Stay Together!

We camped out in Psalm 37 for a long time yesterday.  This is one of the psalms we are encouraged to visit daily during these "ten days of awe" between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur.  It is a long, rich psalm, and some of its passages spoke to us vividly and specifically of the world in which we live today.  Verses 5-18:
Commit your way to Yehovah; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Be still before Yehovah and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil.  For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in Yehovah will inherit the land.  A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.  But the meek will inherit the land, and enjoy great peace.  The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them, but Yehovah laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.  The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright.  But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.  Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but Yehovah upholds the righteous.  The days of the blameless are known to Yehovah, and their inheritance will endure forever.

What an encouragement these words are as we see the rage-filled faces of Islamic terrorists throwing rocks and scaling buildings to set them ablaze with fire and fury!  Their time is short, because the evil one who has deceived them and filled them with his fury has little time left to rule in the world.  Evil men will be cut off - but we who hope in Yehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, will inherit the land! It is still the "land of promise" for many of us.  Yet, there is a caution also in this psalm: "the wicked draw the sword and bend the bow...to slay those whose way is upright."

"What?" you may exclaim.  "But I strive to live as upright before God.  Shall I be killed because of it?  Does the Word not say that my inheritance will endure forever?"  Yes, it does say that - but understand that our inheritance is ultimately our eternal salvation in Yeshua.  The book of Revelation is written to believers who are still on the earth in the end times.  Not every believer will escape the sword and the bow; hundreds die every day for the Gospel of Yeshua (Jesus) around the world.  So, how shall we prepare for these times?  We must stay close together.  We must gather to study the Word, to worship, and to encourage one another.  In this way we build up our faith. This is not a time for us to be "going it alone" or "doing our own thing."  We need each other now, and more so as the darkness increases.

I was privileged to do one small thing to bring sweet unity back to a family yesterday.  I performed a re-marriage ceremony for two dear friends who had divorced, and then came back together after a time of sadness, loneliness and seeking God.  He showed them how to put away their own selfish desires and reach out for one another.  As I pronounced them man and wife, their hearts joined as one again, they were smothered by three little granddaughters who obviously loved them both so dearly! My heart was touched as I witnessed this move of God to restore families in this hour.
 
A prophetic word of the LORD from Glynda Lomax arrived in my email this morning, and I felt led to share a little part of it with you:

The enemy seeks to destroy all that is of Me in the earth. He seeks your destruction and the destruction of all you hold dear, My children. Guard your hearts and minds from his onslaught of lies and deceptions. Cling to one another as one in Me. Help one another in this time. Be found in Me and studying My Word for that alone is enough to sustain you in times coming. If you have My Word in your heart, you truly have all you need to survive.

Watch and pray. The darkness comes.

 

Take Not Your Holy Spirit From Me

Deuteronomy 28:1-2:  "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the Voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth."

Do you desire to obey the Voice of the Lord your God?  We might ask, "How do we hear the Voice of our God?"  Most of us know and understand that His Voice is expressed to us through the Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit), who is our counselor, our guide, our helper, our disciplinarian and our comforter.  I remember when I first learned about Him - at the age of 29 - in a book called The Helper by Catherine Marshall. I was so blessed and moved to learn that there was an expression of the Living God who wanted to dwell within me, to be my daily help and guide in staying on the right path. Then I read Nine O'Clock in the Morning by Dennis Bennet, and I began to pray for the gifts of the Ruach. He was generous to give them to me.  1 Corinthians 14:1: "Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts..."  This is what Shaul (Paul) encourages us to do, and as we desire these gifts our Father is pleased to give them as He wills (1 Cor. 12:11: "One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills").

During the 70's many of us experienced a great outpouring of this Genuine Spirit of God, and as a result of our obedience to keep His commands and move in the Power of His Spirit, we were witnesses to miracles of healing, deliverance, and salvation.  What happened to those days?  Why have we walked through such a dry, desolate wilderness in the past few years, especially those of us who passionately embraced the Hebrew roots of our faith and embarked upon a deep study of the Torah?  This past summer I came to a place where I realized we have been on such a quest for knowledge that we have left the Ruach in the dust.  Worship had all but disappeared from Messianic congregations (that I have been part of) and I found myself at my piano in my home, crying out to Abba to restore worship in the earth; worship that is fueled by and filled with His Holy Spirit!

Apparently I have not been alone in my heart's cry.  We attended a gathering of the Messianic Israel Alliance in Orlando, Florida last week and the focus of this gathering was a restoration of the Ruach haKodesh in our lives.  Every teaching given was focused on the Ruach, and the good and genuine manifestations of the Ruach that have been missing in our lives.  I suppose the years of "charismania" with its false worship, lying signs and wonders, and demonic manifestations have caused many of us to flee anything that looked "pentecostal."  What a terrible loss this has been!  And what a grievous separation this has caused between brothers in search of their Hebrew foundations and brothers in the Church!  I have so endeavored to keep DoorKeeper Ministries operating as a bridge of love, compassion, understanding and Truth between the two.  Our "signature scripture" has been Ephesians 2:15, because we so desire (as do Batya & Angus Wooten of the M.I.A.) to see Redeemed Israel break forth as "One New Man," empowered by the Holy Spirit!

It was in this spirit of unity that we gathered in Orlando, and we were overwhelmed by the response of YHVH our God!  He poured out his Spirit on our gathering in a way that most of us have not experienced for many years! Together, as "one new man," one mischpochah (family) in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we shared the bread and the wine, remembering Yeshua's sacrifice made for us; and then one person or one family at a time we went through the beautifully decorated chuppa (wedding canopy) to recommit our lives to Yeshua, and to ask for a fresh anointing of His Ruach.  John and I were asked to minister to each one as they emerged from the chuppa, anointing them with oil and prophesying/blessing over them as the Ruach led.  There are no words to describe to you the spilling-over, bubbling-up joy I felt as I was once again empowered to minister this way, especially with the partner God has given me.  So many words of wisdom, encouragement and healing were spoken over people that we saw lives transformed before our very eyes! There were some miraculous healings that occurred that day, as well as some genuine deliverances, and quite a few youths who gave their lives to Yeshua for the first time!  Oh, how long it has been since I have been a part of such a powerful time of worship, renewal, and healing.  It was not because of anything the leadership did, or because of any teaching that was given, or because of anything I did or said.  It was because GOD SHOWED UP IN POWER AND GLORY, in response to the fervent and repentant prayers of His people!! 

There were no animal sounds, no shoving people onto the floor, no counting the number of those saved; no trace of the false "revivals" of the past years.  The genuine Ruach haKodesh moves  quietly, gently, lovingly. It was ALL ABOUT HIM AND NO MAN. The people who came, came to find HIM again - and not to hear a famous teacher.  My heart is deeply encouraged. We are entering an age when we must be able to hear His Voice - and I believe this means shutting out a lot of other noise and voices, and setting our "dial" directly on His signal. We will need His power and strength to navigate the difficult waters ahead; we will need His instruction to know which way to turn, and when to move and when to stay still.  We will need His words to witness to our enemies, as Yeshua Himself tells us in Luke 21:12-15: "But before all this [times of tribulation], they will lay hands on you and persecute you.  They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors,and all on account of My Name.  This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.  For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict."

How shall we receive these words and this wisdom?  Only by the Voice of the Ruach. If you have not heard Him in your life lately, get into the quiet place and invite Him to return. Desire to be filled again with His gifts! Cry out to him as David did in Psalm 51: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from Your Presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me."  Even all those years ago David knew that without the Spirit he was powerless.  So it is today.