“Everyone goes home”

    Last night I was at a firehouse seminar and it was on firefighter survival and safety. The instructor impressed upon us how important the SOP’s are and how we, as firefighters, can be so headstrong that we can leave a trail in our wake and not consider the people we are hurting. We are trained to save people but if we let pride get in our way of thinking and not listen to others, people will get hurt. We will always be firefighters, headstrong scrappers, but we need to put ourselves in our family shoes. Careless acts can always be avoided.

    This can also be true to the “body of Christ” True believers need to see how hurtful they can be. Just in the difference in one's beliefs alone can do damage. In Romans 12:9, it says “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” Just don’t pretend to be nice to others but really treat them as you would want to be treated regardless of how different you are to them and what you believe. It also says hate what is evil. That speaks of evil from the evil one, not a person’s point of view. Don’t hate them just because you have a difference of opinion. Abba uses everyone differently for His purpose. We all think and understand things at different levels. If Abba tells something to someone but hasn’t revealed it to you, do not treat that person as if they are a freak. Please remember, what we sow we will also reap. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. Is this how you would want to be treated? What if they are right and have proof will you still dismiss them because it doesn’t meet your philosophy? If we are to grow in the Spirit we need to be humble and not prideful thinking that we are in control, because we are not, only Abba is. Philippians 3:15 "All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you."

So long self

When I saw this for the first time, I laughed so hard. So true for who we are and what we need to be.

The Key to Worship

   What is worship for a true believer?  It is a love relationship between you and Abba, a father loving his kids while we get to love Him back. So what is the key? It is a total surrender of your nefesh. Unfortunately, this is the one area that is most misunderstood when we are to be one with Him in spirit & truth. What does that mean to a true believer? In the Spirit, our nefesh allows us to feel His heart, His love, His peace as He talks to us. It is not just hearing Him, you feel His emotions, His nudging’s, His Spirit guiding and showing us. Truth – is the result of what comes out of our nefesh. It will always say what is in your heart, no matter what is in there, because you have no control over it. You have no thoughts. Your words and emotions just pour out of you and spiritually speaking, that is what speaks to Abba. Abba is in the spirit and we must be in the spirit to be in His presence. What is bad about this is no one can teach you. You are the only one that can connect with Abba because your nefesh must be one with Him. That is what true intimacy is with Abba. How can you know? Because of the peace you will have. Remember how we were when we were first born again? The peace we had? True intimacy we had. We need to go back to our first love. Worship is the key to that. We all love “love songs” that special one that reminds us of the love of our life every time we hear it. We need that worship song to exalt Him and give Him respect but at the same time to love Him. He is our Abba(Daddy). Dennis Jernigan is one of my favorite worship song writers. He has an album called “We Will Worship”. My favorite song ever is “You Are My Glory / When the Night Is Falling” here is the words to the song enjoy :O)

    You may have thought that worship was simply our expression of praise to God but worship is so much more than us just singing to him or even about Him. Worship also means God expressing His heart back to us. Are you listening? What is he saying to you right now? Our father’s desire for you is that you’d know how much delight he takes in your presence. Now I love to sing songs of peace & comfort over my own children in the night and I’m an earthly father, so how much more our heavenly father loves to sing over us? God’s word, according to Zephaniah 3:17, says this “For the Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save and He will take great delight in you and He will quiet you with His love and He will rejoice over you with singing.”

When I think of joy,

You come on my mind

For You are like the richest treasure

I could ever find

Joy to me is you,

Child you are who I'm after

And did you know

You bring joy and laughter

To my soul

You are my glory

You are my song,

The apple of my eye, my heart

Is home where You belong

You are my glory,

You are my love song,

You are the glory of my heart;

You are my song

You are my glory,

You are my song,

The apple of my eye, my heart

Is home where you belong

You are my glory,

You are my love song,

You are the glory of my heart;

You are my song

You are the glory of my heart;

You are my song.

When the night is falling

And the day is done,

I can hear you calling, "Come."

And I will come

While you sing over me.

When the night surrounds me,

All my dreams undone,

I can hear you calling, "Come."

And I will come

While you sing over me.

When the night would hide my way,

I will listen until

I hear you say:

"How I love you, child, I love you.

How I love you, child, I love you.

How I love you!

"How I love you, child, I love you.

How I love you, child, I love you.

How I love you!"

Hallelujah, hallelujah,

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

How I love you, Lord, I love you.

How I love you, Lord, I love you.

How I love you!

When this life is over

And the race is done,

I will hear you calling, "Come."

I will come

While you sing over me.

Jonathan Cahn - It's Supernatural

Sid Roth - It's Supernatural Messianic Vision: Jonathan Cahn - Part 1


Sid Roth - It's Supernatural Messianic Vision: Jonathan Cahn - Part 2

"What foundation are you on?"

"You hear me, but don't listen" That was my mom's favorite catch phrase with me while I was growing up. This saying reminds me a lot of one of the disciples, Judas Iscariot. He heard Yeshua but didn't really listen. He had hardened his heart. He was set on Yeshua becoming king. All of the disciples thought He was to reign as king. Even Paul thought Yeshua was coming back again soon. So soon, He was telling us it would be better if we didn't marry. On the night of Yeshua's capture, All 12 were together eating the Pesach meal. I can only wonder what Judas was thinking at that moment and why He would betray his Lord and what he said that night.
What Judas might have said that night thinking to himself "Why all this tradition? He says, he is the messiah, then why doesn't he rule as king and smite our enemies! Yet he does nothing while we are persecuted. The Pharisees want him, they can have him. Should it be tonight? yes, tonight should be good. He says he will be going away and then coming back. Let’s see if it is true. They won’t be able to kill him anyway with all his magic and I can make a quick a denarii out of it. I‘ve been wanting that piece of land for a while and now I’ll be able to have it. This is my money for me and I’m taking back what is mine & more. I deserve it, this is mine and not theirs to give it away.” Yeshua begins to speak and says “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Yeshua, “Surely not I, LORD?” and He answered, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” Judas said, “Surely it is not I, RABBI?” Yeshua said “You have said it yourself.” Judas thinking to himself “How did he know? Did they follow me or did the Pharisees send another? It doesn’t matter he can’t do anything to me, I’m protected by God.”
Did Judas think Yeshua was just a good rabbi? It seems he never had that relationship that Peter had. He heard He was the messiah but probably never believed it deep down in his nefesh. He never had that strong foundation (relationship) with Him. People say they are close to Abba, how close are you? If you died, would your nefesh cry out to Abba or think Yeshua was just a good rabbi? What foundation are you on?

"The Silversmith"

My mom gave this to me from GodVine enjoy ;O)

There was a group of women in a Bible Study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group a their next Bible study. That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest or her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot- then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered "yes," he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eye on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh that's easy. When I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of this world's fire, just remember that God has his eyes on you.

Ambulance chasers

     I was driving to work today and saw a Colonie ambulance in front of me. I saw a daughter with her elderly mom who was on the stretcher and a paramedic by her side. They were on route to St. Peters hospital. The hospital is known for their cardiac care. I then started to think about the children of God becoming ambulance chasers. The name by itself made me laugh because the saying has such a bad association from lawyers. But what if God's people changed it for good and we become the “ambulance chasers.” In Acts 5:12-16 “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.” 

     Can you imagine what would happen today if we were just walking thru a hospital and Abba would have our shadow’s heal people? People would be just getting up and walking out. The hospitals would be in utter chaos. That would be totally awesome! in a good way anyway. The hospitals would probably ban His kids from even coming in, armed guards would probably be stationed at the front door. So what would it take for us to be able to be in the Spirit 24/7? A lot of concentration but it would be totally worth it. It is so hard for us now with the cares of this world. In Acts 9v40 Peter had to get everyone out to concentrate for a moment before he could hear The Spirit and pray. He always had his nefesh open to what The Holy Spirit said to him. Like Peter we need to empty ourselves and not quench the Spirit so we can become the “Ambulance Chasers”

"Live on in my love"

This is an oldie but goodie song but the problem is a lot of my favorite songs still have not made it to MP3's. I'm still trying to find the song "Deuteronomy". It has eluded me for a long time. At least I have the record for this song. Now I just need to figure out how to convert it to my computer. Auggh.



"Live on in my love"
By Tom Franzak

As the father has loved me
So I have loved you
Live on in my love
All this I tell you
That my joy may be yours
And your joy may be complete
Love one another as I loved you
There is no grater love than this
Than to lay down your life for your friends
Live on in my love
Live on in my love
There is no greater love than this
Then to lay down your life for your friends
Live on in my love
It was not you who chose me
It was I who chose you
Live on in my love
Know that I chose you to go fourth and bear fruit
Bear the fruit that must endure
All that you ask of the Father
In my name He will give to you
The command that I give
is that you love one another
Live on in my love
Live on in my love
There is no greater love than this
Then to lay down your life for your friends
Live on in my love
Live on in my love
There is no greater love than this
Then to lay down your life for your friends
Live on in my love

The pain of unbelief

There are so many different denominations of Christianity that claim to know Abba. The bible says unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom. How many are truly saved and walk in His presence? These denominations separate His children from each other and put them in bondage. Their rules and regulations are just like the many laws added to the Torah by the Pharisees. They are so bound by their made up laws of God, they can’t see the forest thru the trees. They are so set in their ways. Trying to show them just won’t work, their heart is hardened in that area. We need to back off and let the Holy Spirit do the work. We are to help people but don’t expect them to believe until the Spirit shows them the truth. I found this out several months ago. I had told someone I saw their brother in heaven. I had waited since 2004. I did wait for Abba. I thought it was the right time to tell them. Let’s just say they didn’t take it very well. What was supposed to bring peace and restoration, actually brought anger and they no longer want to speak to me anymore. They were very close to their brother. The pain was unforgiving when he died. When I talked to his deceased brother from heaven, he told me that his brother was his best friend. Before he died, his brother tried to talked to him about Jesus, but he wouldn’t accept him. When he died, he thought his brother went to hell and he would never see him again. When I was with his deceased brother again, I asked how? He said “Yeshua asked me if I love Him. It was really hard because of the way my father was.” What was supposed to be a blessing, knowing that his brother is in heaven, has now became a stumbling block, an offense. I should have made sure it was ok to tell him. Hopefully he will soon believe me and want to talk to me again.

We need to be very careful what we say. We can make their unbelief worse. If they don't understand at that moment they won't believe. Their unbelief will cause them to stumble. In John ch 3V 11-12, Yeshua says to Nicodemus "Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" To believe they must have that action of faith. Knowing it deep down inside, deep in the nefesh, truth from the Spirit just like the parable of the seeds, it must bear fruit.

The Greatest Commandment

Va'etchanan - ואתחנן: "And I besought"
Torah : Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11
Haftarah : Isaiah 40:1-26
Gospel : Luke 22:13-38
08/07/2011
FFOZ The Weekly eDrash

We might obey God because we fear His wrath and punishment. We might choose to obey Him because we fear the consequences which He will visit upon us if we do not. We might obey Him because we fear damnation. Fear makes for a very pragmatic kind of relationship with God. It is the same reason we drive the speed limit — we fear the consequences of being caught breaking it. Yet it is also a very self-interested relationship. The emphasis is on protecting myself.

Love, on the other hand, is selfless. It is a higher path of service. The Apostle John explains that our faith in Messiah removes the fear motivation and purifies our service of God to one of pure love. (1 John 4:17-18)

Yeshua teaches that to love the LORD is the foremost commandment. (Mark 12:29-30) Our love for God should be the core impetus behind everything we do. It should be an unquenchable passion, such as a young man or woman feels for his or her betrothed.

Love is not too much of Him to ask of us. After all, "He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) His love was made manifest in that "He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)

Yet how do we express our love for God? The Apostle John goes on to teach us that the true expression of love for God is to keep His commandments and to love others (which is the second greatest commandment). He says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3) And he also says, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20)

The ancient Rabbis (of the Sifrei) discerned two primary ways of demonstrating our love for God. The first is to study Torah, the revelation of God. If we truly love Him, we will do all we can to know Him and serve Him. The second is to bring others to love Him. If we truly love Him, we will desire to see others reconciled to Him as well. Therefore, we best show our love for God by studying His Torah, keeping His commandments, and bringing others into relationship with Him through His son.


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"When you don't have the love..."

My all-time favorite bible teaching is “Ani Lo” by Pastor Jonathan Cahn of “Hope of The World” ministry. It is about Abba’s love for us and how we receive and give that love to others. In the message, he uses the three “Ani lo” statements in Song of Solemn to explain the love factor in our walk with Abba. As believers we need to always have love as our method of operation “M.O.” coming straight out of our heart (nefesh). Who we are and what we do comes out of our nefesh.  When we are in the spirit our mind is shutoff, we don’t get to think before we speak, it just pours out of you. That’s why when the Spirit helps us, what comes out of our nefesh, has to be of Him, a total surrender of our nefesh.  Our nefesh must be rooted in love and not our selfish ambitions. In 1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, Paul is explaining as children of God, the one thing we ought to be is summed up as this – love. He says “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing and if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” We cannot be hypocrites. When you don’t have the love, then things will be the thing. Our life as true believers must follow what Yeshua did and not follow what the world does. We need to grow up. The world follows their father the devil but Yeshua followed the heart of Abba. Abba wants us to learn His thoughts, His actions, His love, just as a true father would. If we don’t have the “love factor” in our walk with Abba we cannot call ourselves children of God. In Matthew 22: 34-40 says “But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” and He said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Yeshua makes it clear that love is the reason the greatest and second greatest commandment is reduced down to. In 1 Peter 1:22, Peter says “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” Peter goes even further and states in 1 Peter 4:8, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Peter wants us to purify our nefesh for a sincere love of the brethren. If we have that love we won’t have that pride, that selfishness, the lying, the backbiting because as he puts it “because love covers a multitude of sins.”

    To get there, we always need to have that quiet time with Abba, quieting our nefesh, letting Him speak too and do not interrupt. Obey His word, reading what He wants us to read and putting Him first in everything. Start changing our attitudes towards people and to pray for them. Some people are afraid to get that close to Abba for whatever reason. Remember, Lucifer is the master deceiver and will counterfeit what Abba has designed. In one of the ways he uses is the new age movement. It has destroyed many people’s lives thinking they are talking to God. Look at how many religions out there that promotes pilgrimages. I know several people that can go into the spirit realm very quickly. They get there illegally without the Spirit. What they don’t realize they are in Lucifer’s territory, and without the Spirit of God they are a sitting ducks, opening themselves to horrible things. Don't be fooled, seek only Abba by His Spirit.

Yeshua says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35.

"As A Seal Upon My Heart"

By Chris Dupre

As a seal upon my heart,
set your love, O Lord
for I am your bride
As a seal upon my heart
set your love, O Lord
and let me lean upon your side
For love as strong as death
With a fire waters cannot quench
Love is stronger than the grave
so come and fan the flame
that burns within my soul

Song of Solomon 8:5,6 

"Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved?"
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, 

for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. 

Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD."

It's My Unbirthday!

How many of us really know when we were born? Our parents could probably narrow it close to the day but do they really know the exact time? Abba does! He created us. Psalm 139:1-18 it says "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, or darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. when I awake, I am still with you." Abba created us for His purpose. Everyone - We are not a mistake! We choose to be with him or not. We are precious to Him. In Zephaniah 3:17, it says "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

He has good thoughts are towards us everyday. We are His beloved. So to Abba, everyday is our unbirthday!

"The Unbirthday Song"

MAD HATTER:

Now, statistics prove, prove that you've one birthday

MARCH HARE:

Imagine, just one birthday every year

MAD HATTER:

Ah, but there are three hundred and sixty four unbirthdays!

MARCH HARE:

Precisely why we're gathered here to cheer

BOTH:

A very merry unbirthday to you

ALICE:

To me?

MAD HATTER:

To you!

BOTH:

A very merry unbirthday

ALICE:

For me?

MARCH HARE:

For you!

MAD HATTER:

Now blow the candle out my dear

And make your wish come true

BOTH:

A merry merry unbirthday to you!

"I Did It For You"

In the 90's the song (Everything I Do) I Do It For You played all the time. I was a baby Christian then and one day while I was hearing it, Abba was changing the lyrics in my heart to Yeshua's love. I cried, it was so beautiful. I wrote it down and kept it. (used original lyrics from "wake up the neighbors" album)

"I Did It For You"

Look into my eyes, you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart, search your soul
And when you find me there
You'll search no more

Don't tell me, it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me, it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I did, I did it for you


Look into my heart and you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am, take my life
I gave it all, I was sacrificed


Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it, there's nothin' I want more
You know it's true
Everything I did, I did it for you, oh yeah


There's no love, like my love
And no other could give more love
There's nowhere, unless I'm there
All the time, I'll lead the way yeah


Look into your heart today
Oh yeah


Oh, you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it, there's nothin' I want more


Yeah I fought for you
I cried for you
Hung on the cross for you
Yeah I died & rose for you


You know it's true
Everything I did, ohh, I did it for you

Instruction book

My dad loved being a CET. In 8th grade, my teacher came to me and asked for help. The R2-D2 circuit board the older students were assembling, some of the led lights would work and some wouldn't. They sent me home with one that didn't. My dad was so excited. He got out his meter and went to work. The minute he started, he found the problem. The led's were put in backwards. He was disappointed it wasn't harder. When I got to school, my teacher was waiting at the classroom door. When I told him the answer, he was mortified. Everyone had the same instructions but without that basic understanding of electronics, they didn't see the answer.
People do that too with the bible. You have scholars, theologians, and teachers, that all claim they know the bible but if they don't have the Holy Spirit in them, the bible is just another instruction book. We need to live and breathe the word of God, "walk the talk" not just talk the talk. Showing people what the truth is. Putting the words what we read into action by letting the Holy Spirit "literally" guide us and teach us what we should know.
1 Corinthians 2:13 "These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."



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Call on Jesus

I love this song. Her songs always helps me when I need strength to do His will what's right. Thank you Abba.


"Call on Jesus" by Nicole C. Mullen


I'm so very ordinary
Nothing special on my own
I have never walked on water
I have never calmed a storm
Sometimes I'm hiding away from the madness around me
Like a child who's afraid of the dark

But when I call on Jesus
All things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles and soar
When I call on Jesus
Mountains are gonna fall
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call

Weary brother
Broken daughter
Widowed, widowed lover
You're not alone
If you're tired and scared of the madness around you
If you can't find the strength to carry on

Call Him in the mornin'
In the afternoon time
Late in the evenin'
He'll be there
When your heart is broken
And you feel discouraged
You can just remember that He said
He'll be there

His voice, His heart

As I was in prayer this morning, I ask that He give me the words to speak today and to help me do His will. The place where I work has all guys in the design Dept. and they don't hold back in what they say and do. I can usually voice my opinion too but it is always 1 against 4 and some days they like to really ruffle my feathers. Anyway, I ask Abba for His help today in prayer and He wanted me to do something. He said "I want you to always stop and think before you answer what "my answer" would be and say it." I said "that acronym WWJD? But I should be doing that anyway." Then Abba started to explain more. "Yes like that but also you will start learning to control what you say, hearing what the Spirit is saying, to what I want you to say. Getting it into your spirit. Getting use to the way I would respond. Then when you speak to people, it will be My heart and My mind."
In a hurry up & go world sometimes we need to go back to the basics and give our nefesh a reload.


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The Torah that Gives Freedom

05/08/2011- FFOZ Weekly eDrash The Torah that Gives Freedom

Parasha: Behar
Tags: creation, freedom, Land of Israel, mirror, Mount Sinai, new creation, perfect Torah

Behar : בהר - "On Mount Sinai"
Torah : Leviticus 25:1-26:2
Haftarah : Jeremiah 32:6-27
Gospel : Luke 13:1-33/John 10:22-42
Thought for the Week

The Torah says, "You shall then sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family." (Leviticus 25:9-10) The Jubilee trumpet is an eternal call to freedom and an enduring hope for the future. We long to hear the Jubilee trumpet of Messiah.

Commentary

Just as at Mt. Sinai the trumpet blast called the redeemed community to the mountain and to the Torah which was given there, so the trumpet of the Jubilee Year also calls us back to our roots of freedom. In the Jubilee, slaves are released. The slave is free to be who he really is--a man who serves only His God. The land is also free to be identified with its rightful owner, the Lord God of Israel.
This helps us to understand the words of James. He encourages us to remember to follow the Torah. He compares the Torah to a mirror. If a person reads the Torah and does not do what it says it is like one who looks into a mirror, walks away and forgets what he looks like. (James 1:22-25)
The Torah is actually a description of what the righteousness of God looks like on planet earth. We also know that we who are a New Creation in Messiah have been made the righteousness of God in Him. Therefore, the Torah is said to be a mirror in which we can see what the new "me" looks like. I need to know what I look like in order to know how to behave in order to be consistent with who I now am.
In this analogy, James refers to the Torah as the "perfect Torah that gives freedom," freedom to be who we are now. Why does he refer to the Torah as that which gives "freedom?" Many people teach that anyone who follows the Torah is in bondage! If we import our knowledge of Leviticus 25 and its teaching about the Jubilee Year into James chapter one, the answer is clear. If Torah is followed with the proper motives and in the power of the Spirit of God, it enables us to walk a walk of freedom! It gives us the freedom to be who we now are as new creations, as redeemed people, as servants of the Holy One of Israel! (See also Galatians 2:20 and II Corinthians 5:17.)
Shall we take this even one step further? James does. He says in James 2:12, "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the Torah that gives freedom."
He is exhorting us to follow the Torah, as he and his followers all did. He tells us that the Torah may function like a judge for us. It will ask us, "Did you believe the Good News of the Living Torah, Yeshua the Messiah, and therefore live it out?" Did you believe the "mirror?" Did you remember what you looked like in the mirror, or forget and live like something other than what you really are--a new creation child of God?

"Homeward Bound"

Today, I had to let my cat Jazz be put down. It was one of the hardest things I had to do. 14 years ago, I rescued him from an abusive neighbor. I don't know exactly how old he really is but I guess he is around 16 to 18 years old.
He was the protector of my other cat Chance. He would protect him when other cats from the neighborhood would attack Chance. He always reminded me of Shadow from the Disney movie "Homeward Bound" ironically the other two cats are called Chance & Sassy and they act just like the animals in the movie. Chance is now the leader and he still acts like a kitten waking me up 4:30am every day. He will never be able to fill Jazz's paws but I really wouldn't want him to. I love you Jazz, miss you always.

Whom shall I fear?

Part of a song kept going thru my head this morning "whom shall I fear" but i couldn't remember the name. I then finished the rest of the movie that I fell asleep to watching the night before. In the movie, I saw Heb 13:5 on back of a truck and wondered what it said. I then went upstairs to my room and grabbed my iPod. I started to look for that song. I keep on coming up with two singers who's song didn't match. I finally asked my mom and she thought it was Chris Tomlin. He wasn't the one but it led me to the right singer, Matt Redman "You never let go" was the song. I watched it on YouTube and after the song the owner had Heb 13:5 in the info. I looked it up and not only in Heb 13:5 but in Deuteronomy 31:6; Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:5 also. Abba says "He will not fail you or forsake you." I smiled when I saw that because about a week ago, Abba wanted me to read Joshua 1. I read it but didn't know why at the time.
Three weeks ago they called me back to work. The next day, I received a call from another company wanting a interview. This company was only a couple of miles away instead of 20 and it designed pools. Me and swimming. I went to the interview but still had no leading or peace to join. I would have started 8,000 less but still ok. I felt I was betraying my work and the pool company could easily let me go anyway if it gets slow again because i'm the probie. Then Monday I called them back and said no. I hope that was a good decision. Even if the decision I made was a mistake and I failed, Abba is still with me. Joshua 1:5 "He will not fail you or forsake you."



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