4o Days of Teshuvah🙏

Today was Yom Kippur, the holiest of the Appointed Days (festivals, feasts) appointed by YHWH Elohim to the nation of Israel.

Amir Tsarfati helps us understand this  solemn occasion.

Today In Washington D.C., a special event coinciding with Yom Kippur took place at the National Mall. 

A Million Women

I hope to add the video to this post if it is offered to share.  It was a powerful day of prayer, humbling, repentance and turning back to God. It was a time to awaken to the sore state of our individual souls, and the plight of our nation and nations around the world.  Michele Bachmann was one of the speakers, and her words were powerful.  I do so hope you find the opportunity to try to watch this life changing event.  It was real and raw, and opened up wounds of the soul that needed to be healed in order for lives to find release and freedom.

Update:  I did find this event broken down into 11 videos.  Each video is approx 60 minutes each.  The video I posted is #2 in the series.

You can find Michele's message and prayer on this 2nd video of 11 videos posted on YT.  Michele speaks and prays at around 43:50

Visit Lou Engle's YT Channel

@LouEngleMinistries

for

"the rest of the story"

♡

Today was also a bittersweet day, as our long anticipated 40 Days of Prayer and fasting came to a close. 

During these 40 days, those of us who gathered to pray from our personal spaces at home, office, car etc. could never have imagined that we would be praying for the people who became victims of two back-to-back hurricanes, one of which has proven to be the deadliest hurricane to hit the nation's south eastern states, with the catastrophic damage done inland into the Appalachian mountains.  At the same time we are praying for hurricane victims, over 200 Ballistic Missiles are being fired into Israel, with non-stop red-alerts going off on our phones. The sickening news coverage of college campuses and streets filled with anti-Semitic brainwashed students around the world, kept us on our heart's knees.  And it will continue to do so.

For me personally, it was a time of healing a lifetime of embedded sorrows and disappointments.  It has reassured me that I am truly loved by my Father in heaven, and that forgiveness is essential for moving forward with hope.  Much like John Bunyan's beloved allegory,  Pilgrim's Progress, I found myself trekking  my own path,  nudged by a distant call to Holy, towards my final destination - the Celestial City.

I am grateful for this stop along the journey.  I pray that my life will prove the power of prayer, and the mercies of a God who SEES.

I am not as I was.

One day the veil will be lifted, and we will see CLEARLY 🐑 

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

1 Peter 2:16 ESV 

Studying the names of God

YHWH  Tsidkenu

(The Lord our Righteousness)

Jewish Virtual Library defines Righteousness in this way:

RIGHTEOUSNESS, the fulfillment of all legal and moral obligations. Righteousness is not an abstract notion but rather consists in doing what is just and right in all relationships; "…keep justice and do righteousness at all times" 

Can you don that cap and gown?   Something tells me that although you might suggest you earned that degree in righteousness, in reality, you just got jilted, and that degree on your wall is worth no more than a fake Picasso. 

There is only One who has ever met that complete definition, and it ain't YOU!

Scroll back up and read that definition again.

I'm still waiting .....

We can NEVER achieve human righteousness on our own, We cannot risk that attempt, seeing that righteousness is the key to eternal life.  That key is in the hands of only One,  That One is Jesus the Messiah.

We are all leaving this planet, one way or the other; we have an appointment with death, and then there will be a judgment.

The scripture tells us that our righteousness is as filthy rags to YHWH Tsidkenu.  

But God...

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NLT

The only way that you or I will ever have access to that promise is to don the mantle of Yeshua the Messiah.

Seriously?  That easy?

Yes, if you Believe.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

  If you do that, you will have His mantle of righteousness over you, and the righteousness you can boast in, is only and always His.

 "Not only was He righteousness, but He was willing to give us His righteousness." MB

So seek the LORD while you still have His breath moving throughout your circulatory system.  Apart from Him, you are already dead.

Seek YHWH Tsidkenu and LIVE!

Just ask Him to help you.

He will answer.

As Michele said today:   

"God calls us to a RIGHT relationship with Him.  Confess and repent and focus on Him."

"What a deal!"

He loves You

❤Jesus Truly LOVES YOU❤

We are so broken;  He is so whole

And yet..He loves us

"What a deal!"

Studying the names of God

All of these names of God can be found in Psalm 91:

El Shaddai (Almighty One)

YHWH Maon (Dwelling Place)

YHWH Machseh (Refuge)

YHWH Magen (Shield)

YHWH Metsudah (Fortress)

YHWH Migdol Oz (Strong Tower)

Psalm 91

Bible Vision

 Psalm 91 is filled with YHWH's provisions for us.

It was God Himself who gave Himself as our provision. MB

To know HaShem, The Name (reputation, character and authority)  we can more adequately see Him for who He is, and that builds our Faith.

When we are distressed, in need, or just long to be near our God, we have a "real" place we can go to.  

He is our real refuge, a real fortress of protection,  a real dwelling place in the heavenlies (our heaven on earth),  The scripture assures us that we can be with Him now!  At any time that we need Him, He is with us.  That is such comfort to cling to, especially during these uncertain days. 

It is important that we pray these names over our families, friends, community, nation, world, and ourselves. This proves YHWH's authority over all of us, and allows Him to see that we are serious in our desire to know and trust Him. We cannot be these attributes of YHWH, but He can be all of these and more for us!  He is, as Joel 3:16 states, "beautiful for situation".

We need to receive our refuge, and stay there.  He is willing to be all of this for us. MB

  It doesn't get any better than this.  What a beautiful Father we have.  

Is there any situation where He is not enough? 

I would say "No". 

He is enough!

Psalm 18:30 says: "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."

"Perfect and flawless" is fine with me!  I would love nothing more than to rest behind His Shield, because He will be there with me.  What a lovely thought.

♡

Thank you, Michele for having such a passion for the Word of Truth, and the compassion to go beyond your own comfort zones to encourage each of us to climb higher,  and to never give up!  These days are dark and disheartening, but how blessed we are to share a space in time where we can draw strength and hope from each other.   

The river is long and winding, but the journey is painted in amazing scenic landscapes.

So I think we all can paddle on down the river for a little bit longer. Eventually, if we don't give up, we will reach our destination.

♡

Thank You, Father,  You know just what to say to each of us, to help us find our way HOME.  It has been a long trek through these hills and "hollers", my King, but I am so very grateful to have had You with me on this adventure.  It hasn't always been easy, and the trails have often led to some pretty scary unknowns, but You never left me alone.  You  are my breath.  Without You, I could not take one more.  I wouldn't want to. 

I hope that brings you joy.

I love YOU!

Studying the names of God

YHWH Yireh

(LORD Provider)

 Genesis 22:14

Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” NLT

"The first time YHWH uses His covenant Name (YHWH) in conjunction with what He surely does for those who are His, is recorded in Genesis 22:14". Rabbi Ralph Schneider

Since YHWH is the same, yesterday, today, and forever - His covenant Name is forever.

🇺🇸🇸🇻🇺🇲

We remember the victims and  hostages of October 7, 2023.

Return the hostages HOME, YHWH Yireh, and comfort those who continue to wait for them.

Let the world see the Glory of the Great I Am

Set Your covenant people free!

Isaiah 61 Prayer Song to set the captives free

In memory

Studying the names of God

El Rohi

(The God Who Sees Me)

Genesis 16 tells the historical account  of Hagar, the Egyptian slave girl who bore Abraham's first son.

This video recalls the story much like Michele shared it.

This biblical account has always left me asking so many questions.  I see somewhat of a parallel with the first family of the scripture:

Man and woman are given instruction from YHWH.  Woman deceives herself by listening to another voice.  She then makes her own choice rather than heeding God's voice.  She offers her choice to man.  He chooses her voice rather than God's .. and there is a casting away.

In a similar way, Sarah does the same with Abraham.  She no longer listens to YHWH'S voice and chooses her own.  The cast away, however, is her handmaiden and her husband's firstborn.  

I wonder how life would look presently if Sarah had listened to YHWH, waited, and bore Isaac in the way YHWH had promised.  

Would there have been a holocaust?  A Hitler? Would this senseless war  between siblings have never existed?  

I guess it all goes back to paying attention to YHWH's voice.  

He sees, He speaks, He hears.

What will we do?

♡

My heart is broken over  what is coming out concerning the choices human beings have made and are still making  in our world. 

Wars and destruction dominate the headlines.  Attempted assassinations, global nuclear threats, the greed of man for power and godlike rule over other human beings - why can't we just listen to YHWH and make humane and loving choices. 

Where did greed come from?  Why are we being lied to concerning the hurricane? 

How can these people sleep at night?  Is this what the scripture calls a seared conscience?

What is wrong with people?

Wake up

El Rohi

Do You see this?

Did You see those precious souls get washed away by evil men's greed?

Were these simple, loving people responsible for the sin of an evil powerhouse of the wealthy?

Did the children and tiny babies deserve this?

Why is it always the innocent and poor in spirit who fall?

When are You going to end all of this?

What's next in the 

"October surprise" ?

You are ALL we have to HOPE in.

I hope You are still with us.

Those human souls tossed up in trees and along banks, like stinking fish, were YOUR  children.

We are Your children too.

Or am I wrong?

You are fighting for Israel, as You well should be.

You are taking care of Your Flock.

Covenant or not,

Fight for us too, or toss us on over as unwanted foster sheep, to the other god, and let's get this thing over with.

This hurts so deeply that I can feel the suffocation of those drowning souls in my lungs.

Where were You?

Studying the names of God

HaShem

(The Name)

 HaShem-I have heard this expression for our creator used by Jewish people very often, but never really stopped long enough to investigate its meaning.  I needed to dig a bit deeper today,  to begin to comprehend its undergirding's.

I hope this video from 119 ministries will help you as well as it did me.

There are a few more videos in this 119 Ministries series on HaShem.  They are well thought out and researched.

The more we learn about Him, The more we respect and revere Him.

This is HaShem

RCA

Reputation

Character

AUTHORITY

Studying the names of God

  Sar Shalom

(Prince of Peace)

🕊

Shalom means absence of conflict and chaos, wholeness and completeness

We could use absence of chaos on and in our earth today, wouldn't you agree?  It seems like every day now, we open our eyes to another historical move of war and catastrophic destruction. Two expressions of these agonizing days, have become the appetizer on our plates of grief and descent: "unprecedented" and "biblical".

Although many of us have been aware, for quite some time now, that things are falling into place to ready us for the second earthly arrival of our Sar Shalom, it still hurts our hearts to witness the tragedies happening all around us.

We want to stay awake, like good watchmen should, but the deep sadness and anxiety can lull us into a protective sleep; a sleep meant to guard our physical heart's muscle from the side effects of stress.

Our Sar Shalom told us not to worry and stress.  He told us that it doesn't add a day to our lives.  In fact, stress from worry will subtract from our length of days.  

Even the heavenly messengers knew the importance of their first words to those they came to deliver a message to:

Fear not!

 Today I  offer prayers and comfort to those victims who have lost literally everything, including and most importantly family, friends, beloved pets and more, in this catastrophic hurricane that wrecked havoc upon so many lives.  We ask our Sar Shalom, the Prince of Peace, to be their peace with each sacred breath they take.  We pray for guidance as we make decisions as to how we can personally become involved in the recovery and reconstruction efforts of their precious lives.  I personally pray for a coalition of persons, like you and myself, to rise up and come to their rescue, much like the Amish do for their own.  

Today is in honor of, with deep respect, our neighbors and family who are left to pick up the fragmented pieces of their lives.  

O LORD, if we must receive Your rod for the failure to rightly honor You, let it be the failed leadership of this nation's government, who has blatantly mocked you and persecuted Your children, to responsibly step up and step in to protect, recover and rebuild the lives that they so haughtily shamed and scorned for political gain.  They use your Holy word to mock and manifest their evil demonic intentions.  They have stolen the bread of the children and given it over to the thieves.  They say in their darkened hearts, "None can match our concocted schemes.  There is no god who can rise to the heights of our cunning trickery"  If there is any salvation left to scavenge from their souls, then I pray for such, otherwise, let the carnivorous raptors pick away at their  corrupted flesh until they are no more,  when the battlefields are covered in the  blood  of the slain, at YOUR final judgement of the nations of the earth; and may those of us who have forgotten to remember You, fall with them.

Sar Shalom's Peace to the innocent, and to those who call You

LORD and KING!

 Shalom, precious ones

Rosh Hashanah!

This was a day of reviewing the process of dealing with sin in our lives. 

Michele covered this well, and so I have decided to add the link to the replay video so that you can have a full understanding of the three levels of sin, as she taught it, and our response to sin.  She gives scripture references, so have pen and paper available so you can jot them down and research for yourself.  It is always wise to research what you are taught, asking Spirit of Truth to lead you into all truth.  I have confidence that you will find this teaching, and the past 30 days of teaching to be trustworthy and true.  So spend some time listening and reflecting on the entire 30 days of replay videos.  I have a sneaking suspicion that you will see yourself as YHWH Elohim sees you, and you will desire to be made new - in every way.

👇

https://www.regent.edu/robertson-school-of-government/40-days/#2024

You will see a rectangular bar with "2024" on it. 

Under that, you will see a square window that contains all of the replay videos for 30 days of Teshuvah.

(If you do not see the video replay window, click the bar above it, that I described,  and the replay window will open)

I pray you are as blessed as I have been!  And more!

 (and we aren't even finished yet!)

Since this is Rosh HaShanah, I thought you might enjoy listening to Amir Tsarfati explain this very special time on the Jewish calendar.

Shanah Tova!! 

Sacred Scars

Today was a very special day as we gathered together on our Zoom call, united in prayer before our Holy LORD.  

Today, we sat in quiet stillness as Michele pushed the rewind button on the virtual projector; and reel after reel of the past 30 days flashed before our inner eyes.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, representing nations all over the world, sat in their quiet places, listening intently as Michele recalled, one by one, each beckoning plea to enter a time of repentance, the washing and purifying of our hearts from known and unknown sins that have kept us separated from our Holy God.  

Like Autumn leaves falling gently from their branches, collecting in colorful piles around their tree, the rough, painful, aching, afflictive and spoiled dross of our lives, enflamed in the fires of Holy, sloughed  from our souls. Falling, somewhat less tenderly, into fiery mounds of smoldering cinders and ash, they lay - the remnants of purification.

Most of us know what sin and rebellion do to a life, but not all of us are fully aware of exactly how those sins keep us at arms length from the God who knows no Sin, and in whom is only Light.

He calls us to the high places, to a Holy union with Him; yet apart from cleansing and purification, we cannot know or see Him - as He is.

I am grateful for this hallowed call to Holy, and that I am given the great privilege and responsibility to pen these sacred scars into the annals of time.

I am not as I was

 If you would like to visit the replay videos of teaching and prayers from these 30 days of repentance and return,

please click the link below.

👇

 http://www.regent.edu/rsgevents

Continue on with us for the next ten days as we discover more about our Magnificent Father through His many divine names.

There is still time to join us. 

If interested, click the following link and Anita will get back in touch with you.

It's FREE!  All you will be required to do is click a link,  and

Poof💨💨

You will be with us, virtually that is!

(you might have to enter the call ID and password that Anita will provide)

👇

http://www.regent.edu/40days

👆

We repent for the sin we sin against the LORD, with our eyes

(prying eyes, evil eyes)

 "Sometimes eyes speak louder than words, and hurt just as much." MB

👀

Eyes speak.

They speak hatred, disapproval, jealousy.

We pass judgement without getting to know the person we judge,  as we give them the "evil eye" of self-righteousness.

We want what we cannot afford, and yet we see people and cast judgement on them by the way they look, and the stuff of earth they have collected or have nothing of.   

"Eyes are powerful communicators,

they speak without saying a word." MB

Our eyes can covet, lust, and increase disdain.  This wickedness enters through our eyes, races past our wicked hearts, bypassing our common sense and exits from the tongues of our mouth gates. 

Proverbs 10:10; 23:6; 28:22  speak of sorrows that come with the winking of the eye, and failures of foolish lips.  They warn not to eat bread with evil eyed persons, and cautions us not to run after wealth, lest we fall into poverty. 

With our eyes, we can show disrespect to our parents, and abuse to those who are recipients of our "evil eye".

Our eyes are meant to be a light to our bodies, but can become darkness to our souls,  if we allow such.  We can use our expressive eyes to bless as well as curse.  We must guard our eye from evil, and protect others from its harm.

It is said that the eyes are a window to our souls.  What would someone see if they peered through our windows?  Would they have to brush away the crust left from a lifetime of fallowed attention to cleansing?  Would they see life behind those green, blue, brown, gray,  or hazel beauties, or would they have nothing but a  shroud of death staring back at them?

This is a lot to think about, to ponder on, to consider and to reckon. 

👁

Mark 8:18 NLT

‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all?

(I pray all of us remembers this!) 

We repent for the sin we sin before the LORD, through the sin of haughtiness and arrogance

 Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom. BSB

♡

Isaiah 2:11

The proud look of man will be humbled,
and the loftiness of men brought low;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. BSB

 Don't throw in the towel yet!  I bet you are wondering if we will ever arrive at a place where we are finally emptied and poured out, sort of like a trash bin on garbage pick-up day.  You might even feel as if you have become one with that stinking pile of garbage by now, and it has touched a sentimental chord in your life, making separation more difficult (think giant wad of gum on the sole of your shoe).  How much more repentance is required of us?  How much deeper must we dumpster-dive before bends strike us, and we struggle to rise up from the deep? 

Well, I hope you had a good diving instructor,  because we are not quite ready to shed the coveralls.  On the other hand, the shallows are becoming a bit more transparent, the more we loosen our grasp on our dive treasures.

So don the goggles, gloves and  nose plugs, and let's keep diving.

Michele left us with quite a few scripture passages today, dealing with haughtiness and arrogance.  Now stop rolling those eyes (that will be dealt with tomorrow) and own your portion of refuse.

Did anyone ever tell you that haughtiness is rebellion against God, and contempt for His people and other people?  I didn't think so; I had not been told that either.  It does make sense, however, knowing that YHWH is Holy. 

Jeremiah 48:29 speaks of an arrogant people group, and an arrogant heart of lofty pride that bled throughout the city streets.  Moab made himself great against YHWH. and he reaped destruction.

Strife follows pride, but wisdom follows those who take advice, as Proverbs 13:10 instructs us.  If we desire to fear (reverence) YHWH, we will hate evil (Proverbs 8:13).

So how do we combat this rebellion against God? 

We  walk in humility.  Yeshua (Jesus Christ) is our example of humility.  He has shown us what is good, and what the LORD requires of us.  We must become as children in our trust of Yeshua.  Therein lies humility.  We must die to self, and what follows will be immeasurably grand in our lives, even though we can't see it yet.

Here are a few more scripture references for your dive:

Proverbs 16:18;  James 4:10;  1 Peter 5:5-6;  Matthew 18:4;  Matthew 23:11-12;  Philippians 2:8

"Humility is key to our spiritual growth, because it allows us to make room in our life for other people, and for God." MB

(I like that)

For ALL of us have betrothed ourselves to sin, before the Qadosh One (set-apart One); every one of us has defiled ourselves.

But YHWH Elohim has laid on Himself, by way of His only beloved Son (Yeshua the Messiah - Jesus the Christ),  the sins of every single one of us.  

Believe!

Repenting for the sin of selfishness and greed

Deuteronomy 15:7-11

If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them.  Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.  Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.  Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.  There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.NLT

This is a difficult thing, the reckoning of wealth and poverty, greed and generosity.  It is difficult because it goes beyond the haves and the have-nots, the givers and the hoarders; we put the heart on notice as to our motives and intentions when we are placed in a position to give out of our abundance or our lack of. 

In my observations of people, when I have had the honor to serve at a soup kitchen or food pantry, I have watched certain persons that I knew to be stable financially,  fill bags with foods and drinks they were not in true need of, and later boast about their booty.

And then there was the mother quietly whispering to her child to put some items back on the shelf for others to claim, fully conscientious of the needs of another, accepting less so that someone else could have more. Having known lack and hunger, she had become generous in her poverty.

Define "poor"

I "double-dog dare" you to slow down (as Michele says), ponder the term, and define the word.   

 (and you are not allowed to use a dictionary or wikipedia)

💰Money💰

Isn't it an odd word?  Words are funny and intriguing to me at times, usually at times like this when I seek to understand why certain things control and hypnotize us into acting so foolishly, and sometimes generously.

  Try this one,  "digital currency".

Now how did we get to a place where some invisible nothing is assigned to each of us in accordance to what we, as a human being, or a skill we might possess, have been valued .. or not valued.

So what happens to the word 'money' once it is no longer a tangible item? The value we allowed it to have in our lives has just been 'spent'.  We can no longer hold it, flaunt it, count it or pass it on.  But we will have to prove we have value, once again, by having the invisible currency tethered to us in one form or the other- by way of card in our hands,  or hand, as our card (so the ones taking charge of us, tell us).

What happens to greed or generosity when the "thing" on the other end of the invisible digital currency apparatus determines for us, how generous or greedy we are?

Does moral obligation disappear as well?

Ask yourself,

How did we get here?  

Why didn't we stop it before it got this far?

Define "poor" 

♡

My comfort is my faith (trust) in the LORD of all of creation.  I cannot imagine living through these present days, and the days to come, without my hope in Yeshua Messiah.  There would be no reason to breathe .. absolutely none. 

🌍

When I was in college, someone told me that I live in a utopian world.  Honestly, I am a realist, but I still trust in the goodness of most people.  I still believe in loving-kindness, butterflies and metamorphosis.

🐝🐝

I spotted bees mating in mid-air once, while friends were knit-picking someone's choice of clothing and hair trend (that actually happened, and it gave everyone a hearty laugh, including me).

One friend said "How did you see that!?  My response:  "I can zone out of my moment very easily!". 

Those are the things I would rather invest my energies in while I yet abide on this amazing planet, created by the hands of a loving Savior.  Show me a dancing leaf tethered to an invisible strand of spider silk, and I am hypnotized for the duration.

🏞🏚🏞

  I will continue to stop for turtles and injured critters, and do what I can to help them.  Nothing gives me a greater sense of belonging than the mountains .. the high places, and the mountain people.  I cherish the moments I have had with them, learning from them and being honored to love on them.  I anguish with them over their loss of those beautiful mountains due to mountain top removal (strip-mining).  And for what?  A few minerals?  Devastating destruction, poisoned watersheds, and continual loud blasting sounds replace the serenity that was once Appalachia.  Those mountain tops can never be replaced, and the people know it.

This is what greed and selfishness does.  This is the love of that stuff we call "money".  

I love deeply, therefore I hurt deeply.  This is a deep, sorrowful wound in the hearts of my brothers and sisters of the mountains, as well as for me.

If this is my utopia,  then let me continue my journey here.  It is a far kinder place than the one I just described above, the one that is soon to become our dark. stark reality while we yet breathe.

I keep looking up ⬆️ and listening for that loud shout and trumpet.  My soul longs for the great "twinkling" ..  when I can finally say I am HOME!!

That might sound a bit utopian?

It is about choices, choices to believe or not to believe, to believe in, or not to believe in, and I can certainly do that.

Slow down and stop.  Take a deep breath and contemplate what really matters to you.  Where are you?  What do you care about the most? What or who do you put your trust in.  The things of this world are always changing, and very quickly.  What do you have left when it is all gone, everything that you considered made you who or what you are now?  We just had a massive hurricane barrel through our nation.  Lives were brought to a close, and the total destruction of houses and lifestyle upended.  

Think Think Think

If you do not have this hope, do not waste one more breath.  Trust in Yeshua (Jesus) with all of your heart.  Don't try to analyze Him to your understanding.  In all of your ways, acknowledge Him as your Savior, and He will direct your path.  Believe on Him, and He will embrace you as His own.

♡

"Money can hold us, or we can hold money" MB

I agree with you, at least for now, Michele.

.

We repent for the sin we sin against the LORD by scorning Holy things of God

Today's  instruction should be quite frightening to all of us.  It ought to make us tremble in our boots.  We have discussed the Holiness of YHWH Elohim enough during these days, that to offer anything less than honor and praise to Him would be to our own demise.  To cross that red line in the sands of time, is to jump from a cliff that has no end.

Mocking Holy things of God can take many forms, from coarse jesting  and jokes about the God of all of creation, to entertaining ourselves on multimedia sources that contain crude mockery of Jesus  Christ and Ruach Ha'Qodesh (Hebrew for Spirit of Set-apartness) or Holy Spirit.

Scripture tells us that we will account for every idle word we speak .. EVERY idle word.  That includes gossip and lies about others, bringing them hurt and humiliation.   

Matthew 12:36-37 says:

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” NLT

If we desire to be made righteous before a Righteous judge, we have no other option except to repent and teshuvah (turn away from, and back to the One who created us for much more than this).  He laid down His life on that stake of suffering death for us; that ought to send us to our faces on the floor or ground before us. We must toss away all things that separate us from Him, from LIFE.  We cannot set anything before our eyes and ears that could not stand the test of Holy. 

Throw it all away, the scorning and mocking of our Holy One, and walk in newness of life in Yeshua the Messiah. There will be a great price to pay, if we do not heed the Words of Truth.

🛡

Armour up, Beloved of the Father

This is WAR!

We repent for the sin of subserviency to Bribery

(Striking deals with God)

When I was 7 years old, my siblings and I lived a few years in a small "holler" of the Appalachian mountains, with my grandparents. Oh my goodness, how I came to love those mountains!  The Vietnam war was in progress, and we had not seen our father for quite some time.  I loved my daddy so much, and was daily asking God to protect him.

One afternoon, my grandmother called all of my siblings and me into the kitchen and began cutting our hair.  I had long strawberry/copper locks of curls and frizz, complimenting my freckled skin. My daddy always referred to me as his goldilocks.

I took my place in the chair and grandma began to hack away.  I saw locks of curls hit the floor and my heart pounded rapidly.  When she had completed her task, I went to the bedroom and peered into the mirror.  My long locks were gone, and the little girl I saw in the mirror was a stranger to my eyes.  As I stared into the mirror, I could hear my daddy's words: "Where's my goldilocks?

I immediately began to cry and pull at the strands of hair just below my ears.  I began to beg and plead with God, these words:

"Please God, if you grow my hair out before my daddy comes home, I promise I will be a good girl.  I promise, God."

Bribery is no respecter of age.  We learn early how to manipulate and cut deals with others, and it doesn't take long for us to use those perverse skills against a Holy (set-apart) God.  We make Him into nothing more than a lottery machine, pulling at His righteous right hand of rescue to fulfill our desires.

How did we get here?  I can think of some obvious ways, but I would offend many people.  Instead, I will just say that we have arrived at this foolish, dangerous destination because we value ourselves more than our Righteous Ruler of the universes.  We twist His merciful arms and words to fit our personal wants and desires,  and then we attempt to drag others into this insane manner of thinking. 

We are not listening to Spirit of Truth. 

We are listening to another gospel, one that arises from a smoking pit.

Isaiah 66:2  

All these things my hand has made,

and so all these things came to be,

declares the Lord.

But this is the one to whom I will look:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit

and trembles at my word. ESV

We do not tremble at His word.

We must break away from the lies of the satan, and turn our inner ears to the One True God,  YHWH Elohim.

If there was a time to wake up, folks, it is NOW!

Not kidding .. WAKE UP!

♡

My dad did furlough for a short time, not long after that prayer.  He never spoke  a word about my hair, but continued to refer to me as goldilocks.

♡

You said, O YHWH,

"Seek My face"

Your face I seek, my Beloved One

Help me

🛡

Armour up, Beloved of the Father

This is WAR!

 We repent for the sins we sin against people when they knew it or didn't know it.

♡

This was a gut wrenching moment in our 40 days of Teshuvah, for many of us.  Reading the chats on the  chat board, I could feel the tremble of emotions fill each typed, clicked and tapped word from men and women all over the nation and world, repenting for the deeds of both the past as well as the present. 

Michele shared about a moment as a 12 year old, when she stole some library books.  At the age of 15, knowing what she had done was wrong, she repented,  returned to the school, spoke with staff at the school,  and made restitution by paying for the books.  In her case, she found forgiveness from the assistant principal's willingness to forgive the debt, but even as a young teen, Michele knew that she had to complete the act of repentance by paying for her poor choice. 

Michele's words of repentant freedom fell over the souls of each of us, and poured into us like rivers of unobstructed waters. We understood, clearly, that repentance does often demand a cost, and often with  repercussions;  we must make right what we have done wrong, in deception.

This lesson was not only about repenting for a wrong choice we made in secret, but also about the choices we make to gossip and harm someone's character, both openly or privately. It  was about disputes that arise in our lives, and holding grudges that often spill its poison into the sensitive wounds of others. And it was about a type of gang-bullying behavior whose intent is to further harm individuals through senseless lies, not knowing (or even caring about knowing) the facts or the truth, in order to build the one up, while purposely attempting to destroy another. It is about rejecting the call of 1 Corinthians 13, to love at all cost.

This was an intense day of shedding LIGHT upon our need for repentance, in every area of our lives, lived openly and in secret.  It was necessary for the cleansing of our Bridal attire, because as our  beloved Groom King said, He is coming for a bride with neither spot nor wrinkle.

I am so very grateful for this time of Teshuvah.  It has become more than an act of words before the LORD.

It has become a LIVING and breathing repentance.

Scriptures to re-awaken our souls to today's truth

Matthew 22:36-40

1 Corinthians !3:4-13

Matthew 18:15-!7

 🛡

Armour up, Beloved of the Father

This is WAR!

Repenting for our sin against YHWH with the sin of vulgar speech

Isaiah 6 (Emphasis 6-7)

Isaiah's vision of the LORD

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called to another and said:

 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.  And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.ESV

Isn't this one of the most amazing few verses in the Word of God?  Oh my goodness, every time I read it my soul seems to transcend to another realm.  The great mystery behind these bits of Truth send the cogs of my brain whirling like Ezekiel's "wheel within a wheel" chariot!

I don't think I want my lips parched, but I certainly desire my heart to be purified.  However, if it takes the fires of red-hot coals to burn out the dross of perverse speech that arises from my heart, past the gates of my mouth and teeth,  and flapping from my unharnessed tongue, then so be it.  I would rather have the smoke of purification rising out of my mouth and nostrils, than have a sick heart of  corruption and rebellion simmering in the slow-cooker of my heart.

🙏

I just want to stand clean before You, my LORD.

Thank You for showing me my wicked heart.

Thank You for taking MY place on the altar of sacrifice, and cleansing my soul in YOUR blood.

Amazing!!!

🙏

If you think Isaiah's vision is captivating, take a look at Ezekiel's!

(and to think some of us read these scriptures as if "oh well, just another day in paradise")

 No human words to describe this phenomenon.

🛡 

Armour up, Beloved of the Father

This is WAR!

The Sin of exercising power (or its misuse) to lord over another person

God gives each one of us a certain amount of power, demanding a mature understanding of that power and authority.

Today,  Michele guided us into a certain understanding of the power and authority that has been given to servant leaders.  That kind of leadership calls the servant leaders to do what God has called them/us to do.  However, putting authority into the hands of immature believers is very dangerous, and can lead to serious damage of the body of Christ.

We were given power to advance God's kingdom, as Jesus did when He healed the sick, and blessed the broken and poor in spirit.  His example is our leadership and servant manual.  Yeshua also rebuked those in power who misused that power for their gain of self-righteousness and the building of their own kingdoms.

Matthew 23:23-28 

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.  Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! 

 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!  You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.  Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. NLT

So how are we to use power?

Acts 1:8

 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”NLT

Romans 15:18-21

Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

 My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.  I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must intervene."  Elie Wiesel

The sins we sin against the LORD  through contempt and disrespect.

The 1960's sexual revolution left our nation with the scabs and scars of rebellion.  Its purulent stench has flowed down from that social dilemma wound, and on into our personal lives today, leaving waves of contempt and disrespect oozing throughout our homes, schools, places of employment and communities.

Today, we see the results of that catastrophic union of evil and ignorance in our children and higher education institutions.  This was, in essence, a rebellion against God's divine order.  When we rebel against His divine order, we produce chaos in every area of our lives.

Do you know how very dangerous it is to walk out of God's divine order?  

Michele spoke of the chaos that satan brings, through contempt and rebellion, into our society, churches, families and personal lives.  She highlighted contempt and disrespect of parents and teachers, and how those attitudes and actions are sin. She admonished that God has placed that authority in our lives.  Only because of the blood of Jesus, have we escaped the judgement that comes with rebellion.

Michele went on to say that the breakdown of respect to parents and teachers corrodes the moral code of society.  We are to honor our parents; to deny that honor, brings consequences personally as well as corporately.  

YHWH wants to free us from the bitterness and unforgiveness of those in authority who have disappointed, as well as harmed us, so that we can move forward to build healthy lives for ourselves and our families, peers, the church, friends and etc.  Michele insisted that we must maximize every opportunity to learn from spiritually mature followers of Christ, to enrich our lives in Him.

I desire to live in full freedom.  I hope that you do too.

Remember, God brings order.  Satan brings chaos.

Thank you, Michele, for your strong voice and healing words.

🛡

Armour up, Beloved of the Father

This is WAR!

We do not stand shoulder to shoulder in service to God ...

"We will all serve God as One shoulder."  Rabbi Pesach Wolicki

(Ponder that)

The lesson for this day of Teshuvah:

Sin of a "cut n paste" Bible

(sinning willfully and carelessly while we pick and choose what parts of the Bible we want to obey, and what parts we do not want to obey)

 Michele explained that we want the blessings of the Word, but we don't want the "if" factor:

"If" my people...humble themselves, pray, seek and turn,  then I will hear, forgive and heal"

Some will say "oh, but we are not under the Law".  This, however has nothing to do with being under the Law.  The law that we have been freed from, according to the scripture, is the law of sin and death. Michele goes on to say, nowhere does it state that we are no longer under God's  teaching and instructions.  To say that, is merely a misinterpretation. 

1 John 3:4 reminds us that everyone who is sinning is violating the Word. If we are to be counted among His followers, we need to follow Him, follow His Word.

"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness."ESV

Michele adds that in James 4:17, we choose by our own will.  We sin when we do wrong, but we also sin when we know to do right, and fail to do it. We can claim ignorance to the Truth, however, there is absolutely no excuse for us to continue in sin, especially for those who live in nations that have not band the reading of the scripture .. and Bibles period.  

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. ESV

Romans 6:20-23 says when we are joined to God, we are made Holy.  God is making us Holy, set-apart to himself.  The Hebrew word for Holy is Ruach (set-apart). The wonderful end result of being made Holy, is eternal life!

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.  So then, what outcome did you have that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death.  But now, having been set free from sin and having become enslaved to God, you have your fruit resulting in holiness. And the outcome is eternal life. For sin’s payment is death, but God’s gracious gift is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord. TLV

Michele also stresses that partnering with God, moves us away from the things that bring us death, and leads us to those things that bring us life.

Now there is the matter of 'unintentional' sins, mistakes we make out of carelessness.   Michele explains that from Romans 6:23 we deduce that when we willfully sin, we join ourselves to death; when we carelessly sin, we also, out of ignorance, carelessly put ourselves in a position where we reap the consequences that lead to death.

♡

The LORD purges out the bad and puts in that which pleases and honors Him, that which brings life to our bones and life to our purpose and families.

Don't you just love Him!

What an awesome Father we have!

None of us deserves Him.

(This was a great lesson today)

♡

    In every generation, the LORD raises up kings and men to carry out His purpose and His work.

His ways are perfect.