Weapons Of Our Warfare

 The Holy One calls to me this morning at a time and within the world that seems to be spiralling out of control.  The understanding that we are in a white knuckle battle with dark evil forces comes at first light.

The Holy One takes me to His Word in 2 Corinthians 10:3 as a reminder about the "weapons" of our warfare. I feel His Presence and listen close for His voice:

"Your mind is the battlefield.  The real enemies you face are not flesh and blood but dark spirits who inhabit the unseen realm. Train your mind, control your thoughts and guard you heart and you will defeat the enemy".

As I ponder His exortation to discipline my thoughts, I wonder about the "weapons" He speaks about in His Word?

When I think about Divine weapons we have to go against an unseen enemy, on a mental battlefield, the challenge is obvious. In the midst of the process, the Holy One calls to my mind I Samuel 17:45-47. 

David was facing his Goliath, a physical giant with physical weapons, but when I break down the real enemy he was dealing with, I see that the forces against him were targeting his confidence in his God.  Hurling insults and issuing threats of harm, captivity, and death, evil tried to mentally defeat him before any physical engagement took place. The carnal weapons of the enemy were designed to emphasize his power but fear was the real threat to David's victory. 

As with us, the real battle he was experiencing, past the giant before him, was his understanding of Yahweh, God of Israel and Lord of his heart. 

David was able to see that Goliath's taunts were an assault on the knowledge of Yahweh, and the denial of truth about His power over all foreign gods of the enemy; a real spiritual battle on earth's turf.

David answered the taunts of Goliath,

"You're coming at me with a sword, and a spear, and a javeline, but I am coming at you in the name of Yahweh the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have challenged.  Today Adonai will hand you over to me.  I will attack you and lop your head off and give the carcasses of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the animals in the land.  THEN all the land will know there is a God in Israel and everyone assembled here will know that God does not save by sword or spear for this is Adonai's battle and He will hand you over to us." 

Today we face similar battles and the taunts of impending defeat by an arrogant giant.  Satan is the one hurling his lies and threats of his pseudo power over us against the knowledge of our God, but our weapons are Divine and designed to defeat those of the enemy.

The Divine weapons we fight with are:

Truth, Righteousness, The  Good News of God's love, Trust (Faith) in His plan of victory for us, His Word, as the sword of the spirit and The undefeatable power and presence of the Holy Spirit within (Who keeps us from falling victim to evil's lies). 

The battle looms large as humanity struggles against the lies of evil about things most of us have always taken for granted like gender identity, traditional marriage between a man and a woman, life in the womb. 

Truth has been so distorted by opinions that people can no longer even look at their physical bodies as true eidence that they are either male or female. 

How much longer Yahweh will put up with such conflict in His created world is unknown, but until He moves us out, it's up to us who know Him, to go with Him into battle for the souls of men not yet given over to such depravity of defiance and use the divine wapons He has provided us for our victory in Him.

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him? 

       

 

 

 

  

  

Do You Know Him?

The Holy One calls me this morning. Together we are working to rid my heart of any and all unbelief. Actually the unbelief seems to start in my mind with lies by the enemy of my soul and without realizing the toxic nature of the lie, the "evidence" supporting it begins to surface, and it seems like truth.. 

As the "evidence" falls into place, there comes a heart shift, subtle at first, but left unchecked the heart becomes cold, indifferent and resigned to what the enemy wants me to believe. 

People around me are sick and some have died. Compromise in the lives of those who claim to be "Christian" is obvious and yet we are told that grace covers all sin. Doom and gloom prevail with famine and drought, physically and spiritually being experienced by most of us who live on the earth. Yet when Jesus came, He brought such relief to those suffering the same things we experience today.

The Holy One has taken me to the gospels to recall the account of the Centurion who brought the plight of his paralyzed servant to Jesus for a healing "Word". Matt 8:5 begins the account and Matt 8:10 reveals how Jesus felt about this Gentile and his faith in a "Jewish Carpenter". "When Jesus heard this (the Roman's statement of faith) He was astonished and said to those following Him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith". The Centurion's servant was healed at that very moment.

Reading past this account are many other accounts of Jesus confronting a variety of infirmities and physical suffering. All were "healed". All were "cured". Then the Holy One brings me to the encounter between Jesus and a ruler named Jairus, whose daughter had just died. In Matt 9:18 the short version of the story captures my attention. 

What is interesting to me is that, as this Synagogue ruler told Jesus about his daughter he said, "but, come, put Your Hand on her and she will live." This seems to speak of an even greater faith in what Jesus could do. The confidence of the ruler demonstrated by his words was faith in Jesus to resurrect his daughter from the dead.

As I ponder the two accounts, I wonder why this man's faith for a resurrection was not the subject of similar astonishment to Jesus? Knowing my thoughts the Holy One gives understanding. Jairus knew Jesus. By all the Holy writings the Jews had in their hands, they knew and recognized Jesus was the Messiah and knew what Messiah would do when He came. Jairus' faith was expected from one who knew who Jesus was: the promised “Messiah."

Then it hits my mind, the Centurion came out of spiritual ignorance and decided that Jesus was One in whom great authority rested. His faith was based on what he heard or saw Jesus do. "Even if you do not believe in My words at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." John 14:11

Faith from the Jewish ruler was expected for all he knew about the coming Messiah. The Centurion on the other hand took the initial but huge leap of faith to believe in the One standing before Him.

Holiness takes me back to the issue of unbelief. Then comes the hard truth:

"unbelief prevails because you don't really know Me. Doubts arise because you are too busy to come to Me. Fears rule your circumstances because you refuse to trust that I can or will take care of you". 
 
As soon as I start to object, I realize the truth He has just spoken. Until I acknowledge the problem I cannot begin to be healed. Unbelief is like a disease. Unbelief kills hope. Unbelief kills dreams. And unbelief, ultimately, kills the soul. The only cure for unbelief is to really get to know the One I have trusted my eternity to. For those of us who have the Holy writing available, there is no excuse to remain in ignorance and unbelief. 

The Bible embodies the Person of our God. It is a living testimony of our Creator for all who feed on it's Truth. The Gospels tell of the day when God came down from Heaven in a form that humanity could relate to in every sense of the word. Jesus came in flesh form as the exact (copy) representation of God's Being. Heb 1:3. 

When He returned to His place of Glory, after demonstrating His power over death through resurrection, the God of all Glory sent my Counselor called the Holy Spirit to teach me personally about Himself. He is the One who calls me every morning and moves with me throughout every day. And He is the One who enables me to know God in ways that the infamous sheep know their Shepherd.

Familiarity brings trust. Like dealing with a very vulnerable sheep, the Good Shepherd, guards, protects, provides for and loves...me. Even as my penchant is to wander past my boundaries, He always brings me back to safety. At the end of the day, even if I do not grasp all the whys and wherefore's of what life brings through what He allows or what He doesn't, I just must trust in His love.  

I know that changes have to be made. I purpose to spend more time with Him. To know better and trust more completely the One who gave His life for me. He bids me come. When I do, I know the doubts will fade, fears will vanish and unbelief will never find a habitat in my heart ever again. 

The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?  

                 

Enter the Secret Place

 The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning.  Headline news is all abut the advance of evil and the subtle deceitful messaging says there is nothing we, as believers can do about it.

I understand the "spoken" words don't actually say, "Hey, Believer, you can't do anything about it", but the enemy called "the Prince of the power of the air", plants seeds of discouragement and whispers into our ear that we and our Lord are no match for the wicked actors running things in this realm.

Yeshua told us, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5), yet He also reminds us "With Yahweh nothing will be impossble". (Luke 1:37)

As I follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and ponder the call to prayer, I wonder "how can I know what to ask?  I am reminded of the "model prayer" Yeshua gave His disciples and left the same for us that includes:

They Kingdom come, 

Thy will be done. 

In earth as it is (being done) in Heaven.

I have discovered in all my early morning thoughts and conversations with The Holy One that He is calling me to intimacy and communications that flow with His wisdom, knowledge, understanding, wise counsel, courage, love for Yahweh, and strength to battle with Him against Heaven's antagonists.

As I ponder the Lord's model prayer that He set before His Disciples then, and for us today, I realize in order for me to know His will, I must enter what I have come to know as "the secret place".  Here is where I leave the generic description of prayer, placing what in my human mind I think is a viable resolution to life's challenges and draw close to my Sovereign Creator God in the Person of the Holy Spirit, to see from His perspective the best resolution and His way of bringing it to bear. 

So much of the time, I find I am to quick to give my Heavenly Counselor, a fast-fix blueprint of how I think He should answer rather than seek His wisdom, His way in the process where we both agree that the goal is to bring resolution to the threat, confusion, harm or pain we, or others we know are suffering in the world we have been commissioned to subdue.  

Heaven's best (Thy Kingdom come), and Yahweh's good will (Thy will be done) is the end game, but in truth we do not know what Yahweh knows, so the need for His perspective outweighs any and all of my human opinions of what's best.  Yielding to that requires trust in Yeshua that is primarily found in the secret place especially if His way is delay. 

Being with our Heavenly Father via the Holy Spirit in the secret place is where, I believe, Yeshua our Messiah, got His marching orders and directives that resulted in the supernatural interventions in what we see and identify as miracles; Yahweh doing what only Yahweh can, by overruling the natural limitations we, as humans, have to change what is. 

Going into "the secret place" enables us to see past the object of our prayer assignments and align with the One who knows all things about that person, or situation, even chaotic world events, from beginning to end, and addressing the most pressing needs our petitions should represent for powerful effective answers. 

Your Will, Your way, has become my personal heartfelt prayer in "the secret place" and in the end,  I realize answers to prayer always come when I know what to ask. 

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?   

 

 

Importance of Inquiry

It had been said and it’s true, when the Holy scriptures say, King David thought to himself and acted accordingly it was a disaster in his life. HOWEVER, it says when King David “inquired” of Adonai he found victory and success.

Lesson gleaned: if we want answers that represent victory in prayer, we would be well advised to “inquire” of Adonai as to what we need to learn (know) in a given trial and what He wants us to do (how to act) about it.

If we try to sort through the myriad of “principles” to Yahweh’s will, all of which are important and could be our directive, but may not be, then frustration and hopelessness can attack.

If (and when) we inquire of our Sovereign Yahweh who knows the end of everything from the beginning of anything, He is faithful to show us His way for us among all the principles of Holiness. He will convey to us the exact principle that brings victory to our circumstances. It’s a learning curve we are on to understand His ways as we read His word to understand His Will.

This is why I look for “precedents “ in His word that reveal His past acts of intervention in situations similar to the ones I am facing today. Whatever precedent established in human history is a clue to how we need to pray in our day.

It is in prayers of inquiry that the Holy Spirit can lead us to the appropriate “God-principle” and precedents already established to deal with our challenges and through obedience then lead us on the victory.

All of Yeshua’s miracles we can read about were precedents Yahweh established in the Tanak (Old Testament).

Adonai, we pray you draw us into your Heavenly Council where we can inquire to know your ways and then go forth to execute Your Will as your ordained Ekklesia in Yeshua’s Name.

The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?

Why the Torah

 Why the Torah?

Yahweh (God's personal Name not just His title) is perfect in His love for His created world and Humanity is His crowning achievement. We are created in His magnificent image. Genesis 1:26-27. We are in every way His immortal image bearers by design.

The revelation of Adonai Elohim, Yahweh, God of all Creation has been progressive over the course of mankind's time on earth. Torah was given to the Chidren of Israel, whom Yahweh defines as His "own" after 400 years of slavery in Egypt where they were influenced and indoctrinated by the belief system of that pagan nation and their gods.

In the Torah (1st 5 books of the Bible), we learn about Yahweh: His character, and what he requires of His people to be in a right relationship with Him. Contrary to their life in bondage and under threats of harm, Israel had to learn how to live like free people with boundaries and reponsibilities that go with freedom. A social structure of order with freedom needed to be established, thus the culture was formed round the One True God: Yahweh.

We learn that sin (rebellion of His Sovereignty) is so grievous to our Creator that the penalty is the ultimate and final death of the individual who violates Holiness. Death can be defined as the relational separation from life and all that life represents as good. Darkness, or absence of light. Death for an immortal soul would be endless darkness in separation from the Creator of life, not just cessation of the physical body as some might assume. Yahweh is perfect love and also perfect in His justice over His created world and, as our free will design allows for and requires the good or evil inclinations of our heart to be chosen and enacted, a penalty/blessing/consequence follows our free will choices.

Genesis 3, Deuteronomy 6,7, & 8.

We learn that humanity follows the evil inclinations of the heart more often than not. We also learn that Yahweh, in the past established a way through which atonement (satisfaction, reparation for an offense or injury) can be achieved or paid back in order for the God-human relationship to be restored in these days upon the earth and thankfully beyond temporal death unto eternity.

I will say it again: Torah, sometmes called the book of the law, actually means "instruction", and it instructs and enables the reader to grasp the dire consequences that sin (violation of Holiness) brings to the life of everyone ever born. But it also enables the reader to grasp the unconditional love that Yahweh has for people who acknowledge Him; people who seek to be restored in relationship with Him, His way.

Thousands of years of animal sacrifice convey the understanding of mercy and grace applied to human failure to meet the conditions of Holiness for the continuation of life. The life is in the blood of Yahweh's physical creatures and the penaly for sin is the shedding of the blood of the offender. Animal sacrifice brought the understanding of a "substitute" sacrifice to atone (pay the price) for our sin.

The flood of Noah stands as a judgement by Yahweh over the fallen earth and humanity, yet the ark speaks mercy. While the flood brought death to all air breathing creatures, Noah found safety in the ark he was told to build before a drop of the rain fell upon the earth.

The culmination of Yahweh's revelation of Himself was made complete when Yeshua entered the earth realm, lived by the Torah, then offered Himself up as the ultimate atonement (sacrificial substitute) for humanity's sin. His Blood shed on the Cross, fulfilled all the Holy requirements for Yahweh to forgive us. Perfect justice was executed on the cross for the sin of all human flesh.

As we accept the atonement offered by the One we have offended, in and by our free will decision, we are restored in righteousness (Christ's not our own) and reconciled back into perfect union with our Creator, Savior, Father, God and the Torah says it all. Yeshua came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it by paying the ultimate penalty Holy Justice demands for all who violate it.

But there is more to the story. The next and last phase of Yahweh's ultimate eternal plan enacted here on earth, was brought to us on the day in the history of man's days we call Pentecost. Pentecost was not a "new" celebration but the anniversary of the event of 1500 years earlier when Torah was given to the Children of Israel at the foot of Mt Sinai and recorded in Acts 2.

The Holy Spirit of Yeshua was sent to "indwell" Yahweh's imagers and the evidence was the tongues of fire visible to those who participated in that great day. The arrival of and indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit since then, enables humanity to live a Holy acceptable life with Yahweh. Free will is still in operation but the power to live a holy life is now possible like never before. When (not if) we fail, repentance restores us to unity with the Holy One to whom we belong. This is the great mystery of Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Now, as spirit-filled humans, Christians (Yeshua/Jesus followers) live in that covenant relationship like unto an earthly marriage: Two unique individuals in a one flesh relationship. We can have the indwelling Holy God within our individual being. This is His plan since the very beginning but required a long history to unfold and allow for humanity to willingly seek and desire relationship with Him.

So what's next? Our flesh bodies are corrupt and designed to decay and return to the dust of the earth from which it was formed. But what's promised is that our immortal Spirit and soul will gain a glorified body like the resurrected one that Jesus modelled after His death and resurrection. A "glorified" body is quite different, beyond the flesh we now have and that qualifies it as a "different life form", supernatural to our current one.

Following the written descriptions of Yeshua, He was flesh and bone not ghostly.

He stood, walked, ate, was subject to gravity but not constrained by it (His ascension). See Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20-21. He appeared and disappeared at will and was or was not recognized by disciples who knew Him before His resurrection.

The next chapter in our never-ending-story is yet to be revealed and experienced. The Bible gives a few clues like the Millenial (1000 year) reign of Yeshua and our role to rule and reign with Him, but how that will look has not been made clear. We can only imagine, but know it will be beyond anythng we can wrap our human minds around.

Yahweh chose a people group known as Israel, to first reveal Himself to and with the Divine directives He provided in the Torah, to influence the rest of humanity toward faith in His existence, His love and His Sovereignty.

The Torah is the ancient revelation of the One True God and the Divine preparation for His eternal plan that includes all who come to trust in Him. Yeshua/Jesus is the human fulfillment of all the Torah revealed as His was the Walking Word of Yahweh dwelling with His Created when He appeared on earth over 2000 years ago. This same Jesus will one day return to the exact place He left this planet and make His dwelling among His Beloveds a permanent reality.

The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?

     

Humanity's Dominion

Lately intercession has called me to remember our role as the immortal image bearers of our Majestic Creator God.  The Holy One calls me to push the boundaries of His delegated dominion given us, and take up authority over the influence of the evil fallen ones (human or creatures of another kind) who corrupt our world and the people we love. 

Going back to study the Garden of our origins, I find interesting things about the fall.  Along with Genesis, I'm re-reading an older book in my library called "King & Country", the story that changes everything, by Brendan Beale.

In his discussion of "the origins of evil", he writes:

"There's something else important to see here in the story of humanity's downfall.  By the time Satan shows up in the garden he's obviously already twisted and evil.  This means sin has already sprung into existence before Adam and Eve fell. And yet even as rebellion has apparently wracked Heaven, the harmony of the universe remains unbroken, reality untroubled by the demon's disobedience.  But the moment Eve's mouth touches the fruit, everything breaks.  The collateral damage of Adam and Eve's sin was nothing less than the ruin of the entire unverse.  Angellic disobdience broke nothing, human disobedience broke everything.  This shows us something profound:  the fate of the cosmos hung not on angellic authority, but rather on human authority.  Thus we see the crucial role of human dominion---far superior to the angels---in the fabric of the universe."

We are alive on this fallen earth at a time when Yahweh has redeemed His humanity through His Son Yeshua, and we see that the earth is groaning and the animal kingdom is rebelling awaiting for the day when all creation will be completely restored back to it's original form and function.  Until that day, we who have come to trust Yahweh and His plan, have an ordained dominion to exercise WITH Yahweh, not by our own power or indiviual authority.

The key to this co-laboring mandate given and still required of us humans, is to come into a love relationship with our Creator that He has invited us to through the life, death and resurrection of the ONLY One He sent to save us: Jesus/ Yeshua, whose Name means "Salvation".  Believing this and trusting His love, we have been restored with a "type" and limited dominion and extension of His power here on earth.

For me, understanding the events of the fall from His grace back in the day, acknowledging that we have adversaries both flesh and supernatural, and with great thanksgiving that we can now call Yaweh, Our Father in Heaven, gives me joy and energy to subdue the earth and go forth in confidence of our shared authority over the evil I see.  I can and purpose to share this understanding with others so they can also, with Yahweh, subdue the "world"  that touches their lives.  

This is not "Dominion" theology where people think we, humans,  can correct the fall and somehow make this a perfect earth without Yahweh.  All depends on our sacred personal relationship with our Creator and we must do all we can to restore His ruling authority in our lives, through our submission to obey and follow His instructions and commands. We look forward and with anticipation to His return and beyond that to the redemption of all He created that is languishing after the fall of His regents, who were and in the future are to rule over all He created by and in His Holy Name.  

With this understanding, I am gaining the energy to tackle each new day with the internal strength and courage of a victor, until He calls us out to meet Him in the air. These are vital lessons as we are in training for reigning, and in preparation for all that awaits us as His regents in the New Heaven and New Earth that we have been promised. 

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him? 

       

  

     

Created to Worship

 The Holy One calls to me this morning,  Aches and pains remind me that I am still here in the physical realm with the consequences of the fall so very long ago. 

One day all of us will fall aseep in one realm and wake up in another.  We are unable to control the timing of that event, but life teaches us about death here and our faith teaches us about life hereafter.  

In the meantime we choose how we will live the life we have been given.  The sounds of the early morning forest symphony flow through my open window.  I hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit urging me to get out of bed and join in the chorus of Heaven.  He reminds me of the part of my being that I can control:

"You were created to worship.  Choose wisely the object of your worship". 

"Created to worship", defines a stand-alone purpose we don't often recognize in struggling to accomplish other aspects of our being and God-ordained purpose.  

The thought of that sinks deep.  

The journey with Jesus takes us through some rough and rocky terrain.  Weariness can set in if we don't stop along the way to refresh and remind ourselves of the relationship we have with the One we follow.

Worship provides such a resting place; a time when we can lay down the cares of the world we inevitably pick up and carry along the way.

The exhortation to choose wisely indicates that other things and people may vie for our worship. Worship is our act of devotion and the honoring of what we value.  Any object of our worship will call for our time and forms of obedience to "rituals" that designate honor.

The bigger picture of creation exposes us to other "beings" in another realm, whose great fall began with pride and a desire to have and be worshipped. We read about such celestial beings, not only in the garden of our origins but also challenging a man's worship of Yahweh in the account of Job.

Satan (an adversary) brought horrific trials to Job's life in an effort to destroy Job's understanding of God's (Yahweh's) goodness and try to cause Job to curse and not worship His Creator.  Job's worship was in the form of prayers and burnt offerings given to Adonai Elohim (God Most High): Yahweh. 

Discouraging our worship of the One True God, our Creator, is the first step in shifting our worship to a myraid of lesser (little "g") gods, including ourselves who want worship that belongs to Yahweh alone.

All creation is created to worship our Creator, however, mankind, (the only ones created in His image) along with the other immortal celestial beings, we call angels, are the ones who have a free will to choose the object of our worship. 

Over the course of history of man's days upon the earth, we can read that worship is mankind's response to the mighty acts that Yahweh executes to protect and defend, and provide for His Creation, His people:  

The Song of Moses, The Song Of Miriam, The Song of Deborah and in John's report of his Heavenly vision in Rev 15, upon the defeat of the "Beast", it is wrtten that they (the victors) in the great battle of end times, will besinging the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb.

We were created to worship and today I want to take my place, thus fulfilling my purpose by joining in the symphony of the forest and singing songs of worship to the One who is worthy of all praise and adoration--Yahweh is His Name.

I pray to start each day in celebratory worship of the One who is Creator of all. 

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him? 

  

The Culture of Scripture

 The Holy One calls to me this morning. His subject today is a re-occuring one.  His reassuring Presence is felt even in the darkeness of this hour just before dawn.  "Always remain teachable and I will show you more of Who I AM". 

Since early in my walk I have had a love for Israel and a passion to understand the culture of the Jewish people.  My fascination came from a relationship I had with a friend who was a "Messianic Jew"; meaning a Jewish person who has accepted that Jesus is her Messiah, the Savior spoken of throughout the Holy Scriptures.   She was quite unusual since most people of Jewish descent have not.

During the course of our friendship. I sat under her teaching on various subjects.  What always blew my circuits was her references to things described in the parables that were common to Hebrew understanding yet were unknown to me.  

The verse that tells us it is easier for a camel to go through the "eye of a needle" than enter the Kingdom of Heaven describes a known scene in the desert lands long ago when cities had huge protective walls and a gate that was closed and locked at night to keep desert mauraders from entering in and attacking a slumbering people. 

What I didn't know was that caravans that arrived after the gates were closed had to enter by way of the "eye of a needle" which was a small opening in the wall beside the gate.  To enter, a camel laden with supplies, would have their bags of goods removed outside, lower their bodies to go through the opening without them and then have them replaced once inside the city walls.  Thus the eye-of-the needle reference that Hebrew people would automatically relate to. 

The point to the parable has a greater symbolism with deeper understanding when viewed through culture and context. In my western world view the needle would represent a sewing instrument and in my mind, the take away was that having earthy riches would make it IMPOSSIBLE to enter heaven.  As if riches here made salvation impossible.   

Recently I heard a podast that yet again made reference to Hebrew culture and enabled me to gain a better understanding of some of Yeshua's last words from the Cross, as He was dying for humanity in our place. 

The reference is Psalm 22 and His words "Eli! Eli! L'mah sh'vaktani?" translated "My God! My God!  Why have you deserted Me?" 

We see this referenced as Psalm 22.  To the Hebrew, scriptural addresses are not the way they reference Holy Text. Chapters and verses were a mediveal addition to the Hebrew Bible (Their TaNaK, our OT)   Culturally, Hebrews reference the first words of the text and every Jew in Jesus' day would  know to go to the place of the text to gain understanding of the message being taught. 

Memorization was the method of instruction.  Jesus was not just crying out in agony, but was directing His people to go read and remember what Psalm 22 is telling them.  It is a messianic prophecy from King David that He was fulfilling.  BAM! 

Culture and Context is vital to gain the deeper reveations of our Lord and Savior. Jesus, Yeshua was born in Divine purpose as a Jew.  He is and aways will be the Lion of the tribe of Judah, a Jew--the Jewish Messiah that we, "Christians" have the privilege to claim as our Messiah too.

In our western world view, without Jewish culture, what can we  understand about a "Mediteranean" shepherd and his relationship to his sheep? Or the role of a Great High Priest?  Or the symbolism of the "Lamb of God", Or what a "Kinsman Redeemer" actually does? Without a cultural understanding these descriptions of Jesus mean little to us. 

It's worth noting, the only "Bible" that Jesus and the disciples had was the Old Testament scrolls called the TaNaK.  Almost all that we read about Jesus and His incarnate life in the gospels occurred while he was observing the instructions Yahweh gave His people Israel, written in the TaNaK, with the celebration of Holy Days, Temple Sacrifices, and Prophecies of things to come.  Yeshua came to show us the Father, and to model proper and perfect execution of His will.  The New Testament came to us some 100-150 years after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into Heaven.  To understand the New Testament, we must be anchored to the Old Testament and all the historic and cultural mores of the Hebrew people. 

I find it a personal imperative to study the culture and context of Scripture: when, where and to whom it was given according to a Hebrew world view as it was lived out by our Beloved Savior.  I am so thankful to have been given this promise that goes with "teachablility" in pursuit of the much more of my Yeshua.  I am excited to see the Bible come alive as I gain a greater understanding of it's people and our Yahweh. 

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

   

  

   

An Audience of One

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Sleep gives way to the sound of His voice and quick assessment of my whereabouts.  At some point in the night, a warning of a pending fierce thunderstorm came across my phone.  

Looking out my window, I see the brilliant moon in a cloudless sky before the sun rises to signal the morning of a new day.  Weather has been fierce and unpredictable lately:  earthquakes in rapid succession, tornadoes, volcanic erruptions and just plain ol strong winds rolling across our forestland, uprooting trees we assume are stongly rooted.

The Holy One speaks into the darkness of my room signaling His Presence.  "What divine purposes lie in today?  Do you know?"   I confess, I have no idea- but then the question was not for me to answer but rather to inquire of the One who does.

The point I get:   Holy Spirit is reminding me that Yahweh HAS a plan and purpose for me (all of us) in each new day. If I can start my day with that in mind and in His Presence, life can have wonderful meaning and I can have direction.  

In the mystery of His question and as I ponder what lies in this day, an important perspective is spoken:  "Whatever you do, you must do is as if for an audience of One.  Therein you will find your joy". 

In all the activities we can undertake in our journey with Jesus, it's easy to press to do things for the greatest impact and that have the most influence in and over our world.  If we look for the accolades of people, or what will bring the greatest "reward" and acknowlegement among our peers or brethren, we might miss the greater purpose and better reward our Lord has that comes from serving Him, His way. 

Holy Spirit nudges me in the direction of Eccesiastes for what He wants me to thoughtfully consider before I begin to meet the "demands" of my day. Weather warnings tend to underscore the message.

Wading through all of King Solomon's "vanity" observations, I come to Ecclesiates 11: 4-7:

"He who keeps watching the wind will never sow;

He who keeps looking at the clouds will never reap. 

Just as you don't know the way of the wind or how bones grow in a pregnant woman's womb, so you dont know the work of Yahweh, the maker of everything.

In the morning sow your seed, and don't slack off until evening for you don't know which sowing will succeed, this or that or if both will do well".........

But Yahweh does.  And He is the One we serve in our sowing and reaping. We will do well and joyfully so, if we execute each "mission" and perform our delegated "assignments" using gifts, strengths and talents He has provided for His glory and exclusively for the pleasure of  our Audience of One.  When others are impacted, by His anointing on our "works", we can rejoice but not in what we have done rather that Yahweh is glorified. 

Looking for His glorious purpose for me in this day, irrespective of the winds of adversity, I am drawn to a worship song I have in my heart and have been leaning into lately.  Keeping to the exhortation of sowing and reaping:   Truly, "Everything" we do or say, we must do it diligently in Yeshua's Name and for our Audience of One. 

The Holy Spirit is calling  Can you hear Him? 

 

  

   

Remain Faithful in the Hard Things

 The Holy Spirit has been repeatedly showing me a visual and with the message: 

"Remain faithful in the hard things".

The visual is the last moments of Yahshua's flesh life and John standing at the foot of the cross (execution stake). John 19:25-27.   He was the only disciple that is identified in scripture, sharing the horrific suffering scene along with Mary the mother of Jesus and two other women.  It is written that all the other disciples scattered and left in fear.  Each, I am sure, was  handling the shock and heartbreak of the death of the one they respected, loved and hoped would end their bondage under Rome, but John despite his deep personal trauma, remained to the very end.

What happened in those final moments of Yahshua's flesh life was John receiving perhaps the greatest, most important assignment of his life up to that time:  John, the beloved of the Lord, was given the delegated reponsibility for Jesus's earthly mother.  Jesus was tying up all the emotional loose ends and thoughtfully providing for his mother's well being after His departure from physical planet earth. 

Despite the deepest grief and pain they were both experiencing, Jesus and John were deeply connected in John's faithfulness and loyalty, a connection that allowed for Jesus to leave His earth with the last bit of a son's obligation and love for his mother to be passed to His friend.

Our world is imploding on so many levels and heartache and grief are felt by all but the most calloused.  We face deeply troubling situations in our families and among our friends and faith communities.  We are seeing such brutality and abuse of humanity, it is hard to look at it day after day.  Many of us want to run away, and hide from the pain we are feeling at what we are witnessing. Just like the disciples ran from the crucifixion and death of their hope.  

Unike the disciples who fled, however, we know the end of the story which should give us the strength to stand firm in these days in the face of hard things and remain faithful without fear or depression over the evil we see manifesting in our world.

Standing at the foot of the cross, present for the final breath our Lord drew did not destroy John but rather set him up for even greater things that would come.  Can we trust that our Lord will do the same in and through us as we face and remain faithful in the hard things? 

Thankfully the rest of the disciples found their courage and loyalty once they saw their Lord resurrected but then incidentally, what they feared that kept them in hiding, was where they finally stood firm.  All were martyred but John.

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

             

The Battle for Our Own Kind

 The Holy Spirit calls to me today in light of the news that our National Leadership is on the march and with the agenda to surrender yet more of our God-ordained Sovereignty to a global agenda of evil control over all the nations.  Have you heard the news that nations are being called to surrender their Sovereignty over matters of national health policies and protocols over to the WHO (World Health Organization)?  This should send a chill up the spines of all citizens of each nation at risk of such a surrender.

This is not just a matter of politics and governing from wthin our nation but a matter of control over the governed from a global and outside power wielding entity.  

The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Yeshua (Jesus) follower is to lead us into all truth.  His words to me this morning seem urgent and pull me abruptly into the world of men:

"You must fight for the redemption of humanity.  I have provided the way, now you must fight to have it accepted.".

The truth is that demonic forces (the fallen elohim/angels to some) have infiltrated human government and found willing people with a bend toward evil to do their wicked bidding.

The truth is that the useen realm is teeming with these fallen celestial beings once trusted as "guardians" in Yahweh's plan for mankind, but who have rejected their assignment and are now the source of the evil knowledge on how-to worship other "gods" or destroy itself. 

The truth is that we humans are the only beings created in the immortal image of Yahweh given the role to partner with the Creator to go forth, subdue the earth and reflect His glory in the earth realm to the rest of His creation. 

The book of Job in God's Word gives us a picture of the cruel works of the enemy (Satan).  Other Bible verses reveal Yahweh's indictment of these fallen elohim (little "g" gods). 

Psalm 82 is one such revelation of the indictment. 

With that as a backdrop in the human saga we are living out in this earth realm, we can come to realize and understand that we are in a kingdom battle of good vs evil.   We are either pawns of the enemy or warriors for our Kingdom and our King. 

Battle lines are drawn where evil forces have manipulated human "kings and rulers" to bring chaos and disorder to earth for the destruction not the protection of humanity. These powerful fallen beings are seductive in their lies and through flesh temptations of counterfeit "pleasures" they are teaching humanity how to destroy itself. 

As the "team of the redeemed" we must go into all out war for our own kind.  We must offer the Heavenly life preserver, our Savior Jesus, to those who are drowning in the sea of evil lies, perpetrated by the fallen elohim who due to their rebellion of our Creator have no hope for salvation from their doomed eternal fate.

Ours is a battle for the souls of men; a kingdom battle of good vs evil; a war with and for the Creator and His creation; a battle here on earth for our own kind.  Sitting silently on the sidelines allows for many casualties.

The "Satans" and there are many, have a lot of captives and we, as taught by our fearless leader, Jesus, have the truth that will set these captives free.  Love and Joy are the irresistable qualities of our Lord that will draw them. Our job is to represent the truth of His love and joy to the world around us. 

Our role in this war is a unique one as we are all called personally by our Heavenly Commander into service.  In giving you this information, it can be used to open an intimate conversation with the One who Died for all of us that we might be saved.      

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?   

 

    

The Fallen Elohim of Revelation 12

 The Holy Spirit calls me today. He speaks loud and clear. He is saying, "Love is a decision and forgiveness is a choice. You are accountable to Jesus Christ for both". 

 I ponder this truth. I know that each choice and decision we make is an act of our will. There is no such thing as "falling" in love or I "can't" forgive". There is only I "will" fall or I "will not" forgive. We humans like to think that these things are outside our control. We like to imagine that we are emotionally free to act upon every urge and unction of our flesh or that we cannot control how we "feel", so we are not accountable for the way we act in regard to how we feel. 

 That "lie" has caused more divorces and splits and wars between families and nations than almost anything else. So what is the Truth? The Holy Spirit takes me back to the time before the fall. The time when the enemies of our soul, forged an alliance and conspiracy of insurrection. 

The Bible speaks of the mutiny in Rev 12. Even though veiled in symbolism, this account speaks of the "Dragon" who engaged in a war against the Throne of Heaven. Here we find that one third of the supernatural beings God created joined with the insurrection and fought against "Michael" the archangel and the two thirds remaining company of loyal Celestial Beings. By sheer numbers, the loyal out weighed the "traitors" so the "Devil" was hurled down into the earth realm where he continues to wage war against the Holy One by assaulting this created world and God's most beloved creation: MAN. 

 Ezekiel 28:11-17 is yet another picture of the historic event. It is stated that this wicked One was originally created and ordained as a "guardian cherub", placed in Eden to oversee God's Beloved. But pride and jealousy consumed him and corrupted his wisdom. He became a competitor to our Creator God rather than a defender of His Majesty. 

The very one who was anointed to guard God's glorious creation, inspiring man to worship, in the love of his Creator, set a new course to destroy man and ruin that intimate fellowship of God's desire. The "Devil" or "Satan" as he is called, lost his privileged position and is now filled with fury, consumed by pride and like a roaring lion in the earth realm, on the prowl looking for who he can devour. His rebellion set in motion other of his "kind" to do the same.  By their wicked manipuation and temptation of our flesh, much of humanity has also chosen to follow the enemy's evil ways.   

There is no greater drama than the one being played out over the souls of men. There is no story with more action than the truth of the battle being fought every day. Good vs evil, light vs dark. Eternity hangs in the balance for every one ever born of woman. Lest we become too afraid of the evil one or too incredulous of the truth, it is important that we read the end of the story and find out that "we win"....The Champion of our souls is the victor and Heaven with our Creator is the prize. But that is not yet the conclusion of the matter, because the battle rages, and there are still more potential casualties in this eternal power play. 

 The battle is real, the players are real, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, is real. The Holy Spirit has been sent from Heaven. He was released from Heaven to indwell and empower God's people to wield Heavenly Authority on earth as it is God's Will in Heaven. The Holy Spirit reminds me that His wisdom and the Lord's strategies in this "supernatural war" are high above our human ways and our thinking. We must rely on His indwelling Presence and the Word of our Holy God to teach us these Heavenly strategies in the war against the evil ones. 

We must surrender to His Holy ways, that seem so upside down to human thinking especially while under the narcotic influence of the destroyer. Back to the original statements of this morning's conference:

 Love is a decision and forgiveness is a choice. By the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit, we are not victims of our emotions. We have the ability to choose and therefore we stand accountable for our choices. By allowing our emotions to flow unfettered and undisciplined by this truth, we can become the very weapons the enemy would use to destroy ourselves and other people. 

 While the devil provokes our flesh to hate or hold things against other people, in the end, those attitudes will conscript us into his evil service, where we become the enemy of the very Throne and Kingdom we say we will die to defend. Unless we see the enemy's manipulation in our choices and decisions and yield to the Holy One instead, we actually become (however unwillingly) "members of his mutiny". 

 The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?

Fearfuly and Wonderully Made

 Shabbat Shalom everyone.  Have a blessed day of rest remembering the Creator and celebrating His genius in creation especially our fellow humans made in His image.

He is the source of our breath of life, given at birth into this world, but He is also the source of our soul, provided at conception within the womb (sanctuary) of our physical development into the unique and one-of-a-kind human beings that we are today.

Truly we are each and all fearfully and wonderfully made.  Today this is not the message to counter abortion but for all of us to remember and celebrate who we are in God's esteemed eyes.  He looks at us through His eyes of love.  Knowing our exceedingly great value to our Creator helps us to place value on each other despite the sin filter we all look through.

Make it a great Shabbat, immersed in His love.  You are all AMAZING. 

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?      

     

Pray for our Land of Exile

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  America, the land that I love has become like a foreign land to me as corrupt leaders have taken up and seemed to have stolen the highest offices in government.  Not unknown to Adonai and never outside His Sovereign "permissive will", they have brought chaos and changes to our land alien to our guiding principles and values. Thereby symbolically fulfilling the description of us living life in a land of exile on our earthly journey, far from the good (but not perfect) land we have experienced in the recent past. His words to me this morning, challenge me to seek His purpose in what He has allowed:

"I have given you a taste of ungodly government.  Understand My purpose and pray for your land of exile".

For the Christian whose heart is fixed on Eternity, this land (whether good or bad) is not our home.  No matter where we pitch our "tent" here on earth, we are just passing through. When things are difficult it just serves to remind us of the bottom-line truth: we are created for and promised a homeland beond our wildest imagination. 

Back in Jeremiah's day, when the Lord spoke through His Prophets, He gave a message to the Children of Israel on this very subject.  Jeremiah sent a letter from the Lord to the "exiles" who were living in Babylon. 

The Lord calls me to read it again and apply its directive to life today.

Jeremiah 29: 4-7:  "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says to all of those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down.  Plant gardens and eat what they produce.  Marry and have sons and daughters.  Find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so they too may have sons and daughters.  Increase in numbers there and do not decrease.  Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city (land) to which I have carried you into exile.  Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers so will you."

Tucked into this message is a picture of God's world view and His purpose in the world:  His people, carried by Him into a land not their own with a commission and a command to live and prosper there.  A quick read of the text brings a revelation of God's Will for us in this temporal life experience.

God moves His people into foreign places (whether neighborhood, communities or really foreign lands) to represent Him to the world around us.  We lose His perspective when we wall ourselves off and isolate to live out all our "doomsday-prepper" scenarios.  We may not be as "radicalized" as some but the walls between us are as fixed as the barbed wire around the compound.

What gets defeated in the practice of judgement and isolation is the Heavenly war for souls; those precious to the One who gave all men the breath of life, and the One who died that all may live in the Eternal Presence of Holiness.

There is great news for us as believers within the "Great News" for the world at large.  The "Great News" for the world is that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, JESUS, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM (as the Son of God, what He did for us through His death and what He made available for us through His resurrection) WILL NOT PERISH but WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

Within that great news of eternal life is the promise of His presence in the temporal world as well.  God can and will make a distinction in the lives of His people. (Malachi 3:18) But may we never lose sight of His reason:  That the world will see Him in us, and desire to join the family and community of believers in the one true God and His Son Jesus.

This is not about a bank account or all the "fixins" of a gilded life.  The Gospel must be as true here as it is in 3rd world countries, just relative to our surroundings. 

I pray for peace so that in each trial that WILL come, others might come to know His peace through my life and example. I pray for prosperity so that as I am taken care of by my Lord, others will come to know the security of His provisions through my life and example.

There is always an opportunity to pray for our land of exile.  Opportunities abound in the land of exile to represent Christ to the world around us.  The question to each one of us who "know" the Lord is: "Will we take them?"

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

Hide and Go Seek With Jesus

Life is never dull when your Best Friend is the Creator of the Universe. I am one who thrives on word pictures and my Lord has always revealed things He wants me to think about through mental pictures that I can convert to principles of His wisdom and will.  

Living in a forest has enabled me to visualize the original Garden of Eden and the place where Adonai walked among His Creation.  On my personal journey with Jesus, I am always learning delightful new things about His will and His ways. Sometimes there is even a game involved and it's very much like the childhood game of 'Hide and Go Seek' in the forest.

The will of Adonai can be very mysterious and not easy to find without a deep search. One day I was pondering how His wisdom is like finding a treasure hidden in a vast forest.  Life has been for me like treasure hunt of discovery, unearthing all that our Creator has buried for us to find on our earthbound journey.  A visual appeared in my mind.  I "saw" Jesus and me, together enjoying sweet fellowship when suddenly He disappeared.  This was my clue that it's "Game-On" and time for me to begin the search to find Him and the treasure He wants to share with me. 

Some parts of the forest are deep and dark.  Not scary but hard to see through. The search gets intense.  When I feel I am lost among the trees, I cry out to Him, "Lord, where are you?" My Beloved will call to me to follow the sound of His voice. As I near the place where He is hiding, I hear the familiar laugh and I know I'm close. Then I "see" it, the golden nugget of truth He wants to share with me. The smile on His face and in His eyes assures me He is pleased with my perseverance.

As I am enjoying the pleasure of His company, thinking about how He leads me to all the great hidden treasures of wisdom He has buried for me to search for and with Him to find, I am suddenly sad at how many of His disciples will not or do not play the game with Him.  So many do not understand that when Jesus hides, He wants us to seek for and find Him and the treasure He is holding for us that remains hidden. 

The visual itself has become a lesson for me in sensing His heart of sadness if or when I walk away having lost interest in the pursuit of holiness for the prize He has waiting, just as a child playing hide and seek with friends gets left all alone when the seekers leave the game.  I know full well, I don't ever want to leave Him alone when intimate fellowship is what we both desire. 

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

 

 

The Power of Pentecost

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  So much is happening in the world, it seems like the end is near.  Ancient prophecy is unfolding before our very eyes in real time on the 6:00 news.

The times can be very dark and scary.....or.....the times can be very exciting.  I have heard it said that the same wave that would drown a swimmer, provides a surfer with the ride of his life.

The Holy One presses in on my perspective and takes me to His Word in Acts 2.  By this time the historic record was set, Jesus had come, died, resurrected and ascended.  His visible Presence was no longer with the Disciples.  Gone was His voice, His laughter, His touch, even His stern rebuke which set boundaries to their over zealous flesh and calmed a raging storm.

They had a life experience to draw from, having watched God interact with His creation.  But now they were just ordinary men with an awesome memory and a story to tell.

Jesus lived His earthly life as a man; flesh, blood, emotions and He knew the weaknesses within.  He knew that, in their flesh, not one of them could complete the eternal life or death assignment He had left them with.  All that He came to accomplish associated with the message of our salvation, His sacrifice and the restored relationship between the Creator and the created, would require a strength and power beyond their humanity to convey.

The Holy One whispers to my heart, "Those days for the Disciples are not unlike your days today.  Apart from Me you can do nothing."

The Spirit takes me back to read one of the last commands from Jesus before He ascended into Heaven.  Acts 1:4, "On one occasion while He was eating with them He gave this command, "Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about.  For John baptized with water but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit".

And in Acts 1:8, when discussing the restoration of Israel, Jesus said, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth".  Those were His parting words to them and then He was taken up and a cloud hid Him from their sight.

With that very limited description of what was to come, the Disciples went to Jerusalem and waited.  I wonder if some might have been tempted to rush out and share the super-natural event they had just witnessed, by-pass Jerusalem, and go in their own powerful self-sufficiency?

Thankfully they did not.  Thankfully they obeyed the Lord and left us with a completed story of the indwelling Presence of Holiness and passed on a legacy of the power and authority available to all of us who call Jesus our Lord.

I cannot begin to imagine the anticipation of that event we now know as Pentecost.  But I know that I need to experience my own "Pentecost" today.

"The fields are white unto harvest and the laborers are few."  And again, "How can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them and how can they preach unless they are sent?

Jesus is the One sending.  But.........the task for any believer who calls Him Lord is too much to take on unless Jesus provides us with His authority to operate and His love to share.

We are fortunate to have the written record of the life and times of the Disciples at our fingertips.  We can go to the Bible and read the historical account of what happened on the day of Pentecost but the Disciples had not yet experienced the great event when Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and wait.

I can't begin to imagine the anticipation over what was about to happen.  What they had already seen was so off-the-chart supernatural and miraculous.  The deaf hear, the blind see, the dead are raised.  They had been able to see, feel, and touch the Savior who was crucified then resurrected.  They ate, drank and shared more of life with the One who died and then came back to them.

And then, wonder of wonders, they watched Him ascend up, off planet earth and into the Heavens. Pentecost came just like the Lord told them.  A day when they received the special "Baptism" different than the water baptism that identified them with Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.  The baptism with the Holy Spirit was the necessary component and power to LIVE the resurrected life and enable them to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.

The Holy One speaks, "and it's no different today".

I am thankful to know that I need more in order to answer the call of the Lord on my life.  The much more that I need is the very thing Jesus promised to provide more of:  His Holy Spirit.  Odd as it sounds to me, there is great relief in realizing that in and of myself, I can do nothing. 

The power and Presence of the Holy Spirit has been given to every Believer who calls Jesus their Savior.  Yet it is up to each one of us to yield to His Presence and operate in His power. 

The day of Pentecost is a symbol of the Divine Habitation of Holiness in humanity and our intense anticipation  should be in the awe and wonder of what He's going to do next.

Acts 2:17 and Joel 2:

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women I will pour out My Spirit in those days and they will prophesy.  I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord and everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved."

I don't know about you, but the excitement and anticipation of that is almost killing me.  Come, Holy Spirit and fall afresh on me.

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?