send His Son to do just that…to save and deliver us.

This brings us to Christ as JEHOVAH MEPHALTI – GOD WHO DELIVERS. If we will turn to Him and allow Him to have His way in our lives, He delivers us from sin, disease, loneliness, evil spiritual forces, bondage and addiction, trials and tribulations, persecution, fear, even from our own flesh and self, and finally, He saves us from death and hell! This does not mean that we will never encounter these but that He will give us wisdom, faith, strength and grace to be delivered in them.

All of this is perhaps captured no better than in Hebrews 3:1-11 and 4:1-12. Here we see the typology of Christ in Moses as he delivered the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and this text compares and contrasts Christ as a much greater Deliverer. Christ is our Deliverer and the more we turn and surrender our lives completely to Him the more we will know the deliverance that He has freely given.

Jehovah Mishgabbi – “God Our (MY) High Tower” (Psalm 18:2)

As we look at this next Name of God we should be reminded that every day is a great day to remember all the things we have to be thankful for. These include our marriage and spouse (as applicable), children and family, church family, our country and freedoms, and most of all our forgiveness and salvation as we were just reminded of in the Name above. Let us be always thanking The Lord for His grace and mercy in Christ and His finished work on The Cross and out of The Tomb! PTL for Good Friday that we celebrate at the end of this Passion Week of Christ with a new beginning on Resurrection Sunday!

As we give Him praise and thanks for His gracious sacrifice and triumphant and total victory we acknowledge the next name that we find in Psalm 18:2 – JEHOVAH MISHGABBI – GOD OUR (MY) HIGH TOWER. Think about that…He is our refuge, protection, and fortress, a High Tower that nothing or no one can break through.

Thank You, Lord, as David proclaimed that You are all these things and You extend them to us by Your Name(s) because You love us! Proverbs 18:10 says it very plainly, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.”

Christ is JEHOVAH MISHGABBI – GOD OUR (MY) HIGH TOWER as in Him I find my place of security, refuge and protection from everything the world, the enemy and even my own flesh brings against me as I abide in Him as my fortress. This is where we run to not only to be safe but also to know that we are saved…and that is only in Christ (Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21). All who call on His Name by faith enter into that strong tower and are saved!

Where do you find your safety and security? How’s it working for you in these troubled times? Christ will never fail you nor fail to ultimately protect you, as His salvation and security are eternal!

Jehovah Eli – “My God” (Psalm 18:2)

First of all, before I share this third name in today’s post, I stated last week that there were four Names of God in Psalm 18:2…I lied! I didn’t mean to. I simply missed the reality that there are actually five names in this powerful passage.

There is yet another Name of God that we find in this text and I intentionally saved this one for the last as I believe His Holy Spirit wants us to know this Name and all it brings with it and that above all else…He is “JEHOVAH ELI – MY GOD.” He is the Creator of all that exists, without Him all would cease to exist; He is King of kings and Lords of lords, He is Omnipotent (All Powerful), Omniscient (All Knowing) and He is Omnipresent (Ever Present)…and yet He wants us to know that no matter what we face, He is “JEHOVAH ELI – MY GOD.” He is your God and my God, He is a very personal God and desires to share His love with us in a very intimate, one-on-one relationship!

He has made this totally available to all who believe in Christ, as He is “JEHOVAH ELI – MY GOD,” my very personal God! This is literally what this Name means. We can have a relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit because He is our very own, yours and mine – all who believe in Christ as personal Savior and Lord!

This is the entire message of The Bible as all of The Old Testament points to Christ as such and all The New Testament reveals Him as such…It is Christ’s sacrifice that makes this relationship not only possible but real and personal…we could have it in no other way, in this life and in Eternal Life to come (John 10:14-15; 17:3; 1 John 2:3). We can only know God through Christ as the Good Shepherd, the only way is through knowing Christ…God the Son whom The Father sent…and in keeping His commandments.

His Grace has freely given us, by our faith, the blessing to walk in this intimate loving relationship with ELI – OUR GOD. His Grace then empowers us to live out this relationship through our faith in loving obedience to Him. We don’t obey to be saved, made righteous, or have this relationship with Him…we obey because He has freely given His life so we can have this relationship. We obey in our walk with Him because He first loved us and saved us. This is how we love Him and others! That’s the story, the gift and the promise of The Cross and the power The Empty Tomb!

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Jehovah Mephalti is the “God Who Delivers” so, in Christ, what do you need deliverance from today? Jehovah Mishgabbi is “God Our (MY) High Tower.” Where do you run to find protection and security? You can have all of this because Jesus Christ has shown us and made it possible for us to be in a deep, personal relationship with Jehovah Eli – “My God.” He is your God and my God, the God of all who believe in Christ because of the price He paid that we celebrate and rejoice in this Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday!

Love and Lordship…Action Item –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. Write down what each of the Names of God in this post mean to you. 
3. Who or what do you run to for deliverance and security? How has that worked for you?
4. List the ways that you either know or would like to know God as your personal God. You can in Christ…

Contact us at Love and Lordship to find out more about how you can know God the Father, Christ His Son and The Holy Spirit and The Lord God.

Check out this week’s Love & Lordship Mentoring Minute Video

(Psalm 48:10) – “As is Your name, God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.”

Jehovah Kebodhi – “God My Glory” (Psalm 3:3)

We begin this post looking at the Names of God found in the Psalms. Remember David was “a man after God’s own heart” and he wrote most of the Psalms in Scripture. There are many Names of God revealed in The Psalms so take some time, as I pray you have been, to let it sink in how God personally desires to be with each of us, and with us collectively as The Body of Christ, His Church.

The first name we see is found in Psalm 3:3 – JEHOVAH KEBODHI – GOD MY GLORY! In this Psalm David is fleeing from Absalom, his son, who is leading a revolt against him to overtake the Kingdom of Israel that God has given to David.

In a great cry of humility David proclaims that, even as the king, it is God who is His protector and shield and God is His Glory. What He has received… everything, including any and all glory, comes from God, and specifically, even the glory he has attained as king because JEHOVAH KEBODHI – GOD MY GLORY, has given it!

We have, and should fully and humbly acknowledge, just as King David did, God in Christ is our JEHOVAH KEBODHI – GOD OUR GLORY. As with so many of these Names, we see this over and over again in The New Testament.

Here are some of the more poignant reminders that Christ is our Glory…2 Corinthians 4:4-6; 1 Peter 4:14. Any glory we have apart from Christ is futile and fading. Knowing Him as Savior and Lord allows us to be partakers of His Glory because He is our Glory!

Are you showing off your glory or His? Only one will last…choose wisely.

Jehovah Se’li – “God, My Rock” (Psalm 18:2)

As we continue to explore God’s Names we’re going to camp out in one verse that reveals 4 different Names of God to us. It’s not just the names but the fact that He makes Himself known to David, and to us as a very personal God, involved and active in our lives at all times.

Psalm 18:2 begins with David declaring that God is “JEHOVAH SEL’I – GOD, MY ROCK.” We found God as The Rock, The Rock of all His people collectively, in Deuteronomy 32:4. Here, however, we find that He is my Rock, very personal and intimate in my life.

Christ is “JEHOVAH SEL’I – GOD MY ROCK” as He is our steadfast, firm and sturdy Presence and Foundation through any storm or trial and he never changes. We see this in 1 Peter 2:4-7 where He is “The Living Stone,” who brings us to life and “the chosen and precious cornerstone” that will never fail. Because He is my Rock, I can count on Him always (Hebrews 13:5)!

I’ve come to realize that I need that Rock so that I can stand firm knowing He will never change and never leave me! I am secure in Him whether I’m standing on that Solid Rock or dwelling within the secure refuge of that Rock (cave and shelter)!

Jehovah Keren Yish’i – “The Horn (or Strength) of My Salvation” (Psalm 18:2)

As promised, moving along in Psalm 18:2 we look at the 2nd Name of God from this text and it is “JEHOVAH KEREN YISH’I – THE HORN (OR STRENGTH) OF MY SALVATION” (parentheses added). He is God our Strength and Savior who sees us through every situation. The context here is David praising and acknowledging God for rescuing him from His enemies. While He has led and fought in many of the battles, David knows assuredly that it is God’s Strength that saves him!

Christ is “JEHOVAH KEREN YISH’I – THE HORN (OR STRENGTH) OF MY SALVATION” (parentheses added). Because of His humility, He has become our strength and our salvation and we can find them in no other. Once again we find evidence of this throughout The New Testament and I will focus on 3 particular Scriptures that declare Him as our strength and salvation…

1. Philippians 4:13 – we must understand the context of this well known and often quoted verse…Paul had suffered many hardships, much pain and betrayal and yet he declared that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened Him.
2. The name of Jesus or Yeshua literally means all of the following… God delivers or rescues; Savior or God Saves! Acts 4:12 says it best…there is no other name given under all of heaven whereby we can be saved!
3. We see this clear picture of Christ as Savior also in John 14:6 as there is no other way to God the Father than through God the Son!

Jesus is Jehovah Keren Yish’I – The Horn (or Strength) of My Salvation! Do you know Jesus as Savior? Are you walking in His Truth with Him as Lord? Or are you trying to make it by your own strength to save yourself? Surrender to Him as He has done everything to save us and we simply need to believe and submit to Him!

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Jehovah Kebodhi is “God my Glory” and any glory that does not come from Him is not worth it and will not last. He is also Jehovah Se’li – “God, My Rock” and I can count on Him as He will never change. Finally, I don’t have the strength or ability to keep myself from sin nor save myself but He is Jehovah Keren Yish’i – “The Horn (or Strength) of My Salvation”

Love and Lordship…Action Item –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. Write down what each of the Names of God in this post mean to you. 
3. In what ways have you or do you rob God of His glory, taking it for yourself?
4. List how God is your Rock, Strength and Salvation in Christ.

Contact us at Love and Lordship to find out more about how you can know God the Father, Christ His Son and The Holy Spirit and The Lord God.

Check out this week’s Love & Lordship Mentoring Minute Video

(Psalm 44:8) – “In God we have boasted all day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever.”

Jehovah Sabaoth – “The Lord of Hosts” (1 Samuel 1:3)

Isn’t it incredible that God reveals Himself to us in such strong, compassionate, complete and personal ways in dealing with His people and through Himself in Christ as our Savior and Lord! His Names are truly awesome!

As we continue with another powerful Name of God revealed in 1 Samuel 1:3. Here we find Elkanah going up at the appointed annual times to make sacrifices to “JEHOVAH SABAOTH – THE LORD OF HOSTS” literally all the Hosts of Heaven.

Hannah, Elkanah’s wife, gives birth to Samuel whom she commits to give to The Lord and he becomes a great prophet of The Lord, ultimately anointing David as King of Israel and through whose lineage will come The Messiah, Jesus Christ!

There are several places in Scripture where we find the presence of all the Hosts of Heaven under Jehovah Sabaoth but perhaps none more poignant and powerful than in 2 Kings 6:17 when Elisha and his attendant were surrounded by the King of Aram and his entire army. Elisha prayed for The Lord to open the eyes of his men to see that the hosts around them in the spiritual realm were far greater than the Aramite army.

One of the other places is when David, the shepherd boy, comes against Goliath the giant who was terrifying the entire Israelite army and speaking against God and His people. Just before David kills Goliath he proclaims in 1 Samuel 17:45 that he comes in the Name of Jehovah Sabaoth – The God of Hosts (Armies) whom the giant had defied. Guess who won that standoff?

Christ is Jehovah Sabaoth – The Lord of Hosts as we find very plainly in His return captured in Revelation 19:11-14 when He comes commanding all the Hosts of Heaven against the armies of this world who have gathered against His Name and people! We are victorious in Christ, The Lord of Hosts!

Are you following Christ as Lord and trusting Him as Jehovah Sabaoth – The Lord of Hosts? He is the only One Who will ultimately reign so choose to let Him reign in your life today.

Jehovah De’ot – “The God of Knowledge” (1 Samuel 2:3)

We continue with this story of Hannah and Samuel as God reveals another wonderful Name of His and His steadfast character. We all desire what we find in God’s Name in this next text… knowledge. However, His Word also warns us that mere human knowledge apart from Him only puffs us up or inflates our pride (1 Corinthians 8:1).

If we want real knowledge…knowledge according to God’s Word…we need to go to “JEHOVAH DE’OT – THE GOD OF KNOWLEDGE” whom we find revealed in 1 Samuel 2:3. It is here in Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving for God having granted her request for a son, Samuel. She recognizes that God knows all things and she is thankful for how that has not only played out in her life but in every part of creation!

On a personal level we can see Jehovah De’ot in Psalm 139:13-14 as He knows us even before He forms us in our mother’s womb! Also we find in Proverbs 1:7 that fear of The Lord is the beginning of knowledge…it all starts with Him – The God of Knowledge!

As I mentioned earlier, fleshly knowledge brings pride (1 Corinthians 8:1) but in Christ we see The God of Knowledge becomes flesh for our sake and salvation (2 Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 2:2-3). Christ is the Knowledge of God for us.

Are you living in that knowledge or trying to do it in your own?

El Selichot – “The God Who Forgives” (Nehemiah 9:17)

In Nehemiah 9 we find an incredible Name of God that emerges in Scripture. That Name is “EL SELICHOT – THE GOD WHO FORGIVES!” The word selichot in Hebrew literally means prayers of repentance and seeking forgiveness. So Nehemiah, knowing the sins of the people of Israel have been great and that God is gracious to allow them to return to Israel and Jerusalem from captivity and begin to rebuild the wall and the city!

With this as the backdrop Nehemiah proclaims in v. 17 this Name, one of the most beautiful names of God for us all, EL SELICHOT – THE GOD WHO FORGIVES, and then continues in that verse to describe His grace, mercy, compassion and patience with us…that we all so desperately need! Praise The Lord!

It is an easy connection to make in seeing Christ as EL SELICHOT – THE GOD WHO FORGIVES throughout the New Testament. The first time we hear it proclaimed is from John the Baptist in John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

There are so many references to forgiveness in Christ in the New Covenant but I want to mention 4 more to make the point that God in Christ has forgiven all who believe on Him…Luke 23:34; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:23 and 1 John 1:7-9.

Have you believed in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, the gift of The Holy Spirit and eternal life with Him?

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – As Jehovah Sabaoth – “The Lord of Hosts” He commands all the Armies or Hosts of Heaven for our sake and protection and to bring about His perfect will. Building on that, Jehovah De’ot – “The God of Knowledge” and because He is God it is perfect knowledge that He gives us through His Word and His Spirit. Finally we would be lost if it weren’t for El Selichot – “The God Who Forgives” that we ultimately receive in Christ and His sacrifice for our sins.

Love and Lordship…Action Item –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. Write down what each of the Names of God in this post mean to you. 
3. This week’s Names of God reveal His sovereignty, His omniscience (all knowledge) and His forgiveness. Which of these is presently impacting your life?
4. What has God revealed to you in the Names about Himself in this post?

Check out this week’s Love & Lordship Mentoring Minute Video