Are We Listening?

He is always speaking

but

are we listening?

Are we hearing?

We need to hear

our Heavenly Father’s

Voice.

Some spell the Hebrew word for voice with a Q and also with a K qol /kol Or qol {kole}; from an unused root meaning to call aloud; a voice or sound — + aloud, bleating, crackling, cry (+ out), fame, lightness, lowing, noise, + hold peace, (pro-)claim, proclamation, + sing, sound, + spark, thunder(-ing), voice, + yell.

Kol

qol

qol: sound, voice

Strongs # 6963

Original Word: קוֹל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qol
Phonetic Spelling: (kole)
Definition: sound, voice

Genesis 3:8 
HEB: וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ אֶת־ ק֨וֹל יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים
NAS: They heard the sound of the LORD God
KJV: And they heard the voice of the LORD
INT: heard the sound of the LORD God

And we all know that our Heavenly Father speaks to us but many are unsure that they are actually hearing His voice, or if it’s just our own thoughts.

Is there any way we can know for certain?

There are numerous scriptures about the voice of God and the more we read in the scriptures

and the longer we walk in obedience with Him

the clearer His voice will become.

The key is by the walk of obedience,

which will always give greater clarity; because the more we are obedient, the more His Spirit of Holiness can fill us and enhance and empower our walk.

To those who are obedient….

In the Book of Acts, Simon Peter said that the Holy Spirit is only given to those who obey God. He put it this way.

And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him (Acts 5:32 NRSV).

Here His Holy Spirit is clearly linked to obedience.

How does Holy Spirit empower obedience?

Romans 8:14 Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

Gal. 5:16 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit .

Gal. 54:25 Having begun by the Spirit…

By being obedient to His Word because we love Him, we can receive His Holy Spirit Who will help and empower us to walk by the Spirit and to clearly hear His Voice; and as we hear, we do, we obey, completing a cycle of life in Messiah. Yeshua/Jesus is the way the truth and the life. John 14:6.

This is not a new concept as it is part of Gods covenant relationship with His people.

The Hebrew prayer known as the shema, begins with the Hebrew word that means

hear and obey.

It is the daily declaration of faith

Shema Yisrael   שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל  “Hear, O Israel ”

The first verse of the Shema, from Deuteronomy 6, is among the best-known in all of Jewish liturgy; and are the first two words of a section of the Torah that is the centerpiece of the morning and evening prayer services, encapsulating the core Hebrew affirmation and admonition.

Shema

שָׁמַע

shaw-mah’

שָׁמַע shâmaʻ, shaw-mah’; a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):—× attentively, call (gather) together, × carefully, × certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, ×diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), × indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, × surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.

The KJV translates Strong’s H8085 in the following manner:

hear (785x), hearken (196x), obey (81x), publish (17x),

understand (9x), obedient (8x), diligently (8x),

to hear, listen to, obey

Verb tenses are:

(Qal)

to hear (perceive by ear)

to hear of or concerning

to hear (have power to hear)

to hear with attention or interest, listen to

to understand (language)

to hear (of judicial cases)

to listen, give heed

to consent, agree

to grant request

to listen to, yield to

to obey, be obedient

(Niphal)

to be heard (of voice or sound)

to be heard of

to be regarded, be obeyed

(Piel)

to cause to hear, call to hear, summon

(Hiphil)

to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound

to sound aloud (musical term)

to make proclamation, summon

to cause to be heard.

If we do not listen for His voice, we will not hear it.

If we are not paying attention, we will miss His instructions.

If we have no relationship with Him, we will not care what He has to say to us.

If we have no reverent respect towards Him, we will not even think of listening for His voice.

We will be living our life on our own terms and doing only what pleases us, catering to the fleshly desires of a life lived by natural physical standards; with no recognition of spiritual direction or influence. Our relationship to the Father, Jesus/Yeshua and Holy Spirit is one of love, out of which we desire to please Him and do all He has asked of us. It is not one of a reluctant slave, forced to comply with rules and regulations against their will.

So hearing His voice will become clearer as we follow Him and allow the reciprocal love relationship between us to grow deeper. Just as with any human love relationship. We hear the voice of a loved one and recognize it because we know them, and want to answer and do what they ask or need immediately. It is the same for us with our Savior, there should be no question of our instant response to the one who died in our place…

Are we hearing our Fathers Voice ?

Qaval  קול  

Exodus 19:5:  Now therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my commandments, Then you will be a peculiar treasure unto me above all the people, for all the earth is mine.

Our Heavenly Father loves us, He loves everybody, but reading the above verse it seems that there are those who He not only loves but He treasures.

How can we be included in those He treasures?

We become this treasure IF we obey His voice..  If we really heard our Heavenly Fathers voice and knew without a shadow of a doubt it was His voice, would we honestly do anything other than obey? A common saying amongst christians is:  God told me the other day…

probably we’ve all said it at one time or another?..but

was it really God’s voice we heard, and if it was, would we question our mental health?

Does it depend on what the Voice says as to whether we believe and act upon it? If the Voice told us to go to a persons house and pray for them would we do it or would we reason it away in our minds?

Already noted in Hebrew a word for hearing God’s

voice is qaval

which is

speaking, calling, voice etc.,

but it is also used for

nonverbal communication.

 There are three Hebrew letters in

qaval.

קול  

The first letter

Qop  ל

represents: God speaking through a natural or human instrument like a preacher or teacher.

The second letter

Vav  ו

is God speaking through an inward connection, that strong impulse, impression or feeling and

the last letter

Lamed  ל

is God speaking through the Word of God, the Bible.

One definition of qaval is:

as an outward expression of one’s thoughts.

It is closely associated with the word

qalah or

restraining

and qalal  – to diminish.

We could say that, as we control our natural human desires and lusts of this flesh and restrain ourselves, by not walking after the flesh but walking after the spirit and crucifying the flesh life according to Galatians, then the voice of God becomes clearer.

To truly live in the presence of God 24/7 we would need to spend each day lessening our personal desires and putting a stop to our physical impulses, then we would really begin to hear our Heavenly Fathers’ qaval.

There are many ways that the voice of the Lord can speak to us, e.g:

It can be first through His Word, in a scripture He shows us.

It can be a prompting to our thoughts, a direction, an answer.

Hearing the audible voice of God is not an everyday occurrence but we can hear Him all around us in Scripture, in our thoughts as we walk among His creation.  When we choose to humble ourselves,  less of us and more of Him; when we restrain our cravings, desires and impulses; then we will hear His qaval in more ways than we can imagine. 

Voice – Qol

Exodus 19:5: ” Now therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my  commandments, then you will be a peculiar treasure until me above all the people, for all the earth is mine.”
Voice: Hebrew – qol:

sound, cry, thunder, rumor or report.

In its primitive form –  to disclose an idea.

The Fathers voice was heard at Jesus/Yeshuas immersion and some thought it thundered! 

It’s all about how we hear!

those who have ears to hear.

We many times speak of those with ‘selective hearing’, hearing only what we want to; or how we hear it in order to suit our own agenda and motives, twisting truth to fit ourselves.
Jesus/Yeshua talks about His sheep knowing His voice in John 10:27.  Paul heard the voice of Messiah Jesus on the road to Damascus and Moses heard His voice many times.

At Messiah’s baptism in John 12:29: When the crowd heard the voice, some heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

The thunder of heaven was the voice of God, and a direct answer to Yeshua/ Jesus’s petition came: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” (v. 28).

The Father’s voice was heard on two very important occasions in Messiah’s ministry: the baptism and the transfiguration. At each of these events the Father’s voice, was very distinct and unique. Matthew 17:5; Luke 9:35-36.

  Is this word voice, referring to an impression, thought or feeling as we might interpret it today?
We know that the word for voice is

qol

which is

speaking, calling, voice etc.

The Greek word here in the New Testament is

phone

it’s obvious which English word comes from that one!

G5456 φωνή. phōnē

voice, sound, be noised abroad, noise.

In Aramaic it is gal

which is identical in meaning to the Hebrew word. 

All of them give the idea of a noise, tone or sound.

 gol  is spelled   קוֹל 

ק Qof  which represents God speaking through a natural or human instrument,

ו Vav is a connection between heaven and earth and

ל Lamed represents divine instruction.

In other words this is telling us that this voice of God

can come from:

a natural instrument, e.g. a minister, pastor, preacher, teacher, prophet, friend etc.,

or through a natural event, such as a voice, noise, sound, thunder, proclamation, etc..

This voice is also heard as we spend time alone with our Heavenly Father, this is when we make that connection between heaven and earth.

This voice can be heard while studying His Word.

This is where we receive inspiration and revelation from being taught by His Holy Spirit.

Ultimately the word in Hebrew, qol,

simply carries the idea of a disclosure/revealing. 

It can be an impression, thought or feeling which is so powerful, it actually seems like an audible voice.

Qol /voice, by its very nature is a Semitic word and can be very poetic, i.e., when used as a simile or metaphor.

Lastly, Qol /voice, can be just that, an actual, audible voice.

We can be certain of this, that when our Heavenly Father desires to speak to us individually, He’ll do it in a way where we will not be afraid, or think we are losing our sanity; because He is the Creator of His universe, He has countless ways to disclose/reveal His thoughts to us. We should never try to put Him in a box or limit how and where He can speak to us.

He is an infinite spirit being and Qol /voice, expresses this infinity. He created each of us with an internal voice/Qol, building into us a way of hearing His Voice as any child knows and recognizes their parents voice. It may come to us from the physical nature around us e.g. a bird flying to the window and singing each morning, or a deer, a rabbit or squirrel coming into our garden. Any number of experiences speak to us, like a clear night sky, filled with stars, a song or melody, a sunset, a smile from a stranger; these are all things that may activate that inner ability to hear Him.

When you know Him and are intimate with Him, that Qol within you will be tuned into Him and that is the Qol, the voice of our Heavenly Father speaking to us.

In John 10:27 Messiah said “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” so we shouldn’t we expect to hear Him? Especially IF we are following Him?

Maybe someone reading this has heard the audible voice of God.  Some people say they have, folks usually hear it during times of great distress, so perhaps it ‘s just an emotional reaction?

When we do hear His voice, it will always bear witness in our spirit, and we know it was the qol or voice of God, just like the voice Isaiah heard in his vision some 2,600 years ago.

Isaiah 6:8: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send me.”

Other verses that speak of the voice of the Lord is Psalms 29:7 and

there are more than a few interpretations of this Psalm.

 A Voice – QOL   קול 

Psalms 29:7: “The voice of the Lord divided the flames of fire.”

 One interpretation is that it is referring to God making a covenant with man.  Other commentators say David is making a reference to the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, although this is not likely as David lived long before this event.  The most usual one is that, David wrote this Psalm before a thunder storm and the flames of fire represent the lightning, and the voice of God the thunder.

One 19th century Rabbi indicates that the word for voice/qol doesn’t have to be a physical audible voice.  It is really anything that communicates a message. A thunder storm conveying a message to the Psalmist would be a qol or voice.

So what was David implying about the nature of God and His relationship with man in this verse?

 In ancient times lightning and thunder were said to be the gods/fallen angels, battling against each other.  Lightning and thunder cannot be ignored and does remind us of how powerful our Heavenly Father really is. Messiah said Himself that He would return as the lightning is from east to west meaning: there will be no question in anyones mind as to Who it is that is returning.

David was the king of one of the most powerful nations in the world and maybe he envisioned himself as the flames of fire being divided by Gods voice?  

In Hebrew

divide is chesev

which also means

to cut, destroy or hew,

Was David imagining that he would flash his lightning and then God responds with His thunder which promptly crushes the pride in him?  The word divide is spelled

Cheth  – joining with God,

Sade – humility and

Beth – the heart.

This would suggest that God’s voice draws him away from his own splendor, and humbles him before God.

The word for fire is ’esh which has a numerical value of 301.  The word for fear and distress is yara’ which also has a numerical value of 301; so fire can also represent fear and distress. 

Blazing or flame comes from the word lehev, which in it’s Semitic root comes from the glittering of the sun off a sword.  The flames of fire could be a picture of those fears and distresses that constantly wear us down.  Maybe David sat watching the thunderstorm and seeing the lightning flash, it caused him to think about how he could be so at peace one moment and then like a flash of lightning, he is reminded of some serious problem or situation that he had to confront? Immediately after that flash of lightning came the noise/thunder, the voice of God cutting or destroying that fearful or distressful situation. Maybe that will help us the next time a thunder storm erupts.

The voice of God could represent an intimate knowledge of God, in that this knowledge of Him and Who He is, overcomes and destroys all our fears and distresses.  When David heard the thunder, was he reminded of the closeness, the intimate relationship he had with a powerful God Who could destroy the flash of lightning which represented his fear and distress?

Another perspective of voices is recorded in Exodus 20:18:

And all the people were seeing the thunder voices and the torches and the voice of the shofar and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

This is a very strange description!

How was it possible for the children of Israel to

SEE the thundering voices?

Seeing Voices – Raim  Qol

 ראים קול

Resh Aleph Yod Mem  Qop Vav Lamed

Many of the translations describe this  as thunder and lightning.

 the words here are

raim eth equloth

and they literally mean:

see the voices.

Because we know that we

can’t see voices

there must be something metaphoric about these words!

interestingly the Jewish sages teach that this is expressing a sensory experience beyond the normal operation of the five senses. They say it is an overflow of experience that activates all the senses merging them together.  In this case, a person is actually

seeing a sound.

Your eyes are hearing and your ears are seeing!

Then there was the sound of the shofar and the people 

yarah  the sound of the shofar. 

They saw the sound of the shofar.  

Yarah can mean both physical seeing and spiritual seeing.  It is how we are to walk the walk. Walk by the spiritual senses our Heavenly Father has imparted to us, and not by the natural senses.

It is possible that here the people were seeing into another realm, another dimension; what is normally invisible became the visible, the supernatural realm was open to them. Just like so many examples in the scriptures:  2Kings 6:17-20 God opened his eyes.

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around.

Their five senses were merged into one super sense. They did not like it, it terrified them, so much so that in verse 19 they asked Moses to speak to them, they did not want to hear directly from God.  Moses told them not to be afraid, yet in verse 21, the people stood at a distance and only Moses entered the cloud.

This idea of the five senses combining into one sense in the supernatural realm could possibly explain other biblical accounts. We should remember that In our Western culture, we have a greek mindset; which means we are a culture based on science and mathematics, and because of this, we only look for one interpretation.  In the Middle Eastern Hebrew/Semitic culture, there can be many interpretations and all of them could be correct. That is why it is essential for our Heavenly Fathers Holy Spirit to guide and teach us as we study the Scriptures. If we seek to know the Father with all our hearts, we will find Him and His Holy Spirit will reveal/disclose to us the interpretation He wants us to know.

What caused the children of Israel to be so terrified?

The word qol for voices is plural.

Could the thundering voices have been the sound of everyone’s thoughts, reactions, and feelings? 

Did all five senses became just one sense in the shekinah cloud, in the very presence of the Creator of the universe?  And was the result of His presence that there were no secrets, nothing was hidden, no more facades, only unhindered truth? 

They had just received the ten commandments, which included serious restrictions and guidelines like Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Did a man glance at his neighbor’s wife and suddenly everyone knew what he was thinking?  Or was another of the commandments Thou shalt not covet revealed as a woman looked at another woman and instantly knows what she is jealous of.

Imagine what would happen if the cloud of our Heavenly Fathers’ Shekinah Glory filled our meetings today? We may initially be eager to enter into His presence…

But what if those that entered the cloud suddenly found their senses becoming one, and everyone suddenly knew everyone else’s thoughts? We may not want to remain there very long either.

We should ask ourselves, if we are sanctified in our thoughts and motives, in that we wouldn’t mind who knew what is in our hearts?   If we answer that we would mind, then is our heart really at one and in unity with our Father and Messiah’s heart?  If our heart and motives are one with His heart and motives, then we would not be concerned. However, if there’s something unclean hidden in our heart, and the presence of Gods glory was the same as in the Exodus 20:18 cloud where everyone could

see a voice,

we would maybe be rather reluctant and even a little afraid, just as the Israelites were?

Surely this is how it is in God’s presence. Nothing is hidden from Him. The only reason we want to hide, or make excuses, is because of sin, and the shame we feel. The truth is, we have a Savior, a Redeemer, One who forgives our sins and covers our shame with His very own Blood. Hallelujah!

All He looks for is our prayers of repentance, humbly accepting His forgiveness and when we ask for a clean heart and a right spirit…His answer is always yes and amen.

He is always speaking

but…

are we listening?

We hear the kol/voice of God more times than we realize and we must always be like Samuel, and in obedience answer immediately… Yes Father.

 

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

Who’s The 3rd Warrior ?

Was it Samson,

Joshua, Caleb,

Gideon, Deborah,

Jael, Ahab,

Barak, David?

Or was it one of David’s Mighty Men;

the Gibborim; הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים ‎ hagGībōrīm,

“The Mighty Ones”

who were a group of 37 men who fought with King David?

To answer this question we must journey back to a confrontation recorded in:

1 Samuel 4:6
On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,

I Samuel 4:7: And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp and they said Woe unto us

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe to us! for there has not been such a thing heretofore.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said: ‘God is come into the camp.’ And they said: ‘Woe unto us! for there was not such a thing yesterday and the day before.

What the Philistines knew but the Hebrew Israelites didn’t realize was that the Hebrews had with them

a Shaleshim, שלשים

Sheloshim  is a Hebrew term for thirty.

spelled Shin Lamed Shin Yod Mem

In Jewish law, a shaliaḥ,

in Hebrew: שָלִיחַ, [ʃaˈliaχ];

pl. שְלִיחִים ‎,

sheliḥim [ʃliˈχim] or sheliah,

literally emissary or

messenger is a legal agent.

Strong’s Hebrew: 7969.

שָׁלוֹשׁ 

shalosh: a three, triad, third

Original Word: שָׁלוֹשׁ
Part of SpeechNoun
Transliteration: shalosh
Phonetic Spelling: shaw-loshe’
Definition: a three, triad, third

Or shalosh {shaw-loshe’};

masculine shlowshah {shel-o-shaw’};

or shloshah {shel-o-shaw’};

a primitive number; three;

occasionally (ordinal) THIRD,

or (multipl.) Thrice — + fork, + often (-times),

noun masculine and feminine a three, triad 

Hebrew id.; שלשSI2; שלשן30MI2;

Strong’s Hebrew: 7970. שְׁלוֹשִׁים 

sheloshim — thirty.

It is the word

shaleshim

that is used in extra-Biblical literature for

The Third Warrior 

or

the Ultimate Warrior.

A Third or Ultimate Warrior

joined the ranks of the Israelites and the Philistines recognized when He did and they cried out in terror!

The Philistines were in fact saying that:

They were standing before the Third/Ultimate Warrior.   

The use of the feminine pronoun, SHE, gives a picture of a mother fighting to protect her young.

This is a picture of an

ultimate warrior,

one who will fight to the death for someone or something,

and was the same in ancient times as it is today.

This is how the Philistines saw the Hebrew God; as a mother protectively wrapping her young in her arms and glaring at them and threatening that, if you touched her little ones you will have to deal with her, and the Philistines did not want to deal with “Her.”

This account is more than just the Philistines fear of the Israelites Hebrew God; it is about taking the physical ark they could see and touch in the natural to give them victory and not trusting in God and His spiritual power to intervene.

They were relying on

the power of an object,

instead of Who and Whom it represented.

Here it is interesting to note that it was the Philistines who recognized the difference; they said

GOD has come into the camp

not

the ark has come into our camp!!

The fact that the Philistines declared that God had come into the camp is profound because in verse 3, the children of Israel declared that “it”, referring to the ark, would save them.

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, {c} Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

(c) Before we fought against men, and now God has come to fight against us.

Israel was defeated before the Philistines.

Why?

 

Because sin, was in the camp, and it gave their enemies all the advantage they could desire.

The hand of God was there for them but, instead of submitting, they spoke in anger, as if they were not aware of any action they had done to provoke Him.

The foolishness of man perverts his way, and then his heart frets against the Lord, Proverbs 19:3, and finds fault with him.

They supposed that they could compel God to appear and help them, by bringing the ark into the camp.

Those who have gone back into a life of religious doctrine and men’s traditions, sometimes end up loving and preferring all the outward observances, thinking these things will save them.

The Israelites thought that by bringing the Ark, God’s throne, into the camp, it would bring heavens help to them.

Whatever we place our trust in, whether it’s our Heavenly Father or the world and the flesh, this is what is really on the throne of the heart. This is what we have faith in.

The people of Israel said

the ark would save them

and the enemy, the Philistines, their godless, pagan enemies, said

“God” would save Israel!

There are occasions when the people of the world have greater clarity and can see things that we just don’t see.

The Parable of the Unjust Steward in

Luke 16:1–13 is referring to this.

Israel represented a strong and notable faith, one that was feared and respected by the Philistines, yet as events unfolded, it was shown that they may have represented a true faith, but in action, they had no faith at all.

They did not walk the walk, or talk the talk, and were defeated. Their failing was a lack of trust in the Lord which was caused by a lack of knowledge of Who He is, usually as a result of having no intimate relationship with the One they said they represented.

That last phrase: “Woe to us for there has not been such a thing heretofore” is a very strange statement.  Most translations will render this phrase in a similar fashion, however, in Hebrew, it says literally:

“Woe to us for she has not come as this yesterday three days.”  and it doesn’t seem to make sense.

Possibly what we are reading is a combination of the thoughts and feelings of all the Philistines? There is no single translation to this phrase.

The word yesterday is really an adverb which means before or heretofore. 

The word thing is also very interesting.

As already noted, it’s the word 

shaleshim 

used in extra-Biblical literature for the

third warrior or the ultimate warrior. 

The Philistines are saying that

they stand before the ultimate warrior.  

The next time we are challenged or confronted by a spiritual Philistine, as they stand there laughing at us, they will see something behind us that we may not really be paying attention to, and they will run in terror because our Heavenly Father is right behind us; just like the mother bear, ready to rip that Philistine to shreds if they try to touch a hair on our heads.

Each translation renders this phrase a little differently but with much the same meaning, this is because its a difficult passage to translate and there aren’t appropriate words in the English language suitable to insert in here.

However it could read:

nothing like this has happened before.

But something like that had happened before… because in the Hebrew it literally says:

“Woe to us for she has not come as this yesterday three days.”

Yesterday is an adverb and is correctly translated as

Heretofore …this three days.

Ancient Jewish literature provides insight into this phrase, as this is an ancient Semitic expression/ an idiom.

This Semitic idiom has its roots in the picture of picking up a chick/baby bird /equivalent to the first warrior; and then facing the wrath of the male/father bird /equivalent to the second warrior. 

It is easy to deal with a baby bird, and the male father bird may show some increased resistance, but is not overwhelming.  It is the reaction of the female mother bird that will be the problem, because she will fight to the death to protect her little chick/equivalent to the third warrior.

As already noted as an interesting point, that the Philistines used she, a feminine pronoun, to represent God and maybe the use of the feminine pronoun would be appropriate because this idiomatic expression pictures this ultimate warrior as a mother fighting to protect her young. 

 

As ancient Semitic languages had only two genders, male and female and there was no neuter gender this was not unusual in those times.

However scholars note that in ancient pagan religions, many of these pagan gods and goddesses demanded an end to gender identity and the Priests of goddess religions had to be castrated and therefore rendered gender-neutral and homosexuality was also encouraged.  It is clear that the enemy, unclean and fallen spirits were at the root of these pagan religions and were trying to destroy humanity; and there are certainly similarities to the gender-neutral movement we have today, to that of ancient paganism. Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun!

The word  thing in this verse, which in Hebrew is the word 

shaleshim and really means three days, 

also carries the idea of a

third element.

Thing, third day, third warrior, ultimate warrior.

The Philistines are saying is that this is the first time

the third warrior or the ultimate warrior

has appeared or joined the Hebrew armies.

We could look at it in this way:

When Israel faced their enemy the first time, they were nothing more than a mere baby chick /first warrior, and were easily defeated by their attackers.

God later raised up judges who would lead a powerful army /second warrior.

The point to remember is what the Israelites didn’t fully comprehend but what the enemy knew, was that the Hebrews had a Shaleshim,

a Third or Ultimate Warrior

join their army and the Philistines recognized when He did; and this is why they cried out in terror because they knew that the equivalent of a ferocious mother bear had shown up to protect her cubs!

Everyone of us face difficult situations alone, and in the times when we face the enemy and are defeated/first warrior, we run to the local assembly and join forces with other believers/ second warriors, but sometimes the enemy will still attack and defeat us.  However, when the appearance of that third warrior, Shaleshim, Who is Jesus/Yeshua, the more than equal of any ferocious mother defending her young, then the enemy flees in terror.

Resist the devil and he will flee.. James 4:7-8  and only when we submit ourselves to our Heavenly Father.

However, our complete and ultimate victory comes when we allow the Shaleshim, the Third Warrior, Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach to join us, that our victory is absolutely assured.  The truth is that we can call upon that Third Warrior anytime we need Him.  We may not always see the spiritual power behind our Shaleshim, but the enemy certainly does and flees in terror at the very sound of the Name of this Third Warrior.

Messiah Jesus/Yeshua crushed demonic power continually throughout His ministry.
Our real enemy is the spirit behind the attack, our fight is not against flesh and blood.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, the rulers, against powers, the authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

This is referring to the enemies that confront us in the spiritual realm. This present dark kingdom could be using a co-worker who is always difficult to deal with and causes us to constantly lose our peace and joy and then we react to them in an ungodly way. Another example could be someone reacting rudely to us while driving in traffic simply provoking us to react back at them. The dark kingdom continually uses people, situations and circumstances to attack us in the spiritual realm. It is at these times that Messiah teaches us how to connect and stay joined with Him, and deny ourselves and our fleshly, carnal, old man ways. Even when it’s painful, we are to daily carry our cross, deny those ways,

follow Him, think, speak and do as He would.

When we surrender our will to the Lord’s will within ourselves, He will come in power and demonstration in and through us as the Third Warrior. When He does, then His love flows through us to that unkind co-worker and begins a transformation in them too, because that change begins when we allow Yeshua/Jesus to first change us by the power of His Spirit of Holiness.

Only when our will is surrendered to His will can He use us as His vessel to flow in us, and through us, to affect and influence our circumstances in a powerful way as the Third Warrior.

All that Messiah imparted to His disciples includes entering the ongoing battle against the demonic powers, and in His name we are to set free those in bondage, He is our Deliverer, the Liberating King.

This is the truth that strengthens us to face the attack and enter the battle without fear.

Mark 16:15-20

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.

In ancient warfare,

Goliath was known as

the 3rd Warrior

the best of the best – the elite!

Our Heavenly Father/Yeshua/Jesus is

the 3rd and ultimate warrior.

We can appear to the devil to be easy prey and seemingly powerless at times; but the Lord is NOT powerless and we should remember that when we trust in Him …

Who is it that the adversary sees coming? us?

or the shaleshim we serve??

Remember!

There is nothing wrong with a first warrior attempt to defeat the enemy, nor with that of a second warrior. God expects us to confront our enemies, but our ultimate victory comes when we are joined with the Shaleshim, the Third Warrior, Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach, then victory is really assured. 

Also remember the fact that we can call upon that third warrior anytime we need Him; and though we may not see the power behind our Shaleshim, the enemy certainly does and he will flee in terror at the very sound of the Name of the Third Warrior.

Whatever we do, let us do it as unto the third warrior,

the Shaleshim, Messiah, Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha Mashiach.

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

The Secret of Being Happy

John 13:17

If ye KNOW these things,

HAPPY

are ye if ye DO them. —

The first part of this verse assumes their knowledge of the things which He had been teaching them. John 13:13-17.

They were old lessons taught before in word, – knowing –

and now being taught in word and action

knowing and doing.

Now that you know these things,

you will be blessed if you do them.

Strong’s Hebrew: 835.

אַשְׁרֵי (esher)

— happiness, blessedness

esher: happiness, blessedness

Original Word: אֶשֶׁר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: esher
Phonetic Spelling: eh’-sher
Definition: happiness, blessedness

Word Origin from ashar
Definition
happiness, blessedness
NASB Translation
blessed (41), happy (4).

Deuteronomy 33:29 
HEB: אַשְׁרֶ֨יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל מִ֣י
NAS: Blessed are you, O Israel; Who
KJV: Happy [art] thou, O Israel:
INT: Blessed Israel Who

 Makarios

was a powerful word to those who heard Jesus/Yeshua speak that day, because to them it meant:

divine joy and perfect happiness.

They were under Roman oppressors and this word gave them HOPE.

Matthew 5:5 Amplified Bible. 

5 Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect]

Matthew 5:3-11 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition 3

Blessed (happy, [ a]to be envied, and [ b]spiritually prosperous —[ c]with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied)

Amplified BibleBlessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of [your association with] Me.

James reiterates 1:25 But he who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and faithfully abides by it, not having become a [careless] listener who forgets but an ACTIVE DOER [who obeys], he will be BLESSED and favored by God in what he DOES [in his life of OBEDIENCE].

Romans 2:13
For it is NOT the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous. If we are hearing but not doing what we hear then

we will NOT be declared righteous!!!

Read that again!

‘Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’ Deut. 5:27.

16 Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

The Words that are so very important here are

Knowing, Doing and Being.

 

Our ability to hear the voice of God is dulled by our over involvement in unnecessary and many unimportant things including pleasures, hobbies and interests. Our Heavenly Father needs our full attention on Him and not on ourselves or what our old carnal/fleshly, nature wants to do. He is looking for complete dedication and total submission, not part-time participation, a personal commitment on a level we have not yet chosen.

When we are dulled by the world and its pleasures, Mark 4 comes quickly to mind. The glamour and temptations of entertainment, cause us to relax and when it comes to vigilance in the spirit we get lazy and compromise quickly follows; and that is when sneak attacks come as tests and trials of our Faith walk. We are living in the closing hour of this age, which we call the age of grace/chen and many of us have stretched the grace/chen of God to its fullest with a sloppy, disrespectful attitude towards the spiritual things of a Holy God.

It is very sad but true that so many have become people of entitled expectation, thinking that we don’t have to make any effort because God is a God of love and He understands and makes allowances for our apathy. The Spirit of God is calling  ALL His chosen to

put off the self life

and to walk in the spirit;

and this is by no means a new message. It was the message of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, His disciples, His apostles, His sent ones.

It was also the message of the Psalms and the Proverbs in that they all emphasized

uncompromising loyalty to the truth

and

outward actions that are consistent with inward convictions.

When we don’t have these elements in divine order in our lives we are stunting our spiritual growth. This is because when we say one thing, declaring our position, and then do another to appease flesh and the old carnal nature, we compromise our position in the spirit and give the enemy a way into our lives.

We are to give no place to the devil.

Eph. 4:27  Neither give place to the devil. 

Place or room = opportunity and scope for acting in and through you. 

We are not supposed to give the devil any opportunity to influence our lives. He should not have any place in our lives because he is an enemy of God and wants to destroy God’s people.

The apostle Paul told us,

Neither give place to the devil.

The Greek makes it clear that we must choose to give the devil no territory …we have a choice.

Anywhere we have had a victory or found freedom we can be sure he will test that new position. Where there is a weakness he will exploit it. We are not to yield 1 inch/1 centimeter, because compromise is the language of the devil.

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart.

They do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways

You have ordained Your precepts, That we should follow them with [careful] diligence. Psalm 119:3-5.

Lucifers rhetoric has not changed since the days in the garden, when he first posed the question.. did God say? and followed it by inventing the lie – He didn’t mean you would really/ surely die!

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Gen. 3:1-19.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44.

We are not to be swayed by emotions and feelings, they will always lie to and confuse us. The devil will always work in the realm of the physical senses, which is why we are

to walk in and by the spirit of the living God and operate by our spiritual senses.

We say God is love and He is, but not by our standards of the human emotional love. Human love is notoriously selfish. His love is TRUTH and uncompromising.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

We struggle to reconcile our picture of our Heavenly Father when for example we read accounts in Numbers 16 and 17 of His dealings with rebellion in the camp. This is a picture of His wrath against sin and is quite violent. Our Heavenly Father would not be loving, nor would He be just, if He allowed the arrogant challenging of His authority to go unanswered. How often do we witness destruction in the lives of those who challenge Him and yet fail to learn the lesson? To witness Gods judgment and still defy His authority, and in Korah’s case, this was behavior that could not be excused. As disciples of Messiah we do not need to live in fear of His hasty judgment however, we would also be wise not to flaunt the authority we have in Jesus/Yeshua as if we were no longer subject to the authority of our Heavenly Father.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23

The Lord God established Moses and the priesthood for this reason:

to separate the people from God for their own protection.

Sin cannot approach a Holy God and the Holiness of His set apart priests who were the mediators between the sinful people and God Himself. This was given to them to show them how to approach a Holy God, to establish relationship.

Now we have Messiah Yeshua/Jesus and His shed blood that cries Mercy for us and mediates on our behalf; and we are able to approach the Father ONLY on that basis. Let us not make the same fatal mistake Korah did; and approach the Lord God Almighty Creator of the universe in unprotected arrogance, forgetting Who is really in charge and control of everything. In Messiah we have perfect protection from the advances of the enemy but when the people of God oppose their protector, who will be that defense against Him?

Pride was the original sin and we are all born with original sin.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins. Eph. 2:1.

Original sin: the condition or state of sin into which each human being is born;

the sin nature of fallen man;

the tendency to sin is innate in all human beings, inherited from Adam in consequence of the Fall;

the nature of sin in which humanity has existed since the fall of man. 

Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Romans 3:10-18 – As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

1 John 1:8-10 – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us

Psalms 51:5 – Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Eph. 2:1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

And the holy one of Israel is the judge of all hearts. His judgments are just and his wrath is poured out in righteousness.

Let’s take a moment here and do a spiritual heart check-up…

Father in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name, search my heart and consume my rebellious ways. In holiness alone may I approach You and not die. I worship You in grateful humility, may You alone be exalted in praise. Cut away and remove from my life all arrogance and pride that I may live in the joy of your presence. I bless you Father, Savior, King and Lord of my life.

 

If ye KNOW these things, HAPPY are ye if ye DO them.

We are to be DOERS of what we KNOW

we are to apply His words,

His instructions to our lives EVERY DAY.

Head knowledge will not save us…

neither will intellectual agreement to a truth.

John 13:17

If ye KNOW these things, HAPPY are ye IF ye DO them!

This is the Secret of Being Happy.

Note the condition in this verse IF, there’s the option, the choice to direct our free will….in obedience to the Fathers will.

Only the truth that you KNOW, understand and apply/DO

will make you free..

because mental assent does not help or increase our spiritual maturity.

If ye KNOW these things, HAPPY are ye IF ye DO them!

This is the Secret of Being Happy!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

Are We Truly Being Obedient?

Are we really sure of what we are supposed to be doing?

Messiah was very clear in His instructions.

First we are to follow Him… and next to

Go therefore and make DISCIPLES of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and OBEY My words], immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 Amplified Bible

We are to become MORE THAN just believers in Him,

we are to become disciples/talmidim ourselves; for only disciples can make disciples. We will never be greater than our Master/Messiah but we can become like Him.

yet this way is both narrow and difficult.

Matthew 7:13-14.

If we are going to live as disciples of Messiah we have to be obedient to ALL His words and remember that all efforts that are of worth and excellence are difficult. We were never promised an easy life and the difficulties we face are not supposed to make us faint, they are to stir us up to become overcomers.

We may need to rethink our understanding of being an obedient follower of Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

Jesus/Yeshua gives a parable about life and death. He urges His disciples to

seek life

by entering through the narrow gate the one that runs opposite to the way of the world.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Only one way leads to life!

Matthew 7:13

His gospel, His Truth, has been so watered down and In western society the focus is too much on blessing, comfort and physical prosperity rather than that of life in the Spirit.

Do we really, seriously appreciate the miraculous free gift of salvation offered to us? We are saved by His grace only through the atoning work of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, which cost Him everything. Philippians 2:13

It is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure. NOT ours!

Then it is up to us to work out that salvation in our practical daily life. Philippians 2:12.

We will find out that we can do it, if we will only begin on the basis of His redemption and to do what He commands.

“If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments. John 14:15

If we do not put into practice what our Heavenly Father has placed within us, that‘s when we fail; and a crisis will show whether or not we have been doing so. It’s not what we think we know that will save us or make us free.; its only the Truth we know, believe and act on that will. Mental assent does not help us to reach spiritual maturity.

If we will obey the Holy Spirit of our Heavenly Father and practice in our physical life that which He has placed within us by that same spirit; when a crisis comes, we will find that our own nature as well as His Grace/chen will cause us to stand strong in Him and the power of His might. Eph. 6:10.

He told us that in this life we will have tribulation and it will test us for all we are worth.

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] John 16:33 Amplified Bible

Why?

Hebrews 2:10 tells us why ….. it is because He is

bringing 

and He will not shield us from the necessary requirements of son-ship, that of being His child. We should rejoice that He gives us difficult things to do because His salvation is a thing of joy and

the joy of the Lord is our strength. Neh. 8:10.

At the same time it also requires of us much bravery, courage and holiness. The work of our Heavenly Father’s grace within our lives is to produce men and women who display a strong family resemblance to Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ.

We are not to be spoiled, pampered, entitled, complaining, weaklings. We should not be deceived, because it takes a huge amount of personal discipline to live the life of a disciple. One that is worthy and excellent, while facing the realities of a life in this world; however that’s what we are called to do.

We looked at the example of Daniel and an excellent spirit in a previous post.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/is-there-such-a-thing-as-an-excellent-spirit/

Why are we looking at this again?

Because

in Joshua 24:15

we are to choose for yourselves THIS DAY

whom you will serve.

It is a daily choice, every day.. it is not a one time thing and then we go on our merry way! Its ongoing and lasts as long as we are here on earth, we are to daily take up our cross ….

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. Luke 9:23. Amplified.

 Are we truly willing to daily take up our cross..even if it means enduring pain loss and physical torture and death???

Are we willing to do so for Him?

Many around this world already are…

It is up to us to choose, because

an individual’s will is embodied in the actions of the whole person.

We must exercise our will, putting it in to action; because we cannot give up our will, we must choose to obey, we must set our will to obey and we must will to receive our Heavenly Father’s spirit and those who are obedient will receive His spirit.

And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” NAS Bible Acts 5:32

When the truth is revealed to us, the only question is what will we do, not what the Father will do. When God places big plans in front of us, a wise thing to do is to remember what we did before He touched our lives. If we can remember when we first received Messiah or had a truth revealed to us, it was easy to yield our will to Him and it will help us when His spirit brings something new before us.

Joshua 24:15 choose for YOUR SELVES this day…

Our Heavenly Father does not choose for us, we are to choose for ourselves. It’s not something which we’ll automatically slide into, it is a deliberate determination to choose our Heavenly Father’s Way over our personal way, or what someone else is telling us to do. Galatians 1:16 do not confer with flesh and blood.

The choice is between our Heavenly Father and ourselves, and everything in our lives will be on hold, paused, until we make a decision. In these situations, tension can develop and He allows other believers opinions to matter to us and yet we sometimes wonder if they really understand the steps we are taking; and this makes those around us seem to become more and more separated from us. Faith demands that we have to stop trying to figure out when and where His Spirit is leading; we just have to declare that we will be faithful.

Joshua reminds us in chapter 24:22 that even in this, as soon as we make that choice, we become witnesses against ourselves.

The choice to serve the Lord is personal, we are to will to be faithful, this choice is not something we need to consult with other believers, nor rely on anything or anyone other than the Fathers’ spirit and that includes ourselves. We cannot live a holy life without His Spirit, but we can decide to submit for Him make us holy. Joshua 24:19 reminds us also that neither can we serve the Lord in our own strength, but we can put ourselves in the correct position so that His power will flow through us; and that is all dependent on relationship and requires setting our will to align with His.

Obedience takes faith

and

faithful people are obedient.

In Joshua 24:21 when the people said to him we will serve the Lord.

It was not an impulsive action but a deliberate commitment. It is high time that we make that choice, no more wavering. We must be quick to obey as David said:

I will be quick to obey your commands Ps 119:60

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will OBEY my teaching.  My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. John 14:23

James 1:19 And let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to anger

We are to be slow to speak, quick to hear and in hearing be a doer.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 

To be quick to hear and slow to speak means, having both humility and respect for others as well as for Messiah. It means we take the necessary time to listen to people instead of just speaking our opinion.

The moving of the Father’s Spirit of Holiness is many times inconvenient to our flesh and it’s often completely opposite to reason or what we sometimes call common sense. We are to obey Him regardless of the cost, yet He will never force us to make the choice; and there will always be an easier away out open to us which will seem more sensible and have less risk involved. All the challenges He places in front of us are to test and develop our faith as well as our obedience, which is needed for the choosing process and to reveal just how much we love Him.

Matthew 7:13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and MANY enter through it.

This is the gate of true conversion, of self-denial, dying to the self life, and of walking the way of holiness; the gate which few, comparatively speaking, are inclined to choose.

This Way, this gate, cannot be entered into without

teshuvah-repentance.

Acts 3:19 “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3

 

In the Hebrew Alefbet/alphabet,

the letter Hei

is the 5th letter and

a symbol of repentance

HEY or HEI  ה is the letter H

Rabbis in the time of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, would often illustrate spiritual truths using Hebrew letters.

The letter hei makes the sound of the H. Jewish literature teaches that Moses could not speak properly because ‘he was thick of tongue.’ Having an unusually ‘thick tongue’ would make it very difficult for someone to pronounce a name of God that necessitated having to use their tongue to say it; so it is said that our Heavenly Father gave Moses a name for Himself which had letters in it that he didn’t need to use his tongue in order to pronounce. 

The letters yod making a Y sound

and the letter vav which makes a V (waw) sound

and the letter Hei which makes the H sound.

The name Yod Hei Vav Hei  -YHVH or YHWH

is the name which could be spoken out loud with breath only

and without needing to move the tongue.

Traditionally the letter

hei represents:

the breath and the presence of God.

Some Hebrew scholars teach that our Heavenly Father created the world with the letter hei, H,

meaning:

that He created the world with His breath and presence. He breathed His own life into His creation.

The letter Hei was known as the broken letter.

It is almost identical to the letter Cheth

CHETH (or HETH) kāth  ח ḥeṭ .

Sometimes written Chet, but more accurately Ḥet.

As the 8th letter of the Hebrew alphabet

it represents the number 8. 

This letter looks the same except that there is a narrow space, a brokenness in the upper left hand corner of the letter hei /H.

This space was known as

the narrow or strait gate

that leads to the Heavenly Father’s presence.

 The bottom of the letter is open

and is known as:

the wide or broad gate.

As the Hei represents the breath of God,

and through brokenness which leads to teshuvah/repentance;

an individual will find

the breath of God

which will blow through the narrow gate.

Without repentance we cannot find the Hei, the breath of God which will sustain us so and then we will fall to destruction through the wide gate at the bottom of the letter.

 The rabbis taught that the letter Hei represents:

the presence and breath of God and that it is very hard to climb to the narrow gate; and few there are who can rise to that narrow gate and achieve such a state of righteousness that they are able to pass through that narrow gate to the Shekinah or the presence of God, but many are those who pass through the broad gate that leads to destruction. 

It is possible that Messiah was making reference to this when He said “Enter the narrow gate, for the gate, is wide and the road is spacious which leads to destruction, and many are those who are going in it.” Matthew 7:13?

One thing is certain, our walk with Messiah is a daily walk along the Way that leads to life and to be in His presence for eternity. He is our righteousness and so the climb to the narrow gate is made easier.

However it takes faith to obey, to trust.

Sometimes the simplest statements are the most profound!

Trust and obey for there’s no other way …

as little children would say and sing,

simple and uncomplicated to

trust in, to have faith in

and

obey His commands

because

we truly do love Him above all else

and

put Him 1st in everything we do.

If we truly love Him then we will be truly obedient

and we will be sure of what we are supposed to be doing!

We are to be MORE THAN just believers we are to be

His obedient Disciples/talmidim.

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.