Category Archives: Kingdom of God

October 16, 2016 · 7:40 am

Inside Israel

Sukka in Jreusalem

Sukka in Jreusalem

Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is —

BELOVED Sisters and Brothers,

Fellow travelers who KNOW that He is the same, yesterday, today and forever, I greet you and ask for His grace and mercy to write what will edify and bless you and will also glorify HIM.

ALMOST missed writing to you before Sukkot begins tomorrow night!

Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles:

Leviticus 23:33 “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.

37 ‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.

39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’”

44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

(For a few of the MANY other references in scripture see: Deut 31:10,Zech14:16, John 7:37, 2 Chron 5:3 and 2 Chron 7:8-end (amazing celebration)

Ok, yes!  It makes me laugh!  The world is upside down, spiraling into a chaotic quicksand bog and we STOP (FULL stop, for this is one of the THREE commanded feasts when The Lord, The Lord of Hosts, The Creator, God Almighty, commanded the children of Israel to come together IN JERUSALEM and to present themselves TO HIM with an offering of Thanksgiving. It doesn’t matter whether UNESCO says we existed here as a people or not because GOD has said we did and do.

We are to REJOICE before Him for 7 days while living and eating in a frail hut made of leafy branches, decorated with fruits and flowers, with a roof of palms through which we can see the sky, so that we can REMEMBER JUST HOW SMALL AND FRAIL WE ARE AND HOW HUGE AND BIG AND COMPLETE IS OUR TRUE PROVIDER AND LOVING FATHER.  Now THAT is something only God Himself could design.

Of course, we as the stiff necked people that we are, are totally able to pervert that beautiful command into customs galore, however I love this holiday and enjoy sharing with you how it is observed here in Jerusalem, Israel.

The Sukkas (or booths) begin cropping up immediately after Yom Kippur.

During the week of Sukkot rain is prayed for and so often arrives to the joy of everyone, even when we are suddenly drenched inside of our sukkas.  Israel, being a Middle Eastern desert country, is sunny and hot all summer and hopefully rainy and cold all winter.  Now that we have desalination it may not seem as urgent, but nothing is a substitute for God’s gift of rain, waters from above, and it remains a sign of His blessing.

This is a celebration of His gifts, the foods that He provides for us, the fruits of the land, but ALSO a time to remember HIS great deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt and the fulfillment of all of His promises.

Although I celebrated the holidays when I was a child, the celebrations were in a way empty of the experience that is felt HERE IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL. The earthly fulfillment of His covenant promise to the Jewish people: this land.  It remains a mystery, and yet a revealed one, only made more beautiful as the scriptures come more and more alive with each successive reading.

WHY would The Lord promise this land to this people?  I don’t know, but He surely has done just that and His faithfulness to keep that promise becomes more humbling the more I understand what He has promised, has done, and is doing.

I was touched tonight when my son in law told me that he had built a sukka at his uncle’s apartment down the road – for me.  His uncle’s apartment has a garden while our apartment does not have an appropriate place for a sukka.  He asked if we could eat there and I was overjoyed.  Once again, it will be a festive meal.  The shuk will be a mad house tomorrow as everyone buys sprays of dates and pomegranates with stems and leaves, grapes and green clementines, apples and persimmons, dried fruits and nuts.

And then there are the 4 species: a palm, a willow, myrtle, and etrog. They are shaken or waved together in the 4 directions – north, south, east and west – while a blessing is spoken.  An etrog is a citron, which looks somewhat like a lemon.

 

Of course, at the shuk, there IS a lively four species market, a BIG tent is set up, with tables galore selling the 4 items.  The tent is jammed with people inspecting the branches and fruit with magnifying glasses to make sure that they are perfect.  The more perfect the offering, the higher the price.  Many people travel to the Western Wall inside the Old City daily during the feast to present their offering of the four species blessing.

One day during the feast, at the wall, there will also be the blessing of the Cohenim (the priestly blessing).  The blessing of Aaron will be prayed over the nation by everyone who can trace themselves back to the priestly tribe of the Cohenim.  AND, one more major event is the Jerusalem march or the grand parade of blessing through the streets of Jerusalem.  Over the years, the Christians from various nations who have gathered to take part in the Christian Feast of Tabernacles’ activities take part in this march. They have become the main attraction with their God given joy and desire to bless the people. They walk in their native dress according to the country that they represent and throw candy and flags to the delight of the citizens lining the streets.  Israeli groups are also well represented, from the banks to the armed services, and from the phone company to the street cleaners. It is a parade of blessing and joy and looked forward to by nearly everyone.

And yes, I have written this letter while being talked to so it feels very much like another poor offering.  Our children as yet have not found a place of their own, but I KNOW that HE Who provides, WILL provide and I am filled with joy to see HIS GRACE as we are stretched for His purposes.

I hope that you are all familiar with the insane UNESCO ruling at the UN this week. If not, please look it up.  The days are surely running through scripture and we are witnessing His Word coming to life.  Hag Sameach or Joyful Holiday, may you be BLESSED with His Presence!

Lovingly,

your sister J

4 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

October 13, 2016 · 10:41 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (10/13/2016)

The background for my prayer today can be seen on the following link:

(Life Is More Than This by Frank Viola)

My prayer today:

Lord, help us American believers to desire and hunger for Your divine plans and Eternal Purposes to be fulfilled in our lives, in our cities, in our states, in our nation, and to settle for nothing less than Your priorities to be observed in every part of our lives…not matter what the cost may be for us.

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

4 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

October 11, 2016 · 8:26 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (10/11/2016)

Another vision goaded me on even more.

In it, I saw myself arriving in heaven, but not for a glorious homecoming. A line of dark-skinned children, as far as I could see, waited to talk with me. Each, in turn, said, “I did not make it into my divine calling on earth because you failed to fulfill your calling. I starved to death as a young child.”

Sobering isn’t it?

Just think: if you or I fail to fulfill our divine callings here on earth, people may die, and go to Hell or even die young before they were able to walk in their divine callings. It’s one of those revelations we don’t like pondering. (Excerpt from The Hunt for Larry Who by Larry Nevenhoven, ©2014, Amazon eBook)

Heaven is filled with truth. Some of this truth will be revealed to us about ourselves at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

As for me, I have no doubts I’m a flawed person and that even my attempts to obey and follow Jesus Christ are also flawed at best. So, I want to send as many prayers, fastings, and offerings for Asia ahead of time to improve my position before the Judge.

My prayer today:

Lord, help us American believers to remember the prisoners who are suffering in Asia for their faith as though we are chained with them and to remember those believers who are mistreated in Asia since they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. (Based on Hebrews 13:3)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for  prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 600 million people live in abject poverty in the slums of Asia.

6. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

2 Comments

Filed under America, Asia, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

October 7, 2016 · 11:01 am

Geezer Up (Part 7)

Jane

“Hi Jane, I’ve been expecting your call,” said J. C. as he answered my phone call.

“Hi, I figured you would.”

“You probably want to know what happened?”

“Right! Dylan said that it was no big deal, but he’s the master of understatement. So, fill in the gaps between hate crime, no big deal, and a broken nose.

J. C. laughed.

“Well, as you know Dylan spoke and gave his testimony at our businessmen’s noontime luncheon down in China town. There were about thirty men there. All enjoyed his words and I’d say it was a great success.

J. C. was the owner of Bates Properties, a commercial real estate firm in San Francisco. His success caused him to seek ways on how he could give back to the city he loved. He ended up being involved in Business Men’s Fellowship and became the chapter president.

“After the luncheon, I was driving him to Mission Terrace to spend some time together before I dropped him off at the airport. We were heading down Market Street, past the Castro District, when we saw a Pride parade. He asked to stop and watch. I pulled over and walked across the street with him.”

“So far,” I said, “everything seems okay.”

“Yeah, nothing happened until Dylan stepped off the curb and began preaching in a loud voice, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'”

J. C. paused for a moment.

“Then everything happened at once. A couple of guys pushed and shoved him. Another hit him in the face, knocking his glasses off. He fell to the ground and quite a few kicked him. Two police officers came over and inquired what was happening. A man said that Dylan was preaching hate. One officer asked Dylan what he was doing and he replied he was preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God. They cuffed him and threw into a police cruiser and took him off to jail.”

“That’s all my sweet hubby did.”

“Yep and he even forgave the crowd before he was ushered away.”

We talked a few minutes more. J. C. offered to pick me up at the airport and wanted me stay in his home with his wife and him.

I agreed to his offers, but I still had an unanswered question gnawing at me.

(Continued in Part 8…if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.) 

4 Comments

Filed under America, Businessmen, Christianity, Church, Fiction, Gay, Gifts of the Spirit, Kindle, Kingdom of God, Literature, Prayer, Publishing, Self publishing, spiritual warfare, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 5, 2016 · 10:32 am

Geezer Up (Part 6)

Jane

My wife, Jane, can best explain what was going through her mind from the time of my phone call until the arraignment:

The first thought to cross my mind when Dylan phoned was to give him a big piece of my mind. We had planned our forty-sixth anniversary trip to Tahoe for months and even paid a nonrefundable deposit on a five-bedroom home on the beach. Our three children, their mates, and our eight grandchildren were going to be there, too. All of us in one home on the lake for seven days. It was a dream vacation and how many more of these could we expect to have in the years ahead? I could have chewed nails when I hung up, especially after him saying that it was no big deal!

I slammed the phone down and screamed.

That’s when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, “Quit acting like a baby. Call the lawyer. Get on a plane and fly to San Francisco. Dylan needs you.”

I fell to my knees and wept.

“Forgive me, Lord.”

But without missing a beat, I jumped up, phoned Jacob, our lawyer, and made standby reservations for a flight on Virgin Airlines out of San Diego International Airport to San Francisco. My flight’s departure was scheduled for 5:15 a.m., which gave me just enough time to pack and make the sixty-mile drive from Temecula to the airport.

Bluetooth allowed me to make four important phone calls on my trip. The first three were to our children, telling them about Dylan’s situation. The words “hate crime” never ricocheted off my tongue, but instead I termed it a slight misunderstanding, one that a lawyer could easily handle. We would see them on Saturday and have a big laugh over Dylan’s latest faith escapade. The three had questions, but I pooh-poohed their fears with a couple of quick Bible verses.

When I finished calling the three, I looked down at the speedometer. Ninety miles per hour! Jane Matthews: beloved wife, caring mother, doting grandmother, and committed believer of Jesus was acting like Mario Andretti at the Indianapolis Five Hundred, passing everyone in sight. I tapped on the brakes and slowed down to seventy-five miles per hour. A police car with a radar gun sat at the next exit.

“Thank you Jesus,” I muttered.

Then, I phoned J.C. Bates. Someone needed to fill me in on the details about Dylan’s arrest and J. C. was the man who could do just that.

(Continued in Part 6…if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.) 

2 Comments

Filed under Books, Christianity, Church, Fiction, Gifts of the Spirit, Kindle, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Publishing, Self publishing, spiritual warfare, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 4, 2016 · 8:16 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (10/4/2016)

How many men had young David faced in battle before he faced Goliath? Not one.

Yet, he was not overwhelmed by the enormous odds facing him on that day. He knew God was for him and figured it didn’t matter who confronted him because his God was more than enough to win the battle.

My prayer today:

Lord, raise up young Davids in Asia who do not look at the Goliaths of poverty, communism, Buddhism, Islam, paganism, atheism, and whatever, but who only look to You, the Lord of hosts, and know the battle is Yours and You will give them victory. (Based on 1 Samuel 17:45-47)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for  prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 600 million people live in abject poverty in the slums of Asia.

6. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

2 Comments

Filed under Asia, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spirituality

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

October 3, 2016 · 8:33 am

Geezer Up (Part 5)

Dylan

The heavy-set bailiff with a booming voice announced, “The People of San Francisco against Dylan Matthews.”

Almost with a snap of a finger, I stood to the right of Artie Chin while a junior prosecutor stood on the other side of Chin. Judge Ester Strong sat directly in front of us. The sixty or so year-old judge looked down at the file in front of her and then over at me. A slight smile crossed her lips for a nano-second before she resumed her judicial posture.

Back and forth legalese-filled salvos from the prosecutor and my lawyer ended up with Chin saying, “My client enters a not-guilty plea.”

“I’m inclined to allow Mr. Matthews to be released on his own recognizance, without bail, but I do want to ask him a couple of questions,” said Judge Strong, leaning forward and staring into my eyes. “What will you do if I set you free this morning? Will you go back to Temecula and return for your preliminary hearing in two weeks?”

Three possible answers crossed my mind at that moment: forty-sixth anniversary trip to Tahoe, playing with grandchildren, or enjoying a few rounds of golf with my buddies. All would have pleased the judge so I could have walked out the door into the sunlight once again, but they all evaporated into nothingness. What came out of my mouth caused a reaction much like dropping a live grenade into the courtroom.

“I will walk out the door and go directly to the Castro District and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to that community. They deserve to be set free from the kingdom of darkness by the love of Jesus.”

Judge Strong stood up and pointed a finger at me. Her judicial mask slipped off her face, revealing her inner feelings.

“Mr. Matthews, you have no right to impose your self-righteous religious beliefs on our gay and lesbian communities. I will make sure your bigoted beliefs cost you dearly by setting your bail at one hundred thousand dollars and remanding you to our county jail. What do you think of that, Mr. Matthews?” she proclaimed loud enough for everyone in the building to hear her.

I shrugged.

“I shall not pay one dime nor allow anyone to raise money to set me free nor will I eat another bite of food until I am set free from this jail. Whether I walk out the door or am carried out in a casket is up to the Lord, I shall trust Him to set me free,” I replied.

“Well, we’ll see about your so-called God and how your arrogance holds up two weeks from now at your preliminary hearing. Next case.”

My lawyer escorted me back to the small holding pen.

“Maybe you would have answered differently if I would have warned you ahead of time that Judge Strong is a lesbian and staunch leader in the LGBT movement,” he whispered.

I laughed.

“Probably not.”

Then, a voice cut my heart.

“Dylan, Dylan, I love you…”

I turned to see Jane waving at me. She looked great in her yellow dress, one of my favorites, but all I could do was nod my head and wonder about what she was thinking.

(Continued in Part 6…if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.) 

6 Comments

Filed under Books, Christianity, Church, Fiction, Gifts of the Spirit, Kindle, Kingdom of God, Literature, Prayer, Prophecy, Publishing, Self publishing, spiritual warfare, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 2, 2016 · 8:00 am

Inside israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Greetings dear brothers and sisters in Yeshua,

As the last Shabat of the year 5776 begins to approach, may His Shalom, His Peace, flood your hearts and minds and anchor them in His Presence.  May you be blessed and edified and may He be blessed and glorified!

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.'”  Matthew 4:8

“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”  Revelation 11:15

The train has begun running again and the many kilometers of barriers are being swiftly removed.  Roads are all re-opening and an extraordinary day is passing into the shalom of shabat.

From my front row seat, just 3 blocks from Har Hertzl (Mount Hertzl), the kings, presidents and prime ministers from more than 80 nations of the world assembled to bury Shimon Peres…master statesman, philosopher, brilliant orator, man of peace, scholar, wise man among the wise, co-author of the failed Oslo peace accords and the list goes on and on.  At 93, Shimon Peres was the last of the greats, and sadly, the last of the founding fathers of this, the modern state of Israel.

I was unable to go to work today as we were totally blocked off (sequestered, quarantined) and although I could have walked the distance TO work, coming home would have been far more difficult, so I passed.  Instead I listened to the speeches and watched the faces and wondered at the swift running changes and upheavals taking place all around me.  Gathered before me was our entire government sitting with leaders from the Palestinians, most of the European nations, African nations, nations from every continent, America, Canada, more then I could keep track of.  Presidents Obama and Clinton both gave eloquent speeches, as statesmen do, moving speeches, reflective words, nothing to be mocked, noble human thoughts.

And that snapped me back to the scriptures that I had read the morning before Peres passed from this world.

I have shared many times that when I first came to know Him, it seemed to me that I had to ask Him, “How do You want me to read YOUR book?”

He answered that I was to read every day, in order, beginning at Genesis and Matthew together, reading daily, morning by morning, straight through, from beginning to end and then repeat again, and to CONTINUE that way until He changed it.  So I did.  For 40 years.

Then He ADDED a Psalm and the Prophets (4 sections, in order, beginning to end…over and over) AND wherever I was also meditating (which HAPPENS to be Revelation right now.)  ANYWAY, over the years I have OFTEN stood amazed at the juxtaposition of scriptures that I would read in a day, how they dovetailed and spoke together to the events of the day.  I marveled at how He did that as I read in order.  So it was on Tuesday morning as I read of the enemy’s temptation to Yeshua and THEN the triumphal heavenly voices proclaiming, “THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD HAVE BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD AND OF HIS CHRIST, AND HE SHALL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER!”

Well, I stopped.  If I didn’t fall to my knees, well, my heart surely did.

This is why we are instructed to pray: “Thy KINGDOM come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” The battle is on, the battle rages between KINGDOMS, and although we KNOW the outcome, we are not yet living in it but only in part.

Different kingdoms.  Completely.  The god of this world appears to me to be secular humanism.  Man sits in the seat that belongs to God, proclaiming himself to be the center, the wise instructor, the leader, the one purpose worthy of praise.

It will NOT be this way in The Kingdom of God!

Shimon Peres was not a man who chose to follow God.  His vision was a world of peace under one leadership of men’s wisdom.  He was truly a king of secular humanism, at its best – noble men who seek wisdom.  How sad that the imitation is not the goal, but how easy it is to be drawn away from our goal by the glow of other lights.

And so, the great rulers of this world gathered and yes, applauded a man who did indeed do noble things, yes, REALLY noble things.  In spite of being the leader of the far left wing and trying to lead Israel away from God’s plan for her, his long history included many important if not great achievements for this country.  How very appealing nobility is apart from God’s majesty.  Perhaps we get a glimpse of this phenomenon when John marveled at the whore clothed in scarlet and purple and riding on the beast and was reprimanded by the angel who said, “WHY DID YOU MARVEL?”

“Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.  I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.  But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? (Revelation 17:1-7)

    The kingdoms battle around and within us.  We choose the kingdom of God and our KING.  Yet we still walk in this world, don’t we?

You can’t IMAGINE a more inconvenient day for a great man to die or place.  PICTURE, please, the entire city of Jerusalem running around like crazy trying to prepare for Rosh h’shana, which begins on Sunday night.  THAT MEANS:  The last shabat of the year, Friday night and Sat.  Shop and prepare like crazy Friday morning and Sunday morning and SUDDENLY…FORGET FRIDAY!  Not only that, but BEFORE all of the friends and relatives converge around your table, and you give out all of your gifts, and you say all of your prayers and you make ALL of those preparations. MANY OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH COME TO THE CITY!

Well, they pulled it off.

Shimon Peres was a very controversial figure in life, a lot in so many ways like Barak Obama, who admired him deeply.  Indeed, he was admired MUCH more by the statesmen of the nations than the people of Israel. But as all men of flesh, the time is so short and it is over.

What a GREAT GIFT we have received.  This mystery of the cleansing of sin through belief in The Blood of Yeshua – the gift of eternal life. How HUGE!  My entire nation turns at this season of renewal and repentance and seeking to be written in the book of Life for The Answer that we have so freely received.  May we be refreshed by a flooding of our first love and a vision that keeps us from the snares that the kingdoms of this earth have for us.

My own earthly father passed away between the first and last sounding of the shofar on Rosh h’shana.  The sages say that those who die during these days of the high holidays are tsadikim (holy).  They also say that during the days between Rosh h’shana and Yom Kippur (the “days of awe” – deep soul searching and repentance) THE BOOK OF LIFE IS OPEN AND ALL OF THOSE WHO WILL BE INSCRIBED FOR LIFE ARE WRITTEN, but those not inscribed for life will be taken.

MAY EACH OF YOU FIND NEWNESS OF JOY IN THE FIRM KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE INSCRIBED IN THE LAMBS BOOK OF LIFE…AND MAY HE BE GLORIFIED IN OUR LIVES!  MAY HIS KINGDOM COME AND HIS WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!

I send this with much love,

Your sister J in Jerusalem

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

September 30, 2016 · 5:08 pm

Geezer Up (Part 3)

Dylan

The afternoon turned into evening and the evening into night. The only change was the fourteen people that joined us in the holding cell. The newcomers forced me to make a decision between sitting with murderers or with vomiting drunks and strung-out druggies. I chose the five MS-13 homies and behaved myself.

Do you remember how bad school lunches tasted when you were in first grade? Dry bread, chalky-tasting peanut butter sandwiches, and soggy potato chips served with stewed prunes and a dollop of day-old whipped cream. All of it ladled out on a yellow compartment tray.

Well, let me tell you, my first bite into the peanut butter sandwich made me yearn for the good old days of first grade. I gagged and spit up a mouthful into a napkin.

“Hey, old white man, about three in the morning, you’ll be wishing you ate this garbage,” said the youth with the teardrops tattooed under his eyes.

I shook my head and offered my tray to him. He took it and consumed both his and mine. I admired how he and his friends adapted to their situations without so much as a single complaint. I supposed being in jail was just a normal part of their lives.

But the smell!

Nineteen guys in a ten by twenty room with vomit, diarrhea, normal toilet usage, and BO swirling around us without a fan to alleviate the stench. My poor stomach tried its best to unload itself, but somehow everything remained below deck. Steady as she goes, I thought to myself in a moment of humor, which quickly passed

And sleeping!

If I leaned back, my back hurt because of the iron bars, but leaning forward moved my nose closer to the vomit and diarrhea on the floor. I compromised by slouching down like an old sweater midway between both positions. I dozed a little here and there throughout the night, but around 3 a.m., I had a vision.

In it, I was seated high above the city of San Francisco, maybe in the heavenly places looking down on the city. I heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, “I am going to use your time in jail as an opportunity to take on the spirit of depravity, which is the main principality governing San Francisco. Be bold and allow me to speak through you. I will give you more than enough grace for this experience.”

I then fell into a deep sleep, comforted by the gift of faith which enveloped me like a warm quilt.

(Continued in Part 4…if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.) 

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kindle, Kingdom of God, Literature, Prayer, Prophecy, Publishing, Self publishing, spiritual warfare, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 29, 2016 · 3:17 pm

Thursday’s Prayers for America (9/29/2016)

 

Then, the angel appeared.

The holiness affixed to his presence caused me to fall on the floor as though I were dead. The glass landed next to my nose, its water splashing my face.

“Fear not,” he said, reaching down to raise me on my feet.

“You again. Will this be a common occurrence?” I asked, wiping my face.

He ignored the question and glanced over at the TV. The screen snapped off.

“I have been sent as a ministering spirit in response to your words,” he said.

“My words?”

“Yes, the questions you asked in your mind just outside the door of the apartment.”

I paused, trying to remember the questions.

“Oh, about whether it was always going to be like tonight at the home group or if there was an easier way.”

The angel nodded. His posture revealed more of a laid back approach toward me this time.

“The answer to the first question is that progressive Christian leaders, college professors, and veteran anti-war activists will always be tough to convert to the ways of God. Their hearts –”

I interrupted him without thinking about the consequences.

“But I thought all things were possible for God and –”

His eyes quickly mirrored his alpha-dog status.

“Their hearts,” he said repeating each word slowly, “resemble those of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes who opposed the teachings of Jesus.”

He paused as if to check my reactions. I bit my tongue.

“It takes humility and child-like faith to lay down what a person knows in order to learn what he does not know. Sadly, most leaders hate showing their vulnerability in this way, especially if chastising and shaking by the Holy Spirit are involved. But you must fast and pray for them. Some will change and have experiences like the Apostle Paul had on the Damascus Road. These will be some of the most influential believers in the next move of the Spirit on college campuses.”

As I listened, I wondered if it would be okay to tape record his words, but I was afraid to ask. Oh well, maybe the Holy Spirit can help me remember his words.

(Excerpt from Deceived Dead and Delivered by Larry Nevenhoven, © 2013, Amazon eBook.)

My prayer today:

Lord, I pray the Holy Spirit will fall on progressive Christian leaders, college professors, and anti-war activists so that some will have Damascus Road experiences like the Apostle Paul and will end up being influential believers in a move of the Spirit on college campuses.

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

 

2 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,