Will You Be Made Whole?

If you are keeping the appointed times then going through John 5 will bring you right to where Yeshua is, and what He is doing during this season we find ourselves in. May 22, 2021 on our Julian calendar is the 49^th day of the counting of the Omer, leading up to Pentecost.  It is the Sabbath that a man 38 years lame was made not only to walk, but whole.

John 5:1  After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

            Several things to take note of here, this was “a feast of the Jews” which is an inaccurate assessment as the book of Leviticus clearly states that these are the “Feast of the Lord” (YHVH). Much as it is erroneous for us to say it is the land of the Jews or Israel as YHVH clearly stakes claim to the land being His and that they would be sojourners with him, in other places it states they would possess the land. (Lev. 25:23; Lev. 20:24)  Having possession and having ownership are not synonymous.
To confirm this is the feast of Shavuot we only need to back up to the previous feast mentioned as the Feast of YHVH happen in sequential order at appointed times during the year.

            Notice, he is heading to Jerusalem for the feast because as it is written all males were to appear three times a year in the place that YHVH shall make his name to abide. (Exo 23:17)

Which further confirms which feast this is as Shavuot is a pilgrimage feast. Must be kept in a specific place.

John 5:4  For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

            There are two things here that are important to take note of, the first being, the angel operated at a certain time and a certain place.  Those who came to receive their healing like Naaman had they been at the wrong pool wouldn’t have received their healing, and as the man understood 38 years in waiting that had he not been there at the right time he also would not receive his healing.  I submit to you that God has not changed and still operates on his watch, as for the place, it is still important to be there if you can, but the Spirit of God is not bound, but operates freely as the living waters of the Spirit of God resides within us.  The gift given on this very day after Yeshua’s ascension, was the fulfillment of the promise given to the people of God, so that we could do the greater works we were called too.   This is why Yeshua said it was expedient that He goes, for if He didn’t go away the Comforter wouldn’t come to us. (John 16:7)

The next point we need to take heed to and understand is the message Yeshua had to this man who was bowed down for 38 years.

John 5:6  When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

There are some of us who for many years have been afflicted with some sort of infirmity.  No matter the time there was one thing that was clear this man was looking for answers.  Had he not been he wouldn’t show up year after year seeking his healing. But Yeshua asked him an important question. Will he be made whole?  He didn’t simply ask him if he would be healed from his infirmity, he cut straight to the heart of what was needed.  The man needed more than to be relieved of his infirmity and many of us find ourselves in the same predicament.  Thus, the question encompassed the whole individual not simply the physical state that we can see.  However, notice the response of the man to this question.

John 5:7  The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

            The man was so focused on the one avenue by which God could have healed him, that he completely ignored the context of the question.  Yeshua didn’t say anything about healing nor about putting him in any water.  The man was simply asked, will you be made whole.  It includes healing, but goes so much deeper as we will see as we continue reading.  Many of us are seeking external resources for a matter that God wants to bring a complete fixing too.  Our ailment is a symptomatic evidence of a deeper issue, and what Yeshua was offering this man was far greater than what that water could have done for him had he been first in.  Yeshua offered him wholeness and he responded back to him with excuses. 

Joh 5:8  Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

            Yeshua revealed to him in that moment that He was the living waters, and that which he sought from the Angel was available to him from the direct source.  Notice there are three things the man is instructed to do,

Rise – this word is the greek word egeiro (G1453) which means to waken.  Many of us have been in a stupor and could be because we have been bowed over like this man for some years for similar reasons or another, but the first instruction was to wake up.  We cannot afford to stay asleep drifting through life waiting for someone to take us to a certain place at a certain time to receive our healing.  We must rise.

Take up thy bed – we have gotten too comfortable in the place we are at.  We can allow ourselves to get comfortable in our weakness rather than challenge ourselves to move forward.  Stagnation only robs us of valuable time, we must continue to press forward in this life otherwise we will find ourselves 38 years in waiting for someone to carry us to a place, that God wants to heal us where we are. 

Walk – finally we must live, 38 years of not walking one thing is clear circulation has to take place.  This man has been in a sitting position, at rest for far too long and it was time for him to come out of retirement and be about his fathers business.  We too find ourselves in that same predicament, and it is past time for the blood to flow through the entire body of Yeshua so that the many lost sheep that He is after can come into this cellular network and continue the necessary blood flow.

The final scripture we will tackle is the root cause of this man’s disease, and the remedy to prevent him from falling into the same trap.

John 5:14  Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

The key to being whole, and remaining that way is to “sin no more”.  This was the reason the man was in a 38 year season of being unable to walk.  Sin can make you stagnate especially if you are living in it, and while we don’t know exactly what this man’s sin was, it is clear that even in his sickly condition was still an issue.  We can be suffering from an ailment, yet, while we are searching for sources of healing we can find ourselves still in that state because we are living in sin.  Yeshua showed this man how he got in the state he was in, and after extending him healing holds him accountable for what will happen should he return to that state.  The blessing of God giving the curses is that the curses are so severe that it should have the affect of keeping one from sin.  This is the same thing with our children, we institute penalty, and reveal harsh responses to their sin as a means to keep them from it.  The punishment is never intended to break us, but to bring us back to our Creator.  The enemy uses it to break us, to plague us, but YHVH uses it to bring us back into the fold.  Like this man we have been made whole, the circulation is being breathed back into our bodies, and it is time for it to be, because the season this man was loosed was in time for the harvest.  Harvest time requires all hands on deck and your feet must be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace that is so desperately needed in the days we are living in.  We are called to be salt and light, and today, is the day to let that light shine ever so brightly as we see the world grow ever so dim. 

Counting With God Day 31

As I am now in the 31st day of the count to Pentecost, I am overwhelmed with the wisdom of the Most High. Everywhere around us we are being bombarded with our invisible enemies residue, yet the silent truth that should be shouted from the roof tops is the amount of people who have overcome this disease.  To watch the news you would think we were losing this battle, but the numbers indicate that even from the beginning we have been winning.  We are not hearing the overwhelming testimony of the majority of people who fought corona and won. In our digital age where we can track everybody’s steps we are not hearing the voice of the majority, uncovering how they crossed over and we have to ask ourselves why?  Rather than building on the wisdom from our past everyone is being told to put his or her hope on something that has been and still is experimental that is yet to come. 

The most unprecedented act that I can see is not Corona, as pandemics have occurred all the way back to biblical times.  What was supposed to be a two-week break has turned into a two-month nightmare that has led to more and more uncertainty, conjuring up more questions than answers.  In the wake of all this lapse of time yet we still have no data.  We can say worldwide 98% of those who have gotten this virus has gotten over it with mild or no symptoms but yet, not enough data.   Perhaps we are not asking the right questions, or the right people the right questions. 

President Trump rightly termed this thing “the invisible enemy” and I would like to build on that premise because here is where we are losing out on a monumental opportunity to see this thing turn around.  If we were facing a country for instance would we build our countries morale by focusing on the number of casualties?  Please don’t get me wrong, I am in no way minimizing the value of the lives of those who have died from or been impacted by this disease, but what I am saying is those of us who are still alive have to have a greater value in life itself then awaiting a vaccine that may or may not work, and furthermore won’t be available until next year, and lets be real clear, many people are uncomfortable taking.  This being the case we know that our past way of handling those who died at war was to honor them, memorialize them, but put our focus on our victories, not on our defeats. 

Being that pandemics are not new lets talk about that for a minute.  Before the world of vaccines we had pandemics and like this one they too suffered losses, but amazingly those who seemed to weather it was able to do so by changing the terrain from within their bodies until that which threatened them from without had passed on.  In the bible you had those who had leprosy, there was no man-made elixir that cured it, there were men of God who obeyed the voice of God in directing those who were sick to do simple things to be healed.  (2 Kings 5) 

We should never get away from the simplicity that is in Christ.  Diseases like Rickets it wasn’t cured by pumping toxins into the blood stream, but it was a vitamin deficiency that caused it, and thus adding what the body needed that it was lacking cured it.  What I am saying is let’s not skip over some obvious options.  Let’s love humanity enough to at least consider solutions that we know won’t hurt us, before we move towards the more drastic treatments that we can’t predict its benefits or its detriments.

The part of all this that overwhelms me with the wisdom of the Most High is that the very things that I see in my world today was written in His word thousands of years ago.  He is speaking if we will not be afraid of anyone or anything but Him.  This disease has a name, and His name is above even it.  If we will take the time to count our blessings, open our eyes and our ears to His word and his voice we will see how He is carrying us through this. 

We DO NOT have to be afraid of the terror by night nor of the noisome pestilence that walketh in darkness. (Psa. 91) I realize that darkness can be intimidating, not having data, knowledge, or understanding in a situation like this is scary, but we have something much greater than data, we have the Teacher living and moving inside of us, this Teacher understands all and knows all, and if we will listen to Him he will direct us when and where to go, what, and how to do what we need to do.  In this time of counting don’t forget where your help comes from.  I can tell you I have probably made a thousand mistakes that could have made me vulnerable to this virus from the moment I knew it was in my area, but I know the ONE who keeps me, directs me, and order my steps.  If we know Him we can walk in darkness, and shine forth His light. 

Let us not stop searching for truth, nor give up on the simple wisdom of God.  Let us look at this as a time to prepare ourselves as good soldiers spirit, soul, and body for the battle ahead, because even the invisible enemy must bow to the Ever Present Most High YHVH!!   

Counting With God Day 7: Sabbath I

We are in the first Sabbath since Firstfruits (the beginning) and our seventh day of counting up to Pentecost.  As stated it is clear that YHVH wants us to see Pentecost in the light of moving upward towards something in that we count up to Pentecost.  In this count we are measuring, God commands us to count both in sequential and numerical order by Sabbath’s and by days.  Therefore we are to number 50 days and count 7 Sabbaths.  Highlighting both perfection/completion (Sabbath) with Jubilee (50).  As a believer the future is always bright no matter what the global temperature reports, because although our outward man perishes our inward man is renewed day by day. (2 Cor 4:16) 

Indeed we are going up yonder, but not so for the wicked who set their traps on unsuspecting men, whom the wrath of the Lord is stored up until such a time that they will receive the full measure of their wickedness. (John 3:36) No longer will those who now wait have to say, “how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth.” (Rev. 6:10)  The fool indeed says in his heart there is no God and continues to shed innocent blood, thinking that no one sees the secret things they do, but our God is a consuming fire and the day of reckoning, measuring, and counting is coming for both the righteous and the unrighteous, the just and the unjust. (Psa 14:1, Deu 19:10)

If you are not in the count of the righteous, if you are yet a child of disobedience today is the day, now is the time to find yourself in the number. While the world is counting cases, recoveries, and death, today is the time to begin making sure you are counted among those who have eternal life, those who will be part of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

One thing counting will do is open your eyes to the fact that we are all on borrowed time.  The President himself has stated that in 30% of the country there have been no new cases in the last 7 days.  I wonder how much of this has to do with Yah’s feast, and those who are honoring it by counting?  How many Lot’s are in the land that is preventing the fiery hailstones from showering?  We may never know, but more than ever this is a time that the intercessors of the land needs to war in the Spirit as nurses are warring in the rooms of the patients, standing between the dead and the living. 

I just wonder could the stimulus be considered an acceptable ransom, like the ransom that stayed the plague during the time that David took a census of the children of Israel in the bible? (2 Sam 24:10)  This is just a question, I am not sure if there is a connection between the ransom and the stimulus check.  I firmly believe the one thing that would change this thing around more quickly is repentance.  This I do know was a part of David’s ransom that stopped the plague is his acknowledgement of sin.  As a nation we have yet to come clean about that, our sanctioning of sin in the form of abortions and homosexuality, and that is only two of the many injustices this nation will have to give account for.

As for those who know their God, believer’s in Messiah Yeshua.  This is a time that we need to make sure that we are walking in the fruit of the Spirit for against such there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23)  Just as our Messiah’s firstfruit were of those who slept and arose in their resurrected bodies, our firstfruits are to be likewise, those who sleep now until they are awaken by the light of the Gospel as we walk out in obedience the command of Yeshua. (Matt. 27:52;Mark 16:15)  Remember the natural is just a type and shadow of the spiritual.  He is looking for that which was lost in the Garden of Eden, that which was made in His image and likeness. 

We are seven days in with six more Sabbaths to count until we enter into that glorious day of Jubilee that those who love God wait with jubilation to see.

Giving Space for the Gifts to Operate

Not knowing what will happen next from the standpoint of man is a great motivation to why programmed services are so comfortable in the Western Church. The goal of the Holy Spirit for believers is that the whole body comes to maturity. This is why gifts were given and positions provided to the leadership so that the body would be perfected to do the work of the ministry. Working is what the Holy Spirit does, and He does it well with his biggest hindrance being us the vessel He uses. Unfortunately, the wineskin we use lends itself to the quenching of the Spirit and by its rigid format discourages the body of Christ to mature in its gifting.

The Teacher is Always Present

We in the body of Christ need to understand that the Teacher in us is always present and ready to lead and guide us. So with that being said how is it we miss His lessons? We are distracted by the pomp and circumstance, ritual, protocol, and man-made orders of service have either stifled the move of the Spirit or contained it. Isa 55 reminds us that His ways are not our ways, nor are our thoughts His thoughts. His ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth in comparison. We cannot program the Holy Spirit, He will not succumb to our rigid wineskin, but if we are willing, He will give us a new wineskin that can hold the new wine He has to give. There is always and will always be priority in the body, but what the word of God says is this if you are a true Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, or Teacher then where is your fruit? (Eph. 4:11-12) Yeshua said wisdom is justified of her children, and if we have offspring, are they the children of our flesh (our making, after our image, and likeness) or are they the children of the Spirit (operating, hearing from, and moving by the voice of the Holy Spirit)?   If we are producing children of the living God, then we know that the Spirit of God dwells within them because the scriptures tell us so, yet, even with the soothing words or the jovial hand in which we victoriously walk out of our congregations, special meetings, and the like our people still walk out into a world where they are deficient in handling the day in day out challenges of life nor clear on understanding when they are hearing from the Spirit of God or not. This should not be.

I get that the wineskin we use in the Western church is foreign to the culture of the scriptures we read, and I understand that this is the greatest problem to its success.  Are our leaders seeking the Most High for guidance concerning instructing our people on how to operate in the Spirit? Is the church under the great deception spoken of in the bible that is supposed to overtake the world?  Is it possible that our greatest challenge is we are trying to find away around what is written to bring about the glory of the Most High and we refuse to see that it doesn’t work.  We experience trickles of glory under the old wineskin, but trickles when God is looking for floods to pour in is equivalent to Yeshua only being able to lay hands on a few sick in Nazareth, yet could do mighty works that the world couldn’t contain all that he did everywhere else.    Our people are ill-equipped, having only flickers of victory, and unaware of who they are in Christ to walk in victory, and even with no lack of ministries on every corner this reality still remains.  I am not talking about walking in victory amidst no challenges, but being able to hear and see God in the challenges we face. Being a believer doesn’t mean we will be exempt from challenges, in fact because the world hates our Lord it only stands that we will have more challenges. The issue I am addressing is knowing and being able to discern that the Father is with us through the challenges.

In the book of Samuel we see that despite the gross errors that Eli made in raising his sons, he was very clear on being able to help young Samuel discern the voice of the Almighty and train him in how he was to respond to that voice. Samuel was equipped for the role in which YHVH was calling him to. This is the responsibility that leadership has in the body of Christ today and sad to say many of us are doing what Eli did with his physical children with the Spiritual children God has given us. We have a responsibility to train our people to operate in the gift YHVH has given them, and to do so as if they were being called to replace us, holding nothing back for ourselves, or trying to hold on to our position; to do so is the very spirit of Saul and will lead to you being replaced. If God gave the position to you, He also has the right to take it away.  Do not overlook the fact that Saul lost the anointing though he was able to hold on to his position until death.  The gifts and the callings are without repentance, but the anointing is by selection and as it is given it can also be withdrawn.

As the Prophet Isaiah revealed, His ways are neither our ways nor His thoughts our thoughts. We don’t get to choose who God will or won’t use; we are not called to stop them from blossoming into their purpose even if that purpose is to replace us. As faithful servants, we are called to serve the Most High reserving nothing for ourselves, but giving it all to Him and trusting that He will reward our faithfulness. For some what that may look like in the natural is a demotion, but remember like Joseph our Father will give us a coat of our confirmation only to allow it to be dipped in blood, and us to be thrown into pits, enduring through slavery, and dropped into a place of punishment called prison before we are promoted to our position of authority seated at His right hand in His Son Yeshua.

So this message today is to the leadership of the body of Christ. To those who are called out to call Yah’s people in. Let loose the reigns and allow the gifts to operate, expect God to speak through his body and like anything that is not exercised expect that at first it will be weak and correction, instruction, and direction will have to be used until it matures but don’t give up. Don’t allow fear of mistakes to stop you from doing what Ephesians 4 says you are here to do, train those Samuel’s, prepare those Deborah’s, encourage those Joshua’s because we are in the hour where it is vitally important for the body to become comfortable hearing the voice of God and moving in the Spiritual Gifts that His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension paid for us to have access to.

Turn on the Light

In the wake of so many acts of terrorism and in uncovering past terrors of the seed of Joseph there has been a resurgence of anger and the spirit of James and John wanting to call down fire and brimstone on those who have oppressed us.  However, the message that I received loud and clear is to turn on the light, not to focus on the darkness.  If we look at our forefather Abraham we will discover that he was told that he would be a blessing unto all nations, and indeed that is what we have fulfilled.  More nations have prospered from our free tumultuous labor, and even today our natural talents, gifts, and abilities continue to be admired, admonished, and recognized worldwide.  However, the danger of allowing the atrocities of our past and in some cases our current situation to influence us we fall prey to failing to live up to our purpose.  Abraham was never purposed to curse anyone, this is something that we would be best served in leaving in the hands of YHVH who is the righteous judge on our behalf, or the enemy HaSatan whom YHVH turns his enemies over too.  Either way it is not a domain that we will be blessed in focusing on. Remember it is YHVH who will bless those who bless us and curse those who curse us. (Gen. 12:3)

I firmly believe that YHVH will avenge all the righteous bloodshed that has been shed since Abel, but our position is to turn on the light.  One of the key scriptures that more and more YHVH reminds me of is Proverbs 4:7.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”

If we gain the understanding that our forefather Joseph did we can then focus on the purpose of our tragedy, rather than the pain of it.  It is our tragedy that makes us the seed of Joseph, the fact that we can go through the past of our brothers throwing us in a pit, being sold into slavery twice over, only to leave slavery and be wrongfully incarcerated, to one day find ourselves being the chosen of Yah to deliver the world from a coming judgment.  Yet, all that I have mentioned doesn’t complete the picture of our past, but rather how we respond when we are in power, how we respond to those who are responsible for our demise, do we only look at the darkness that their choices led us to or do we also look at the light that we have been called to as we were humbled through our circumstances?  If we are looking at the misery, the harsh bondage, and the abuse, but not looking at the Deliverer then we are going to make the same mistake that our forefathers made in Egypt the first time.  Rather than rejoicing in the fact that the deliverer had come, they focused on the here and now and the hellish situation they found themselves in. This mistake caused them to suffer through the first three plagues that came upon Egypt.

So here’s the question what is it going to take for us to focus on the Light?  How many plagues are we going to have to endure before we realize that our persecutor isn’t our issue, our disobedience to the command of YHVH is our issue.  We have yet to fulfill the purpose to which we were created because we are too busy looking at our enemy and trying to please them.  Turning to the world system to bail us out or deliver us from our current circumstance.  Listen to me in 2019 Pharaoh is going to once again have a dream, a dream that only Joseph is equipped to decode.  The Pharaoh of this world system is going to be looking for a Hebrew to walk them into their destiny.  We cannot be distracted by hate, Joseph’s animosity over his circumstance cost him two more years before the opportunity presented itself to come into his destiny.  It was a dream that brought him into bondage, but also a dream that got him out of it.  The word for this hour for those who have been oppressed, mistreated, abused, and cast aside is to stand still and see the salvation of YHVH. (Exo 14:13)  We will not only be dreamers but we will be called to interpret dreams and develop solutions to avoid future nightmares.

Don’t rehearse the darkness of our day, stand in the light of the truth.  The enemy will use the facts of our past to keep us from the truth of God’s word.  Don’t miss your hour of visitation.  Do not allow the injustices of today to keep you from pressing in to receive your purpose.  Look at the sufferings that we endure as only further evidence to who we truly are, and count it all joy as you suffer persecution for righteousness sake.  We need not look to the left (Democrat) nor to the right (Republican) because our salvation will come from YHVH. The butler will forget our contributions, until the time our contributions are once again needed.  Our gifts are for a reason and a season, and we must remember it’s not until it is pitch black, and eyes are open that one recognizes the crucial importance that light brings.

 

Secular Christianity

In the West, we have created with our actions a new category of Christianity. This new segment of Christianity is not focused on doing what is right but rather on fitting in. In an effort to be relevant to this generation we have chosen to be defiled before Yah. To reach the world we become worldly.  Today we would be hard-pressed to know the difference between a Christian and a non-believer. The practices of those who profess salvation mirror greatly the lifestyle of those who are not. Women who are backbiters, immodest in conduct and attire, drinking, smoking, and profane, with questionable character as their word is smooth as water yet lacks consistency. Ladies, we must do better, we must take off the world’s definition of Christianity which imitates that of the world and put on true holiness and godliness without which no man, nor woman will see God. (Heb. 12:14)

To the deflectors, many would say why am I being so hard on the women, and to which I would say as a woman because scripture doesn’t teach women to teach men. There is a purpose for which God has created me a woman and it is as a woman I live in this life. I believe that if we as women or if men as men would focus on the ministry that they are called to rather than always pointing fingers concerning the role and position of those who don’t walk in their shoes we would be able to make a difference in eternity. A deflector spends their life focusing on others as a way of avoiding the issues that they have with themselves. Please understand this article is not just written for your benefit, but as a two-edged sword to remind me that this is indeed a narrow walk we are called to.

As any parent who corrects their child does so in hopes of them rising above mediocrity, and encourages them to strive for achieving their best effort, so also does our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want to look at us and be reminded of the world and the sorry state it is in, but rather He wants to see the reflection of His Son. If this wasn’t the case He wouldn’t have eloquently defined us as members of His son’s body. (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18)

Secular Christianity is so pervasive that if you put a Christian next to someone who doesn’t believe in God, you really couldn’t tell the difference. Yet this ought not to be so. Scripture teaches us that friendship with the world is enmity with God. (James 4:4) It goes on to say that if anyone is a friend of the world they are enemies of God. Thus the concept of secular Christianity is an oxymoron in and of itself based on the scriptures definition. What makes a secular Christian?  A Christian who fears hell claims Yeshua as a man on a plane claims a parachute in the event the plane crashes, it doesn’t hurt to have insurance, right? However, the idea that accepting Yeshua as savior (parachute) is fine, but giving him lordship (meaning he is master, and solely determines what we do) is completely different. You mean God has the right to decide what I can and cannot eat, what holidays I should or shouldn’t keep, what day I should rest, and how I should dress? Now, that is a different story altogether.

In the past nine years as we have journeyed deeper in the scripture and begin finding that our identity as followers of Yeshua simply means that, we have come to realize that Lordship means exactly that. It means that we have been bought with a price and we can’t make up the rules as we go along. (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Cor. 7:23) We have learned that submitting ourselves to God’s will doesn’t mean that we can name and claim things, or demand the promises of God without living the life required to obtain those promises. Much as we can’t expect that our parents would reward us for disobeying their instructions. Or a judge would let us go for committing a crime. We have discovered rather that God’s love for us dictates that when we ignore his instructions that we open the door to the punisher so that the thing that God didn’t want us to have to suffer becomes the very thing we must go through to bring us back to him. It is far more merciful for us to reap our punishment on this end than to be a continual burnt offering in the lake of fire of God’s wrath which burns eternally for all the children of disobedience.

(Eph 2:2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

(Eph 5:6) Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

(Col 3:6) For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Indeed in times past we walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, and yes if we have not been washed in the blood of Yeshua we are a child of disobedience and as we read in these passages above the reward for such who choose that path is less than desirable. Death is a terrible wage to work our entire lives for, yet the unfortunate fact of the matter is millions will end up there and truly sad is they would have on this end called themselves Christians, yet they will be as those who Yeshua said to depart from Him. (Matt. 7:21) Why will these who call him Lord, Lord, find themselves in the same lake of fire as those who openly denounced him? Because they operated in the same spirit as those who were secular (of the world), they operated in disobedience to the Creator. They were lawless, workers of iniquity, without law, illegalistic, all of the above. We cannot live for him and live any kind of way at the same time, such a person is called double-minded.

(Jas 1:8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Either we are married to the Shepherd or we are in it simply because we don’t like the alternative. Escaping hell may get you in, but it won’t be a strong enough pull to keep you there. At some point we must want to be with God because we love him, we recognize and trust that His way of doing things is the best way. The biggest fallacy that believers are tempted to except is the one that says God knows I am human and I will make mistakes. Once we open the door to the acceptance that failure is not just an option but inevitable. Those who are lukewarm will find themselves going in a direction that will get them spewed out of the mouth of the Almighty.(Rev. 3:16)

Secular Christianity has many aspects, and we have just seen a few, but one other aspect which especially affects women more than men and we see this especially with the account of Eve in the garden. We have a tendency to put our spin on the truth which tends to add to the truth. Just as Eve added “not to touch it” to the instructions, we too like to create an understanding of the Almighty that is not based on scripture. When we relegate God to what we think he means, rather than what He says then we have just pulled him down to someone we can relate to, instead of acknowledging who He said he was. Does God want us to relate to Him? Yes, but on his terms, not ours. We see many examples of man relating to God starting from Abraham, but if we study the way they related to God, we see the reverence in their approach, and when they petitioned God on matters that would seem to indicate a more intimate approach it is done so based on understanding. To sum it up His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. (Isa. 55:8) Many of us don’t experience a breakthrough in areas we are pursuing God and expecting him to move because we don’t understand that principle.

We are all too willing to accept that Christ died for us, but not too willing to live in holiness, which scripture makes clear without which no man can see Him. (Heb. 12:14) Thus this is where we have a problem because to be secular is to be the opposite of holy, and if being relevant means embracing or walking, talking, or looking like the world to reach it than we have become an enemy to the Almighty.

The point I am making is that secular Christianity is NOT Christianity at all.  When the Father sees us does he see who he created us to be, or does he see who the world created?  Who we are in Christ should never be compromised regardless of where we go.  Even in the midst of sinners, it should be clear that there is something different about us.  If this is not the case and we have crossed the line then the fruit that we bear will be manifest.  I would encourage you to ask yourself some questions, how comfortable are those who do not know the Lord with you?  Do they see that there has been a change in your life?  How well do you fit in with the world?  If your answer to these questions indicate that there is no difference, if you fit in well, then you are secular NOT Christian.

A Disciplined Life in Messiah

What exactly is a disciplined life in Messiah?  Has the Western Church become vulnerable to the plagues that have challenged the rest of Western civilization? Could we be guilty of the sin of Asa?  Are we seeking the physician’s wisdom instead of Yah? (2 Chr 16:12) We individually must answer this question through much time of prayer and steadfast seeking the Lord for correction.

As a nation love for money has overcome our love for people, and so, leads to symptom treatment instead of cures. Self-preservation instead of searching for viable solutions. Solutions found in the word of God that are overlooked are the key to why we suffer diseases. Countless examples are found of men of God who didn’t die of disease and the one who did, did so because he sought a physician instead of Yah for a remedy. (2 Ch. 16:12) There is a lesson in that for us, we’d do well to take heed to.

Who are we seeking for answers? Who did Moses, Abraham, David, Paul, Peter, James, John, look to for health solutions? Now don’t get it twisted I realize Yah can and does use mankind in healing men the same way He used Moses as the instrument by which the children of Israel received freedom. The point is are we seeking Him first for answers, are we being led by His Spirit? Do His sheep listen for His voice or forsake it for a stranger?

It just bothers me when we put our hopes in the things Yah has allowed mankind to discover more then Yah who gave it to us. He has the power and authority to flip the script as He sees fit. When we get to the point where we call the shots then we are in trouble. Where we are relying on last season’s serpent as the answer this season’s plague, instead of YHVH’s voice.

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Rom 8:19)

I believe the cure to our broken world, famine, disease, poverty, etc… Is when we who are the Sons of God wake up to our identity. When we come to the full stature, mature body walking together in love with an ear to heaven unbroken. There will be the manifestation, and this revelation right here the enemy is fighting with every arsenal he has at his disposal to keep us from experiencing. Thus as I began, the Torah trains us through a disciplined obedient loving relationship with Yah how to stay well to accomplish our mission. Believers should not be taken out this life through disease, murdered for preaching the Gospel, is at least in the realm of possibility. But the diseases of Egypt, the plagues upon humanity at large, should escape us.

For standing for righteousness, yes scripture makes clear, but through disease predicated on an undisciplined lifestyle, this shouldn’t be. He said He wouldn’t put none of the diseases He put on Egypt on us, if we hearken to His voice, do that which is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments.

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. (Exo 15:26)

Somewhere we are coming up short and a sick world is the evidence of our lack of obedience. This promise, of course, applies to the church, which is His body, NOT a building.

We know these benefits never was for those out of covenant. Believers living life in loving obedience to the Father means we would hear Yah who would then direct us in how to bring about liberty for those outside of Covenant for the end purpose of drawing them into the covenant. For its the goodness of Yah that leads men to repentance. (Rom. 2:4)

Once they are set free and learn those things that offend Yah then they are able to share with others what was done for them and see others set free by the power of the Almighty. The diseases provide a platform for believers to reach unbelievers through Yah using us as He did Aaron and Moses to bring people into covenant with the Creator.

A disciplined life produces a disciplined life in others. We can’t do this without Him. But the first step is acknowledging that we are not adhering to His voice, doing that which is right in His sight, giving ear to His commandments or statutes, and as a result, we are not reaping the benefits of what springs forth from a disciplined life.

Forbearing One Another

In this life, we go through many different changes, yet we can often be oblivious of the flaws in our own armor. This makes it increasingly more clear why Paul, though he fervently asked God to remove had to live in this life with this “thorn” in his flesh. Sympathy is something many of us lack the ability to comprehend until we are the ones in need of it. The two scriptures that have inspired this article reminds us to walk in the same compassion with the same perspective of ourselves while considering others.

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1-3)

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (Col. 3:12-14)

What an interesting way to see yourself; as the prisoner of the Lord and as the elect (chosen) of God. Consider the manner of man Paul is exhorting us to be? A man so changed by the Gospel of Christ, a man who was once persecuting and killing believers is now the prisoner, bondservant, elect of God and encouraging us to be likewise. In our busy world taking the time to walk with someone in humility, lowliness and a meek in manner, with longsuffering (patient) forbearing (understanding) one another in love is rarely seen.  We easily forget that we have the same need that our brother or sister now possess. In our right now, immediate gratification world this truth can be very easy to forget. But there is no getting away from the love of the Most High. He has compassion for us and he fully understands the challenges that we are afflicted with in this life. As Messiah Yeshua pinned so well, “in the world you shall have tribulation,…” This statement alone is a mouthful, but in this instance, we can thank Yah for the but, “but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Marriage is a constant reminder of this word “forbear” which is strongs# G430 (anechomai).  This word means to “put up with” or “hold oneself up to”.  Realizing this what exactly does marriage do for us?  It’s a constant exercise in the fruit of the Spirit for we will learn love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, and even some of those more difficult fruit of the Spirit like patience, meekness, and self-control.  We learn to put up with our spouse’s ways that seem foreign or tedious, at times even annoying.  Why?  Because at the same time we should also be looking in the mirror at ourselves and if we are not, we can count on our spouses to point out our imperfections.  The revelation of which should humble us so that we can “put up with” or “forbear” with them as they too must learn obedience through suffering, walk from faith to faith, and glory to glory.  Understanding that we are being made perfect, we have not yet arrived, and as we extend the same compassion to them that we demand we gain the riches of growing closer to looking, living, and walking in the path of the one our hearts truly long for, our Messiah Yeshua!

Welcoming in 2019

For many of us last year was a year of embracing lots of change, challenges, and finishing.  There has been an intense battle, restructuring, and coming into acceptance of some things.  The political unrest has only added to the personal drama that has unfolded in the lives of those of us in America, or perhaps I will say my life.  Nevertheless, we mustn’t spend too much time focusing on what the headlines are screaming at us, but rather listen for that still small voice that leads us by cloud during the day and by a pillar of fire at night.  The thing about a pillar is it has presence, its steady, and you aren’t going to easily move it, you can choose to move around it or step ahead of it, but it would be in your best interest to first know what it its there to do before making that choice.  Many of us have experienced the pain and trauma associated with side stepping the plan God has had for our life and experienced the turmoil that occurs when we ignore or try to go ahead of that pillar.  Other’s of us have been instructed to make a move and that same pillar that lead us ahead because of our procrastination has caused us to lose our season of opportunity that God has for us.  Standing is only a bad thing when God has told you to walk, walking is only a bad thing if God has told you to sit, and sitting is only a bad thing if God has told you to stand.  Understanding what God is saying to us right now is highly important.  There are three lessons so far that I have been taught this year that I personally need to work on.  I pray this lesson for me also blesses you.  These lessons are not ordinal but all three are equally as important in order to be where you need to be in 2019 as we prepare for 6019 in the months ahead.

• Taking Authority in Yeshua’s Name January 1 I celebrated the 16th year anniversary of marriage to my husband.  I am always excited as I think about how God brought us through another year.  Another year of growth, maturity, and challenges.  Anyone who tells you the two becoming one is a cake walk has lied to you.  Marriage is work, but it is worthwhile.  On this day I found myself with stomach pains and usually I know what the culprit is when IBS symptoms arrive but there was no reason whatsoever that I could figure out why I was experiencing this.  Then it came to me that this is the enemy.  I had just committed to my year of listening through the word of God.  Made a conscious repented decision to forgive all those that I might have been holding any resentment against, and essentially cleaned my slate for a fresh start.  When I came to myself and realized that the enemy had no angle by which he could justifiably bring this pain to me I just finally decided enough was enough and took authority in Yeshua’s name over the pain.  Did my due diligence of laying on of my hands with application of peppermint oil on my abdomen and prayer.  Put my foot down in the Spirit realm and told the pain it had to go, and chose to believe what I said.  I realized then that if we are where we ought to be in the one nine that the enemy has no authority to attack us.
• Sticking to the pattern On day two I have been learning how to teach English to chinese students and every mentor has been very helpful at providing instruction.  What I have to say I appreciate about the process is their commitment to excellence and their approach to correction.  Their form of mentoring is much the way I believe the Father corrects us.  Especially when He sees that we are trying our best.  Rather then discouraging you from trying, they encourage you to keep going.  What the Father revealed to me through this process was the importance of sticking to the pattern.  I am learning through this process that we lose points in our walk with God when we ad lib or appropriate creative license.  One of the lessons they teach is because each student will likely come across many different instructors when you change the wording of a sentence you effect their ability to understand what you are saying and to progress in their development.  Spiritually this taught me that when we apply creative license to the pattern God has provided for our lives we affect the growth and development of those we mentor.  Remember its not all about you but all about the person you are teaching learning what you have to offer.  In the Kingdom of God it is all about us sticking to the pattern of God’s word our success and legacy is dependent on how we stick to the pattern established. Like an actor reading a script, you don’t get to pick the words in the script the director/producer does.
• Knowing His Voice – I have read through the bible 3 times in my lifetime, but this year I have been impressed upon to hear the bible.  Sometimes we can read words and miss something, that if we are listening to it will jump right out at us.  I have begun the process of listening through the bible and allowing the Lord to determine where I start.  It is going to be important in this hour that we become more accustomed to hearing the voice of the Father and knowing when he is speaking and when he is not.

It has been a while since I have written an entry on Transformation LIfestyle, I look forward to the fresh manna YHVH will be sharing this year and praying that you have a prosperous New Year in 2019 and when the Biblical New Year of 6019 comes in a few months from now.

It Gets old

We are told in scripture to put on the full armor of God. What happens when your armor gets worn in the natural? Finding and assembling the perfect armor doesn’t come easy. David understood that armor wasn’t one size fits all and fancy doesn’t mean effective, nor guarantees comfort or function. Most things get worse with time.

I remember my first pair of SAS shoes and my first pair of skechers. They made me feel like I was walking on air and I wore them both until they could not be worn any more. Primarily because they were so comfortable, but I made the mistake many of us make after that first pair. I assumed that over time things would not change with them. That the same quality I received from the first pair would continue with my next pair.

Like a drug dealer things start out real cheap to get you started, but become real expensive once hooked. My skechers when I first bought them were $11, by the time I wore those out another pair would cost me $80. Yet the $80 shoe was not nearly as durable or comfortable as the $11 pair.

Start up companies tend to be that way they start out with the customer in mind, get you hooked then without notice it switches from customer focused to dollar focused. Not sure if manufacturer change as popularity increase or if companies really believe people are so stupid that if we’re drawn to a company based on quality that once the name gained fame the quality could diminish and we’d keep buying it?

Well I have been in search of that first pair of shoes from both companies, and my SAS shoes are way too expensive to make my first mistake twice so I have put them down altogether. Point I’m making is this, time doesn’t make things better not for people, not for products, not the world. A renewed mind can make for a better spirit man, but time insures that your physical state may increase, but your Spirit man doesn’t operate on that principle the potential for your Spirit to get better with time is great, as we build our armor with experience with God and understanding of his word. Your physical strength, your hair, your teeth, anything you use or have will continue to move downward. Yet we in the technological age would rather believe things are progressing. Contrary to scripture and nature itself we continue to believe things are getting better when the evidence just beneath the surface of the beautiful decor reflects the holes and cracks we so eloquently hide. Having no evidence to the contrary we believe the first millennium man was archaic and less advanced yet he lived 930 years when we barely make it to 70 and many of those who make it to that age suffer from health issues that suggests existence but barely could call it living.

The world needs Yah, a life without hope in Messiah YeHoSHua is just existence without purpose. We become days of output and put in like machines accomplishing something, but life having no meaning. We are lost, wretched and miserable without Yah. We are like those first pair of SAS shoes we start out floating on air in this life but with time we recognize we are in need of a new life and we make the mistake of thinking we can find that through our original supplier only to discover they are coming up short. Only the new man in Christ can have purpose, understand this nonsensical world and elevate to floating on air by a means beyond the natural man.

Thus we are admonished to put on the new man and to take off the old. Only in Christ is the remedy resolved by the new rather then the old, yet He has been the answer from the beginning and his remedy is not new, but we have to be renewed to see it.