All posts by nancyryall

How Can We Sin?

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YHVH's Kingdom

Sometimes we forget that the physical world was created to reflect the spiritual world.  For example, do you realize that the earthly Tabernacle was a copy of the heavenly Tabernacle (Hebrews 8:1-5 NLT)?   Likewise, YHVH shared his Torah on earth so that earth’s inhabitants could reflect heaven’s inhabitants.  Torah has not been replaced either in heaven or on earth.  Yeshua Himself stated that until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of the Torah will pass away (Matt. 5:18).  Yeshua’s earthly kingdom will be a reflection of the heavenly kingdom.

The old covenant was replaced, not because the laws were faulty, but because the people were faulty (Hebrews 8:9).  The first covenant did not work out because the people did not keep their side of the bargain.  In other words, they did not obey YHVH’s laws.  If the law was faulty or obsolete, why would YHVH want to put it on our minds and write it on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10)?  YHVH was not teaching the people a set of random laws just for the earth, but was teaching the people how His kingdom operates in heaven.

Yeshua taught us much about the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5-7).  The gospel of Matthew depicts Yeshua as King just as the gospel of Mark depicts Yeshua as servant.  He came the first time to serve us; He will return to reign as our King.  Yeshua made mention of the new covenant (Luke 22:20), but the point was that His shed blood is the payment for our sins.  We can be forgiven and restored to YHVH, if we ask.

After being exiled in Babylon, Jewish leaders and teachers determined that people were unable to keep Torah and set about making a “fence” around it, to ensure that Torah would not be broken.  They were attempting to fix something only YHVH can fix.  The “fence” focused on the letter of the law, not the spirit of the law.  The “fence” consisted of man-made laws that added to and subtracted from Torah in direct violation of YHVH’s command (Deut 4:2, 12:32).  In fact, by the time Yeshua came to earth the first time, there was more than one “fence” in place.  Each additional fence drew people further from the Torah, and consequently further from YHVH.  Yeshua argued with the Pharisees about the “fences,” not about the Torah.  Yeshua violated the “fences” but He never violated Torah.  Yeshua is the living Torah and He is not divided against Himself.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul talks about the new covenant, not the new Torah.  The Torah is still in place; it is the guilt and condemnation that have been removed through the shed blood of Yeshua.  The law is no longer just written on stone, but is written on hearts and minds.  Perhaps the stone represents the stony hearts that kept turning away from YHVH.  Now that we have the fullness of the Holy Spirit, our hearts need no longer be stony, but instead be yielded to YHVH.

There are many Christians today who firmly believe that the Torah is no longer relevant.  However, if they are not following YHVH’s law, then what are they doing?  Where there is no law, people will create a law for themselves, for there is an inherent need for order and structure.  We are created in the image of YHVH, Who is the epitome of order.  Do we truly think we can improve on YHVH’s law?

Dear Brothers and Sisters who insist that Torah is no longer in effect, how is it that we are still capable of sin?  The definition of sin is “a transgression of the law of God” (Merriam-Webster).  If Torah is not God’s law, then what is?  If there is no law, then there can be no sin.  If there is no law, then there will be no order or structure, only chaos.

Romans 7:4-6 (NLT) states:

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.  When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.  But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

We are dead to the law only in the fact that we no longer bear the punishment for our transgressions because Yeshua bore our punishment for us.  In that way, our focus can be on obeying the Spirit of the law.  When we sin, we can ask YHVH for forgiveness and receive forgiveness through the blood of Yeshua.  Those who sin and do not ask forgiveness are still held accountable for their sins.  So, the difference is not in the law, but in who bears the penalty for transgressing the law.

On our own, we are not able to keep the law perfectly.  However, we are no longer on our own.  We have access to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to obey the law as YHVH requires.  When we stray from the Spirit and sin, our guilt and condemnation are covered by the blood of Yeshua.  When we are born again, our spirit is regenerated, sealed and perfectly able to understand and follow Torah.  Where we still need Yeshua’s atonement is for our souls (minds) which need to be renewed (Rom 12:2).

YHVH is still King in heaven and His laws are still intact in heaven.  Those who reside in heaven obey YHVH’s every command in the spiritual realm.  In the physical realm, that is, the earth, citizens of YHVH’s kingdom are still working to fully reflect the Kingdom of Heaven.  Even in our imperfections, we can, through Yeshua’s atoning blood, stay connected to YHVH as we “work out our salvation” (Phil 2:12 NLT).  One day, earth will be the perfect reflection of heaven as YHVH has always intended.

Discerning Wisdom

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Seeking Wisdom

Where do we get our wisdom?  If this seems to be a foolish question for followers of Yeshua, perhaps we are assuming instead of discerning.  YHVH has given us incredible minds and great capacity for wisdom, but does our wisdom come from ourselves and our Creator?  Are we ever influenced by hasatan’s workers without being aware?  Could we be listening to the enemy and thinking it is our own wisdom or wisdom from YHVH?

A most enlightening book entitled War on the Saints has just come to my attention.  Jessie Penn-Lewis wrote the book with Evan Roberts, a great revivalist during the Welsh revival.  The book was originally published in 1912, but through the efforts of Hannah Lowe, was reprinted unabridged in 1973.  There have been several printings since then.

This is a relevant book for the last days, since it reveals our greatest vulnerability to evil as well as our ignorant compliance with hasatan.  War on the Saints resonated with me from the beginning because of my experience in spiritual warfare.  My own awakening to the truth occurred one day in 2008 when I “woke up” and realized that I was on a spiritual battlefield, fighting against trained soldiers who had very sophisticated equipment while I was ill-prepared and poorly armed.  It was a frightening day but a turning point for me.  Since then I have learned more about spiritual warfare and realize that I still have much to learn.

War on the Saints educates YHVH’s children on the tactics that hasatan uses on humans.  Many followers of Yeshua today are more focused on the physical realm and remain largely ignorant of the spiritual warfare that is going on around us.  This is evidenced by the emphasis on physical preparation for end times’ challenges.  Scripture repeatedly warns us about the latter days, but does not advise us to worry about our physical welfare.

Many followers of Yeshua are being swayed by the multitude of prophecies and “revelations” pouring forth today.  The greatest threat we face is deception coming from the spiritual realm, and many of us are plunging headlong into the very thing we need to avoid at all costs.  Yeshua told us not to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear or even about what we will say when we face persecution and trial (Matt 6:25, Luke 12:11-12).

How can we be truly wise in these last days?  Two Hebrew words used in Scripture provide the answer.  The word chokmah (wisdom) concerns obeying YHVH and relying on His wisdom and binah (understanding) comes from knowledge of YHVH gained by spending time with Him.  Our focus should be on correctly following Scripture and spending quality time with our heavenly Father.  When we spend time with YHVH and His Word, we gain His wisdom.  Our own wisdom is no match for our enemy.  Human wisdom is influenced either by YHVH or the enemy and too often followers of Yeshua have assumed that all spiritual revelation comes from YHVH.

Note that Yeshua was not immune to bouts with the enemy even after His baptism.  Yeshua met the enemy’s challenges by correctly quoting and applying Scripture.  Yeshua spent many hours, sometimes even whole nights communing with His Father.  We should follow the example of our Teacher.  The enemy is well-versed in Scripture and is able to subtly but powerfully distort it in efforts to confuse or distract us.  We should be aware that as we grow and mature in our relationship with YHVH, the enemy changes his tactics to meet our new level of spiritual sophistication.  The enemy is not only an accuser and tempter, but first and foremost a deceiver.

Scripture warns us repeatedly to be wary of being deceived (partial list:  Dan 6:35, Matt 24:4, Luke 2 :8, 2 Cor 11:3, Col 2:8, 2 Tim 3:13-14, Titus 3:3-6, Heb 13:9, James 1:22, 1 John 4:1).  It is easy for us to be deceived, especially if we remain ignorant of the spiritual realm and the tactics of our enemy.  There are two things that make us especially vulnerable:  (1) ignorance or misunderstanding of the spiritual realm and (2) passivity.  Our ignorance and passivity enable the enemy to wreak havoc without detection in our congregations and communities, as well as in our individual lives.

Many of us do not realize the levels of deception that hasatan utilizes.  For example, for people who are still controlled by their flesh, hasatan influences them to lust for fleshly desires.  People who have more control over their flesh will not fall for such tactics, so hasatan moves to other wiles, such as attempting to influence our intellect and reasoning.  In the last days, the greatest deception will occur because of faulty doctrines (2 Cor 11:3-4).

YHVH’s people are the strongest when they are the most aggressive in fighting and withstanding the enemy, such as the Israelites under Moses and Joshua, or the early church under the apostles.  When we are actively on guard against the enemy we are the strongest.  When we are ignorant and/or passive concerning spiritual warfare, the enemy is able to accomplish horrendous evil through followers of Yeshua.  Many of our predecessors have done horrendous things in the name of Yeshua, no doubt thinking that they were pursuing righteousness.   Examples:  the Crusades, Christian persecution of the Jews.

People tend to avoid learning about how the kingdom of darkness functions.  It can seem frightening, but the most frightening thing we can do is to ignore them and pretend they don’t exist.  We inadvertently assist Hasatan and his followers as they work undetected to wreak havoc among us.   I urge you to get a copy of War on the Saints and read it for yourselves.  Then prayerfully seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help acquire wisdom and understanding from YHVH alone, so that you can detect and discern the subtle work of hasatan and refuse his evil influence.  We cannot afford to live in ignorance or passivity, especially now.

Living Torah

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Torah on HeartOn this feast of Shavuot (“weeks” in Hebrew), we celebrate both the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and the re-issuing of the Torah in human hearts as the Holy Spirit was poured out on the followers of Yeshua.  I am writing this blog on Shavuot and will post it today rather than on Friday.  Hopefully this article will clear up misunderstandings about the work that YHVH has planned from the beginning of creation.

The English word for the feast of Shavuot is Pentecost which means “fifty”.   YHVH told the Israelites to count seven weeks (Shavuot) and one day to remember the time He dwelled with them while they were in the wilderness.

The word Pentecost originates from the Greek “pentēkostē” and means fiftieth day.  Either way, it comes out to the same amount of time.  However, the similarity between Christian and Jewish perspective ends there.

As I browsed various websites discussing Pentecost, I discovered that many Christians believe that Pentecost was a brand new event totally unconnected to anything YHVH had done before.  There seems to be no awareness of a much older celebration known as Shavuot.  On the other hand, as I visited Jewish websites, there was no recognition of the work that YHVH continues to do in humans through His Holy Spirit.  This lack of knowledge and understanding has led to some grave errors in both Christianity and Judaism.

Let us examine the Christian perspective first.  Many Christians mistakenly believe that the “church” was born on Pentecost.  They do not understand the background that YHVH began His kingdom building long ago and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a continuation of this work, not a whole new idea.  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the next step in the process YHVH started long ago.  In other words, YHVH was not “scrapping” His work with the Israelites (Jews) and starting over with other people.  This is evident by the fact that the Holy Spirit was first given to Jewish followers of Yeshua (Acts 2).  What was the purpose of this outpouring?  To empower and perfect us in keeping the Torah (instruction or “law” of YHVH).  We must be holy as He is holy (1 Pet 1:14-16).

There is confusion among Christians concerning the writings of Paul, especially his letter to the Romans.  Much confusion arises from faulty translation and lack of background knowledge.  In Romans 1:5, Paul tells us Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell [all people] everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name (NLT, emphasis mine).  How can we obey YHVH if there is no law to follow?  YHVH is building a kingdom, not a church (Dan 2:44, Matt 3:2, 4:17).  It is true that we are not saved by our own efforts (Eph 2:8), but it is also true that once we are admitted as citizens into YHVH’s kingdom, we are to obey His laws.  Romans 2:5 states, But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.  Christians have mistakenly generalized YHVH’s mercy to mean that He not only did away with the guilt from our sin, but that He also did away with His Torah, thereby eliminating any possibility to transgress His law.   We no longer are subject to death when we sin (disobey YHVH’s Torah) if we repent.  In Hebrew, the word for repent is teshuvah which means turning back to YHVH.  We do not merely ask for forgiveness when we sin, and then keep on sinning, knowing we can ask forgiveness each time.  We are to literally turn ourselves away from sin and return to YHVH and His ways.  How can we do this?  That is where the Holy Spirit comes in to empower us to do what YHVH requires of us.  When we rely on the Holy Spirit, we have our own personal teacher, showing us how to be obedient, convicting us when we stray, and empowering us to follow YHVH’s ways (John 14:26, 16:13).

 On the other end of the spectrum, those who follow Judaism understand that the Torah was first given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai after YHVH delivered them from slavery to the Egyptians.  They celebrate this giving of Torah (instruction), because YHVH is teaching them how He intends for us to live.  Many Jews today are diligent about following Torah.  However, they are relying on themselves and their own efforts are enough to make them right with YHVH.  They do not realize that they need to first be reconciled to YHVH through Yeshua. 

 Jews who do not recognize that Yeshua is their long-awaited Messiah, believe that Yeshua did not keep Torah and taught others to do the same.  They are confusing Torah with the extra writings and teachings of generations of rabbis who have added to and subtracted from Torah in direct violation of YHVH’s command (Deut 4:2).  Yeshua refused to obey man-made traditions, especially when they went against the true intention of Torah (Matt 9:1-14, Luke 13:15-16).  The purpose of Sabbath is to put aside working for our own gain to spend quality time with YHVH.  Yeshua did His Father’s work of kingdom building.  Healing those who are broken is so important, that it can be done even on Shabbat.

 Messianic believers hopefully recognize that the Torah is still valid and that the Holy Spirit is very much needed in order to carry out our Father’s commands.  They recognize Yeshua as the embodiment of the true Torah and refer to Him as the living Torah.  In Matthew chapters 5-7, Yeshua not only reinforces the validity of Torah, but raises the bar.  Why would he raise the bar when people already had enough trouble in obeying Torah?  Yeshua knew that He would be sending the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us.  When Yeshua returns He will still require us to follow Torah.  We will have a new Temple so that we can fulfill all the requirements.  He will rule with an iron rod (Ps 2:9, Rev 2:27. 12:5).  Until then, we welcome the Holy Spirit’s help as we follow the instructions of our loving Father and King.

Life in the Rock

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for they drank froim the Rock

In a previous blog (Tzur Chayeinu-Rock of Our Lives, March 12, 2016), we began a study of rocks and stones in Scripture.  We discovered that rocks can have either positive or negative connotations.  Stones and rocks had various uses in Scripture including memorials of visions or significant events and witnesses to covenants. The most important Rock in Scripture is Yeshua, who produced the most significant event in our history and is the Mediator and Guarantee of our most important covenant (Matt 26:28, Heb 7:22).

A comment in the New Revised King James Bible led me to explore the word tzur further.  I learned that not only is this word for rock or cliff a noun, but it can be a verb as well.  I did not have to search long before I uncovered a treasure trove of meaningful information and symbolism.  One cannot plunge anywhere in Scripture without encountering a bottomless depth.  My exploration produced a wealth of pictures or images of our Rock, Yeshua, and the numerous roles He has in our lives.  Each of these Scripture references uses the word tzur or a variation of it.

Yeshua (YHVH) is our Origin, the Rock from which we were cut (Is 51:1).  We see a clearer picture in Deuteronomy 32:18.  You neglected the Rock who had fathered you; you forgot the God who had given you birth.  YHVH not only created us, but He gives us a new birth in Yeshua.

Yeshua is our Defender.  A tzur is not only a mountain or a cliff, but it can contain caves or enclosures where we can hide.  One of the definitions associated with tzur is “to enclose or barricade” (Song of Songs 8:9; Ps 139:5).   David hid from the Philistines in or near a cave (1 Chron 11:15).  Although the cave and rock were physical structures that David used as a stronghold, David discovered that his only true stronghold is YHVH (Ps 18:2, 27:1, 5).  In Daniel 2:45, we see that the Rock that destroys the other nations is hewn from a mountain, but not with human hands, signifying Yeshua.  Our Rock trains us for battle (Ps. 144:1, 2 Sam 22:35).  Our Rock besieges our enemies and even us, when He needs to punish us or bring us back (Ex 23:22, Is 29:2).

Our Tzur is our Atonement (Ps. 62:6).  It is appalling how quickly we can forget Yeshua’s sacrifice for us, yet we do, just as the Israelites forgot the Savior who rescued them from slavery to the Egyptians (Deut. 32:5).  Perhaps that is one reason for circumcision.  The instrument to be used was a sharp (surim) knife (flint) (Joshua 5:2-3).  The males were to be cut in a vulnerable area of their bodies, causing them much pain, just as Yeshua made Himself vulnerable to severe pain at His crucifixion.

Yeshua, our Rock, is our Righteousness.  Everything He does is perfect and everything He does is just and fair (Deut 32:4).  In Judges 6:21, we have a picture both of YHVH accepting sacrifices offered to Him as well as the perfect sacrifice of Yeshua (the meat and the unleavened bread).  YHVH is perfect holiness and righteousness (1 Sam 2:2).

Finally, our Rock, Yeshua, is our Eternal Life.  My favorite Scripture in this study is the picture presented in Exodus 17:6.  I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.  Yeshua, our Rock, was struck on our behalf and out of Him flow rivers of living water.  Yeshua Himself provides eternal life and is Life (John 11:25). With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (yeshua) (Is 12:3).  Yeshua invites us to come to Him to drink (John 7:37).

Although I have always been attracted to mountains and cliffs, I will now look at them with a new appreciation as I reflect on our most important and awesome Rock.  This article barely skims the surface. I encourage you to search for yourself in the treasure trove of Scripture perhaps beginning with Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Hebrew 6696 and 6697.  You will be greatly rewarded for your efforts.

Abiding (Part 2)

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Abiding

Last week, we examined some of the definitions of the word abide (according to merriam-webster.com) and how Scripture verses on abiding in YHVH address each definition. We discovered that there is more to the word abide than is obvious at first glance. Here is a brief recap of last week’s blog. Abide can mean “to await”. We must await, or be on the lookout for, YHVH’s call to us so that we can respond promptly. Abide can also mean “to bear patiently or tolerate”. We must be willing to embrace opposition, persecution and suffering for the sake of our relationship with YHVH. A third definition of abide is “to accept without objection”. We must be yielded unconditionally to YHVH’s will for us.

Now, let us examine the final two definitions of abide to see whether Scripture also deals with these definitions. A fourth definition of abide is “to remain stable or fixed in a state”. In John 15:4-9, Yeshua explains what it means to abide in Him in this way.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

Branches on a fruit tree or a vine do not produce fruit by concentrating on the peaches or the grapes they are to produce. In other words, they do not sit on the vine or the tree and repeat “peaches, peaches, peaches, I must produce peaches,” but rather they are so connected to the branch or vine that they naturally produce the desired fruit. If we abide in Yeshua continually, then we will produce the fruit that Yeshua expects from us because Yeshua Himself will supply the fruit in us.

Notice also that the branches that do not produce fruit are gathered up and thrown into the fire. Many of us have the idea that if we have accepted Yeshua, we are “saved” and nothing else is required. If we half-heartedly read our Bible or pray occasionally, we will not produce the fruit that Yeshua is expecting from us. We then become useless branches to be gathered up and thrown into the fire. It is not enough to accept Yeshua once and think that is all that is required. We must continue to abide in Him, which means to be closely connected to Him in an intimate relationship.

In the physical realm, a branch that is separated from the vine or tree cannot be reconnected nor will it produce fruit. It will wither up and die and be thrown into the fire. In the spiritual realm, we may be able to separate from Yeshua for a time and then be re-attached later, but what is the result of such choices? When we separate from Yeshua, we automatically attach to the enemy. We will always produce fruit of one sort or another. The fruit of the enemy is an abomination to YHVH. When we stand before YHVH one day, we do not want to be associated with the enemy’s fruit. The fruit of the enemy is designed to try to undermine or weaken the kingdom of YHVH. We cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:13).

The final definition of abide is “to continue in a place” or “sojourn”. If Yeshua has returned to His Father in heaven and we are still here on the earth, how can we sojourn with Yeshua?

Therefore, if you have been raised up with Messiah, keep seeking the things above, where Messiah is, seated at the right hand of YHVH. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Messiah in God. (Col 3:1-3)

I recently heard a teaching at a class I am attending at Catch the Fire that illustrates how closely we are blended or melded with Yeshua. You are probably familiar with the story of the Israelites in the desert who were being bitten by poisonous snakes. YHVH had Moses make a bronze serpent on a pole. Those who were bitten by the snakes could look at the bronze snake and be healed. Many of us recognize that the serpent on the pole symbolizes Yeshua on the cross, taking on our sin and diseases and putting them to death in His body. But why a bronze serpent? Why not some other metal? Bronze is made by mixing tin and copper together. Once these two metals are united, they can never be separated.

Once we have been smelted with Yeshua, we can never be separated from Him. If Yeshua died on the cross, then we died with Him and we arose with Him triumphant from the grave. We are seated with Yeshua at the right hand of the Father. (Gal 2:20; Rom 6:4-6; Eph 2:6). In Colossians 2:20, we are admonished not to abuse our exalted position in Messiah.  You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world….

We must be ever mindful that we are blended with Yeshua and in Him we are exalted in glory. Therefore, we must live a glorious life as Yeshua did. Yeshua was constantly aware of His Father and saw His Father at work. Yeshua did the works of His Father (John 5:17, 9:4). We, who are seated in Yeshua at the right hand of the Father, must also do the works of our Father.

Scripture shows us that the word abide has much depth and meaning to us who are in Yeshua. It is not a word that we should skim over lightly for it contains a treasure trove of encouragement and instruction for us. Now when we read the word abide in Scripture, we can remember who we are in Yeshua and what it means for us to abide in Him and for Him to abide in us.

Abiding

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AbidingLately I have heard many teachings and exhortations concerning abiding, whether it is about us abiding in Yeshua or YHVH abiding in us.  After some thought, I realized that I did not have a clear idea of what the word “abide” means.  According to merriam-webster.com, there are several definitions for the word “abide”.  After consulting the Scriptures on passages dealing with abiding, it seems that various Scriptures deal with one or more of the definitions provided by merriam-webster.com.  Here are my perceptions and discoveries. You may also wish to do your own study. This is rather a lengthy study, so I will present it in two parts.

The first definition means “to wait for” or “await”.  Revelation 3:20 states, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door ….”  YHVH often works in subtle ways, and in order to hear His knock, we have to be listening for it and be willing to respond by opening the door.   Ephesians 3:17-19 explains the reason for welcoming Yeshua into our hearts, so that we “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Messiah which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”  In order for us to be effective followers of Yeshua, we must first be saturated in His love.  It is out of this abundance of love  that we will be able to do that which He requires of us.

Romans 8:9-10 tells us that we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.  This passage also tells us that “if Messiah is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”  We are comprised of spirit, soul and body.  It is our spirit that is born again when we accept Yeshua as our Lord and Redeemer and our spirit is in direct communication with the Holy Spirit.  Our body and soul must learn to submit to our spirit.  Andrew Wommack provides an excellent teaching series entitled Spirit, Soul and Body that provides a clear understanding of how to get our soul and body lined up with our spirit.  The Holy Spirit does much for us, but we must do our part by cooperating with the Holy Spirit.

The second definition of abiding is “to endure without yielding or withstand and/or to bear patiently or tolerate.”  Galations 2:20 says that “I have been crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me ….”  We must daily die to self, to the demands of our soul and body.  “Therefore, as you have received Messiah Yeshua the Lord, so walk in Him…” (Col 2:6).  We must be willing to withstand persecution and suffering as we walk in Yeshua.  We must not only tolerate others, but love them with the love of Yeshua.  That does not mean that we must embrace or even condone their choices or lifestyles; often it is just the opposite.  We must love people in their sins as Yeshua loved us in our sins.  This is something that we grow into gradually, as we grow in Yeshua’s love.

The third definition is “to accept without objection”.  In John 8:31, Yeshua said to His disciples, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”  We must be yielded to Yeshua’s will, just as Yeshua was yielded to His Father’s will.  If we are yielded to Yeshua’s will, we will also be yielded to our Father’s will, for they are echad. In 2 John 1:9, we are warned that “anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Messiah, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”  Yeshua assures us in John 15:10 that “if you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

There is a prevalent teaching today that we live solely by grace and are not required to keep YHVH’s commands, particularly those in the Old Testament, because it is too difficult for us.  On our own, we may very well be too weak to keep every command perfectly, but we are not on our own.   We have the Holy Spirit working in us to perfect and strengthen that which is weak in us.  Yeshua paid for our sins on the cross, but He also sent us His Holy Spirit that we might be strengthened and sin no more.  In order to live in YHVH’s kingdom, we must be able to abide by His rules.

There is much for us to reflect on concerning this simple word, “abide”.  This study has been both enlightening and challenging to me.  Hopefully, it will be helpful to you as well.  Both my strengths and my weaknesses were brought to light as I studied and I clearly see areas where I need to grow.  In next week’s blog, I will present the remainder of my study on abiding.  I pray that it will be helpful to you, as it has been to me.

Pursuing Righteousness

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Righteousness2Yeshua took on our sinfulness so that we might have His righteousness (Rom 5:6, 10; 8:1). He became like us and put to death all that is wrong in us, so that we might become like Him and share in His glory. We have heard words similar to this many times, perhaps so many times that we no longer pay much attention to them.

How much have we taken on the righteousness that Yeshua offers us? Just how like Yeshua are you? I ask myself this question from time to time, especially in moments when I’ve caught myself being very much unlike Him. It is good to spend time in Scripture and in prayer searching for the righteousness of Yeshua.

What has Yeshua revealed to us about Himself? For one, He has a unique relationship with His Father (Matt 11:27, John 6:46). He came to reveal His Father to us, so that we might call His Father our Father (John 17:24-26). Are we growing in our relationship with our Father? When did we last introduce someone to our Father?

Yeshua loved others into the kingdom (Mark 2:17, Luke 15:2). He reached out to others whom many would go out of their way to avoid. He did not approve or encourage sinfulness or join in the wayward lifestyles of others, but He saw the person who needed love, forgiveness and encouragement. He saw the potential in sinners that was not obvious to others, just as He sees the potential in us. Are there categories of people that we avoid? Have we written them off as hopeless? How can we love them as Yeshua does?

Yeshua interceded for others and continues to intercede for all of us (Rom 8:34). Do we pray for others even when it is not comfortable or convenient? Do we pray for others even when it seems hopeless? Do we spend some of our nights in prayer with our Father as Yeshua did?

Yeshua taught others in large groups, but also in one-on-one encounters (Matt 5-7; John 3-4). We may or may not be called to address large crowds, but we all have opportunities with individuals. Are we tuned in to catch those “teachable moments” and act upon them as Yeshua did?

Yeshua was totally guided by the Holy Spirit, and therefore always did His Father’s will, not His own will (Matt 4). He saw what His Father was doing and He did the same (John 5:19-30). Are we so spiritually tuned in that we can see our Father at work? Are we doing the works our Father does?

Yeshua paid a heavy price so that we could share in His righteousness. What price are we willing to pay to pursue that righteousness?

Our Darkest Hours

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Light

Life is full of challenges and often we are able to rise to the occasion and overcome our trials.  However, there are times when we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances.  During these times, we realize that we are weak and vulnerable.  What causes these dark times to happen?  What can we do?  Scripture provides some insights for us.

Sometimes our suffering is a direct result of our own poor choices, such as when David succumbed to temptation and slept with another man’s wife.  He continued to yield to temptation by attempting to cover up his sin with various schemes.  At last, David confessed and repented of his sins, but there was the consequence of losing a child.  It was only after David confessed his sin and repented that he was set free from his guilt and was able to finally move forward (2 Sam 11-12) .

At other times we need to adjust our focus.  A good example is found in the book of Job.  Job was living in fear and focusing on the negative.   His fear became his focus and performance became his “god”.  “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me” (Job 3:25 NIV). Only when he experienced the loss of family, health, goods, and reputation did his focus change. He met YHVH personally and YHVH became his focus.   And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you (Phil 4:8-9 NLT). 

Another source of adversity is when we build false strongholds.  We rely on something or someone else besides YHVH to protect us.  When we are threatened or injured, we tend to develop strategies and attitudes to keep from further injury.  The strategies become our “god” and the attitudes, instead of insulating us from further hurt, only trap us and make a dark place for the enemy to reside.  We know from Yeshua that “[t]he thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10 NIV).  Through deliverance and inner healing, we can remove the darkness and step into the light.

 Yeshua promised us that we would endure persecution for following Him (Matt 10:16-23).  The apostles suffered much persecution and many of our brothers and sisters today are suffering severely.  We must be ready to endure whatever is required of us (1 Pet 3:13-17).  Yeshua endured tremendous persecution during his time on earth, yet He kept His focus on His Father and Abba’s promises to Him.  As a result of His faithfulness, He is exceedingly glorified and we are tremendously blessed (1 Pet 3:18-22).

Whatever the cause of our darkness, the solution is always to turn to YHVH and put our trust in Him.  YHVH will take what is meant for evil and produce glorious good for us (Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28).

More Than Salvation

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Eye has not seen

There is a traditional song for Passover entitled Dayenu that means “it would have been enough”.  It begins this way:  “If He had brought us out from Egypt, and had not carried out judgments against them Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!  If He had carried out judgments against them, and not against their idols Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!”  The song goes on to recount all that YHVH did for the Israelites relative to their exodus from Egypt and their move toward the Promised Land.  Actually, all that YHVH did was needed to accomplish His purpose!

For many of us, salvation seems to be all that we need.  To be forgiven for our sins and to be restored to relationship with YHVH is monumental and is far more than we have any right to expect.  Even though it seems sufficient, Yeshua’s suffering and death provide us  much more.  YHVH has so much more that He wants to accomplish.

When we accept Yeshua as our Lord and Redeemer, we are freed from slavery to hasatan and become children of the Most High God.  We are clothed in the righteousness of Yeshua, a righteousness so holy and pure that none of us could attain it on our own.   This seems more than sufficient, but there is still more.

During His first coming, Yeshua demonstrated the gifts He came to bring us.  He healed multitudes of people from physical, mental, and emotional damage and He even restored life to some who had died.  Yeshua also delivered many people from bondage to demons.  What He provided then, He provides to this day.  This should certainly be sufficient, but the blessings continue.

Yeshua taught us by His example and His words how to be effective citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.  He explained Abba’s values to us and told parables to make His lessons easier to comprehend. He fed the hungry with a small bit of food that was miraculously multiplied.  He met everyone’s needs and He wants to meet our every need also.  Surely this is sufficient, isn’t it?  Ah, but there is still more.

Not only has Yeshua provided all these things for us, but He has empowered us to share the gifts with others.  Yeshua temporarily relinquished all His power as the second Person of the Triune God and was empowered solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in order to demonstrate to us how we could do the works He did and greater.  For many Christians this news is too good to be true, so many of YHVH’s gifts are denied and rejected and much of the work needed to build the Kingdom of YHVH is left undone.

A 2009 Barna survey reveals that the majority of Christians do not believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit are actual living entities.  Even though YHVH is spirit and we are to worship Him in spirit and in truth, many of us aren’t doing that because we deny the existence of a spiritual realm or are confused that there is a spiritual realm.  How much are these brothers and sisters in Yeshua missing because of blindness and/or stubbornness?

YHVH overflows with mercy, compassion, and generosity.  He knows that even though we have received our citizenship to the Kingdom of Heaven, we still reside in the Kingdom of Hell. YHVH provides for us not just a bright future, but a delightful present.  YHVH did not liberate the Israelite slaves in Egypt just to abandon them in the wilderness.  Instead, He worked with them to show them His ways and to prepare them to live as His special people in the land He provided just for them.  Likewise, YHVH does not provide us escape from the kingdom of darkness without equipping us to be effective citizens in the kingdom of light.

YHVH provided protection and sustenance (manna, quail and water) for the Israelites.  As long as they obeyed and trusted Him, they were not sick and even their clothing did not wear out over a 40-year period.  YHVH gave the Israelites His commandments and teachings, so that they could live in harmony and prosperity and all would be treated fairly.  He wanted them to be a light to all the other nations.  YHVH taught them how to worship Him.  The feasts He provided were meant to commemorate what they had experienced as well as to prepare them to recognize and receive their Messiah, who was coming to bring them even greater gifts than they had already received.  We read in the book of Exodus how the Israelites wanted to pick and choose among the gifts offered, and even rejected the gifts sometimes.  Many times they not only refused to live in the light, but were unable or unwilling to share that light with others.

We often shake our heads at their blindness and stubbornness, yet we fail to first remove the plank from our own eyes.  Yeshua has offered us forgiveness, salvation, His righteousness, eternal life, health, protection, teaching through Scripture, His example and the Holy Spirit, deliverance from bondage to demons, and empowerment to do the same works He did.  We fail to recognize that every single thing that Yeshua provides for us is absolutely essential to us for both our well-being and the building of YHVH’s kingdom.  Yeshua not only shares what He has with us, but He sacrificed Himself so that we might have all that He offers.  Will we continue to insult Him by devaluing some of His gifts?  Yeshua humbled Himself in every way to obtain for us what we could never get for ourselves.  Are we too proud and foolish to admit that we need what He offers?  It is not sufficient (dayenu) that we pick and choose only what appeals to us.

Tzur Chayeinu (Rock of Our Lives)

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for they drank froim the RockThroughout all creation there are many signs that witness to us about Yeshua, telling us who He is and teaching us about all that He has done and will do for us. As Peter has pointed out in some of his blogs, the stars tell us the story of salvation and Yeshua’s triumphant return to reign on the earth. The sacrifices that our loved ones make for us, the love between a husband and wife, the seed that must fall to the earth and die in order to produce much fruit, are all signs and teachings that we have with us daily.

One sign that perhaps we have overlooked are rocks and stones. Stones and rocks are mentioned numerous times in Scripture. Abraham and his descendants set up stones as  memorials of significant events Gen 28:18, 35:14, Josh 4:9). After Jacob’s dream or vision and YHVH’s promise to give him the land, Jacob set up his stone “pillow” as a memorial and anointed it with oil. Yeshua is our Anointed One, our Messiah. Yeshua referred to Jacob’s vision when he met Nathaniel. He said that Nathaniel would see angels ascending and descending and that He Himself is the staircase that Jacob saw (John 1:50-51 NLT). A mound of stones was used as a witness of a treaty between Jacob and Laban (Gen 31:47).

Sometimes stones have negative connotations. One example is when YHVH said that He will remove stony hearts and replace them with hearts of flesh. In this case, YHVH is speaking metaphorically to demonstrate hardened or insensitive hearts. Israelites who were guilty of certain sins, such as adultery, were to be stoned to death. In Joshua 7:26, rocks were piled up over the grave of the offenders who had been buried after being stoned to death for their offenses.

YHVH wrote His Ten Commandments (or summary of Torah) on stone tablets. Yeshua is our living Torah. Yeshua tells us in Matthew 7:14 that “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” We as believers in Yeshua are referred to as living stones and Yeshua is our Chief Cornerstone (Eph 2:20-22, 1 Pet 2:4-8). If we living stones fail to proclaim Messiah, then even the non-living stones will cry out (Luke 19:40).

In the second chapter of the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that none of his astrologers could interpret. Daniel, aided by a vision from YHVH, was able to explain the dream and how the different parts of the statue represented four kingdoms. During this time, YHVH would be setting up His own kingdom and the rock not cut by human hands represented YHVH’s kingdom (Ex 20:25). This “rock” of course is Yeshua. The altars used for worship and sacrifice were to be made of rocks that were not hewn, thus providing for us another picture of Messiah.

In Matthew 6:18-19, if you study the Greek text, you will find the word petros for Peter which means a small piece of a rock or stone. The small rock is movable, and shifting. The word “rock” upon which Messiah would build His church, is the Greek word petra, which means a cliff or solid formation that cannot be moved or shaken. In the English translation, rock is used in both instances and this very important distinction is lost. In Hebrew, the word for Peter is keifa, which means small rock or stone and tzur is the cliff or solid formation.

YHVH is often referred to as our Rock. Some examples are: YHVH is our rock, our fortress and deliverer (David Ps. 18). But his bow remained taut, and his arms were strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel (Gen.49:24). For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Pet 2:6).

Let us as living stones, forever boldly proclaim our solid Rock!