Tag Archives: TORAH BIBLE STUDY

Elul

ELUL, Something of Value

You Are Worth the Fight…

Especially the fight that is waged internally… the internal struggles and spiritual battles that each one of us has to fight for our destiny. 💜

Everything that I want to show you about the WORD of GOD is extremely difficult to teach in the times of trouble… because the stress and pain that comes against us during difficult times, makes it even harder than normal for us to hear the WORD of GOD.

The pain is too loud in our ears and the strong teachings in the Word of GOD may sound like a rebuke, or even worse, they can sound like baseless and empty platitudes to a person facing a crisis.

So I pray constantly, that I am reaching you in a time of peace, so that your hearing is not emotionally compromised.

So, if by chance, I shake you with the WORD, please know that everything in me is writing to you with love.

WE HAVE TO STUDY IN TIMES OF PEACE…

We study in times of peace to ensure that we have enough WORD in us to withstand [and fight] “in the evil day” (Eph 6:13).

We have to be able to withstand attack and stand against our impulse to run, (mostly from ourselves).

In the Book of Revelation 2:18-29, the Church of Thyratira is mentioned as one of the 7 Churches that Jesus specifically spoke to. The Churches represent “a type” of believer.

To obtain a deeper understanding of the scripture and the message we have to look a little deeper to understand that Jesus was not just talking about a place. When the audience of the 1st century heard mention of Thyratira they connected a few facts, just like we would today if I just called out a location today, for instance, “New York”.

Simply by saying ‘New York’, you would immediately have a sense of context. In the first century, saying “Thyratira” would provide context for the rest of the message.

SO LET’S PLACE THYRATIRA INTO IT’S PROPER Cultural CONTEXT

Thyratira was such a city. A city without walls. Thyratira was considered one of the unimportant cities. It was not connected to any major Greek trade routes. History tells us that it was a commercial center, filled with many trade guilds, but never rose to the level of a sprawling metropolis.

Christians were prohibited from participating in any of the trade guilds (comprised of coppersmiths and dyers), by the early church. The guilds at that time, were known to be comprised of people that belonged to various cults.

Thyratira is filled with commerce, cults corruption and christians. It is a unprotected city, already open to “every wind of doctrine”, with a fledgling church trying to take root at it’s center. (This sounds very similar to the situation some of us can find ourselves in today).

For all intents and purposes, Thyratira has no rule over it’s own spirit, as a city. No borders, no protection, it’s completely vulnerable. This is the atmosphere that the early church is trying to grow up in.

But scripture warned us about this type of spiritual condition and situation in advance.

“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down,   and without walls.” Prov. 25:28

In ancient days, a city without walls was one open to anyone and everyone, at anytime.

While that MIGHT sound great on the surface, it’s extremely dangerous as well.

Normally, cities were constructed with walls in order to defend against enemy attack, providing borders and boundaries as a means of protection.

Cities without walls were vulnerable to invasion by raiders from any and every province that desired what the city held to offer.

The Church in Thyratira was so easily invaded by Jezebel, because it was like a city without walls. Spiritually, they were open to everything, entertaining everything, surrounded by everything, trying to operate in the things of GOD, but tolerating evil in their midst.

Not just tolerating evil, but succumbing to it.

It is possible, that because of their surrounding culture, they felt they could have one foot in and one foot out. As if, a little double-mindedness was alright.

Thyratira had a lot going for it. They were doing a lot of things right (verse 19).

But, they took their eyes off of GOD and lost their focus. As a result, they were headed into a storm and not out of one.

THEY NEEDED TO REBUILD THE WALLS…

As a Church, in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation they had no control over building the physical walls of the city.

But they had total and absolute control over building up and maintaining the Spiritual walls we need to strengthen our spirit, so that we can resist Jezebel and her tactics to seduce us mentally, spiritually and physically.

2 Chronicles 14:6-7, not only confirms this point, but we should notice that King Solomon (author of the Book of Chronicles) points out that King Asa takes advantage of their time at rest, in order to rebuild the walls, during a time of peace.

“And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest.”

The ultimate objective of torah, in my experience, is to get us to the point that we are able to filter all of our problems, complications and situations, through GOD’s WORD, so that we do not react impulsively, with anger or out of frustration.

In times of peace, like Elul, we take the time to build ourselves up spiritually through setting ourselves before GOD at an intensified level, together as a community of faith.

In this way, our strength is multiplied.

Instead of emotionally reacting we ask ourselves a few questions first, like…

” Where am I, right now, on the pages of Scripture?” or

“Where is this situation on the pages of Scripture?, WHO FOUGHT THIS KIND OF BATTLE” or

” Who, in scripture, got the victory over this ridiculous situation that I am in?”

…and “What do I need to do to fix it, and What do I need to speak to this mountain, in order to move it?”

We speak retroactively saying, “I’m under attack” or “I’m being attacked”, but the question that I am posing to you today is three fold.

  • How are you responding during the attack?
  • Do you have enough scripture in you to see where you are on the pages of scripture?
  • Are you applying the biblical example/response that GOD provided on the pages of scripture to your situation?
  • Are you disciplined enough in the spirit to control your own tongue?
    • to control you own actions?
    • to control your own thoughts?
    • to be still and wait on the LORD to move on your behalf?

The Goal is to Control Ourselves, Not Others

If you take the time to ask yourself any of those questions during the “attack”, you will diffuse the situation ‘within yourself‘ enough, to see the situation for what it truly is…a way to pull you out of the spirit and into the flesh.

Don’t Be Pulled Out Of the Spirit…

If we are pulled out of the spirit, then our flesh responds to the situation, instead of our spirit, and we get a flesh bound result.

More importantly, the prophetic anointing is unable to flow freely, when we are in the flesh.

(Our Spirit has more wisdom than our flesh. The difficulty we face, is in over-ruling our flesh, and allowing our Spirit to have a seat and a voice at the table).

If we subdue our flesh, and allow our spirit to respond to the situation, instead of our flesh, then we operate within the anointing, and obtain an anointed result.

Here’s the issue: Do you know when you are in the flesh vs. when you are walking in the anointing? Can you tell the difference?

If not, then you have to practice knowing/learning the difference in the little things, before you can move forward with the bigger issues. Self discipline, is the only way I know that you can learn to distinquish between the two.

REMINDER: Being impulsive, stubborn, easily provoked, easily manipulated, rebellious, willful, arrogant, etc. etc. unteachable… will never allow your spirit to rule over your flesh.

Studying the WORD of GOD is the best way I know, to learn how to master your own spirit.

We need wisdom… GOD in His Word is our best assurance against being manipulated by another, for their own personal agenda. It is through study of the WORD that you build up a resistance to the “wiles of the enemy”.

While there are plenty of enemies to go around, there are times when we can be our own worst enemy. We need to know the difference.

Since the inception of this blog, all paths of study have been leading to encouraging you to obtain a consecrated, dedicated prayer life. Prayer is your strongest weapon. You may have heard that all of your natural born life… “cause it’s true.”

What Feeds Your Flesh?

Prayer doesn’t. Meditating on the Word of GOD doesn’t. Operating in Love doesn’t. Kindness doesn’t. Obedience to GOD doesn’t…

Prayer, and doing what doesn’t feed your flesh, puts you spiritually in control.

Be Spiritually in Control of the Situation…

While the world desires to be Physically in Control of every situation, the People of GOD are being trained up by the WORD of GOD, to be SPIRITUALLY in Control.

Application of the WORD of GOD will put us in a position to have SPIRITUAL Control, which is far more powerful than physical control.

Physical control has its earth bound limitations. The only limitations that stand to interfere with your Spiritual Control, is your own level of faith, and resisting the temptations that come against your own flesh.

THE PART WE DO NOT WANT TO HEAR…

Unlimited Faith equals Unlimited Spiritual Control.

Many of us believe that we are operating with unlimited faith. That’s a GOOD THING.

What we need now, is for our unlimited faith to elevate us into a state of unlimited spiritual control.

ASKING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS…

But, what if I do have faith, and things are not working in my favor? That’s a GOOD Question.

“I have a consecrated, dedicated, full strength prayer life, and I am not seeing anything change for the better, are you saying I’m the problem?”

“It’s never GOD’s fault, it’s always me?

Here are the tough answers that are hard to hear…

Sometimes, no is no. But, I do not get a lot of “No’s”, and that is what I want to impart to you in these teachings, about the Word of GOD.

The past 42 posts have been primarily about prayer. They have also been about character correction and character formation, the staples of a consecrated lifestyle.

These entire posts for the Month of Elul, have been about encouraging you to conduct the search of your own heart, to judge yourself, that you not be judged… How did you do?


Did you clean out your closets? Are you still having arguments in your head with someone, about something, that you just can’t let go? Are there people that you just have not forgiven? Forgiveness is just too good for them?

I have had to negotiate a few peace treaties in my own mind. So many issues have built up over this year alone, that I am sure we each had to wrestle with, spirit, mind, soul and body.

Suffice it to say, there have been some hard places.

What I can share with you is that, unforgiveness will keep every one of those hard places bound to you, for another year, minimum.

It all depends on you, whether or not you will forgive and repent.

GOD instructed the Priesthood, not to touch any dead thing… so it would be wise not to carry the dead thing around with you for another year, right?

If you just read that statement…

…I wrote above and the thought crossed your mind, “I am not a part of the Priesthood”, then that is a serious part of the problem right there.

Everyone, who loves GOD, says that they want to follow GOD, or desires to follow GOD, becomes a part of the Priesthood.

GOD is not raising you up to be a lifelong disciple. He is raising you up so that you can be sent, out!

Your purpose is not to sit in the pew for 120 years.

You are being raised up to take your Holy positions as Prophet, Priest and King.

The Priestly anointing is the glue that binds the Prophetic and Kingship together. If we are going to covet something good, covet the power of a priestly anointing.

The priestly anointing doesn’t appear to be as highly pursued as the others. It requires a great deal of self discipline, dying to self, obedience, dedication, faithfulness, sacrifice, patience, listening, kindness, submittedness, yieldedness, etc. etc.

The priestly anointing is a lot of work and absolutely no glamour. But it is your priestly anointing that carries the potential to elevate you beyond measure.

It is the priestly anointing that will help you rise to the full measure and stature of Christ Jesus.

Esau refused the garments of priesthood. He lusted after Kingship, but not to do GOD’s Work, he just wanted to rule the world. He had no prophetic anointing of his own, he depended upon the power of his father’s prophetic prayers in order to thrive..

David accepted the garments of the priesthood, because he excelled in humility. He never lusted after kingship, becasue he was humble. He accepted kingship in order to do the will of GOD. David did not need to depend on the prophetic prayers of others in order to survive. He had his own relationship with GOD in prayer. Evidenced by his prayers rooted and grounded in humility.

David is anointed, Prophet, Priest and King.

Jesus is anointed Prophet, Priest and King.

We are His fruit. His perfect will, is for you to do, “greater works than these…”

Are You Willing to Do The Greater Works?

Do you really want the greater works? Do you want to speak into the earth in His Name, as a king? Do you want to flow in the gifts of the prophetic as He desired that you do?

Will You Accept the Priestly Anointing?

I would see you reign in the prophetic, wield authority in the heavenly’s as king, and possess power and authority in the priestly anointing.

People will disappoint you, that’s a given. Actually, it can’t even be helped, because we are all fragile and vulnerable.

But people, can also surprise and delight you! That’s a given, which also can’t be helped.

You never really know which will happen first or what sequence of events will occur.

But they are both to our benefit because they both have the ability to make us stronger.

I hope you spent Elul in prayer. I hope that the anointing over this season transforms your life, because you humbled yourself to pray, and seek GOD’s Face. I pray that you fought for your place and position in the anointing!

The fight this month has been about you and only you. GOD is fighting for you!

Your soul matters, it is something of value. Your soul is the most precious possession that you share with GOD.

Notice, that I specifically stated that, ” it is the most precious possession that you share with GOD”, not that you own it. Because it does not belong to you.

That particular soul, that you are carrying around, The Lover of Your Soul, GOD, wants it to return to Him, as his personal possession.

Your soul contains evidence of your existence, evidence of who you are, and who you became in Honor of GOD’s Name. Your soul is evidence of GOD, evidence of Love, evidence of Truth, evidence of the Spirit of GOD, evidence of the Messiah, evidence of who you are to HIM.

Everyone wants proof that GOD exist…

You Are The Evidence GOD Sent into the world. You bear witness to His Word, by the Word of your testimony.

You Are Something of Value.

This post was revised after publication to clearly address my reference to the Book of Revelation, and my reference to a city without walls, Thyratira.

If you read this post earlier today, please accept my apologies for reposting…I just had to make certain to the best of my ability to be as clear and accurate as possible for you.

GOD Bless You,

May you leave this Month of Elul, refreshed, energized and ready to embrace your calling as Prophet, Priest and King! this New Year, Rosh Hashanna 5780.

Amen.

Elul

Elul, Anointed to Handle the Things of GOD… Part 1

3 Comments

“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” 1Kings 3:9

The first sense that a baby develops in just 3 weeks after conception, is the sense of touch.

In fact, it is the pressure placed in the hands from touching the inside of the womb, that creates the tiny ridges that now appear on our fingers and toes.

Your fingerprints were formed from pressing against the inside of your mother’s womb.

You Really Are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

Our fingers captured a permanent memory of our life which began in the womb…

…and we carry the very connection to our mothers in our hands!

HOW PRECIOUS IS THAT!

I find that very beautiful. Our beginnings inside our mother’s womb, is recorded upon our bodies, from our fingers to our toes!

By the 17th week of pregnancy, our fingerprints become permanent.

Remember: Every jot and tittle of the Word is important in Hebrew. So, we can not overlook that our fingerprints becoming permanent in the 17th week, is significant of the importance that the numbers seven and ten hold in all of scripture.

On Yom Kippur, (the tenth day of the seventh month), I will tell you more about the supernatural significance of the numbers seven and ten in the Bible.

For now, just consider that your fingerprints are stamped with the numerical symbols of atonement; the seventh month and the tenth day. You have Hands to War and Fingers to Fight with (Psalm 18:34, 144:1), marked with the sign and symbol of atonement from the time you were in the womb.

Repentance places us back into right standing before GOD and we can return and stand before Him spiritually, with power in our hands to fight the battles of the LORD!

We don’t just have the ability to operate in the power of GOD because we know the verse of scripture.

We can operate in His Power, because we are sons and daughters of the Most High, consecrated and separated to Him, because we voluntarily set ourselves under the authority of His Word and seek to obey it. Not legalistically, but spiritually with love and heartfelt devotion.

That means we repent, because we do not want to grieve the Spirit of GOD.

(When the scripture speaks of repentance out of fear of the LORD, that is not meant in the scary sense. Even at the time, the translators translated the scripture that way, they had at their disposal a better way to communicate ‘fear’. They simply could have said, ‘reverence, or awe. They just did not choose to for political reasons, I am sure).

Nevertheless, we still know the truth.

So, it is not just head knowledge of the Word that allows you to move in the power of GOD. As my Pastor says, “It’s not because you can speak in tongues and say shonda!“

What activates your spiritual authority in the WORD, is repentance, love, humility, obedience, consecration, dedication, faithfulness, compassion…

That sounds like a lot, I know. But, if we have the humility and wisdom to repent before GOD and operate in Love, the rest will follow.

I suspect, our first sense to develop in the womb is the sense of touch, because of the connection and significance of how we have to learn how to use our hands in the Kingdom. We have to learn how to “handle” the things of GOD.

This is a huge topic and an entire lesson in protocol.

But it you look back at the previous lessons I have posted, all of them contain lessons and instruction on how we should handle the things of GOD.

“Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm”.

“If a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean beast” Lev. 5:2,3

  • Don’t go around touching every unclean thing in the world, and then take those same hands and think you can use them in the tabernacle of GOD, or lay them upon GOD’s people! -The people are Holy unto Him!
    • The Hebrew Scriptures, (Old Testament) contains practical and literal examples of what Jesus and the disciples were teaching in the New Testament.
    • What GOD says in the New Testament is enumerated in detail in the Hebrew Scriptures. The “New” Testament does an excellent job of summing up what was taught in the Hebrew Scriptures. We can refer to the “Old” Testament to ensure our understanding and reinforce our context.

“And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matt 8:3

“And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.” Matt 8:15

“Then touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith, be it unto you.” Matt 9:29

  • The unclean cannot lay hands on the unclean and make them clean. Jesus, was showing us that only the clean could lay hands on the unclean and they would be healed.

The Shift from The Physical to The Spiritual

As we mature and develop, touching the things of GOD involves are hands and our mouths.

Babies do not begin touching, feeling, and trying to put everything in their hands into their mouths, after they arrive here. They begin doing this in the womb.

Even though we have grown physically, we are like babes, in that we continue to put everything that we handle with our hands, into our mouths…

These habits that we have learned in the physical, can plagued us in the spirit and stunt our spiritual growth if we are not paying attention. For this reason, we have to pay attention.

How do we handle the things of GOD?

What do we touch of GOD’s and then put in our mouths? i.e., “putting in our mouths” refers to, what we say about the Work of GOD or the people of GOD.

When a baby puts something in their mouths, it can be cute (safe) or dangerous. I venture to say, that when we do it, it can still be either safe, or dangerous.

Is there anything that belongs to GOD, that we are touching with our mouths?

Loshon Hara, speaking evil, gossiping, back biting are three of the easiest sins to fall into. Usually, it can begin as simple as talking too much.

There are those who work in the ministry and just will not resist the temptation to gossip. They nurture an impulse to repeat everything they hear. Particulary, what is said in confidence.

The torah teaches us that loshon hara damages, (defiles) 3 people.

  • The one who shared the gossip or spoke the evil
  • The one who listened to the gossip or spoke the evil
  • The one who was spoken evil of, or gossiped about.

We can not lay hands on others and speak evil at the same time, and expect miraculous results in the spirit realm. That is double-mindedness and there is no anointing on the double-minded.

We make our own hands and our own prayers powerless, through evil speaking. Not the enemy. We do it to ourselves.

The power in our hands began in the womb. We arrived with clean hands and a pure heart. I am a huge believer in saying that, “If all else fails, get a child to pray and lay hands on you.” Because there is no guile in them.

David was anointed to handle the things of GOD because he was quick to repent when he was in error. He knew what things he could handle for GOD and what he could not (building the tabernacle). He was mindful of his position and walked in his anointing.

David resisted the temptation to snip the garments of his adversaries (Saul in particular). He would not risk, grieving the spirit of GOD and losing his anointing. He was a man, who died to self in the areas of ambition.

He remained humble, teachable and submitted to GOD. David showed us that GOD ccan do miracles with a teachable spirit!

Never Forget: We restore the cleanness of our hands and the purity of our hearts, through the Power of Repentance. Do Not allow the Season of Elul to pass you by.

Amen.

Note to Self: “Suffer the little children to come unto Him.”

Posts Included in This Series on Prayer for Elul:

Scripture in the Public Domain provided by Biblegateway.com KJV

Cover Photo by: Rev. S. Madison

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

Disclosure: I am of the belief that any and all teachings on scripture, especially those on prayer should receive prayer before passing them along to others. For this reason, I encourage everyone who reviews these teachings to saturate each one in prayer before sharing, distributing or reproducing them in any fashion.

Anything that we hope to learn and accomplish through the Word of GOD must be born out of a spirit of prayer.

Prayer is the root of all our spiritual training. Study without prayer is futile. GOD ask that we meditate on His Word day and night, because without a dedicated personal prayer life, we can do very little for GOD and Man.

May GOD always send you a confirming word so that you will know that these words are true.

GOD Bless You Always,

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.

Sound waves must be converted into waves in the fluid

Elul

Elul, Justice Shall You Pursue…

“Justice, Justice shall you pursue, so that you may live and take possession of the land…”

(Updated 8:40AM)

During the 1st Week of Elul, the torah portion under study is called Re’eh, which means ‘See‘.

I spent our 1st week presenting the Month of Elul to you as 1st time Students. Traditionally, we enter the Month of Elul focused on “Seeing”, so I thought it fitting to utilize the time “to see” what Elul is all about.

The usual course of progression is to study the torsh portion before the Sabbath comes.

In some ways, we are a week behind. Nevertheless, This week of September 7-13th, Justice will be our primary focus.

(I will post a teaching on Ki Tetze soon so that you can flow and pray with both teachings as you choose).

Below is the Torah Portion Schedule:

Re’eh (See) Aug 31, [Av 30] Deut. 11:26 – 16:17

Shoftim (Judges) Sept. 7, [Elul 7] Deut. 16:18 thru 21:19

Ki Tetze (When You Go Out) Sept. 14th, [Elul 14] Deut. 21:10 thru 25:19

Ki Tavo (When You Enter In) Sept. 21, [Elul 21] Deut. 26:1 thru 29:8 (9)

Nitzavim (You Are Standing) Sept. 28th, [Elul 28] Deut. 29:9 (10) thru 30:20

NOTE: Have you noticed how the dates are perfectly aligned with each other this year in the Month of Elul? This doesn’t happen this very often. (I just thought we should make note of it).

Torah portion is taken from Deut 16:18 through 21:9.

For anyone unfamiliar with this term (torah portions), it just means that each week a specific portion of the scriptures, are studied.

I will attach a Torah Portion Calendar so that you can take a look at it if you like. I think this is a beautiful custom. I like the idea of reading through the scriptures yearly, as a community of believers.

Spiritually, you always know how to sync up. In the Christian tradition I grew up in, this was not our custom. Our Pastors just went with the spirit on what to teach next.

What I found fascinating is that over time, as I increased in my knowledge of Christianity and my Jewish Heritage, I began to notice that some Pastors messages were synced up with the Biblical Calendar, — and they were completely unaware. I find that fascinating.

Pastors who flow with the Spirit of GOD, will always be on the same page!

In Parshat Shoftim: (Shoftim is the Hebrew word for ‘Judges’); Moses reminds the children of Israel of the rules for the Justice System, the Rules of Kingship and their relationship as a nation to their idolatrous neighbors, including the rules of warfare.

The key focus in this portion of scripture is his message, “Justice, justice shall you pursue, so that you may live and take possession of the land which God, your God, is giving you.”

Teachings Outlined in Parashat Shoftim:

  • The Judges must deal with issues that come before them unbiased…
    • Judges are required to interpret and apply the torah.
    • Consider/Process your decisions through the filter of torah.
    • Judges must be fair and meticulous in their investigations, i.e., never distort judgement.
    • Don’t take bribery.
  • A minimum of 2 witnesses to any crime are required for conviction and punishment.
    • Witnesses do not give testimony in front of each other.
  • Prohibitions outlined against idolatry and sorcery.
  • Guidelines are given to establish Cities of Refuge.
  • For those guilty of accidental murder.
  • Rules of Warfare are established
    • Offer terms for peace before attacking a city.
    • Zero tolerance policy against unscrupulous, wanton, gratuitous destruction.
    • Those Exempt From Battle:
      • The recently married, anyone who just built a home, or just planted a vineyard.
      • Anyone lacking courage are not required to serve in the military.
  • Procedures outlined for handling murders by an unknown assailant.
    • The Community is responsible for what they do, and also what they could have prevented.

God tells them that they will one day desire a King to rule over them, and that He will choose their King. The King will be held to the task of writing out in his own hand a duplicate of this teaching that GOD is giving now, and read it as long as he lives, so that he will not get prideful and lift himself up over his brethren.

God continues saying, that he will raise up a prophet from among them and put His Words in their mouth.

Shoftim begins by speaking to those who will be judges.

On the surface, we could content ourselves thinking that the torah is only speaking to the “official” judges of the nation. But, torah is speaking to the judge in all of us.

We learn the Word, to do the Word.

  • Justice is a purpose and responsibility to be shared by EVERYONE.
  • How we treat the weak, the broken, the down trodden, the widows, the orphans, etc. is a reflection of our core, as human beings.

There is an irreplaceable, undeniable joy that we each experience when we work along side GOD by lifting the burden and/or destroying the yoke off of another human being.

Helping another person because it is in our power to do so in honor of GOD’s Name is Phenomenal.

Some cry, “Where was GOD.” Others cry out, “Where are We?”

The qualities of “divinity” are in us, and as Jesus said, “greater works than these shall you do in My Name…” then we will exercise our authority in the spirit and speak from a Heavenly position and not from sea level.

Judges were appointed to protect the weak, the poor, the despised- through their words, prayers and actions.

Justice and compassion are paramount. We must cry out loud for justice with a passion.

Your words are spirit and life. Cry out against injustice with expectation that justice shall occur.

This week when we hear reports of injustice, say a prayer.

Take all reports of injustice into your prayer closet.

1 Samuel 15:22
“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.”

Note: In the above verse the word “obey” in Hebrew is “shama” which means to hear.

To hear (shama) in Hebrew, means more than just “hearing” what was said. It is not an, “in one ear and out the other” kind of hearing!

Shama means to hear AND obey, together. “I will do AND I will hear”, there is not one without the other.

In GOD’s Language (Hebrew), doing is more important than knowing. Hebrew is verb oriented, rather than Noun oriented Language.

The emphasis is on Action.

Proverbs 21:3
“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

Hosea 6:6
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

Proverbs 15:8
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”

A Few Amazing Prayers For Justice:

Read these Psalms out loud, over someones situation, then pray them out loud.

Psalm 17, Psalm 28, and Psalm 109.

Psalm 28 provided below:

Psalm 28

1Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.

4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

5 Because they regard not the works of theLord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall overthrow them, and not build them up.

6 Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

AMEN

Elul, PREP FOR Rosh Hashanna

Elul… May GOD Find You Praying, like David Prayed…

NOW IS THE SEASON….

ROSH CHODESH ELUL— THE MONTH OF THE SEARCH

THE 1ST OF ELUL, 5781. ~ AUGUST 20, 2020

29 DAYS TO EXAMINE YOUR HEART….

SET YOURSELF UP FOR BLESSINGS!

GOD asks in His Word, that we proclaim His Feast in their Seasons. When we are obedient to this request we set ourselves under the Biblical Calendar and the cyclical nature of Supernatiural Seasons of GOD.

The Feasts are given to us as our personal and prophetic moedim (moe-eh-deem) ; Our personal & prophetic appointments with GOD. The modem translates into English as “The Feasts.” GOD takes personal possession of these days, which are separated and consecrated by GOD, just for You!

It was ALWAYS All About You!

GOD has dedicated and consecrated time, set aside just for you!

When we are faithful to proclaim His Seasons, we declare all honor, glory, power, might and reverance for GOD, faith and trust… believing that, “What GOD did then, He will do once again.”

Observing the Feast of God, which were designed with you in mind, sends a message to GOD that you are all about Him! And that the appointment time that He has set aside for you, you are decreeing and declaring….”I will be there!”

Leviticus 23: 

GOD asks us to proclaim His Seasons, FOREVER, Throughout our Generations… (not just in the “Old Testament times”. Throughout your generations… means an eternal consecration. Every generation is invited and we should want to be there.

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

4 These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

GOD’S NEW YEAR IS FAST APPROACHING!

The prayers we offer during the month of Elul (when we search our own hearts) prepares us for GOD’s New Year -Rosh Hashanah, (September 19, 2020) Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (September 28, 2020) and the Feast of Tabernacles (October 3 & 4, 2020).

As you just saw, GOD asks that we “proclaim” His Seasons. They were set aside by GOD for us, to draw closer to us as we draw closer to Him.

After GOD intiiated the Biblical Calendar with Nisan, “Let this be the beginning of months to you”, He continued…

Leviticus 23:

23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month [Rosh Hashanah], shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement [Yom Kippur]: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.

37 These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

Again, GOD asks us to proclaim His Seasons, FOREVER, Throughout our Generations…

  • On the 1st, 10th and 15th of the 7th Month – The Hebrew Month called Tishri
    • Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Feast of Tabernacles

Praying the Psalms can help you jumpstart the search into you own soul…You will be Praying like David Prayed!

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Psalm 7

1  O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute [chase, pursue] me, and deliver me:

2 Lest they [will] tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

3 O Lord my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)

5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

6 Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.

7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.

8 The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

17 I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

Psalm 39

I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

  • One of the hardest things we have to do is keep silent before the wicked. However, when we restrain ourselves when provoked, we elevate and strengthen spiritually.

2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

  • dumb with silence [do-me-yaw] = I controlled my tongue, kept my composure
    • I did not lash out or lash back with my tongue.
  • held my peace [khaw-shaw] = I was still

3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

4 Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.

  • David spoke to GOD about the situation instead trying to defend himself to others, or trying to explain, complain, or win.
  • David transformed the way he handled the pressures imposed upon him by Saul.
  • By today’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube standards of behavior, many who say they follow Christ, are not following Him in this. Many “believers” are lashing out, lashing back, etc.

Psalm 86 

1 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

6 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

11 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

You can pray the above selections of Psalms everyday if you lie, or you can join in praying the Psalms daily- at least 7 a day, from Psalms 1-150 all the way to the end and back again during the month of Elul!

Praying the Psalms truly help you to obtain place of self reflection, ponder the Word of GOD and review your deeds for the year – an much more than that.

GET YOUR FRESH START FOR WHAT GOD DESIRES FOR YOU IN 2021…

Posts Included in This Series on Prayer for Elul: Post from 2019 that remain on time for this season!

Scripture in the Public Domain provided by Biblegateway.com KJV

Elul

Keep This Next Appointment with GOD, Part 1

2 Comments

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near…” Isaiah 55:6

When and Where Can The LORD Be Found?

GOD can be found in the Month of Elul!

I’ve spent the last month on the blog teaching about prayer so that we can begin using it for the month of Elul.

Congratulations! Today begins the Month of Elul, the last Month of the Year on the Hebrew Calendar…

Many of my students who have been with me longer are very familiar with my constant reminder…,”The Calendar of GOD was Designed with Dates of Destiny in Mind for You!”

This is what I was taught by a Master Torah Scholar, and the more I remembered it, practiced it, and proclaimed it, the more I found out just how true this statement actually is!

So the question remains….When and Where Can The LORD Be Found?

The LORD is found in His moedim.

Bear in mind that this message will take some time to walk through. As we delve into a another section of the Book of Genesis once more, we will see once more that we have read over the actual meaning of the verse for a very long time.

In order to finally understand the Seasons of GOD, we have to proceed step by step beginning with a clarification of terms.

Language is Everything!

moed in Hebrew means Divine Appointment!

moed (H4150) an appointed time, place, or meeting. The first appearance of the word ‘moed’ in scripture is found in Genesis 1:14. (moedim is the plural form of moed).

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

The lights in the Heavens serve many purposes. One, to divide day from night. Second, to provide signs and thirdly, to help us to distinguish between seasons.

The concordance refers to moed as ‘an appointment’, a fixed time associated with the festivals (feasts) of the LORD. A meeting place, appointed beforehand. It doesn’t use the word ‘divine’ appointment.

That’s completely alright. The ‘appointment’ is scheduled by GOD from the beginning of time. The moed, is designated as a meeting place for GOD and His people. This alone qualifies as the divine element.

The moed, is not merely a literal connotation. The moed contains spiritual components, ordained in the supernatural seasons of GOD.

We have the ability (the choice or opportunity) to operate in chronos moments of time, continuing to miss out on every divine appointment on the calendar, or we can operate under kairos moments of time, and keep our divine appointments with GOD.

Always Ask Yourself, Does This Mean What I Think It Means?

The ancient Greeks had 2 different words they used to express time, kairos and chronos. Kairos referred to critical or opportune moments in time, while chronos referred to sequential or chronological moments of time.

As many of you have come to realize In studying with me, I am constantly pointing out that that our understanding of scripture is framed from a ‘western’ perspective, by virtue of our present day culture and times.

Case in point: When we read Gen 1:14 and hear the word ‘seasons’, (in which we find the first appearance of ‘moed’ in scripture) in general, we automatically think and process this in terms of ‘winter, spring, summer and fall’.

A superficial reading of the verse results in ‘seasons’ being a reasonable assumption.

When we discuss ‘time’ we do much the same thing. Our concept of time is based exclusively from a ‘western’ perspective. Again, understandably anyone can easily read this and make an automatic assumption that we completely know and understand exactly, what is being stated in the verse.

As you can see, we would be wrong to make that assumption.

We are studying a sacred text, not a secular text or literary composition. For these reasons, we must be constantly vigilant. The scripture may be talking apples, while we are thinking oranges.

Always keep in mind, that we are reading an Ancient Hebrew/Greek manuscript with a 21st century English understanding of the definition of the words used in scripture. We must always ask ourselves, “Does this word mean, what I think it means?”

Our Knowledge of The LORD’s meaning of ‘moed‘ is available to us By Many Infallible Proofs:

There are 4 other Hebrew words that are translated into the English language as “seasons” and they all are distinctive in usage and meaning.

zem-awn (2166), yowm (3117), maw-lakh (4414), eth [ayth] (6256)

We are using one English word (seasons), to express 5 different levels of meaning from 5 different Hebrew words.

That being the case, we have to ask another question. “What are the differences between them?” Our investigation will lead us to discover patterns revealed in how the words are used in context to the verses in which they appear.

moed (seasons) appears 223 times in scripture. The pattern reveals that each appearance of ‘moed’ corresponds to an appointed time or meeting place with GOD.

Whether He is speaking of a set time for revelation, or an appointed time set aside to meet with His People, or a time to sow, or a time to reap, GOD selects the specific word from the Hebrew to ensure that there is no confusion.

The only confusion that arises, is when we don’t look up the meaning and make the assumption that we understand what is being said, based on our literal interpretation or understanding.

The Concept of Time in Hebrew

If we ever hope to understand the Seasons of GOD, the Feast Days, The Sabbath, The High Holy Days, etc and why they are so important to GOD… We must also endeavor to understand ‘time’ from a Hebrew/Greek Perspective.

On the surface, this may sound like a lot of work, a lot of concepts to juggle. But I assure you it is worth it!

This entire discussion is going to lead us toward obtaining a greater appreciation of the LORD’s Feast Days and Sabbaths which we must have in order to experience the beauty and blessings of the moedim.

Time from a Hebrew perspective is quite different than how time is represented from a Greek perspective or Western perspective.

We will be training our ears to hear the distinctions as we continue to study the month of Elul.

Remember, All of Scripture is Profitable…

I realize that many people reading this come from backgrounds that have taught us that we are no longer obligated to observe the Biblical Feast enumerated in the “Old Testament”.

I especially hope, if that applies to you, that you will hear me out. You can pick up and leave off exactly as you came before reading this teaching, so all you lose is perhaps an hour of your time and some time in thought.

However, if you carefully weigh the evidence presented in this discourse, you just might walk away with some new information that will open up an entirely new realm of spiritual possibilities.

Building Relationship

Oftentimes, when in a classroom setting, I introduce this teaching by asking the question, “Have you ever met someone from another place, another state, another country and was so intrigued by them, that you wanted to know more about them?”

When presented with such an opportunity to get to know another person, especially someone you are attracted to, you ask so many questions. “Where did you go to school?, Where did you grow up?, How many siblings do you have?, How old are they?, What are your favorite foods?, favorite places, best experiences?, likes and dislikes? etc, etc.

The list goes on and on. Some of us have stayed up all night, talking on the phone or in person, just getting to know each other. It’s a lot of fun!

Eventually, you find yourself going places and doing things that you may have never considered before. Things that are out of the ordinary for you. Perhaps something simple as spending the day at a museum, or going to an opera, or a play or a sporting event. Simply, doing something so out of the ordinary for you, and having a great time, learning a great deal.

You do all of this because you want to get to know the person. So, you take a look inside their world. Later, perhaps, you fall in love with them.

Soon, you are changing your calendar around to be with them. You do things that are not so important to you, but are very important to them.

For instance, you probably would have been just fine, not attending the family barbecue or family reunion, but theirs was important to them, so you accompanied them there.

You may not have even attended your own family reunion when invited. But, this is not about you, so you go, because it’s important to them.

What is important for the other person, becomes important for your relationship.

This is exactly what it is like building a relationship with the LORD.

We can’t say we love Him (GOD), and be completely disinterested in His heritage, His culture, His times, etc.

If He say’s its important to Him, it should be important to us!

To give your lover an excuse like, “I was told that is not required or necessary” is a destiny destroyer in the natural, just as it is a destiny destroyer in the spirit.

If GOD is the Lover of our soul, then I suggest that we put aside our ‘learned’ traditions and beliefs, especially where they differ with what He taught about observing His High Holy Days as an “Everlasting Memorial throughout Your Generations, Forever”.

Also, consider this…If you can turn your calendar around and make a few changes to please an earthly lover... How Much More will you do, could you do, or should you do, for the Lover of Your Soul?

If the moedim is important enough to GOD to schedule time throughout all eternity to spend with you, it should be important enough to us to be available, right?

How Do I Love You? Let Me Count The Ways…

The most loving relationships are adorned, not by what you have to do (are obligated to do), but by what you want to do, to show your love and appreciation for the other person.

Being legalistic in our earthly relationships, never works. How on Earth or Heaven, can we expect that legalism to work in our spiritual relationships.

If your spouse loves to dance and you love them, I recommend dancing.

That being said, All Relationships are Spiritual. When our personal relationships are damaging, that is what they damage most (our spirit).

When our personal relationships are fruitful, what is elevated the most is our spirit!

Working On Our Spiritual Relationship with GOD…

If we had just one beautiful way we have to draw closer to GOD, It would be wise to celebrate His Presence through His ordained Feast Days and Sabbaths!

For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. Eccl 7:12

Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city. Eccl 7:19

Wisdom is to Love, acknowledge and experience His moedim! At the very least, I encourage you to become as interested in His interest, as you would be with any other person here on earth.

The sabbaths were made for man… He ordained them for you, out of love.

He has been consistently clear, all throughout scripture of the significance, importance, protection and love provided in His moedim.

Love what GOD loves.

STEP ONE: KNOWING CHRONOS FROM KAIROS

Operating under CHRONOS MOMENTS of Time

This is how we operate day in and day out. Light in the Day, Darkness in the Night; Night from day, day after day, night after night. Chronos is tantamount to operating under the sun.

Think of chronos as day by day cycles of time. Our typical standard clock and calendar. These are the mundane mechanations of time.

Our days and years become mundane when they are devoid of the pursuits of Heaven. Without GOD in our days, the profane (secular) consumes our time.

In this manner, chronos can be considered the monotonous use of our time. Especially when we spend our time in unprofitable ways…going through the motions, no plan, no goals, disengaged or disconnected spiritually or emotionally.

Spiritually disengaging or “going through the motions” is equivalent to binding yourself in a chronos mindset.

Chronos moments are linear. Although cycles are an inherent characteristic in calendars, living day to day without GOD, causes mankind to operate on a lower level, with a futile mindset.

Time is an infinite line and an unending march in time. Operating in chronos time, is like watching time go by, with no spiritual goals, no spiritual progress.

GOD has effectively been locked out or blocked out of our lives, by our own choices and devices.

Ecclesiastes 1:

  • 3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
  • 4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
  • 5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
  • 6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
  • 7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
  • 9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
  • 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

In our Chronos mindset, we treat time as a spendable, recurring, yet limited resource, to squander or value at our discretion. In many ways, time becomes a tangible entity or dimension, that we treat as a living thing that we have access to at will.

Operating under KAIROS MOMENTS of Time…

The LORD GOD of Heaven is the GOD who was and is and will be, everything that we need in our lives.

If we believe that this is true, then we have to operate knowing, that our speech, our actions, behaviors, prayers, everything we do, affects what was, is and will be.

Shifting out of chronos and into kairos requires that our mindset elevate to a level that recognizes and accepts, that everything is connected.

Prayer is a Product of Kairos Moments of Time…

Your actions, Your Words, Your Life, everything about you matters and so does everyone else!

Our words, our actions, our prayers affect past, present and future events. For many of us, that is an incredible statement and claim to make. Yet, GOD said it anyway…

“That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.” (Ecclesiastes 3:15)

An ALREADY BEEN DONE Kind of Prayer

Eccl 3:15 is not your traditional healing verse of scripture. I know.

Consider Eccl 3:15 from the perspective of time and space. On the literal surface, my claim that our prayers affect the past, seems impossible. But before dismissing this outright, ask yourself if you believe in the healing power of prayer?

If so, then prayer must reach into a past that has already manifested sickness and/or disease. In the present, the candidate is unhealthy because of what has already transpired, correct?

In order to address, an already been done kind-of-situation, you need an already been done kind-of prayer!

This level of prayer can not be achieved if we are “slaves to a chronological timeline”, praying from a position held “under the sun”.

We need our prayers to be prayed under the Heavens (kairos side of the street), from a position in the moedim.

Those that are hearing me clearly, will come to know a spiritual place when they see trouble heading toward them from a far off, will not panic or cry aloud, or dive into desparate prayer.

They will simply look and see where they are on the calendar of GOD and find their peace.

You see, when you know where you are on the calendar of GOD, you start to say things like, “OK, this is the best season for this kind of attack! Praise GOD!”

When the enemy draws lots to schedule the best date to plot your demise, be encouraged! Your Divine Reversal in at Hand!

There is a WHOLE NEW LEVEL of Confidence, Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding Coming Your Way, once you purpose in your heart to place yourself squarely on the Calendar of Heaven!

Ecclesiastes

  • 1:13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
  • 3:1 To every thing there is a season (zeman), and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
  • 8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
  • 8:2 I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.  
  • 8:3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 
  • 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
  • 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

The critical or opportune moments of time expresssed in Greek as ‘kairos’ is the best word choice in the Greek that correlates to an understanding of zeman in Hebrew, which is an appointed time, the set time, a time of divine alignment.

A ‘zeman/kairos moment’ is understood as the most suitable time for an action to take place, i.e. the right time or right timing.

It is important for us as Christians to be aware of the set times of GOD ( zemanim) as well as our ordained appointments, i.e. appointed times (moedim).

When GOD speaks of signs and seasons in Genesis 1:14, He is talking about something completely different than what ‘normally or naturally’ pops into our mind.

The natural mind thinks of, ” winter, spring, summer and fall”, when we hear the word ‘seasons‘. No argument with that at all, the natural mind is trained to hear and process the word ‘seasons’ in this way.

So it follows that, ‘literally’, that is exactly what we hear when someone says, ‘seasons’.

However, scripture is not trying to teach us things we already have knowledge of in the natural. The purpose of scripture is to teach us ‘spiritual’ concepts.

It is no coincidence that when GOD first speaks of ‘seasons‘ in the scripture (Gen 1:14) He is not speaking of creating ‘winter, spring, summer or fall’. He is speaking of creating, ordaining, appointed times on His Spiritual Calendar to meet with His People, Us!

The lights in the Heavens separating day from night, are also there to separate signs and seasons from days and night, and days and years.

Days and Night, and Days and Years are Chronos Moments. Signs and Seasons are Kairos.

Our Thoughts Are Not His Thoughts

The word in Hebrew that is interpreted as ‘seasons’ in Genesis 1:14 is MOED, which actually indicates an APPOINTED TIME. This is above and beyond the seasons of ‘winter, spring, summer and fall’.

In the cycles of days and years, night and day, days and years, we will naturally experience seasons like winter, spring, summer and fall. That’s a given.

Scripture was never talking about these types of seasons in Genes 1:14. If GOD wanted to discuss seasons, i.e., winter spring, summer and fall, He actually has a word for that.

HOW CAN YOU KNOW THIS FOR SURE?

A quick look at the etymology of the word ‘seasons‘ can be found via etymology.com

  • c. 1300, “a period of the year,” with reference to weather or work, also “proper time, suitable occasion,” from Old French seison, also saison “season, date; right moment, appropriate time” (Modern French saison) “a sowing, planting,” from Latin sationem (nominative satio) “a sowing, planting,” noun of action from past participle stem of serere “to sow” (from PIE root *sē- “to sow”). (click on the link highlighted above under ‘seasons’ to find more information).

At the time the word ‘seasons’ was first in use in the early 1300’s it was used to indicate a ‘set time’, a proper or opportune time or suitable occasion. The association with ‘a date’ or ‘right moment’ leads me to believe that at some point in our early history we understood and connected the word ‘seasons’ to its original first use in scripture, a Date of Destiny with GOD. Some connection to GOD was retained in the earliest forms of our language. Later, as you can see its use must have become more heavily associated with agriculture.

In June this year, I wrote a piece entitled, ‘Adam was not in Agriculture’ to dispel the myth that Adam was created by GOD to tend a literal garden.

Well, just as Adam was created to tend to the Spiritual Garden of GOD, the moedim (seasons), were given as guideposts to keep us oriented toward the most opportune moments ordained by GOD that remind us where and when to connect to His Presence.

Our best source of information that ensures us that GOD was speaking of spiritual seasons and not literal seasons is attested by the fact that there are many other words in the Hebrew language that communicate the concept of ‘seasons’.

In Part 1, I showed you 4 other words that are translated in scripture (at various times) as ‘seasons’. Without the benefit of a concordance, anyone can make the mistake of “reading them” with the same understanding.

ALWAYS REMEMBER: Hebrew is a Meticulous Language. Levels of Meaning Exist in Scripture.

Open your concordance to ‘seasons’ and you will see for yourself. Access an online Concordance of the Bible and you will see multiple Hebrew Words transalted as ‘seasons’.

Let’s read the verse again, inserting words that clarify what a MOED is, so that we can actually get to the heart of the matter.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for my witnesses (my pledge or oaths to my people), and for my appointed times, and for days, and years:

Signs in the heavens stand as testimony, bearing witness to GOD’s Word. Seasons are reminders of His Appointed Times with His People.


This Posts is Connected to The Series on Prayer:

All Photos including, Cover Photo by: Rev. S. Madison

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

NEW Disclosure Added: I am of the belief that any and all teachings on scripture, especially those on prayer should receive prayer before passing them along to others. For this reason, I encourage everyone who reviews these teachings to saturate each one in prayer before sharing, distributing or reproducing them in any fashion.

Anything that we hope to learn and accomplish through the Word of GOD must be born out of a spirit of prayer. Prayer is the root of all our spiritual training. Study without prayer is futile. Without prayer, we learn nothing and we accomplish nothing.

Take this teaching into prayer. Saturate it with prayer and ask GOD for understanding.

If anything that I have taught you in this message is true and of GOD, and something that He wants you to benefit from immediately….May He always send you an undeniable confirming word, speedily in these days.

GOD Bless You,

Congratulations to the 2019 Graduating Class of Masters of Hebraic Based Biblical Studies!

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.

Bible Study, Consecration, Judeo-Christian Teachings

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER… Creating Your Unbreakeable Bond in Communion with GOD

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Luke 6:12

Before Jesus ministered, after he ministered, before He spoke into the lives of anyone, After He spoke into the lives of the people, Jesus spent time in the presence of GOD in prayer.

His ministry bore the sign and the signature of prayer unceasing.

“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it (prayer, praise & worship) and to keep it (guard and protect the anointing).” Gen 2:15

(Ref: Adam was not in Agriculture).

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.“ Genesis 2:7

We learned earlier of the deeper prophetic meaning of this verse which reveals to us that…“Man became a Speaking Spirit”

Mankind’s utmost power is the ability to communicate, and his first communication was expressed between himself and GOD.

Mankind has an intrinsic need to communicate with his creator. If that is not the case, why do we spend an enormous amount of time, energy, conversation and thought centered around such questions: as:

  • Whether or not there is a GOD?
  • How was the universe created?
  • Is there a First Mover of the universe?
  • Are we alone in the universe?

We have an insatiable need to understand the beginnings of everything, especially ourselves.

Our spirit needs some time to talk with the Spirit of GOD.

Mankind is Created to Speak with GOD, spirit to Spirit

Communication is the substance of relationships and all of our relationships are spiritual. From the relationships that bless us, to the ones that vex us, our communication connects or divides us spiritually.

GOD breathe life into man and man became a speaking spirit, created to communicate. First to GOD and then to each other, into the world and everything in it.

Like us, relationships are also created with the breath of life. All relationships are founded upon and sustained by communication. Someone must say something.

What we say, when, why, how we say it… our speech defines us, our world and others. Life and death reside in the power of our tongues.

We edify, build up and encourage, or we tear down, damage and destroy, by the very breath of our speech.

What we speak into our own existence and into the lives of others, has power, momentum, substance, and weight.

When directed toward GOD with intention, contemplation and focus, speech is elevated to the level of prayer.

…and Prayer is more than just talk.

We have the power to change the circumstances of a situation by what we speak about it.

Prayer is a lot like gravity. It pulls everything around it towards its center, even light.

Gravity is one of the forces in the universe that is the most difficult to explain scientifically.

The Power of Prayer is a force in the universe that exist, despite any difficulty the church may have in explaining it spiritually.

Prayer is a spiritual element and can only be understood in spiritual terms.

Prayer affects space and time; past, present and future.

Prayer is our mechanism in which we speak to GOD. It has no fixed place. Prayer penetrates all realms and dimensions.

Prayer is what naturally emerges from a relationship with GOD.

The greater the communication the stronger the relationship. The weaker the communication, the weaker the relationship.

One of the most critical signs that a relationship is in trouble is when communication is compromised. Lack of communication precedes loss of communication, which is the pre-eminent sign of distress in any relationship.

Once communication ceases, the relationship suffers a death. Anyone who has ever suffered a damaged relationship, understands first hand, the spiritual death experienced from severed or severing communication.

The only way we can breathe life into the relationship again, is by finding a way back to communication.

Somewhere and at some point, we broke off communication with GOD.

Mankind was created to communicate with GOD through prayer, and prayer is how we find our way back to GOD.

Even though our spirit, created to communicate with GOD first (avodah), we have eliminated and/or substituted family, friends, loved ones, even nature itself, in place of direct communication with GOD.

Prayer and Praying are 2 Different Things.

Speak to any veteran of prayer and they will confirm that “prayer” is much more than a 5, 10, or 15 minute prayer session. There are many levels of prayer.

Christianity has formalized 3 levels of prayer.

  • Vocal Prayer (i.e., petition, intercession, thanksgiving, blessing, praise, confession)
    • Surface Level of prayer; Essential, developmental, powerful,
  • Meditation (i.e., reflection, study, practicing the presence of GOD)
    • Reflective level of prayer on teachings, scriptures, purpose, destiny, decisions…
  • Contemplation (i.e., awareness of the divine, coming to know GOD at the highest personal levels).
    • i.e., being with GOD, dwelling with the presence of GOD, heightens spiritual strength, power, spiritual beauty, insight, vision, wisdom, understanding, joy… Benefits.

Vocal prayer is what I am referring to as “praying”. Contemplation is what I am referring to as “prayer”.

Why?

Due to the vast majority of church’s which do not teach prayer as a life-style, the body of Christ is not accustomed to using the terms, “vocal prayer” or “contemplative”. In addition to this, we tend to think of all prayer as the same.

All Prayer is Not the Same

For this reason, I am distinguishing the terms by referring to vocal prayer as ‘praying‘, and contemplation as prayer.

Contemplative prayer undergirds all stages and levels of prayer and requires the highest level of focus. Technically speaking, you have to train and discipline your spirit/flesh at this level of prayer.

Contemplative prayer demands that you master the ability to shut out all distractions, every vain imagination, submit your thoughts, ideas, every conversation in your head, focus, address and deal with your own character flaws, limitations and baggage, and deliver your spirit before the throne of GOD.

This takes more than 5, 10 or 15 minutes of praying. In the beginning, it can take up to 60 minutes or more, to get past your own obstacle course—in order for prayer to begin.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High…Ps 91, Matt 6:6, Acts 17:11, Ps 119:114

Prayer requires effort, struggle. It is not a tip toe through the tulips. Contemplative prayer requires that you battle your way past self, and press toward the Presence of GOD.

Attempts at this level of prayer are met with distractions, wandering thoughts, sleepiness, worldly demands, impatience, and any other conceivable device aimed toward dismantling your prayer life.

The reward is relationship.

Think of it like this…

Praying, as I have defined it above, is like having an acquaintance with GOD based upon an introduction from a third party.

Many Christians pray without having a deeper relationship with GOD. This is where we begin, but it does not have to be where we end.

Praying, takes place on prayer lines, fulfilling prayer commitments, praying before and after service, praying on the prayer lines, praying for others, etc.

Praying for others becomes far more effective, and should take place after spending time alone with GOD. This is the model set for us by Christ and the disciples.

Who wants to be in danger of praying out of their own spirit, rather than the spirit of GOD?

Who wants to be in danger of praying their own will, rather than the will of GOD?

Many times we have asked ourselves, what to pray?

The only way to know the answers to this question, is to spend time in the Presence of GOD.

Refining the 3 levels of prayer.

  • The Outer Court Prayers
    • Vocal Prayer (i.e., petition, intercession, thanksgiving, blessing, praise, confession)
      • Surface Level of Prayer; Essential, Developmental, Powerful,
  • Prayers in The Holy Place
    • Meditation (i.e., reflection, study, practicing the Presence of GOD)
      • Reflective level of prayer on teachings, scriptures, purpose, destiny, decisions…
      • Trains your spirit for solitude with GOD.
  • Prayer in The Holy of Holies
    • Contemplation (i.e., Awareness of the Divine, coming to know GOD at the highest personal levels).
      • i.e., being with GOD, dwelling with the Presence of GOD, heightens spiritual strength, power, spiritual beauty, insight, vision, wisdom, understanding, joy… Benefits.
      • Ability to emerge from Prayer having insight into your day, a sensitivity to the will of GOD, getting yourself in sync with the Spirit.
      • A Few Examples (a.k.a. Spiritual Evidence) of acheving this level of prayer are:
        • Shifting the atmosphere in places you enter into for calm, peace, harmony…
        • Knowing the spirits you are dealing with in your encounters.
          • Seeing beyond the person and into the spirit.
          • Not being easily provoked.
          • Being slow to speak, slow to anger, increased self control.
          • Judgmentalness under submission, increased self awareness.
          • Mastering your own tongue.
        • Complete strangers coming up to you and unburdening themselves, with spiritual questions or dilemmas–and having the answer they need to know.
        • Preparation for difficult encounters that would have otherwise taken you out of the spirit.
        • Multiple Levels of Character Refinement.
        • Increase in spiritual strength, fortitude, greater insight…
        • Falling in Love with Contemplative Prayer
        • Deeper Realtionship with GOD.

Praying for and with others should come out of this place. The place of saturating yourself in prayer.

Kingdom Relationship is established through prayer.

Before and after ministry, before and after any miracles, Jesus prayed.

We cannot substitute service for prayer.

There is no such thing as faithfulness, dedication, servanthood, etc., without first being steadfast, unceasing, fervent in prayer. Without prayer there is no way to become effectual in your kingdom assignments.

Jesus demonstrated the power of a devoted prayer life.

Saturated in the garments of prayer, praise and worship (avodah), Jesus saved, healed and delivered multitudes, then and now.

This requires much more than a part-time, some-time, inconsistent prayer life..

JESUS LIVED AND TAUGHT PRAYER AS A LIFESTYLE

Matthew 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Matthew 26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Matthew 26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Matthew 26:44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Mark 6:46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

Mark 14:32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

Mark 14:35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

Mark 14:39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

Luke 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

Luke 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Luke 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

Luke 9:28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

Luke 9:29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

John 16:26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:

John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Your Prayer Life equips The LORD’s Disciples to hit the mark.

…AND JESUS GAVE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS FOLLOWERS TO PRAY

Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Matthew 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Matthew 9:38 pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Mark 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

Mark 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

Luke 6:28 bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

Luke 19:46 saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

The ministry of Christ is distinguished by His prayer life.

We are sanctified by prayer. Prayer purifies our soul and transforms the spirit.

Prayer is how we stay connected to GOD. Our priorities are to stay connected to GOD first, as Jesus did, and then serve.

The flesh never wants to pray, let alone observe and submit to a prayer lifestyle. Nevertheless, our spirits require prayer to thrive, and remain healthy and strong. Prayer heals our spirit, keeps our souls connected to GOD and fills us with the power of GOD.

There is no way to obtain or operate within the mind of Christ without a prayer life.

We accepted the ministry, we desire the miracles, but far too often claiming to be the body of Christ, we neglect the critical need for a Contemplative Prayer-Life.

And yet we see that the disciples remained steadfast in the example that Jesus set.

CHRIST’s DISCIPLES WERE COMMITTED AND SUBMITTED TO PRAYER.

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Acts 6:6 whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

Acts 8:15 who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

Acts 8:24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

Acts 9:11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

Acts 10:9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

This teaching is dedicated to my students. Diligently pursue and be filled with the presence of GOD daily and may your ministries always be distinguished by your dedication and consecration to your prayer life.

Posts Included in This Series on Prayer:

Cover Photo by: Aaron Burden, Unsplash.com

  • Covered in the Light of Prayer, photo by: Mads Schmidt, Unsplash.com
  • Woman in Prayer, photo by: Olivia Snow, Unsplash.com
  • Little Child reading a book, photo by: Samantha Sophia, Unsplash.com
  • Statue in Prayer, photo by: Scott Rodgerson, Unsplash.com
  • Archers, photo by: Alex Guillaume, Unsplash.com
  • Woman in Prayer, photo by: Olivia Snow, Unsplash.com

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

NEW Disclosure Added: I am of the belief that any and all teachings on scripture, especially those on prayer should receive prayer before passing them along to others. For this reason, I encourage everyone who reviews these teachings to saturate each one in prayer before sharing, distributing or reproducing them in any fashion.

Anything that we hope to learn and accomplish through the Word of GOD must be born out of a spirit of prayer. Prayer is the root of all our spiritual training. Study without prayer is futile. Without prayer, we learn nothing and we accomplish nothing.

Prayerlessness makes a pretense of piety.

May GOD always send you a confirming word to every message I write,

GOD Bless You,

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.

The Journey Back

MAKE A WINDOW IN THE ARK…

Genesis 6:13 “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth”.

6:14  “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch”.

6:15  “And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits”.

6:16  “A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it”.

Before Noach (Noah) was finished, he had to make sure that he had placed a window in the ark. Makes perfect sense. God commanded a flood. It would be raining for quite some time.

As you can see from the chart below, the Hebrew word for ark is teivah. As with all the words in Hebrew, there is depth and height. The Word of God contains such rich luxurious texture, streaming with meaning, purpose, treasure and insight. In English, ark means ark. In the Hebrew, the LORD’s language, is a 2 edged sword.

Psalms 119:30 says, “The entrance of thy Word brings light, and gives understanding to the simple!”  King David, (Prophet, Priest & King) connected with the revelation of this message. David recognized that God was not just talking commanding Noach to make a window for the ark in some mundane, mechanical sense.  Noach is commanded to make ‘one’ window, singular. Whatever he needs to see, when he needs to see it, will be facing him head on.

Yes, Noach makes a literal window. But scripture is not just teaching us literal concepts. There are revelations to be found in the Word. Noach builds an ark, based solely on the Word of God. Noah will look out of that window when he in instructed to, at the Word of God. When the storm is over, it will be through that window that the light will come.

 King David, (Prophet, Priest & King) connected with the revelation of this message. David knew that every instruction of God has purpose. So, when he tells Noach to make a window in the ark, a detail we easily read over like we are reading a fariytale story, David is paying attention to detail.

David’s experience with GOD, tells him to ask a few questions. For instance, it makes common sense to make a window. Why is GOD giving such detailed instructions for something that I know. Of course, I’ll make a window.

However, on the heels of that same instance, instance that he ask himself the question, the next instant he has to just smile and say, OK GOD, I get it.

David, understood something we will never see without the Hebrew. He understood that ‘teivah’ also means, ‘Word’. Yes, Noah, make a literal window for the ark, but in doing so he understood the message behind the message. He knew that he had another job to do. He also was charged with bringing forth light with the Word, that is in the ark!  

Our entire spiritual survival will depend on how we utilize our power to speak the Word and bring light into the darkness. The ‘light’ from the sun will not be available for a little while. You need to tap into another level of light!

When Noah made that window, he was doing it on faith that the light would come. Making that window was equivalent to Moses saying, “I believe you Lord, and I trust You”. If GOD was not going to keep His word to Noah, and destroy him and his family in the flood, there is absolutely no need for a window. So Noah makes a window in the ark, knowing that on a completely higher level, he is making a window for the Word.

Just as Noah had to make a window for the purpose of bringing light into the ark, we have to learn how to bring forth light with the Word.  Again, our entire spiritual survival will depend on how well we can follow the instructions and make a window for the Word, despite the trials and tributions, the problem or the situation, the circumstances, or the complications… despite the 40 dark days, make a window for the Word!

Can we bring forth light with the Word of GOD? What will we create, with the Word?

As you increase your knowledge of the Hebrew, and begin to pray with the Hebrew tongue (even a few words); every utterance will take on the creative force imbued within the Word, at the dawn of creation.  When I say, you begin to pray with a Hebrew tongue, for now, I’m speaking of praying with a torah mindset, meaning you are now praying with a more intimate knowledge of the Word.

Genesis 7:1, “You and all of your household shall enter into the ark”. 

What if we dared to understand this at a higher level?  What can happen when you are no longer satisfied with a superficial knowledge and understanding of the Word?

When we study torah, we are pursuing, d’resh (investigation), remez (comparing scripture with scripture) for the purpose of a sod level of knowledge (revelation).

Let’s read this again, but this time let’s insert the revelation,  “You and all your household shall enter into the Word” – 

The Baal Shem Tov taught that this means that we must put our entire self, into the words of our prayers. The brightest light we will ever create, will be the light we create with our words. With this one, tiny bit of torah knowledge we find, that the ‘teaching’ about the making of the ark, is more than a bible story. God didn’t give us stories, He gave us teachings, instructions and directions. I hope our biblical vocabularies will eliminate the words, bible story, from our vocabulary for a while. I encourage everyone to try. We need to elevate the kedusha (Holiness) on our words, and the way in which we speak about the Word of GOD. We are the experts on spiritual matters, not the world. The world, will take their lead from us.

Our words have work to do. The Hebrew Letters are known as the Letters of Fire. When we pray, we have access to the Fire of God through his Word. When passion, compassion and love are the very foundation of our prayers; When we speak with kindness, honoring every soul, When the words we speak have only one agenda; to build up, edify and encourage, then our words are doing the work we were called to do.  We are creating, (creating is the Hebrew word, ‘asah’), a window in the Ark. 

As we go about our daily lives, and look out of our windows through the vision of all of our circumstances, speak light and look for the light to come. Call it into existence. When our words and prayers infuse the light of God into the world and into another’s soul…We are creating light, from every Word of God!

Make a Window for the Word!

© 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog

Image provided by Unsplash.com