"Harmless" Fun?

     I published this post a year ago on October 21st but felt led to publish it again as this time of year came around. Why, you ask? Because The Father reminded me that until His Son returns, things will go from bad to worse; and as long as that is the case, there will be a need for such writing.

     In addition to the reason I cited above, I know of a conversation that a grandmother had with one of her grandchildren this past week that is still heavy on my mind. It served as a second witness to His leading to re-post this piece.
  
     The woman's grandchildren have been reared with the truth about Halloween. Last year, one of her grandchildren actually refused to sing the Halloween songs in his music class. He then respectfully told the teacher why he wasn't singing. The teacher, perhaps not knowing what to say, said nothing, then turned and walked away.
     This year their church is offering one of those "safe" alternatives to trick-or-treating. From what I heard, the boy's lament went something like this, "There is candy and fun activities! You don't wear scary costumes. And it's at the church, on a separate night from Halloween and the church uses it as a chance to reach out to people, we're supposed to bring our friends! They tell a Bible story, and they don't call it trick-or-treating!" As anyone knows, an evening like that would appeal to the nature of a child, so the child wanted to go. But alas his dad said, "No. It is still like celebrating Halloween." So when Dad says no, you do what any thinking child does, you talk about it when you go to grandma's.

     The grandmother prayed as the child lamented and what came forth was quiet, respectful of the child's predicament, and yet honest. Much to his disappointment, she told him that she was proud of his dad. That until he was more mature, his dad was there to help him make wise decisions. She also told him the story of Esau who got the yummy bowl of stew he wanted, but lost so much more and even though he cried bitter tears he could not get it back. (1) She explained that some things are not worth going after and if we are not careful, we can end up with the same kind of thing happening to us. The child's eyes grew wide and took on that pre-tear look. The messages contained within Scripture have been recorded for our benefit, (2) to keep our feet from falling. (3) That day, the child was kept from sliding down the slippery slope that he was trying to traverse.
     So ...if the story had such a nice ending, why do I carry a heavy heart? Because that was the outcome this time. The pull of the world ...and sadly even the church, are strong. The enemy of our souls has made it his business to make sure that there is enough out there to appeal to our fallen natures and unless a person has died to the desires of the flesh, they are tempted. People or things would not tempt us if there was nothing left in us that desired them. That's why we are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (4) and to crucify the carnal nature, because the spirit of the world and our own carnal natures are antagonistic toward the law of YHVH. (5)     
 
     As I was praying last night for the grandma and the boy, this post again came to mind and with the second witness to His leading, the decision was made to put it up. When I had finished praying, I went to YouTube and a recommended video for me was the following one by Paul Washer. The last time I included one of his videos on a post, it was re-posted by others, six times. Somehow I think this one will have less appeal.
     An unexpected chuckle just broke from of me. A friend and I emailed each other this morning, and as we broached this subject we wrote about how we are like sore thumbs and party poopers who seem to make everyone's festivities less ...festive. However I promised Him that I would write what He wanted me to write because He loves you and wants you to live out the calling He has put before you, (6) to walk in holiness, (7) for your good and the good of your children. (8)

     With that in mind, please remember as you watch Pastor Washer's video and read the rest of this post that I didn't start this thing of celebrating the "Lord of the Dead". YHVH has only asked me to expose it. (9)

The post from October 21, 2013

     Where I live, the morning is cool and overcast. Its gloom is a reflection of the heaviness of heart that I feel, today. In an earlier post entitled, "A Time for Every Purpose", I explained that a few years ago a prophet of the Lord told me that one day I would have a blog. At the end of that post I wrote, "My comfort comes in knowing that His timing is always perfect, this blog is His, and I am never alone." The part of that sentence that stands out strongly to me this morning is where it says, "...this blog is His". You will see why as you continue to read.

     Another point that I brought up in "A Time for Every Purpose"" was that my only real experience with writing has been through composing letters for family members and friends. A sister-in-law of mine who has since passed away, once responded to one of my letters asking me to please keep sending the "epistles". So needless to say, I am accustomed to writing about my life, my experiences with the Lord, and what I am learning from His Word. It comes pretty naturally to me. What doesn't come naturally to me is sharing the hard truths. I think the reasons are at least two-fold. First of all, His gift of mercy is strong in me. Very strong. Yet so is the need for truth. Sometimes it is a prayerful process to walk that line in accordance with His will. Secondly, my flesh has died a lot in the ways of pleasing people, but there was enough of that within me to keep this blog from beginning at an earlier date in time. As my walk deepened with Him, as He revealed some painful truths that cut deeply into the practices of Christianity, I knew that He would want them to be shared with other people. Clearing those hurdles had to take place before I could even begin to place my fingers on this keyboard for the purpose of writing this blog.

     Today I have to bring one of those painful truths to light. The heaviness associated with it doesn't stem from caring about what you will think, (as odd as that still sounds to me) it comes from having to expose it at all.

     A few days from now, people around the world will take part in the traditional festivities of Halloween. It was a night that I grew up celebrating, even into my teen years. As a young child, I liked dressing up in costumes and getting candy. In my teen years, I rode in the back of a pick-up truck in order to smash pumpkins, steal apples, and "decorate" trees with toilet paper. Those times were fueled by peer pressure more than what I considered to be fun, but I went along with it, anyway.

     When my children were toddlers, they went trick-or-treating one time. They were uncomfortable in their Care Bear costumes and they didn't smile beneath the masks that I told them to wear. I was uncomfortable too, looking at them as they reluctantly stood for picture taking, but I didn't know why. I felt strangely convicted but it didn't make any sense to me why I should. After my husband took them to a few houses, they came home to happily rid themselves of the costumes that they needed to wear in order to get the neighbors to drop candy into their plastic jack-o-lantern pails. It's funny how memories can bring back the emotions that one felt at the time ...this memory brings sadness along with it ... and that it took a long time for sleep to come that night. As a new day started, I began the routine of caring for the children and our home, thus putting the thoughts of the night before, behind me. Or so I thought.

     When that time of year rolled around again, I remembered. As Father would have it, I was working in my kitchen one morning, when I stopped to turn up a program I was listening to on the radio. Dr. James Dobson from Focus on the Family was interviewing a man about Halloween. The content of the interview caused me to stand still and listen. I was shocked as I learned about the satanic origins of this "holiday" and WHO is really being celebrated. What the real meanings are behind the "harmless" acts of fun. My eyes widened as I listened to his explanation of druid worship of demons and the vile acts of witches. I shook my head in dismay at the animal and human (including newborn) sacrifices to the "Lord of the Dead" that still take place on that night!

     No wonder my children couldn't smile for their pictures! No wonder I was convicted for encouraging their participation in glorifying the god of that night's sick practices! The conviction of His Spirit was so strong that no argument would stand up. Can you imagine how lame it would have sounded after learning what I had learned, to tell you, "Well, be that as it may, that's not how WE celebrate Halloween. For us, it is about good natured fun, dress up, and candy. Besides, I couldn't harm the kids by keeping this tradition from them or tell my in-laws and our friends at church that we won't be celebrating it. What would they think or say?!"? That's what we could have told ourselves, but deep down the honest reasoning would have been, "Let's not make the kids stand out from others, or cause the adults to wonder about our sanity or parenting choices. I don't want to deal with it. Let's just keep doing what we did last year and ignore the presence of His Spirit within us. Let's grieve HIM, instead. He understands. He forgives us, right?" Really? Would we trample the Son of Elohim, the Only True God underfoot because we didn't want to have to explain to others why we chose to let that holiday go? How could we one day look into the eyes of the One who died to set us free from that kind of stuff, and say, "You understood, right?"

     If I have learned anything through the indwelling of His Spirit, I've learned that when He reveals and convicts, He doesn't allow for compromise. If I choose to push past His commands and His conviction, I'm sinning. Period.

     So ...how did the story end? What was revealed in that single interview caused my husband and me to repent for our unknowing sin and never to return to it! We ignored that night from then on. We didn't choose some "Christian" alternative to traditional trick-or-treating. We simply stopped, and it went back to being just another night in the life of our family. And to our surprise, people seemed to be okay with it. At least to our faces. What they might have said behind our backs was none of our business. People, even those closest to us, were not our Judge. Neither are the people in your lives.

(1) Genesis 25:29-34; Genesis 27:30-38; Hebrews 12:15-17

(2) 1 Corinthians 10:6-7; 1 Corinthians 10:9-15

(3) Psalm 56:12-13; Psalm 73; Psalm 116:8-9

(4) Philippians 2:12-13

(5) Galatians 5:24; Romans 8:5-8

(6) Ephesians 5:6-16; 2 Peter 1:2-11

(7) Leviticus 20:26; Isaiah 52:11; 2 Corinthians 6:15-7:11; 1 Peter 1:3-25

(8) Deuteronomy 30; Malachi 2:13-15

(9) Ephesians 5:8-17

The Real Halloween

Where did Halloween Come From?

Is Halloween Harmless?

The Truth About Halloween




  

A Shepherd's Guilt and The Father's Mercy

     On April 3, 2013 I awakened from a dream in which I was walking down a city street. A large office building was to my left with concrete stairs extending up to it. As I looked at the building, a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair and wearing a grey button down shirt and glasses, came out of the building. Two policemen walked up to him and placed him under arrest for abusing his daughter. The man looked completely innocent and totally bewildered by what they were accusing him of as he tried to reason with them, telling them that he had never hurt her. He was so sincere that I believed that he must be telling the truth and that there had to be some mistake. The Father spoke to my spirit and told me that it didn't matter what it looked like to me or how innocent the man appeared to be, there was blood on his hands. (Isaiah 1. YHVH speaking to His people. His leaders. Note verse 15. Even the things they did right had become detestable to Him because of their sin. And what is sin? 1 John 3:4) His admonishment was so firm that I looked at the man's hands fully expecting to see blood on them; there was none. As the officers walked down the steps to my left with the man in their custody, they told him a court would decide. His fate was in the hands of a judge.

     As I prayed about the dream, two revelations came. The first was that this man represented shepherds who are supposed to care for the church as Messiah would care for her and although it looks like they are innocent of any wrongdoing, the Father sees blood on their hands. Judgment comes from His left side.

     Through faith in Yeshua, having been grafted into the vine, we are Abraham's seed. YHVH knew that He could call upon him to be the father of a great nation because He knew that Abraham would hear, obey and follow Him. Genesis 26:5

"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
He kept all of it. Because of these things, we read in James 2:23
"And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God."
   
We see Messiah make a similar statement when speaking to His disciples in John 15:14-15:

"14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."
     Even the disciples had to follow the commandments as He followed them in order to be His friends. And this was the message that they continued to proclaim after Messiah returned to heaven and was seated at His Father's right hand. In fact, Paul tells us in Galatians 1:6-9:

"6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again. If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." 
    
     We speak about the great apostasy as though it is only applies to the day in which we are living, but in truth, the validity of the gospel began to be perverted in the apostles time! For example, Gnosticism, which is very much alive today and includes the worship of angels, was present back then. Furthermore, we see Peter's warning in 2 Peter 3:16-17 not to be swayed by people who twist Paul's words to their own destruction and therefore become lawless. The Greek word is anomia and it means: lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience, sin. To be destitute of the Mosaic law by being ignorant of it, violating it, or being contemptuous of it.   

      Paul taught that when a person comes to YHVH through faith in Messiah, that person enters the Abrahamic (faith) covenant. If we claim to be an heir of Messiah, adopted into the family of YHVH through faith in His atoning blood, to be grafted into the olive tree with Abraham as our patriarch, shouldn't we be living in like manner? It was written of Messiah:
"3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought to himself also so to walk, even as he walked." John 2:3-6

     So in going back to the dream, we know that the prince of the air is always on the prowl to steal, kill and destroy. Are we so naive as to think that Christianity couldn't be messed with? Through the centuries, false doctrines and traditions of men have permeated teachings in seminaries and have been taught as biblical truth within churches. The girl, a representation of the church, the ekklesia, trusted her father, as congregants trust their leaders to proclaim, instruct, and live that which comes directly from the Scriptures. The clergy are expected to see its truth and to divide it properly; to protect the people from false doctrines; and to lead them to the Messiah, teaching them to live as He did, in obedience to the Torah, so that they may find in Him the words of life that both convicts and encourages them to reject their sin, turn from it, and follow Him on the ancient pathway. A pathway that is narrow and few find it. Yet it is secure and true in its destination. What can the people do when their leaders reject the pathway that leads to life? They become as sheep without shepherds; weak with malnourishment, led astray and vulnerable to the attacks of wolves.

     It isn't unusual for the Father to prepare me days or even weeks in advance for a coming message that He wants me to write on this blog so please hear the heaviness of my heart in what I am about to write.

     Men and women of YHVH, haven't you had enough of what you have seen taking place within your churches? Aren't your stomachs yet full and ready to wretch? You recall the man representing the shepherd in the dream emerged from a business. He wore glasses, yet he could not see his guilt. His hair was the color of salt and pepper, the mixture of truth and counterfeit. Is that what has happened? You wonder at the mess around you, perhaps not realizing that the blatant carnality you witness has come, not only from the deceitfulness of men's hearts and our propensity to sin waxing worse and worse, but from rejecting His instructions given in the first five Books of the Bible that teach us how to get along with others and approach YHVH; instead viewing it as being done away with and nailed to the cross, and rather than finding out what the apostle Paul truly meant by those words, because you know how to find out the truth and are therefore without excuse, you continue on in your ways and wonder why your people aren't growing in love and obedience to the Father and Son. You say that you follow the commands in the spirit of the law and that the letter has been replaced, but that is biblical heresy. For the flow of His Spirit within your churches is quenched and ultimately removed when the anchor of His commandments, His statutes and His laws are ignored.

     In looking back over the past week, it doesn't surprise me that the Father brought this dream to my remembrance a year and a half after the fact, because last night at sunset, according to the first crescent of the moon, began Yom Teruah, Rosh Hashannah the Feast of Trumpets. On this day, on HIS calendar, judgment is pronounced over the people, and according to the Scriptures in James 3:1, the stricter judgment falls on teachers. This message, though firm, is really another expression of His great love and mercy being extended to you, because there is yet time to repent before the books are sealed in ten days on Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement.
     Whether you honor His Feast Days or not doesn't make them any less relevant to Him. Most Christian teachers would agree that the fall Feast Days are shadows of things to come, if you hold to that belief and believe that you are grafted into Israel, then one day the last trumpet (shofar) will sound and the books will be sealed forever. Do you really want to take the chance and wait until then?

"7 For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 9 Therefore have I also made you contemptable and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law." Malachi 2:7-9

     The second part of the dream's revelation extends to all of us. Each person will be judged according to their own deeds. It is time to repent and walk in ways that are pleasing to Him.
     The book of Daniel tells us in chapter 12,"4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."  All of us are without excuse. The information is available. Relativism is a lie and biblical truth is still there for those who will seek for it. Please, it is time to humble ourselves and repent before our Mighty Elohim!

Scriptures and additional references in order that they appear:

"17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked form his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." Ezekiel 3:17-19

Gnosticism

"15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

"37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not." John 10:37

"19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you. The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." John 5:19

"48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me; he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."  John 12:48-50

"13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had commited abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. 16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for you souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 17 Also I sat watchem over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. 18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. 19 Hear, O earth: behold I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it." Jeremiah 6:13-19

"13 Enter ye at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because straight is the gate; and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:13-14

All of Ezekiel chapter 34

"36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." Matthew 9:36

"11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the world catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." John 10:11-16

"34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say to you, That every idle word that men speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Matthew 12:34-36

"13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1:13-15

" 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrightous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:6-7

" 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord; and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive."  Jeremiah 29:13-14

www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Rosh_Hashannah/rosh_hashannah.html

www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Yom_Kippur/yom_kippur.html

* I am adding this on January 20, 2015. http://womanassigned.blogspot.com/2015/01/dream-and-word-from-lord-january-19-2015.html?m=1



 

Saving Christmas?

     It is coming up on nine months ago. December 24th was the date. Evening descended quietly at our home as I put the finishing touches on the last post in a series that I had written on the topic of Christmas. The posts went into detail about the origins of the holiday, the truth about St. Nicolas, and the decision that each of us must make about what we will do concerning the pagan holiday that most of us in Christendom have wholeheartedly embraced. Anyone with a good set of encyclopedias or access to the Internet can find out the facts easily enough, so we are truly left with no excuse. Other than perhaps we don't want to research it because if we did, we would have to make a choice.

     Barna Research Group findings from 2009 contained the following quote.
"The problem facing the Christian church is not that people lack a complete set of beliefs; the problem is that they have a full slate of beliefs in mind, which they think are consistent with biblical teachings, and they are neither open to being proven wrong nor to learning new insights."

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

     There was another aspect of the posts that was the most important detail of all. It was how the Father, according to the Scriptures, views our pagan holidays. And that was the part that brought me the greatest amount of sadness. It still does.

     All of this was brought to the forefront of my thinking again when I received an e-mail last week that contained the following video clip from youtube.

     One wonders if part of Kirk Cameron's premise for this movie would be that he is trying to save Christmas from progressive atheists who, in part, would rather replace the greeting "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays". However, the truth of the matter is, that even though some people don't like the word Christmas, atheists around the world celebrate it. I am convinced that if the holiday was truly God-given, most atheists wouldn't have anything to do with it. Leviticus 23 bears this out. His Feast Days are ignored by most of the world.
     If an effort of the movie includes trying to sway the opinion of the general public, including schools, to allow the singing of hymns and the setting up of nativity scenes on government property, we need to remember that the "powers that be" have declared this to be a post-Christian nation and they are not backing down.
     However it was this last premise that I clearly picked up from the trailer that states what the real message of this movie is, and it is a premise that has been supported by subsequent reviews. The message of the movie is trying to convince believers that regardless of what they may have heard from a few of their friends or family members, there isn't anything wrong with the holiday and that everyone should enjoy all of its fun traditions; and in that respect, Mr. Cameron has not only the support of Christian laity but also the resounding approval of church leaders all over the world. It is that characteristic of the movie that made me sick at heart.

     Personally, I think that Kirk Cameron is a sincere man who is trying to do what he thinks is right. Since this all goes much deeper than one man, in essence, it has little to do with him. Those of you who know me and read this blog know that I tend to cut to the heart of a matter pretty quickly. So it is the heart of the matter that caused me to sit down before the computer this morning.

     The practice of the pagan holiday that came to be known as Christmas was well established for approximately two thousand years before the birth of the Messiah and it has absolutely nothing to do with Him! Roman Emperor Constantine and Pope Julius in 349 AD saw it as a way to blend the pagan practices of winter solstice and the birthdays of the sun gods, including Tammuz - the first to be called Baal - with the followers of The Way. All that was essentially changed were the names. For believers to think that Christmas is about Christ, is a lie, no matter who tells us it isn't, how much reverence we give to it, or how good it makes us feel to participate in its traditions.

     YHVH through the prophets expressed throughout Scripture that He would not share His glory with another and that we were not to worship Him as the pagans worshiped their gods, in idolatry. Ironically enough, Christmas wasn't even allowed in this country until the 1800's because of that reason and because of the debauchery that surrounded the celebrations. Although the roots go all the way back to Babylon, the Christmas tradition has only been in our midst, so-to-speak, for less than a couple of hundred years but its grip is tight. So much so that when believers try to shed light on the matter that is based on biblical commands and historical evidence, they are the ones who are either laughed at, scorned and pitied, or worse yet shunned and called heretics.

Saving Christmas? From where I sit, it still looks very much alive.



For further contemplation:

Deuteronomy 12:28-32

Isaiah 28:9-13

Jeremiah 16:19

Matthew 15:8-9

Ephesians 5:5-17

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

2 Peter 3

Revelation 22:18-19

The Berean: John 4:23-24

I welcome you to read the posts I put up last December which include biblical as well as historical references. Of course these posts are just a representation of the evidence that is available to all who would humble themselves and pray to be open to the truth of the Bible as well as that of history, and then look for it. Finding out the truth isn't easy to deal with. But ...when did He promise it would be?

"Ho Ho Ho!" An Introduction

"Ho Ho Ho!" The Beginning - Part 1
 
"Ho Ho Ho!" The Impostor - Part 2

"Ho Ho Ho!" The Choice - Part 3

 

"Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve"

     We are living in a time when this admonishment must be given again. If we think for a moment that we are not foreigners in this land and that we are not surrounded by other gods; if we say with our mouths that we serve YHVH while in truth we live by our own thoughts and for our own pleasures, we make liars of ourselves. The time of making a pretense of what we say we believe is over. The time of decision making is before one enters into the heat of the battle.

     Memorial Day was last observed in America seven days ago. The day got me to thinking about a bit of correspondence that I had a few weeks back with a couple of sisters. One of them eluded to how Peter was offended by the thought of Messiah having to die as seen in Matthew 16. In verse 15 we read that Messiah asks His disciples, "But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." It was after they recognized Him for who He was, that He began to reveal to them more of His heart for the Father and His mission on earth. Beginning in verse 21, we read, "From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." It was at this point that Messiah responded to him, "Get thee behind me, Satan thou art an offence unto me: for thou savorourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."
     The context of what is taking place here is that once they had confessed that He had come from the Father, He began to reveal to them His coming suffering and death, and that it was indeed His Father's will. In addition to their love for Him, they were faced with the reality that following the Father in obedience didn't promise them a life of position and ease, but the knowledge that if the Messiah, who walked in complete righteousness and was/is the embodiment of the Torah, and yet had to suffer and die, then who were they to expect anything more?

     Knowing these things I am forced to ask myself, "Am I offended by Messiah's sacrifice because of what it might mean for me? Am I truly willing to follow Him ...no matter what the cost?"

     As most of you know or are finding out, the prosperity gospel is a lie. Those who would believe, are handed a false bill of goods when that lie is peddled as a means of "evangelism", when in fact all it has done has given people who once prayed a prayer, a false sense of (even eternal) security; thinking that their desires would be met and they would become better, richer, more attractive versions of themselves. That is NOT the gospel! It is a lie that breeds selfish carnality and reeks of the flesh and hell! When did Yeshua, even one time, suggest that following Him in obedience to the Father would mean accepting a life of ease, position and popularity?

     Messiah told the truth. He warned us that the cost of discipleship could cause even those closest to us, to hate and betray us - even unto death. He told us that we would be persecuted, imprisoned and martyred. He instructed us to count the cost because those who place anything or anyone above Him are not worthy of Him. His teaching was clear and honest when He told us that if we truly love Him, we would obey His Father's commands. He forewarned His listeners that the time would come when people would think that killing us would glorify His Father, and still He asked those who wanted to come after Him to pick up their cross and follow Him - knowing better than anyone that there is so much at stake, and that the alternatives of spiritual darkness and eternal death are far worse!

     So knowing these things, begs us to ask, What does it really mean to follow Him?

     In looking at Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23, we find that the definition of the word follow is Greek #190 - akoloutheo. In Thayer's Greek Lexicon we see that it means: walking the same road. To follow one who precedes, to join as an attendant, to accompany and join as a disciple. To cleave steadfastly to one, conforming wholly to his example, in living and if need be in dying also.

     It is very interesting to note as well, that the word disciple is a Hebrew word, talmid Chatham, and it means: wise student. "An honorific title was given to one well-versed in Jewish law, in effect, a Torah scholar." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmid_Chacham  This caused me to consider anew what our Jewish Rabbi Messiah truly meant when He told His apostles to go and make disciples of all nations. Pause and think on that.
   
     As I mentioned, this post began with my thoughts during Memorial Day of the correspondence I had a few weeks back with two sisters in Messiah. What follows is an e-mail that I sent to both of them.

Hello, Dear Women!

I think the admonishment of our Savior to pick up our cross and follow Him is even harder for Americans to grasp. We are accustomed to having someone else fight for our freedoms/rights and to die in our place. When ___ mentioned here that Messiah saw Peter's statement that He mustn't die as an offense, it made me think of something. That is how many (perhaps most) Christians in America view having to suffer persecution for Him. We are under the impression that because He took our place on Calvary, that nothing is expected from us other than to ask for forgiveness, (even without true repentance) and to confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts. Having done a short study from both the Hebrew and Greek about what the words confess and believe really mean, showed me that there is more to their meaning than what we know about them. So yes, picking up our cross and following Him means so much more than we like to think about. Nevertheless, it is truth.

A few Sunday's ago, even our pastor said that when things get bad, most of his listeners will take the path of least resistance.

We are a nation of relative thinkers. Billy Graham had this right, "Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone - except God." As a result, we don't know what it is to suffer hard persecution for our beliefs. Even one publication of The Voice of the Martyrs proves it. As a people, we are accustomed to, and comfortable with, all of our freedoms and conveniences. We are unconcerned with everything except what is in our own backyards. We are like Laodiceans. And Laodicea will be shaken to the core when it all comes to town and ends up in our own backyards and at our front doors.

Yes, we've reached the crossroads. May we pick up our crosses and truly follow Him!


Scriptural definitions and references:

"9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  Romans 10:9-10

Confess is Strong's Greek #3670 - homollogeo: It means more than to agree or to declare as truth. It means to concede, assent, not to refuse, to promise, admit guilt, profess. It means to voluntarily yield, to change one's conviction in order to follow.

"36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36

Believeth not in John 3:36 is Greek #544 - apeitheo, and it means: not believing, disobedient, obey not, unbelieving. It is clear by the biblical meaning of the words that disobedience reveals our unbelief. To truly believe in the Messiah means not disobeying Him.
We see another witness to this truth in Psalm 78. Read the entire chapter. Verse 22 tells the reason that they complained against YHVH and disobeyed Him repeatedly. "22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation." It wasn't until He brought judgment and calamity upon them that they turned to Him again in verses 34 and 35. They turned to Him but did not abandon their sin. When you read you will see that He was tender to them but they didn't deserve His compassion. Verse 72 says, "So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."

"15 If you love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15

"1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."
John 16:1-3

"6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house." Micah 7:6

"34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
Matthew 10:34-39

"2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:2

"20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Philippians 1:20-21

"11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death."
Revelation 12:11

"36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
Mark 8:36

"20 And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath nowhere to lay his head."
Matthew 8:20

"14 Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:14-15

http://persecution.com/  Link to Voice of the Martyrs







   

"Who do you say that I am?"

     It was right after Messiah asked that question of His disciples and Peter gave the famous answer, "You are the Messiah. The Son of the living Elohim.",1 that He began to prepare them for the coming sacrifice of His death.

     We are entering the time of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread and I have come to understand that it is most fitting that He would bring this message now because He is asking the same question all over again to every one of us, "Who do you say that I am?"

     When Messiah entered into the city of Jerusalem before the Feast of Passover, He chose to ride upon a donkey's colt. In doing so, He fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah which stated,
"9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth."
Zechariah 9:9-10

     He rode into the city at the time when lambs are being inspected for Passover. After the selection, lambs were to be brought into homes of the people for four days. Exodus 12:3-6. The people cared for them and bonded with them - a very easy thing to do where lambs are concerned. When the time of the sacrifice was made, the entire assembly, including women and children were present. It was done this way to reveal to them the cost of their sins.

     Yeshua was their spotless lamb. As He approached Jerusalem, Luke tells us, "And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept." 2 

He wept.

     He wept not only because He foresaw the destruction of the Temple, but because He knew what lay ahead in the coming moments ...and in the coming days. He had left heaven and was always about His Father's business and for three concentrated years of ministry was in their very midst, and they still didn't know Him or love Him for who He was. He watched as the crowds were gathering, waving palm branches and laying down their cloaks. He heard them shouting, "Hosanna, to the son of David: Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." Matthew 21:9 Hosanna means "Save us! Help us, we pray!"
     King David they knew. He was a mighty warrior made a king. These people were under the hand of Roman rule and they believed that this rabbi descendant of King David would deliver them as evidenced by the fact that four days later, when He didn't fulfill their expectations, they cried out for His death.3

     They didn't know who He was or understand what He came to do and He wept because of it.

     They didn't know His Father, either.

     As I was praying two nights ago, I drifted off to sleep and as I did so, the Father awakened me, saying, "A branch to the nose." I knew the Bible story in which that phrase is referenced and found that it is in Ezekiel chapter eight. When you turn there to read the entire chapter, you will find that Ezekiel was in his house before the elders of Judah when the hand of the Lord God fell upon him.
"2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where there was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy."
Ezekiel 8:2-3

     We are shown in this chapter through Ezekiel's vision what the abominations of YHVH's people look like to Him. In verse 14 we see women weeping for Tammuz who was born Nimrod, son of Ishtar/Easter and Noah's grandson, Cush. After Cush died, Tammuz and his evil mother married and began organized Baal worship. Tammuz was also called Molech and was the first to be called Baal.
http://suebendorf.blogspot.com/2013/12/ho-ho-ho-beginning-part-1.html?m=1
     The women of Israel were so caught up in their idolatry that they mourned for forty days (where Lent comes from) prior to the anniversary of Tammuz's death by a wild boar. His death was commemorated by the eating of, yes, Easter ham. THIS is the person whose death they wept for and it doesn't stop there!
     Ezekiel was also shown what the men of Israel were doing. They were holding Barsom branches to their noses, a pagan practice given to the worship of false gods. With their backs to the Temple, they were bowing down to worship the sunrise. Yes, that practice is where Easter sunrise services came from! If there was any remaining doubt as to whether or not I should celebrate the pagan practice of Easter, this chapter would be enough to answer it for me!
What did YHVH do about their idolatry? His fury began to be clearly seen in verses 17 and 18 of chapter eight, but go with me into chapter nine.
"1 HE CRIED also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; an one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen alter.
3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereov.
5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. ..."
Ezekiel 9:1-6a

By Ezekiel 11:23, because the abominations did not cease and the people did not repent, the Glory of YHVH had literally moved away from Israel and they were sent into exile for seventy years. Judah alone returned. The ten northern tribes are still scattered across the earth.

     You might ask, "What does this have to do with us? What they did and our innocent practices are two different things! He knows our hearts! He knows we love Him! We are honoring Him!" I lay weeping on the floor in the middle of the night telling Him that some of you would think that. That because of the accumulated centuries of indoctrination you wouldn't see it as spiritual adultery. As though Ezekiel eight and nine were not enough, He instantly brought to mind the image of a man telling his wife that he loved her and kissing her good night; but then he turns to leave, his back to their marriage bed which YHVH calls sacred,4 in order to bow down to computer images of other women. And then He said, "Speak to that wife and tell her heart that what her husband is doing isn't adultery!" How DARE WE continue to justify our abominations calling them HOLY! Answer me this, who were the ones who were spared YHVH's righteous judgment? The ones with His mark on their foreheads. And what characteristics did they have? What set them apart? Reflect on that.

     In the last post I put up, I wrote that history repeats itself. Ecclesiastes tells us in 1:9 that there is nothing new under the sun; that what has gone before will be done again. So be not surprised when His judgment falls! The book of Revelation tells us that those who are among His numbered 144,000 have HIS mark on their foreheads 4:9, 14:1. They are not defiled with falsehood. His witnesses will proclaim HIS TRUTH to the nations! Great exploits will accompany them because they honor His character, His teachings, and commands! Nothing has changed in that regard since His obedient ones of old! And be assured of this, no lies, no paganism will have any part of their message as they exclaim, "REPENT for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!" John 3:2

     This post began with telling the story about how the Messiah wept over Jerusalem, in part because they didn't know Him for who He was. It continued with telling how they didn't know who His Father was either, as evidenced by their refusal to honor his heart and obey His commands. Commands that were given for their own good, because He loved them and wanted them to be well, blessed and protected from the bitter results of sin! "Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God." Deuteronomy 12:28   
  

     In conclusion, "Who do you say that I am?" is just as relevant for us today because evangelicals are greatly confused. We have despised His Torah so much that we don't know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so when the wolves come in to lead us astray, we are proving to be easy prey. I will end with an example of the point being made.
  
     A friend sent me a video of something last week that I never thought I would see. The video contained footage from Kenneth Copeland's annual evangelical minister's conference. An attractive and charismatic, middle-aged Episcopal bishop stood before them and said that he had come in the spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist to bring the hearts of the children back to their fathers (priests) and the hearts of the fathers (priests) back to their children. He went on to tell them that the Catholic church was where it all started and that the protest (Luther's) was over and they should come back to their beginnings. Did people stand up in protest? No. The sheep gone astray, led by blind guides, stood to their feet and cheered in standing ovation to the lies that he proclaimed!
  
     The roots of our faith are NOT in the Catholic Church!

"4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:"
Deuteronomy 6:4-6

"4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
Ephesians 4:4-6

     True believers belong to the YHVH of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The roots are the patriarchs of that faith. The Vine is the Messiah, Yeshua Ha 'Machiach. The branches are the children of Israel and wild shoots, the Gentiles, are grafted in.5 There is only one covenant that the Father made with His people. The only covenant that He made with Gentiles is that He would never flood the earth again. Genesis 9:11 Gentile means, a foreigner, stranger, pagan, out of covenant. To be grafted in means that we are in covenant with YHVH through the atoning blood of His Son. So either we are in covenant with THE ONE TRUE ELOHIM, or we are not! If we are His, then we had better learn to live like it! It's His house! It is time to return to our First Love, remember the heights from which we have fallen, and do the things that believers did at the beginning of the Christian faith!6

     Please, I implore you to pull off the veil of pride. The door of grace is closing and judgment comes. To those in the clergy, "God takes the deception of His people personally."7

References used and for further study:

John chapter 8
1. Matthew 16:15, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20
2. Luke 19:41
3. Mark 15:13, Luke 23:21
4. Hebrews 13:4
5. Romans 11-12:5
6. Revelation 2:4-5
7. "God takes the deception of His people personally." Taken from www.theberean.org Archive. Devotion from April 11, 2014 - Jude 1:3 www.theberean.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Home.showBerean/BereanID/2119/Jude-1-13.htm
8. http://standupforthetruth.com/2014/02/pope-to-copeland-catholics-and-charismatics-must-spiritually-unite/
9. For a look at the life and teachings of the apostle Paul, plus concise information about Replacement Theology, Separation Theology, and Remnant Theology: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Israel/israel.html
10. For an additional look at the teachings and life of Paul, please consider reading, The Letter Writer: Paul's Background and Torah Perspective by Tim Hegg
11. Barsom branches: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/barsom-av
12. http://womanassigned.blogspot.com/2014/04/his-still-small-voice-one-year-ago.html?m=1

HIS

     Looking at the clock, I see that it is already 2:14 in the afternoon where I live. I have hesitated in writing this post. Having to write it is one of the reasons for my heavy heart, but not wanting to have another experience that brought forth A Cleansing Rain for My Sin, I decided to stop trying to draw out the inevitable and sit down at the computer.

     Before I began to type today, I went back and read the last few posts, ending with the cleansing rain one. It wasn't until I came to the final two paragraphs that I had written in that post, that I knew the real reason for my procrastination. History repeats itself and reading the words anew was enough impetus to get me to click on the pen icon to write this piece.

     Before I get into the heart of this message, let me tell you a story about myself that, given the nature of this blog, you may find hard to believe. This week, a friend of mine shared her blog with me that has been off of the Internet for awhile, and let me tell you what, the woman can write! Her bare bones honesty is refreshing. Her wonderful illustrations were beautifully written and engaging and drew me in because they were so easy to relate to. I loved every minute that I spent reading through the experiences of her life! She didn't hold back the achingly good and the awfully painful, and in every story, HE was there! Each illustration painted a lovely picture of His Word and His presence in not just her life, but in all of our lives. It was an honor that she trusted me enough to open up in that way and I don't take it lightly.
     I bring that up to of course tell you of my joy at reading her blog and also to tell you that when the prophetess told me a few years ago that I would have one of my own, that is how I expected it would be. A devotional of sorts that grew out of my day to day experiences. Tales from my life that would make people laugh or cry, or smile and nod in identification; as well as bring forth truth from His Word to take it much deeper than mere story telling.

     When the Father asked me more than a couple of years ago during a church service, if He could use my writing and I instantly answered, "Sure!", I did so not knowing what that would mean. I expected that it would a continuation of the same things that I had been doing, so of course I had no problem with it. Composing things like Bible studies, letters, cards, e mails and wordy texts were no big deal, right? Shifting gears to make those kinds of things into a blog was where I thought He was headed. I'm shaking my head as the irony of, "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."*, is going through my mind.
     Nope, that isn't where He was headed. This is where He was going. And as His chosen title for the blog reveals, these hard truths are the things that He has chosen For Such a Time as This. Do I feel badly that my plans were aborted in lieu of Him taking this blog in a direction I never saw coming back when He asked if He could use my writing; even taking into consideration the costs and losses that have come with it? If you could see the slow smile that's building on my face and the shake of my head that accompanies it, you would already know the answer to that question. His "life more abundant" promise is manifesting itself in my life to a fullness that it never has before! I wouldn't trade one second of the peace, depth, discovery and blessings of this walk on the ancient paths for anything this world has to offer!

     Yesterday, I published a post that told you that my heart is heavy, in part, because of something He has asked me to convey to you. All morning I hesitated to write it and when I finally got up the guts to do so, this is what came. It appears to me that He wanted you to see the difference between Him and me so as to clear up any doubt when the message comes.

     I will close this piece as I began it, with my telling of re-reading some recent posts that ended with A Cleansing Rain for My Sin. When you come to the last two paragraphs that I wrote, you will see why I don't mind that He has always made For Such a Time as This, HIS.


http://suebendorf.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-cleansing-rain.html?m=1


*Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

A Red Sea Experience

     My heart has been heavy the last couple of days. There are reasons for it. Some I have been aware of, others have been veiled. I have prayed and waited for Him to show me all of the reasons.
     As I stood in the shower this morning, a song from the past came to mind with such force that I found myself singing it. I haven't sung it in a long time so these lyrics will be from memory. I don't want to look it up to make sure that all the words are correct. In this instance, it would feel like I was cheapening the time I had spent singing it to Him.

"Sometimes my little heart can't understand. What's in Your will? What's in Your plan?
So many times I'm tempted to ask You why.
But I can never forget it for long,
Lord, what You do, could not be wrong.
So I believe You, even when I must cry.

Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the river flow?
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does north wind blow?
You can see my heart.
You can read my mind.
And You've got to know I would rather die,
Than to lose my faith in the One I love.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Do I trust You?

Lord, I'm keepin' my eyes on You, following You, following You.
My Lord, I'm keepin' my eyes on You, following You, following You.
I won't look to the left or right.
My only hope, is keepin' You in my sight.
Lord, I'm keepin' my eyes on You, following You, following You. My Lord.

We will glorify the King of Kings.
We will glorify the Lamb.
We will glorify the Lord of Lords. Who is the Great I AM.
Who IS.

I will trust You, Lord, when I don't know why.
I will trust You, Lord, 'til the day I die.
I will trust You, Lord, when I'm blind with pain.
You were God before and You never change!
I will trust You!
I will trust You!
I will trust You, Lord!
I will trust You!
I will trust You!
I WILL TRUST YOU, LORD!
Do I Trust You Medley by Twila Paris

     Every time I think of this song, I remember a dream that I had shortly after becoming a believer. In the dream I was crossing the Red Sea on dry ground like the Israelites had done in their escape from Pharaoh's army. The sound of rushing waters was incredible as was the height of the brilliantly blue walls of water that flowed upward. I saw animals of the sea swim up the sides with the direction of the flow. As you can imagine, I was in complete and utter awe as my eyes traveled everywhere! I had walked for awhile when I came to a fork in the road. A path went to the right and one went to the left. Although I reasoned that the right would be the best route to take, I wondered if it was a test. So I first took a few steps down the left and backed up. Then I took a few down the right, but that didn't feel right, either. So I came back to the place in the middle and stared at it. I told myself that it was just a veil of water and no matter what happened, I knew that what I was thinking was what I was supposed to do. I pushed through the wall of water and found that indeed, it was only a thin veil. It was then that I heard in my spirit this command,

"Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them." Deuteronomy 28:14

     After hearing those Words - that I had no prior knowledge of, my ears beheld people cheering and in the midst of their cheers, I heard that they were shouting my name! Needless to say, I started to run and my excitement grew with each step! I came to another veil and this time with no hesitation, I pushed through, careful to keep my eyes tightly shut so as to not ruin the surprise of whom I would meet on the other side. SUCH CELEBRATION! Someone picked me up and hands were patting me and crying out how good it was for me to finally be HOME!

     When I awakened with a huge smile on my face and tears on my eyelids, I knew that not only was the dream from Him, but that it was prophetic. That at some point on my walk I would have my own "Red Sea experience" and have to make a decision that would affect my arrival Home. In the dream I had clearly made the right choice. Through the years I wondered if I would make the right one when the time came for me to face it in real life.

     As I stood in the shower this morning with Twila's song and my Red Sea dream on my mind, I knew all the reasons for my heavy heart and I knew what He was asking me to do. But for today, this story is enough and will be an introduction for what's to come.


Red Sea crossing - Exodus 14

"26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."
Proverbs 4:26-27

Winds of Change

     It probably goes without saying that the last post I put up has remained a part of my thoughts and prayers. I have continued to think about Saul and why he was rejected as king. Remember, he told Samuel that he had obeyed ...as the bleating of sheep and the lowing of oxen were heard in the distance. His obedience went only part of the way. I remember telling my children while they were growing up, "Delayed and partial obedience is disobedience." This was true of Saul and it is true of us.

     The good news ...

     ...is that there is still time for us to repent!

     After sending out the post on Saturday, I awoke Sunday morning to reach for my phone to check the time. I saw that my husband was already on his phone checking sport stats from the night before. The Berean is a devotional that comes to my Inbox early each morning. As I finished the devotion that came that day, I said, "Oh my word!" and handed it to my husband for him to read.

http://www.theberean.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Home.showBerean/BereanID/2045/Amos-8-3,htm

     I cannot explain how grateful I am to the Father for bringing His comfort and continued confirmation through His Word!

     Then today, my Inbox held the following post from a sister in the Lord who received a very similar message a year ago, today.

HIS STILL SMALL VOICE: One year ago today - April 1, 2013

For all shall come tumbling down, tumbling down.

Yes, they cry, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, but My hand is removed from the churches that men have built.

Build My Church! Build My people! Cleanse My alters. I shall purge all the leven, all that is not of Me.

Oh My Daughter, how I tire from looking upon all this false worship and none of it is for Me. They don't even realize that I don't hear them, for they are not sincere. A few honor Me, but then even they are stifled because of the corrupt hearts of them that are amonst them.

NO MORE. NO MORE.

to see the rest of the post, please go to: http://womanassigned.blogspot.com/2014/04/his-still-small-voice-one-year-ago.html
   
    

      The wind is blowing hard today where I live. Hmmm ...There was a morning filled with sunshine and strong winds a year ago when I was hanging out my first load of laundry of the season. I was talking to the Father about the things that were on my heart and as I bent down to pick up an item from the laundry basket, He spoke to my spirit, "Everything you have known is about to change." As I sit here this morning, listening to the wind blow around the corners of the house and whistling at the windows, the memory of that morning is very vivid in my mind.

The nature of strong winds is to move in fronts that bring change.


"13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
1 Samuel 15:13-14

"9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9

"30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye."
Ezekiel 18:30-32

"13 When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountian;
14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.
15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart,
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.
19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."
Isaiah 57:13-21

Amazing, isn't it?!

To all of those who abide in His Word, be thou comforted for it is eternal, it is alive, it will never pass away! Those of you who are led by His Spirit who put your trust in Him and are led in His Word, you will not be put to shame! It is its own witness to the truth! HALLELUYAH! AND AGAIN, I SAY GLORY TO THE ONE WHO SITS UPON THE THRONE AND IS WORTHY!

"12 ...Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever."
Revelation 5:12-14

Again, I say, WORTHY IS THE LAMB!

Behold, I Come!

    
     As I wrote this post, a few titles went through my mind and it was drawing to a close I prayed, asking what He wanted the title to be. He spoke to my spirit, "Behold, I come." I looked up Revelation 22:12 and forgot to include it before I clicked, "Publish". So here I am to update what the He began.

     "12 And, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

     A few days ago, I received a text from my sister asking me what I had been hearing from the Father lately because all was quiet on her end. I wrote back that if I was a betting person, I would bet good money that she wouldn't want to know.

As you continue to read, you may feel the same way.

     On Saturday morning, March 22, 2014, I had two dreams. The first one was one in which I was lying face down on the floor of a motel room. It was dusk or early dawn. I was before the Father in prayer; seeking His will and dying to my own. Suddenly, I heard the most awful sound that grew louder by the second. I knew that it had to be the sound of an aircraft that was way too close for comfort. When I rose to open the vertical blinds and look out the window, I expected to see that the air craft was directly above the motel. Not only was it nearly grazing the roof of the high rise, it was going down. It was a passenger jet and the tail section was before my upper story window. As the plane descended in slow motion, the vertical stabilizer of the tail section was right in front of me. The number imprinted on the side was 34. I awakened just before the plane crashed.
     Dismissing the first thought that entered my head upon awakening that maybe a flight #34 was going to crash, I reached for my phone, knowing that the number was symbolic. I looked up the biblical meaning of the number and found that it was "Man's Religion/Money".
www.biblenumbersforlife.com

     For a few months, the Father has been revealing things to me concerning the church so although I wasn't really surprised at what the dream conveyed, I laid in bed with a sick feeling in my stomach and sorrow once again crowding my heart. I prayed for a period of time and then drifted back to sleep and had a follow-up dream in which I was walking barefoot on a beach. Although the sand appeared soft, after a couple of steps I found that it was hard and yet shifted beneath my feet. I stumbled and nearly fell as I walked upon the small mounds that would normally flatten under foot. When I awakened from the dream it was early dawn. Of course I was wondering what it was all about and rose to make my way to the bathroom, surprised to find that the bedroom floor felt the same way to my feet as the sand had felt in the dream. As I walked into the bathroom and the sensation stopped, I asked the Father what it meant. He quietly spoke to my spirit, "The foundation is crumbling." Note that He said that the foundation is crumbling.

A foundation of sand appears to be fine, until it shifts.

     The interpretations for the dreams ...really don't need much interpretation. In looking back upon them today, I am so grateful that the Father made the messages within them hard to argue with or dismiss as being something I ate from the night before. Let me share though what has come to me as I have continued to pray about them the last few days.

     In the first dream I realize that there are true believers who are desperately aware that something isn't right within the practice of Christianity at least as far as America is concerned and they are seeking the Father with all of their hearts and surrendering everything to Him, earnestly praying for truth to be revealed! It took place in a motel because they know with certainty that this place is not their home. Even within the church they seldom feel that they are among family. I couldn't discern the time of day in the first dream because we are at the point of change, very near the beginning of night and the start of a new day. The plane was a passenger jet and I don't even want to begin to contemplate the number of spiritual casualties that will result. Since I awoke before it crashed, I pray that many will also awaken. As far as the beach dream is concerned, everything looked fine, until the sand began to rise up hard and shift, causing me to nearly fall. This tells me that the topple will catch most Christians unaware.
     It just occurred to me that right after the Master told us in Matthew 7 that the gate and the way are narrow and few find it; that there are wolves in sheep's clothing; that good trees don't bear bad fruit; and that those who don't keep His law must depart from Him, He says,
"24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon the rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the flood's came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

     November 23, 2013 the Father sent me a dream that fits with the two that I had exactly one week ago, today. In this one, I was attending a viewing at a funeral home where I used to clean and assisted families as a funeral dinner hostess. It was an evening visitation. As I entered the funeral home and walked into the visitation/viewing room, I saw people gathered around who I knew to be Christians, some of whom I knew personally. Looking around, I asked the Father, "Whose funeral is this?" He responded to my spirit, "Rod Pierce." I knew instantly that the name was symbolic and not a real person so I wasn't even tempted to look at the front of the room where a casket would be displayed.
     Normally, there is conversation, crying, even some soft laughter at funeral homes as people share their grief and stories of the deceased. But this room was completely silent. No one spoke to anyone. Heads were hung low and no one so much as looked at anyone else. I tried to speak in an effort to comfort some of the people that I knew, but they wouldn't even look at me. Their grief went to a depth where tears won't come and comfort is refused. Theirs was an unspeakable, despondent loss.
     The interpretation came quickly after I awoke and began to pray. The funeral was for the death of a belief system upon which much of their faith had been built. The Father's rod of correction, defense, and nourishment had smashed their false doctrines and pierced their hearts with sorrow. They did not realize (or want to hear) that this had to take place in order for His Kingdom to come to earth. They didn't know that now that man's religion had been smashed by His iron rod, that His truth and righteousness would bring new life and a sweet fragrance that would fill the whole earth and they would be given the choice of freedom in Messiah that they had never before experienced or even imagined!
www.biblefellowshipunion.co.uk/2010/May_Jun/RuleIron.htm

     What do I mean by man's religion? Not just the religions of the world that we quickly see as being false, but going all the way back to Baal worship that is still very much alive and active because it didn't originate with the thoughts of men but from the depths of hell and from there receives its fuel for the nations.

     Although I don't agree with everything that Martin Luther taught, I am thankful that he broke away from the teaching of the Catholic church but the reform didn't go far enough. All protestant religions are off shoots of that centralized Catholic system and its principles. In a previous post I wrote that judgment is coming and it will begin at His house and it appears from the dreams, the nearness of the jet and His word to me, "The foundation is crumbling.", that His judgment is at the door.

     What I am about to write has been birthed out of years of earnest supplication and much anguish over my own sins and on the behalf of those of pastors, teachers and evangelists. I take no joy in what must be conveyed and the Father is my witness to that truth. Although it is written as a sound rebuke it is also bathed in a love that is heartbroken for you and longs for your repentance.

     To the clergy men and women who have played the part of hirelings and are more concerned with their standings, salaries and church growth, who run their congregations on the business principles of the world, thinking they have everything all figured out, who are not open to correction or rebuke from anyone, who surround themselves with people who tell them they are fine and stroke their egos, and in the process they have disregarded and desecrated the Word that reflects the holiness of YHVH; to those who run after the things of the world and devise seeker friendly programs that bring paganism along with the entertainment and the sin of the world into the church and dare to call it evangelism; to those who diligently tend to the whims of the goats while ignoring the needs of the bleating of the sheep, will find their pulpits overturned, and true shepherds who honestly care for the folds of the sick, weak and starving, who love and honor YHVH and His commands and wouldn't dream of fleecing HIS flock, will feed them the truth of the Word and lead them to quiet waters where there is rest for their souls. These chosen and prepared shepherds will rise up in your places! Hear Him this day, The Father has said, "ENOUGH!" The Messiah, Yeshua Ha 'Machiach, whom you call Jesus the Christ will bring righteous judgment upon this Babylonian system that you have dared to call His church!

     Remember that the tail section of the plane had the number 34 on it? It was a good thing that as it descended that that section of the plane was right in front of me because the numbers were not painted on, they were engraved. The Hand of YHVH is bringing this judgment and it cannot be changed. How He will choose to do it remains to be seen. Since the number stands for man's religion and money, it wouldn't surprise me if money is part of the downfall. When I asked Him why the number wasn't painted and easy to see, He spoke to my spirit, "Most will not recognize it for what it is." Looking upon it, it may appear to be persecution. He was letting me know that it is not persecution, it is Him coming before, in order to destroy this system and to prepare a people who are fit for His Kingdom.

13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righeousness, and the people with his truth."
Psalm 96:13

     Last Satuday at the Sabbath Fellowship I attend, part of our extensive Bible study was in Leviticus 10 where the son's of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, had been struck dead. At the end of chapter nine, we find that Aaron had just offered up the sacrifices for the sin offering the burnt offering and the fellowship offering in the prescribed manners in which YHVH had commanded. In 9:23-24 we read,
"23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people.
24 And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the alter the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces."
The Father had clearly accepted and was pleased with their offerings. The people witnessed a display of His pleasure and power and they shouted with awe and fell on their faces in reverence and holy fear.
      Then in the very next chapter, Nadab and Abihu rush out and get "strange fire" to put on the alter of YHVH. What is strange fire? I don't know. Maybe it was made by human hands for some other purpose and therefore not set apart as holy. Maybe it was of pagan worship origin and they brought it into the tabernacle and put it on HIS alter. Pagan practices and those who followed it were called "strange". This we know for sure, it is H# 2114 zuwr and as pertaining to this, at its root it was unholy, unlawful, and profane.
    After the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, Moses came to Aaron in Leviticus 10:3 and told him,
" 3 ...This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace."
     Aaron and his sons knew the commands. Aaron also knew that the Father had reacted justly. Those who draw close to Him are to be sanctified, especially those who represent Him, because through their holiness and the fact that they are to worship Him as He said He must be worshiped, the people see and understand that they too must reverence Him in the way He has told us to reverence Him in holy fear so that He is glorified among the people. But we don't want that. We want to give to Him what we want to offer.

13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one deatheth falsely.
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace peace; where there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.
19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it."
Jeremiah 6:13-19

This story from Leviticus reminded me of the first time we see an unlawful offering being given. As we look to Genesis 4, we see that Abel brought a sacrifice of some fat portions of the firstborn of his flock and the Father looked with favor on his offering. His brother Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil and the Father was not pleased with his offering. Cain became angry and his face was downcast.
"6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
Genesis 4:6-7
     The Law, as it was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai had not yet been given, but Adam had a relationship with the Father unlike any mere human has ever experienced. Even Eve did not have that first communion with Him. Adam knew what was expected of him and he had taught his sons. Otherwise the Father never would have asked Cain what He did in verses six and seven. He was telling him if you do what I ask, you will be accepted.

I see this mirrored again in 2 Corinthians 6:16 - 7:1.
"16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

This morning as I was praying about this post, He also spoke to my spirit,
"1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Romans 12:1-2

These are the kinds of things that He has brought to my mind as I have prayed about the dreams. He has been grieved and has suffered long with us while we have offered Him the things we see as being worthy of Him. We offer Him our programs and our agendas, our money, our idol worship, our abilities, our pagan holidays that we hold so dear, forsaking His commands, HIS Sabbath Day, holy convocations and Feast Days, and think He is pleased; that these things are acceptable to Him because we are sincere. There was a time, Acts 17:30 tells us that,
" 30 ...this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.


I will leave you with the story of Saul as written in 1 Samuel 15 and implore you to read it in its entirety. King Saul was given specific instructions on how to carry out YHVH's command but he disobeyed and when confronted, he argued that he did do what he was commanded to do.
"22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as the iniquity and idolatry. Because thou has rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.
26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou has rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel."
1 Samuel 15:22-26, 35