Much Grace Was Upon Them All...

The Holy Spirit is indeed beginning to pour out wisdom and understanding through dreams and visions in our time. Several of you have been sending me your dreams, and what is so amazing is that many dreams are so similar in imagery and message that the confirmations are altogether startling and comforting! God is speaking to His people for the days just ahead of us.

Three nights ago I too had a dream, and I knew when I awoke that it would be important to correctly interpret it. I dreamed I was a child again and I had lovely bedroom furniture that I really cherished. I mean in this dream my bedroom furniture was absolutely my prized possession! But one day I came home and found that this furniture had been removed from my room and in its place was a simple mattress on a wooden box. My beautiful bedroom had been stripped of everything else. I stood there and gazed at the empty walls and the uncomfortable bed and I began to literally mourn. I was sobbing so hard that when I actually awoke my face was stained with tears.

In the second part of the dream I learned that my mother had to go back to work. She had always been home, and so I knew that we must be in very hard times. I cried even harder at the news that my mother would no longer be at home with us; and then in the next scene I was introduced to someone I had never met, and told that this person was my half-brother.

What was really strange was my reaction to this news! I was told that this half-brother whom I had not known existed, was now the recipient of my treasured bedroom furniture - and I literally jumped with joy! I was so thrilled to hear that this new sibling had come into my life and that my furniture was still in our family! Then I woke up.

I shared this dream with my worship group on Erev Shabbat and the Lord brought the interpretation through His Word. I believe this is a Word for us all - and a prophecy of how we must be prepared to give up the possessions we hold dear, and share them with those our Abba Father brings to us as our family - perhaps even to our half-sibling, Judah!

"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of Messiah Yahshua, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales, and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need." (Acts 4:32-35).

Two Wings of a Great Eagle

Like most people in the U.S. I sat transfixed, staring at the surreal images of the U.S. Airways jet in the middle of the Hudson River. It seemed significant, but I could not quite figure out what the Spirit wanted me to see. I knew it was a miracle - 156 people landing in an icy, frigid river, every life saved and great tragedy averted. But I kept asking the Father, "What do you want me to see? Isn't there a message from YOU here? It is too remarkable not to be a message from You, Lord!"

I mentioned this at my group's Torah study on Shabbat yesterday. My friend Jim had the answer. He said, "Didn't you see that all the people were standing on the wings, awaiting their deliverance?" Wow! How quickly I perceived the message as soon as he used the word "wings!"

Exodus 19:3-4: "Then Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain and said, 'This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. "

Revelation 12:13-14: "When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach."

In the first exodus, as Yahweh delivered His people from bondage in Egypt, they were delivered through the waters. They did not fly on eagles - they miraculously passed through the sea on dry land. Yet, the LORD wanted them to understand the powerful picture of their deliverance that only HE could orchestrate, like an eagle carrying its young to safety.

He uses the same language in referring to the second exodus, which will occur during the Great Tribulation. The "woman" - the righteous Remnant of the Restored Israel - is delivered out of the reach of Satan (who indwells the anti-Messiah) and is "carried on the two wings of a great eagle" to a place of safety.

There is no doubt that is what the Holy Spirit was trying to get me to see looking at this picture! The two wings of the "great eagle" were holding aloft the lives of the people as they looked up expectantly, hopefully, for their deliverance out of the freezing waters.

This photo from the Hudson River is both prophetic and historic. It is a prophetic picture of the future Israelites who will be delivered to a place of refuge, as well as a picture of the Israelites whom Yahweh delivered out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Once I saw it, I rejoiced! I felt like Miriam, taking up a tambourine and dancing! We all rejoiced that every person standing on the wings in the river was safely rescued. We all marveled at the Captain who so humbly and skillfully guided that plane, and who said he prayed with all his heart. There was something about this incident that caused our hearts to swell with hope.

Our Abba Father is reminding us in the same way He reminded the Israelites: "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession."

Oh, may we be a people who obey Yahweh, our God, and keep His covenant! Then in the midst of the frigid water, with a Pharaoh and his troops in hot pursuit of us, we will stand on the two wings of a great eagle, and Yahshua, Captain of the Angel-Armies will fly us to the place prepared for us in the desert. Hallelu-Yah!

Reaching a G

When I sent out a word from the Lord for 2009, He was calling us to a time of repentance and of being set-apart from the world. I know some are pondering, "What does this mean? What must I do?" For the past two days Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) has been speaking words and thoughts to me to help us understand this sanctification process in the simplest of ways.

Perhaps you asked Yahshua to be Lord of your life over 50 years ago, and have been traveling a journey with Him ever since. Perhaps you came to truly know Him only last week. Whenever it was that you met Yahshua, the Anointed One, the Messiah, and surrendered your life to Him, it was only step #1; the very beginning of the journey (the process of sanctification). This did not mean that we could just go on our merry way, living like we always had. Once we meet Yahshua our lives should be utterly transformed -- or we have not really met Him!

So, again, what does it mean to be sanctified and set apart from the world? I like Paul's definition in Ephesians 5:1: "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Messiah loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." And in 1 Thessalonians 1:6, he is writing his letter to the ekklesia (assembly) in Thessalonica and praises them, "You became imitators of us and of Yahweh; in spite of severe suffering you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Ruach haKodesh."

Clearly we are called to imitate Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to live as Messiah did - a life that is based on pure love (of the Father and of one another) - and a willingness to endure suffering and persecution when the world rejects us. Messiah Himself called us to "Be perfect therefore as your Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48) and "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36).

I know, I know. The reaction to these verses is always, "I can't be perfect! Only God is perfect!" Well, I heard a story on the radio yesterday that helped me understand this refining process we are called to go through. Oddly enough the story was about a creature I despise more than any other on the face of the earth: the mosquito! It was a fascinating scientific study about how the revolution cycles of the wings of the male are different than the revolution cycles of the female. You know that high-pitched hum you hear when the irritating insect is right near your ear? That hum is produced by the incredibly rapid moving of its wings, and on the musical scale it is said that the pitch of the male's tone is about a D, and the pitch of the female's about a G. In order for the male to get the attention of the female, he has to get his wing revolution up to a G to match hers. He has to imitate her sound, her pitch!

I pondered this all day. It is what the above Scriptures are saying to us. Start living like Yahshua lived. In other words, study the Torah and resolve to begin keeping Almighty Yah's commands. Yahshua delivered the Torah to Israel on Mt. Sinai - and then He became the Incarnate Torah, that He might come down to the earth to teach the people how to live!

Let us be "imitators of God therefore, as dearly loved children." Let us endeavor to get our D tone up to His G tone! Raise the pitch! Raise the standard! Raise the sound! Hallelu-Yah!

Word for 2009

The Lord woke me very early this morning. Although I thought I was being wakened to pray, eventually I heard the Spirit say, "Be still and listen." Isn't that like us? We always think God wants us to pray and do all the talking, but sometimes HE wants to talk, and we need to listen!

This is what I heard:
"This next season will be likened unto the ten days of awe - the days of repentance before Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets). You have heard my Spirit prick your conscience with behaviors that need to change, but you have not always paid attention. Will you allow me to do the cleansing work that needs to be done - or will you continue to be double-minded? Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). Now is the time to throw off all entanglements with the world. Either you desire to be set apart or you do not. If you do, then you will be tested. Pray that like Job you will receive the tests as from a loving Papa and come forth as gold. Listen to the quiet voice of My Spirit and submit to My correction. You have been invited to a wedding - but your clothing must be without wrinkle."

The last part of this Word from the Father caused me to remember a dream I had three years ago while I was living in Jerusalem. I went to my book to find the account of this dream and share it with you:
"In this dream I was invited to a wedding and was told that every single item of clothing in my closet would be inspected before I could attend this wedding. A team of inspectors literally came to my house and they were going through my clothing one piece at a time. I wanted some "say" in this wedding, but I wasn't permitted to do anything. The meaning was crystal clear to me when I woke up. Though I expected to come to Jerusalem and lead worship, teach the Word, and do great exploits for the Lord, He had something altogether different in mind. He has invited me to a wedding - and my filthy garments have to be cleaned up, that I might be made pure and spotless. The cleansing and refining process is terribly painful. The Bride will not be wearing a satin gown, but a simple cloak of humility. Her anointing and power will come from her brokenness."