His Eye is on the Sparrow

The news today contained a story about a man who was sound asleep on a bus one moment, and then brutally stabbed and decapitated the next. The mind reels. Decapitation? On a bus, in front of people in broad daylight? I cried out to the Lord, "What manner of evil is this?" In the Spirit I heard His Word: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

The two verses that follow are Jesus' description of our Father's total, everlasting care and provision over us. He reminds us that not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from His perfect will and watchful eye. Matthew 10:29-31: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

This revelation came a day after I received a most beautiful and profound meditation from an old friend of mine who lives in Louisiana. Bill and I met when I was pastoring the very small church high up in Pitkin, Colorado; and we spent many an afternoon that summer poring over the Word of God and exploring its deeper meanings. Now, seven years later, Bill wrote me this poignant paragraph, so perfectly in sync with the Scripture Yahweh had just given me, and then he closed it with a question; a question that all of us should be asking ourselves.

"Last night I was unable to sleep. For some reason I began to think of birds and how they
sound different at different times of the day. At dawn their murmerings and chirping seem to
be filled with expectancy. When full daylight comes, and all day after that, they are singing
their hearts out from the sheer joy of life. Then,when dusk approaches, their singing subsides
into what might sound like their dawn sounds, and it is; but instead of being expectant,
there is an air of contentment and peace in the knowledge that tomorrow will come and find
them provided for. I sat, and it struck me. Jesus said He watches over the sparrow. Am I not worth more than the sparrow?

"Then why can't I emulate the birds?"

An Upside Down Kingdom

In biblical times, birthright and blessing were always connected to the firstborn son. The birthright included a double portion of the father's estate; and the firstborn son took over as head of the family and its possessions. Jim Spillman wrote, "The blessing was more of a spiritual inheritance, passed down from father to son. The blessing dealt more with sacred relationships and the promise of good things to come." It would be rare for the blessing not to be transferred automatically to the firsborn; however, in the Kingdom of God lots of rare things happen!

We have a God of perfect order; but He is also a living and active God who is daily at work, enacting plans beyond the scope of our human, finite understanding. And he is an upside-down King, who does not always do things the way we expect Him to. How else would it be that within the four consecutive generations of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Ephraim, we see the blessing of the firstborn being given to a younger son instead? As we study these unusual examples of fathers and grandfathers passing on the blessing of the firstborn to younger children, we cannot find any consistent pattern. In each of these situations it occurred differently. Isaac was not the firstborn of Abraham, but he was the child whom God had promised to Abraham and Sarah, the one who would carry on the Covenant and the blessing to become many nations and inherit the Promised Land. Ishmael was conceived outside of the will and plan of God!

Then we see Isaac with his twin sons Jacob and Esau - and although Esau was born first, he squandered his birthright and sold it for a bowl of beans! And if that were not enough, Jacob also tricked his blind father into giving him the blessing upon his death bed. Was this deception outside of God's plan? Apparently not - for in Genesis 25 we hear that when Rebekah inquired of the Lord about the babies in her womb, He answered, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will SERVE the younger" (Genesis 25:23). Things were progressing according to God's sovereign plan in His "upside-down kingdom!"

Then Jacob produces 12 sons, who will become the 12 tribes of Israel, but we do not see Jacob's blessing of the firstborn going to Reuben, do we? No, it is apparent from the beginning of the story that Jacob's heart and blessing will belong to Joseph and flow on to his second-born grandson, Ephraim. Jacob, by then known as Israel, blesses his grandsons by crossing his arms and putting his right hand (the hand for blessing the first-born) on the head of Ephraim, the second-born. Their daddy Joseph is sure the old man is making a grave mistake and cries out, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." But his father knew what he was doing. He refused and said, "I know my son, I know. He [Manassah] too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother [Ephraim] will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations." So he put Ephraim ahead of Manassah." (Genesis 48:17-20).

What does all this mean to us? I meditated upon that all day today, and finally heard the still, small Voice of the Spirit say, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Humble yourself in the sight of the LORD and HE shall lift you up."

In His upside-down Kingdom those who are exalting themselves and building their own kingdoms, seeking fame, wealth, and prosperity from their kingdoms will one day find themselves crying out, "No, my Father, I am a firstborn! Put your hand on MY head!" But the Father may just cross His arms and place His hand of blessing on the head of a younger one - one who acted justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly in His sight (Micah 6:8), one whose name no one in this world ever knew.

He is, after all, King of an Upside-Down Kingdom.

WARNING!!

A month or so ago I wrote a blog that contained a warning about the Lakeland, Florida "Revival" starring Todd Bentley. I felt strongly convicted to try to get the word out to many who could be led astray by this false revival, and I shared with you my own experiences with Todd's ministry back in 2003 because I felt I could speak from personal experience about the things that had concerned me even back then. Perhaps many of you have not even yet heard of this "revival." Perhaps others of you have heard and not paid any attention because you're not in the least interested. But this time I write to beg you to GET interested, because soon someone is going to approach you about this and perhaps even persuade you to believe in it or to go there. I get telephone calls every day asking me about it, and SO many people saying they are excited to go. After you have read the prophetic word at the bottom of this e-mail, I believe you will begin to understand the grave importance and severity of this deception. It is not just another "Pentecostal thing" as some may shrug it off. It is not a manifestation of the Spirit of God. It is a perversion of the Gospel - preaching a different Jesus - and a tactic of Satan to deceive the very elect. WILL YOU PLEASE READ ON TO THE END? I am crying out with a passion about this. NOW it has gone WAY past a concern or a conviction for me. Now, thanks to nightly live broadcasting on GOD TV, and live streaming on the internet, the news of this "revival" has circled the globe and created such a stir that hundreds of thousands are flying into Florida from all over the world to "get some." Yes, those are Todd's words when he urges people to come to Florida: "Come and get some!!" And so, in search of healing miracles, signs and wonders, some come with a pure heart to seek the Holy Spirit and some thrill-seekers come to experience the signs and wonders and "get some." If you have watched any of these live broadcasts I do not know how you could possibly think that what is going on there in this carnival-like atmosphere is of the Holy One of Israel. Todd says, "Miracles are popping like popcorn!" I have never thought of Yahweh's miracles as popcorn, have you?

NOW I am on my face weeping, and crying out to El Shaddai to put a stop to this crafty, wicked deception. We have been WARNED that it is coming in the last days, brothers and sisters! Over and over Yeshua and His apostles warn us: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" We have been WARNED that a wicked and perverse generation will seek after signs and wonders (Matthew 24:38-39): "Some of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law came to Yeshua. They said, 'Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.' He answered, 'Evil and unfaithful people ask for a miraculous sign! But none will be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah.'" What IS the sign of Jonah? It is REPENTANCE. In Matthew 24:23-24, Yeshua warns us, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand." In the original Hebrew manuscript (yes, Matthew WAS originally written in Hebrew!), the word Christ was a mistranslation. It was actually the Hebrew word for anointing or anointed one: "Look, here is the anointing" or "there!" do not believe it. Does that not cast a new light on this Scripture? Very, very few Christians are following after the wackos who say they are Jesus Christ; but how many are running here and there after someone they believe has "the anointing" or is an anointed one?

All the above is sound, important caution based on the Word of God. But I have not read anything that would so accurately describe and explain the false prophets who would try to seduce us - from Toronto to Brownsville to Lakeland - than this word I'm printing below. This is a very small excerpt from a prophetic word given by a man named Stanley Frodisham in Chicago in 1965. Apparently Mr. Frodisham was a friend of Smith Wigglesworth, and he issued this proclamation five years before his death. How could he so accurately have known forty years ago what this end-times deception of the Church would look like? Only by the Spirit. Please read it and pray about it. I believe it will clarify for you HOW IT COULD BE POSSIBLE THAT BELIEVERS BECOME SO DECEIVED THAT THERE IS A GREAT FALLING AWAY. Remember, "The coming of the lawless (Torah-less) one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders" (2nd Thess. 2:9).

The Ways of Deceivers
"I warn you to search the Scriptures diligently concerning these last days. For the things that are written shall indeed be made manifest. There shall come deceivers among My people in increasing numbers, who shall speak forth the truth and shall gain the favour of the people. For the people shall examine the Scriptures and say, 'What these men say is true'. Then when they have gained the hearts of the people, then and then only shall they bring out their wrong doctrines. Therefore I say that you should not give your hearts to men, nor hold people's persons in admiration or adulation. For by these very persons Satan shall gain entry into My people. Watch for seducers! Do you think a seducer will brandish a heresy and flaunt it before the people? He will speak words of righteousness and truth and will appear as a minister of light, declaring the Word. The people's hearts shall be won. Then when the hearts are won, they will bring out their doctrines and the people shall be deceived. The people shall say 'Did he not speak thus and thus'? 'And did we not examine it from the Word'? 'Therefore he is a minister of righteousness. This that he has now spoken we do not see in the Word but it must be right, for the other things he spoke were true'. Be not deceived. For the deceiver will first work to gain the hearts of many, and then shall bring forth his insidious doctrines. You can not discern those who are of Me and those who are not of Me when they start to preach. But seek Me constantly, and when these doctrines are brought out you shall have a witness in your heart that these are not of Me. Fear not, for I have warned you. It is possible that the very elect may be deceived. But it is not possible if you walk in holiness and uprightness before the Lord, for then your eyes shall be open and the Lord will protect you. If you will constantly look unto the Lord you will know when the doctrine changes, and will not be brought into it. If your heart is right I will keep you, if you will look constantly to Me, I will uphold you."
Stanley Frodisham, 1965

Plugging Into the Power

I am presently in Omaha at an annual summit of a writer's team of which I am a part. We all brought our lap-tops and set them up around the table, looking more like the Executive Board of a Fortune 500 company than a bunch of common folk who write for the Lord! Yet, when I searched through my brief case, the power cord for my laptop was nowhere to be found. I searched my luggage: nothing. It was then I had a vague memory of wrapping the power cord in my hand, then laying it down to rush upstairs and answer my telephone. The cord never got packed. But Steve, the kind husband of one of the local writers said he would gladly go out shopping to try to find me a replacement cord.

He called after searching several stores and said the cord would cost me around $79. I was amazed at this high cost and said, "Never mind. I'll do without it!" But this caring man was on a mission to help. He went home and searched his house for anything that might work. Later in the day he showed up where we were working and had an old Gateway power source cord in his hand. Even though I own an Acer laptop, the old cord worked and suddenly I had "power" again!

The next day the leader of the group put on a dinner for our group of writers and also the intercessors who regularly pray for our work. We went around the table answering the question "What was the highlight of these past two days?" When it came to Steve, he very quietly and humbly anwered, "For me, the highlight was being able to find that cord for Kelly. That really made me happy!" My spirit rejoiced. It was such a small thing, and yet it had brought Steve great joy to do this for me. It was in that moment that I thought about the greater Power that had been given. Alone I had not been able to plug into the power and complete my work. But with the willing help and kindness of a stranger, I got plugged in!

I don't think any of us ever really get fully plugged into the power of the Holy Spirit alone. We need one another. In this week's Torah readings, we see a depressed Elijah, who thinks he is absolutely the only one left who believes in the God of Israel, and he loses his power, sits under a tree and asks God to take his life. But what is God's response? "All at once an angel touched him and said, 'Get up and eat.' He looked around and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, 'Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.' So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.'" (1 Kings 19:5-8)

It's not that my lack of a power cord for my laptop had thrown me into suicidal depression! It's the simple message that as part of the Body of Messiah we never have to feel that we are alone - and we should never assume that we can accomplish something alone, or under our own power.
Through Steve's simple caring and kindness, I got a cord to plug me back into the power - both physically and spiritually. Two are better than one, and A THREE-FOLD CORD CAN NEVER BE BROKEN!

Not One Veil, but Two

In my last post I discussed how the veil over the eyes of the Jewish people is increasingly being lifted, that they might recognize their Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). Last week international news articles were filled with the discovery of an ancient stone tablet, which pre-dates Yeshua's birth and is causing quite a stir among not only the Jews, but also the Christians. That's because there are TWO veils that must be lifted, not just one! The eyes of Christians in the Church have also been veiled since 325 A.D. and the Council of Nicea. As Jonathan Bernis writes, "Church history is replete with with great names of prominent theologians and writers who unequivocally divorce Yeshua from His roots. The Redeemer of Israel has spent the past two thousand years disguised in His richly-adorned Byzantine robes, with fair, European complexion, hair flowing over the shoulders most uncharacteristically, eating fluffy leavened bread from the Passover table. Through the centuries perhaps the grossest distortion of Yeshua's identity has been His characterization as one who is anti-Torah, having overthrown the authority of the God of Abraham, and founding a new relgion triumphant over the Jews and 'their laws.'"

It's so true: not only has the European/Roman Catholic image of a "Greek Jesus" disguised the Jewish Messiah so that He could not be recognized by His own Jewish people, but it has also robbed the Church of the precious inheritance of our Jewish roots, and the joy of keeping the Torah and Feasts of the Lord in the Holy Spirit! There have been two veils, you see, not just one. The ancient stone tablet that was just discovered may well help to lift both veils.

Israeli Professor Israel Knohl of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem is studying the newly-discovered stone tablet and he reports the following: "The first part describes an eschatological war," Knohl explains. "The nations of the world besiege Jerusalem, and the residents are expelled from the city in groups. This description is followed by a passage in which God sends "my servant David" to ask...the Messiah Son of Joseph to deliver a 'sign.' From the context, it appears that this sign heralds the coming redemption.The second part of the Gabriel Revelation focuses on death and resurrection - and the blood of the slain. The last paragraph cites the words of the Archangel Gabriel who commands a person to return to life after three days: 'By three days, live.' "This is truly significant." What Knohl finds most significant is "the fact that [the writings on the stone tablet] strongly suggested that a savior who died and rose after three days was an established concept at the time of Jesus. He notes that in the Gospels, Jesus makes numerous predictions of his suffering and New Testament scholars say such predictions must have been written in by later followers because there was no such idea present in his day. But there was, he said, and 'Gabriel's Revelation' shows it." "His mission is that he has to be put to death by the Romans to suffer so his blood will be the sign for redemption to come," Mr. Knohl said. "This is the sign of the son of Joseph. This is the conscious view of Jesus himself....To shed blood...to bring redemption to Israel."

Two veils, not just one, are being lifted! The Jews are astonished to find from the writings on this ancient stone that there was a Jewish concept of a Messiah who would die and then be resurrected in three days! Christians are finally understanding that their Messiah, a Torah-observant Jew, intended that we should keep the commands and decrees of Yahweh forever - unto a thousand generations (see Deut. 7:9 and Matthew 5:17) and that we should put off the holidays of the pagans and keep the feasts of the LORD, just as He did. How will the Jews ever accept or be drawn to a Messiah who eats pork, celebrates the Greco/Roman holidays of Christmas and Easter with pagan traditions, and does not keep the Sabbath set apart and holy?

But thanks be to God! He is even now returning riches long lost to Christianity, while returning to Israel a Messiah she can recognize and be jealous for!

One New Man in Messiah

At the risk of sounding very foolish, I'm going to go out on a limb here and repeat a prophecy I gave back in early 2006 when I was just home from Jerusalem and watched the news broadcast of Ariel Sharon being rushed to the hospital after his massive stroke. Sharon is not in the news anymore, and one would hardly know if he was even still alive! No one ever mentions him, and I believe it will be two years this December since he went into a coma. At that time I had a vision I believed was from the Lord, that Sharon would be a "type" of the apostle Paul, being caught up with the LORD for a period of three years of divine instruction (just as Paul said he was in Arabia" for that period, prior to his being released into a ministry of the Gospel to the nations). In my spirit I felt the LORD was telling me that Sharon would emerge from his coma within a three-year period and have a ministry to his fellow Jews and Israelis to lift the veil over their eyes and bring them to their Messiah, resulting in a true revival of the Jewish people.

Yesterday I received a beautiful letter below from Leah Ortiz, the mother of Ami. You will recall that Ami is the teen who received a Purim package on his front doorstep that turned out to be a bomb exploding in his arms and face. Ami is the son of a pastor of a Messianic congregation in Ariel. They were targeted for this attack because of their belief in Messiah Yeshua. Such prayer has gone up for Ami around the world that God has answered in miracles to preserve his life and heal his untold many wounds. God is using Ami's recovery to show the people of Israel and the world that Yeshua (Jesus) is LORD, and the faith of the Ortiz family has been a powerful witness to us all.

Now, within Leah's update letter I read that Ariel Sharon is being cared for in this same hospital where Ami is! Leah writes, "Ariel Sharon is on a respirator in the adult rehabilitation building at Tel HaShomer. I met a believer who is a nurse who works weaning patients who are on respirators, and she takes care of him."

Praise God! A believer in Yeshua is caring for Sharon, and undoubtedly praying over him night and day. This did not surprise me! My heart is overjoyed looking toward the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is coming upon the Jewish people after 2000+ years of being veiled. As Paul himself wrote in Romans 11:25: "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. AND SO ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED."

What does "fullness of the Gentiles" mean? Is there some magic number when Yahweh pushes the "stop" button and says, "OK, that's the full number of the Gentiles?" No, I tell you no! "Fullness of the Gentiles" in Hebrew is melo ha goyim and it is the same Hebrew phrase used in Genesis 48:19 referring to Joseph's son, Ephraim. Here Jacob is blessing his grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and, if you remember, he crosses his arms and gives the firstborn blessing to Ephraim, the second born, saying, "...the younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become melo ha goyim (the fullness of the Gentiles, or a group of nations).

Now that the Good News of Messiah Yeshua's atoning death and resurrection has reached all the nations, the "hardening" or veil over Jewish eyes can be lifted, and they will SEE and BELIEVE in their own Messiah. How humbling, how humbling to know that their veil has been so that you and I, as Gentiles, might hear and receive our salvation in Yeshua, and be grafted into the olive tree of Israel! Only when the believers of the nations and the believers of the Jews are united as ONE NEW MAN IN MESSIAH will Israel finally be RESTORED (Ephesians 2:15 "His purpose was to create in himself one new man OUT OF THE TWO, thus making peace and in this one body to reconcile both of them to Yahweh through the execution stake, by which He put to death their hostility.") Hallelujah! The olive tree of Israel is about to be made whole again - and only THEN will "all Israel be saved."

Shabbat Shalom!

"Then he got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning, a furious storm came upon the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Yeshua was sleeping." (Matthew 8:23-24)

When I awoke this morning I was covered in a shalom so precious, so profound, I can barely find words to describe it. I awoke with my 3-year-old granddaughter fast asleep in my arms, my kitty snuggled at my feet, birds singing in the trees, and a glorious sunrise beaming through my window. I thought, "Father, how could the days of sorrow be upon us when all seems so peaceful?" Wiping sleep from my eyes, I realized it was the 4th of July. I prayed over this great nation for Yahweh's hedge of protection, asking Him not to lift His hand that covers us. The reality all about us includes raging wildfires in the West, flood-drenched cities in the Midwest, and people displaced by tornadoes everywhere. The threats against our nation are great, and sleeper cells of terrorism lie in dormant silence, waiting to erupt. But here I was, safe in my bed, my beautiful granddaughter snuggled against my body, her warm breath on my cheek, listening to the songs of birds.

I thought of Yeshua in the boat in the midst of the storm. The disciples were gripped by panic and fear. They woke the Lord, crying "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" How had he remained peacefully asleep in the midst of a capsizing boat?

He is GOD. He knows the end from the beginning. He is the one who kept the Israelites safe in the midst of terrible plagues. From Sabbath to Sabbath they were keeping His commands and observing His decrees - while the Egyptians surrounding them were given over to famine, disease, darkness, and death. The LORD has said, "If you make the Most High your dwelling, even YAHWEH who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent." (Psalm 91:9)

Oh, may we hide this word in our hearts and keep this SHALOM over us and within us - so that whatever tempestuous storm swirls around us, we may remain calmly sleeping in the boat.

Go outside this evening and sight the new moon. Blow the shofar and give Yahweh thanks for another new month. The cycles and seasons continue and He is LORD!

Shabbat Shalom - Chodesh Tov! (Good month)

Your Life is a Prayer

I spent last evening recording a new teaching broadcast for Israel Radio. I titled it "All Manner of Prayer." When you start studying the scriptures about prayer, there seem to be many different manner of prayers: thanksgivings, petitions, intercessions, praying in tongues, warfare prayer, and praise! Yet, as I was recording the teaching, I kept hearing the Lord say, "Conversation. It is simply conversation; and conversation takes two - one to speak and one to listen." As I pondered that further, I realized the Lord and I converse all day. I speak out loud to Him as I would to a spouse or friend; and then I have to be quiet and listen so that He can have His turn to speak too! (Don't we often forget that last part, and think we get to do all the talking?!)

I believe most of us underestimate the time we spend in prayer. If you truly have learned to converse with God throughout your day, you don't even realize how often you have prayed, and how much you have included Him in your daily thoughts, decisions and activities.

Thumbing through one of my old journals tonight I read a paragraph from November 2002 when I was with my daughter and her high school choir in New York City. They were there to sing a concert in Carnegie Hall - a big highlight of her life and mine - and I was one of the chaperones. As you can imagine, it was a flurry of activity, hustling and bustling around the city doing all the tourist sight-seeing, as well as rehearsing and preparing for the concert. When I had time later to reflect on that hectic, busy trip I wrote an apology to the Lord in my journal. I felt I had neglected to pray. But this was His response, which I also wrote down:

"I have tried to teach you that your LIFE is a prayer - and in this time in New York City you fulfilled that word. You stopped and prayed to Me over a homeless man in the street; you witnessed to those teenagers about Me, remember? I saw you raise your hands in Central Park, praising Me for the glory of My creation and praying for the peace of your nation. I heard you cover the subways and busses with my warring angels of protection, and then you stopped to pray against Satan's witchcraft at the home of the fortune teller. You DID spend time in prayer, daughter! Your heart now moves in the rhythm of prayer - for prayer is nothing but the communication of your heart to Mine - moment by moment, day by day."

I share this to encourage you - because I bet you don't realize how much your life is a prayer too!