Harry Potter and Holiness

Wow, every where I look there is something about the Harry Potter (you can change this to whatever movie/book that is popular in the world).  I have no desire to read the books or watch the movies, and it really bothers me that so many people who are  "Christ followers" recommend it.  What's wrong with it? It's just harmless entertainment, right?  Is it?  For those who have made it known that they serve YHVH, the God of the Bible, the God of both the Jews and the Christians, this post is for them.  To challenge and encourage them to raise the standard in which they/I currently live. (Please note that I struggle in this area. I have used worldly standards not Biblical standards in my entertainment. This post signifies the change in my standards. I just want to be clear for those who know me. I am not being hypocritical, I am taking responsibility for my actions...and no, I've never watched or read Harry Potter...but this post is not about Harry Potter, it is about all entertainment choices we make.)

 Does it matter to our God what we do? What we think about? How we act? Does He have guidelines for our entertainment habits?

Anyone reading my blog, likely already knows that I study Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible. If any other Scripture in the Bible is contrary to Torah then I'm missing something, I'm reading it through the wrong "lenses".  The Bible can NOT contradict itself....EVER.  If it seems like it does then there is something wrong with how I'm interpreting it. Okay, now back to the questions....

Exodus 19:5-7

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁵ Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My ^[a]own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; ⁶ and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

Philippians 4:8

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is ^[a]lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, ^[b]dwell on these things.

In Exodus it tells us that if we belong to Him, we are a kingdom of priests and a holy nation! Doesn't that mean we should be seeking to be undefiled and holy?  We choose what goes into our minds, life or death. Maybe some of you remember that really old Gaither album LIFE, there was a song on there called Input/Output.

Input, Output, what goes in is what goes out,
Input, Output, that is what it's all about
Input, Output, life is a computer (something, can't think of the word!!)
Input, Output, daily you must choose.

Let the Bible be your daily feed, It's got all the DATA you need!

Rid your mind of sinful bytes, then you should turn out allllright! (or something like that)

 Rarely are we forced against our will to watch a movie or read a book that shows life contrary to how YHVH wants us to live. The fact is that Torah (as well as apostle Paul) teaches that we are to focus on loving and serving our God by keeping His commandments and learning how He wants us to live. In fact, Yahshua told us in Matt 22:37 He told him, "`You are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.' 38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. 39 And a second is similar to it, `You are to love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot."CJB
So, how then do we love YHVH with all our being? Here are some words straight from Yahshua's mouth.
John 14:¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commands; ¹⁶ and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforting Counselor like me, the Spirit of Truth, to be with you forever.<sup>" CJB

 So what exactly are His commands? Keeping in mind that Yahshua is God's perfect son, even while being God Himself....so that brings us back to Matt 22:37-40, the most important commandments....notice that verse 40 says that ALL the Torah and Prophets fall into place under these two commandments. He was simply listing the two main ones. So in Torah we find a list of at least 613 mizvot (commandments), not all apply to everyone, there are some for women that have nothing to do with men and some for Levites that don't apply to everyone....and if you read them all, you will notice that they are not hard...they just go into more detail than the 10 commandments that most of us grew up memorizing.

So this brings me back to the question. Does God care about our entertainment decisions? Does He care about how we live our lives? Does He care about what we fill our minds with?

YES! He cares about everything we do. All I've read in Scripture tells me that He gave us the Torah, because He DOES care about what we do, and therefore gives us guidelines to follow. They are not hard to follow, IF we want to please Him with our whole being. IF we are willing to die to our selfish desires. IF we love Him enough to forsake all else</sup>.

<sup>Now having said that, I feel compelled to tell you that I fall short....a lot.  I started watching The X-Files a month ago...and now I feel convicted, it's a waste of time.
I am constantly having to change and live my life according to HIS standards, not my own. It's a battle everyday, to make the right choices. To die to self, and serve Him. To die to self, and serve my family. To die to self, and serve others.

Philippians 2:
12</sup> Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
 
^{Let us keep HIS words in our hearts and minds, so that it becomes easier and easier to obey Him and not our selfish desires. I want everything I do to reflect Him...oh I have a long way to go. But it is my desire to please Him and show Him how much I love Him in my obedience.} 

 

Happy Hanukkah

We went to our first Hanukkah party last night! Lots of laughs and hilarity all round!  I love how parties that are centered on YHVH, include Scripture, a Godly reason for celebrating! I'm not much of a "fun party-girl" being first-born and all, but I sure enjoy watching others have fun! That is how I have fun...watching others have fun....I love to be able to sit back and observe."

A few friends did some fun lip-synching to some fun songs....just seeing two moms dancing and singing, acting like their teenagers was incredibly fun to watch. I even caught a video of it on my smartphone! lol

This year we are learning how to play dreidel.  I bought a bunch of wooden dreidels and chocolate coins to give to our neighbors as well! They often bring xmas things over so this year we will reciprocate with our dreidels.  I just have to figure out my new laptop and make little cards with the rules etc. and they are ready to go!

Once again, I've decided to take a break from facebook....it was taking up too much of my time. Wouldn't you know, a few days after I deactivated my account, people started asking for my business cards! Please YHVH, use me for Your glory!! 

I suppose this is sort of the equivilent to a xmas card...so I will add some family info too...lol

Malachi-not sure what to say about him....he's been nicknamed "Calvin" from Calvin & Hobbes...if that gives you any kind of indication about his nature....lol  He's a very smart, mischievous boy, who loves to help mama on preparation day, getting ready for Shabbat. Then sings "Shabbat Shalom" at the top of his lungs at random times when the house seems too quiet to his little ears...lol

Shyla-always the little songbird....becoming a graceful young girl as she learns to dance by standing in the middle of the dancing teens during Shabbat or Feast day gatherings.  Hopefully she can teach this two left-footed mama! She is learning to read and math comes easy for her. It's sometimes hard to remember that there are 3 yrs between her and Malachi as they are almost the same size! She is a little mother, it is so neat to see this maternal spirit in her at such a young age. Her desire to learn the skills of a Proverbs 31 woman is already deeply embedded in her.  I bought the Homestead Blessings series for her and I to learn together...there is so much I don't know!

Silas-almost as tall as I am already.....I have to constantly remind myself he is just 11 yrs old! The awkward inbetween years....with no one his own age in our Shabbat group, it's hard for him.  Not really fitting in with the teens because they have been exposed to that much more than him, he is often lost in conversation. I well remember those years in my own life...oh how I hated them...he enjoys playing with his lego and is excited the outdoor skating rink is open already! He just discovered Jonathan Parks audiobooks and we're all enjoying those!  He still loves reading and we certainly encourage him in this area...we are looking for glasses for him right now. Jamie and I both got glasses around that age so it was just a matter of time I suppose!  He has been making money shoveling snow for various neighbors....like father like son!

Jamie is working for a landscaping company again this winter doing snow removal.  I sure enjoy his time home! We all do...lol  

Well, I suppose that's all the "news" from our home right now. We wish all our friends and family a holiday season full of love.

Shalom   

 

Are you a Super woman or an Abiding woman?

Super woman

1. Does

2. Tries to impress others

3. Is controlled by an agenda

4. Her self worth is found in her accomplishments

5. Her peace is found in the 'perfect' environment

6. She is discouraged by failure

7. She expects perfection from herself and others

8. She teaches her kids to be good

9. She is frustrated with her lack of spiritual fruit

10. She does things with her children

11. Her perspective is based on what is seen

12. She chooses quantity of activities

Abiding Woman

1. Is (Ps 46:10)

2. Pleases Yahweh (Eph 5:10; Pr 29:25)

3. Is controlled by the Ruach haKodesh (Gal 5:22-26)

4. Her self worth is found in an accurate view of who

she is in Y'shua haMashiach (Eph 2:10)

5. Her peace is found in Y'shua in the midst of any

storm (Is 26:3)

6. Failure reminds her that Yah's strength is made

perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9-10)

7. She practices grace with herself and others (Eph 4:32)

8. She teaches her kids to be Godly (Pr 22:6)

9. She abides in Messiah and bears much fruit (John 15:5)

10. She builds a relationship with her children (Deut 6:6-7)

11. Her perspective is based on what is unseen (Col 3:2)

12. She chooses the most excellent Way (1 Cor 13)

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made....

This is how I viewed each and every baby I've carried in my womb. Why then is it so hard to view myself in that same way? Why is it easier to give to others, instead of taking care of my needs? Why do I try to get others to take care of their physical ailments in a natural way, while I go on ignoring my own medical needs? This is not a matter of "mama is tending to her families needs" but something much deeper....more ominous.

REJECTION

I have learned to reject myself. I don't fully know why, when or how it crept in. I know that I am the 3rd generation of women rejected in some way by their earthly fathers, and in my case it was perceived rejection, not even true rejection!!!

I have known about this curse in my life for over 4 yrs now. It's time to stop passing the curse on to my children and start confronting it and doing major battle against it. Time to "reject" the curse of rejection!!! Here's my plan of action:

This winter, I am focusing on who I am as a child of Yahweh. I will be posting verses on facebook that tell me AND others who I am....and I am going to start believing my Creator! I am also going to start speaking these verses over my children...out loud, so they can hear it too! Blessing them morning, noon and night.  I have to stop this curse somehow, and I think it starts with choosing to believe the Truth and then acting on it!!!

JUDAH - DID YOU KNOW?

by Agatha van der Merwe
a re-identifying 10-Triber
A heart rendering plea to Judah for acceptance,

Judah did you know?
There is a hidden remnant of people
Scattered and sown 'mongst the nations afar,
Who discovered we are your brother, Joseph

Responding to a voice that is calling
“This is the way back to the fold.”

Judah did you know?
Bodies that were lying lifeless for ages,
Are waking from long generations of slumber,
Our hearts and ears now being circumcised
To hear the ancient Song of Moses
As in Devarim 32 it was told.

Judah did you know?
When we hear your ancient language,
Something deep in our souls is being stirred.
Tears rolling down our lifting faces
As we find ourselves responding to a seed being watered
Planted in our hearts, thousands of generations old.

Judah did you know?
This is a frightening thing to behold,
When we who are being called from the nations,
Begin to study the Torah right from the start,
Discovering just like Jeremiah told our fathers,
The lies of generations that we were told.

Judah did you know?
Not many are there to accompany us,
As we turn and do teshuvah to HaShem,
Coming forward in isolation,
Truly one from a city and two from a family
Rejected by family, friend and our fold.
as Jeremiah the prophet foretold.

Judah did you know?
For many years we loved you, silently from afar.
The reason until now was unknown to us,
When unexplained, the Spirit would come upon us
Driven to prayer for your return to Eretz Israel,
While we so longed to be one of your own.

Judah did you know?
When seeing pictures of your sages and faithful people
Holding and bending over your precious Torah scrolls
A voiceless yearning came over us,
Respect that can not be put to words,
This unidentified feeling hidden silently in our hearts.

Judah did you know?
When we saw you coming together,
For the Feasts as the Torah commands.
A longing so painful would pull us …
Hearing the joyful sounds of your music,
Our inner man too wanted to dance with you!

Judah did you know?
Now, like children we are learning your Torah
Stumbling, questioning towards that ancient road
By a light growing stronger every day
Driven by an intensifying hunger
For this treasure so long being hidden from us..

Judah did you know?
Our hearts are longing for the faith of our fathers,
Of Moses and the prophets of old.
Your Halachah O, so very unknown to us.
Please may we take hold of your tzitzit,
As you begin to teach us as Zechariah foretold?

Judah did you know?
We do understand your hesitancy to trust us,
With your living heritage so dear to you.
We don't look like your brothers,
Just foreigners out there, from the nations
Still clad in our former goyishe gear.

Judah did you know?
During darkness and wars that you endured,
Claiming back your inheritance in Eretz Yisra’el,
A faithful remnant of us 'mongst the nations
Embracing the Covenant of our Fathers,
Also prayed and lay down their lives, in order to carry you through.

Judah did you know?
In the recent war fought in Gaza
We watched and prayed daily
As our hearts were crying out to you.
If only we could make aliyah,
We would have been able to fight with you too.

Judah did you know?
The House of Joseph is waiting
As Ezekiel in chapter 37 foretold
This Spirit is breathing upon us,
To take on the Yoke of The Kingdom
That we can worship Hashem together, forever united with you.

Judah did you know?
Upon us the Spirit of repentance endears,
As we're drawn back to HaShem and His fold.
Wont you please now take our hands in fellowship,
So that we in this final generation,
Together, may be restored to His Promised Land?

Halloween, Do You Celebrate?

An Open Halloween Letter from an Ex-Pagan

Image by Tattooed JJ via Flickr

I'm delighted to bring you a guest post from my dear friend and prayer partner, Pennie DeWitt. I hope you will read her words carefully and prayerfully. Now I'll let her introduce herself:

Hi. My name is Pennie De Witt and I'm a recovering occultist. A former slave to Satan. Below are just some of the thoughts that have been pouring through my mind today.


Can I do pagan things if I just don't think of them as pagan?


What if I dance naked around the fire for Jesus instead of for Hecate?


What if I get a new deck of Tarot cards, assign each of them a Bible story, and use them to get closer to God?


Why don't I redeem orgies and abortion for Christ while I'm at it?


For that matter, why don't I just open back up for business as a psychic and dedicate it to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?


Isn't it okay to do house cleansings with a rattle? Well, how about if I ditch the rattle and just wear the mask? Would it be better if I put a smile on the mask? And how about, while I'm wearing the mask I go reveling with my friends, but only for candy? How about if I just make a Talisman and put a cute, innocent, funny-face on it?


Of course I would never do such things!


It doesn't matter if you change your intentions. If you read the Bible you'll see, as I have, that the one thing that always ticked God off the most was when His people adopted the customs of the pagans. It was an abomination to Him.


He is the same yesterday, today and always. And it still angers Him today when we adopt pagan customs, even if we try to do them "with different intentions," and "redeem them for Christ."


As I sit and watch many of my Christian brothers and sisters posting on Facebook about their Halloween festivities, my heart breaks. I'm frightened for them, for our nation, and for God's people.


You see, I spent 26 years in the occult. I started out with Wicca as an adolescent, and throughout the years moved on to every corner of alternative spirituality that I could find - Shamanism, New Thought, Rosicrucianism, Eastern Mysticism - you name it.


At age 24 I became a professional psychic. I spent fifteen years serving Satan this way. I made a lot of money, got my own radio show and developed a world-wide following. I thought I was on top of the world.


Slowly, my world started falling apart. Before it was over, I was being evicted from my home, and my daughter was writhing on the floor, growling, hissing and clawing at the carpet on a daily basis.


I sought answers. I tried all my techniques. I reached out to others and, eventually, I started praying. I told God that if He didn't give me some answers soon, I was going to kill myself so I could stand before Him and get them myself.


Then one morning I was hiking behind my house, and I noticed something moving next to my shoe. I took a couple steps past it and turned around. It was a rattler, coiled, and ready to strike. I looked around and realized I was alone on that mountain. If I got bitten, I could definitely die.


Suddenly, as I stood frozen in front of that snake, it was like the sky opened up, and I saw the King of the Universe sitting on His throne. And for the first time in my life I feared Him. He was so perfect.


I thought, "I could never measure up to that perfection. No matter how perfect I made myself, I could never come close to that."


His purity was like a clean fire. It would burn me up in an instant. That's when I started thinking, "Maybe those Christians have a good idea with that redemption thing."


So, you know what I did after that? I went home and did the only thing I knew to do. I looked up "snake" in my power animal dictionaries. In dictionary after dictionary, the message rang loud and clear: "Give yourself over to transformation, let the old die so that the new may be reborn, let go, new life, new spiritual path..." It would have been almost spooky if it hadn't been so precious. He met me right where I was, and he spoke to me in MY language. I wouldn't have listened to anything else.


I knew those terms, "reborn," and "new life." I knew those were from the Bible. I wondered if perhaps the Christians could help me, so I went to church and started investigating Christianity. It took several months of reading and studying, seeking answers to my questions and facing my fears.

Finally, as I sat on my bed one night, reading "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel, it finally hit me! That twisted, tortured figure on the cross was there out of compassion for ME! Jesus died for ME! God cared about me so much that He came to this planet in human form and did this for ME. He saw me, He knew me, He understood my pain and my suffering. He felt it, and He wanted to carry it for me. My whole life culminated in this one moment, and I could see that it had all happened for a reason, that God had been pursuing me through it all. I mattered.


I curled up in a little ball and just sobbed. I was ready to give it all up to Him and let Him take care of me.


That Sunday, Sept 9th, 2007, I got saved. I admitted I was wrong, that I had disobeyed God. I renounced all my occult practices and was set free.


The following Saturday I burned all my occult books and paraphernalia, and eleven decks of Tarot cards, per Acts 19:19-20.


Sunday, Sept 16, 2007, I was baptized.


A few weeks later, my sister got saved and left prostitution and the porn industry.


I sit here watching some of my loved ones turn away from the occult, and yet I see many others still entrapped - people dying in sweat lodges, for example. And then I see the very people who threw me the lifeline now turning toward what nearly destroyed me.


I don't understand. Is Halloween that important? What is so valuable about costumes and Jack-o-Lanterns and candy that it can't be renounced for this God who loves us so much?


I've read articles in which people say things like, "I'm not going to let Satan take away my fun." What is Satan's "fun" compared to the joy of the Lord? He can have Halloween for all I care! There's no fun for me in celebrating Satan's schemes.


My daughter, who was raised from birth in occultism, doesn't miss it at all. She once said, "I can't wait 'til Halloween so we can NOT celebrate it!"

Halloween is pagan, it's based on witchcraft, and it's part of my old life. All things have been made new for me. I don't even feel I need an alternative. I'm not missing anything. In fact, I plan on spending my evening in prayer for those who are still in slavery to Satan. I am eternally grateful to the Lord for the sacrifice He made, and giving up Halloween is the least I can do. I'm free now! Why bother putting my chains back on for one night, in the name of fun, or tradition, or anything else?

Contentment

Was sitting outside in the backyard with my coffee this morning, listening to the peels of laughter coming from the trampoline as I watched Jamie playing with the kids. Content smile.
The sun on my face as I leaned back in my comfy reclining lawn chair, breathing deeply as I enjoyed the gentle warmth. Another Content smile.
Looked over at my garden and admired the odd things that popped up, red leaf lettuce in amongst the tomatoes, large spaghetti squash almost ready to be picked, sunflowers growing willy nilly. Again a Content smile.

What a blessed Shabbat this is! My heart full of peace and contentment. Even while thinking about the tap in the basement that's now leaking. The fact that Canada has pulled their diplomats from Iran and has closed the Canadian embassy there. Feels like war on the horizon....but me? I'm full of peace. It's been a while since I've felt my Father draw me to Him...telling me to come close to Him, seek Him, do what I need to do while in this season of teshuva.  Time to get on my face and repent, ask forgiveness and forgive.
I've avoided this, since the beginning of the month Elul. But Father is drawing me in, I can't avoid it any longer...I don't even want to! Isn't it amazing how our loving Abba knows exactly what we need in order to face our fears and simply obey.

Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat Shalom

The Times in Which We Live

Today during our family Bible reading we read  II Timothy 4:1-5 CJB

" I solemnly charge you before God and the Messiah Yeshua, who will judge the living and the dead when he appears and establishes his Kingdom: 2 proclaim the Word! Be on hand with it whether the time seems right or not. Convict, censure and exhort with unfailing patience and with teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not have patience for sound teaching, but will cater to their passions and gather around themselves teachers who say whatever their ears itch to hear. 4 Yes, they will stop listening to the truth, but will turn aside to follow myths. 5 But you, remain steady in every situation, endure suffering, do the work that a proclaimer of the Good News should, and do everything your service to God requires."

 Then while at the library reading my favorite blogs, linked on the side here, I came across one that really spoke to me.  I don't want to become desensitized to the world, even if people don't agree with my convictions.  Recently in our Bible study, we read that to have the "fear of God" is to hate what is evil.  This makes it really hard to function in this world that we live in.  For one, everyone is on their own spiritual journey and it is not often we find others who are in the same spot at the same time as us!  This is where grace comes in....I ask YHVH for this grace on a daily basis.  Not only do I NEED grace in my own life, but I also need to EXTEND grace to others, especially my family whom I am with every day.  Showing my children grace and mercy as I correct bad attitudes/behaviours and apologize for my own!  Anyhow, without further ado, please enjoy the following blog by Gail!

 

The Times In Which We Live

We live in 'difficult' times, among 'difficult' people, of that there is no question. The question becomes then, what should be our response to these things and these people? I'm writing, of course on a blog geared toward those who profess a relationship with the Holy One, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So the question is addressed to 'the church', to those who call upon the Name of the Lord.

Timothy describes the times in which we now find ourselves this way:"In the last days perilous times shall come.
 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith."

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

We have a few choices in how to respond; in how to live our lives at this time and among these people.

#1.We can surely become like them, little by little, perhaps, and maybe due to the influence we allow them to have on us as we minister among them. You know the story, it's played out again and again. The pastor, himself with a checkered past that involved the abuse of alcohol before he 'got saved', decided that God called him to minister to the down and out in the places they frequent. So, at night, under the cover of darkness, which he fools himself into believing is a spiritual covering; a blessing on his activities by God, he goes to the bars to 'minister'. Before long it is he who is changed and he returns to his old habits....his old nature and to the old ways of bondage that God so desires him to be set free of, if he is just willing. Instead, he becomes like them. We choose to become like 'them' when we long again for that which we said we left on that Old Rugged Cross at our first profession of faith. Do we really think the Israelites in the wilderness were any more at fault for this? They forgot the bondage they left and just remembered "the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost--also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic". How easy it is to forget the bondage and only remember the pleasure.

#2. We can become paralyzed with fear because of these perilous times, where the sinner seems to be sinning more and everywhere we turn, we see fellow Travelers falling by the wayside and returning to the lives they led before 'getting saved'. In the midst of this kind of fear, we can stop trusting the small still voice in our Spirit (Y'shua promises "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—  the Spirit of truth) and seen on the pages of those holy scriptures we so desperately want to believe in. In a last ditch effort to pull ourselves out (there is a clue as to why the failure) of the mire, we go looking for eloquent speakers and 'anointed ministers' who will seek God for us and just please PLEASE tell us how to live! We can dull our spiritual ears to the Voice of the Father as we become more accustomed to the new voice of those spiritual leaders we appoint for ourselves and set upon pedestals or allow them to set themselves there. And before we know it, He is not there and we are left with the deafening silence amid the loudness of man made rules.

But there is a better way.

#3. We can choose LIFE. We can choose to Sh'ma (listen to and change our lives according to what was just said) the Holy One and no other. We can recognize that our past is one of sin and rebellion and following false gods and false ways that lead to death. We can do what Lot's wife was unable to do, not look back with longing and we can be overcomers. We can recognize that HE is enough. He is what our souls cry out for and it is good that He speaks to us. We can recognize that the competing voices shouting for our attention even if they 'speak for God' are at best, second best - that He's the real deal and we can approach Him. And we can return to Him and His ways. Again and again if need be. Back to Him. To His covenant.

Remember Joshua, that servant of the Most High, chosen BY GOD and not appointed by men with itching who are prone to turning those ears away from the truth and toward myths. He led the new generation into the Promised Land at the end of the Wilderness Wandering, after the unfaithful generation died out exactly according to the prophesy. May his words of Covenant RENEWAL and REDEDICATION speak to us today with the same freshness as it did for that generation of Israelites in the desert, the children of those who came out of the Great Exodus so ready to follow God but ending up calling Him a liar, believing instead the bad report of 10 faithless ones, rather than His Promise to give them the Good Land as an inheritance. It is to those who were CHOSEN to be the generation that reaches the Promised Land, who were under 20 years old at the time of the SIN OF THE SPIES, all grown up now, that Joshua speaks. May we be able to say with Joshua: as for me and my house, I will serve YHWH!

Here is Joshua 24:

24 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

² Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. ³ But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.

⁵ “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. ⁶ When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen^[a] as far as the Red Sea.^{[b] 7} But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

⁸ “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. ⁹ When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. ¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

¹¹ “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. ¹² I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. ¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

¹⁴ “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God. ”

¹⁹ Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

²¹ But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

²² Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses, ” they replied.

²³ “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

²⁵ On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. ²⁶ And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.

²⁷ “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.

******

blessings,

Gail

Two Bandwagons

It's been about 2 yrs since our family started down this amazing path known Scripturally as The Way. (John 14:6, Acts 9:2, Acts 18:25-26, Acts 19:9, Acts 19:23, Acts 24:14, Acts 24:22, II Peter 2:21)
Lots of learning as well as unlearning. We've been shocked as the Truth is revealed more and more to us, simply by reading Scripture! Oh wow, how narrow Your path truly is, Father!! (Matt 7:13-14, Luke 13:24)

Matthew 7:13 CJB

"Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it;"

Matthew 7:14 CJB

"but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Luke 13:24 CJB

He answered, "Struggle to get in through the narrow door, because -- I'm telling you! -- many will be demanding to get in and won't be able to,"

 What is amazing though is how much we WANT to change and please our God and walk in that Narrow Path that leads to life! I am constantly in awe of how full of mercy and grace our Abba is as I stumble, learning His ways and how to obey Him through the reading of His Word.

I've been convicted this past year on how I've handled myself as I came to the knowledge of Torah and how there is just one set of rules for all who choose to serve the God of the Bible.  And the conviction was that I was letting a spirit of pride enter my heart....I was judging Christians and their spiritual idolatry when it is not my business to judge them. I was once in their place and just because my understanding has changed, doesn't make me "more" of a Believer.  This quote sums it up perfectly:

Don't judge me because my sin doesn't look like your sin.

This goes for all of us....Proverbs 6:16 " There are six things ADONAI hates, seven which he detests: 17 a haughty look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet swift in running to do evil, 19 a false witness who lies with every breath, and him who sows strife among brothers." 

Notice in the verse above how He hates these sins?  They are NOT listed in order of "badness" they are all equal.  It is our own limited Greek mindset that thinks that some sins must be worse than other sins. Notice also that homosexuality isn't even listed here?  It seems two bandwagons that Believers jump on, whether they are Christian or Jewish, and they are condemning same-sex marriages and abortion.


While I do NOT support either one of these issues AT ALL, I think perhaps our focus needs to shift a bit.  Instead of condemning those who, in their pain live lives that are contrary to God's Word, perhaps we can love them instead and introduce them to the perfect love of YHVH, Who wants to heal them of their hurts and make them whole, spiritually as well as physically.  Perhaps instead we can look at the little lies we tell and the secret sins in our hearts that fester and produce bad fruit in our own lives, instead of being self-righteous, holier than thou snobs. 


As we focus on ourselves and teach our children to be holy, YHVH will lead people into our lives that we can minister to.  We don't even have to look for the hurting or needy, they are everywhere, and their hurts and needs will be different from ours, but He will equip us to help them, because HE is all powerful and all knowing.  He has everything under control.  I want to let Him use me, in spite of my shortcomings.

A Guest Post!!

Acts 15 The Jerusalem Council

In having healthy "discussions" with Christians about the role of the Festivals (Leviticus 23) for believers in Yeshua, I am often directed to the "Jerusalem Council" in the 15th book of Acts, where I am told that it was decided that the Mosaic law was not expected from the Gentiles in walking out their faith. In fact, Acts 15 is often given as proof that the Torah, as the Old Testament Law is sometimes referred to, is not for the Gentiles. The judgement in verse 19 gives a brief overview of what was required by the Gentiles.

I have included a somewhat lengthy detailed paper by one of my favourite teachers named Tim Hegg. Don't let it scare you off. Get out your scriptures and follow along. It is called Acts 15 and The Jerusalem Council: Did they conclude that the Torah was not for Gentiles?

Also, I like to make note that most Act 15 readers stop at verses 19 & 20 when they present this incorrect interpretation of the Jerusalem Council. If you keep reading verse 21 it says "For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.". From that verse, one could conclude, that not only were the incoming Gentiles expected to be in the synagogue every Sabbath (not the Roman Catholic Sunday), they were going to hear the teachings of Moses (the Law/Instructions).

When I trained new waitress/waiters at Earls, way back when (cough,cough), we didn't allow them to head out to the tables to take orders on the first day. We trained them to "just do a few things" as the new employee got a feel for how Earl's operated. They were to have "shadowed" a trained waiter, until they understood the rules of being a waiter. There were lots of expectations for each new waiter, but certainly they were not expected to "know" all the rules on the first day. The "rules" of waitressing are not ones to bring legalism, but order and peace, safety and organization. Training usually took 1-2 weeks, or longer if the "new" waiter had no experience at all.

Doesn't this sound like a form of discipleship?

Please don't use Act 15 to support the "Torah ain't for us Gentiles" argument, unless you want to discuss it together, with the scriptures in hand.