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I will be taking a few weeks off to complete a large project. So, enjoy Passover and your Resurrection Sunday celebrations this weekend.
God bless you.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Inside Israel
The Shuk in Jerusalem
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 —
“The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the appointed time of the month of Aviv (spring); for in the month of Aviv you came out from Egypt. “All that open the womb are Mine,…. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. “And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. “And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end. “Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.” EXODUS 34:18-24
Beloved brothers and sisters, cleansed by The Blood of The Lamb, called into His kingdom for such a time as this, may you be blessed and encouraged and may THE LORD ALONE be glorified and blessed.
Shalom, from a city at the center of history and geography, which is…well…cleaning!
Yesterday while crossing a large street in the center of town, I had to jump out of the way of one of those one man riding street sweepers who was stopping for no one and seemed determined to clean the patch of street that I was on. I jumped aside and he went intently on about his work, brushes whooshing away. I chuckled.
“So this day shall be to you a memorial, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel…On the 14th day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread , until the 21st day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your house…whether he is a stranger or native of the land…” Exodus 12:14…20
I don’t know about you, but the older I get the more I realize that all people are certainly NOT alike, not in taste or opinion or habit. Yet if I love someone, I REALLY WANT to please him. I have noticed when I make a meal that pleases my husband, I save that recipe or if I wear something that he comments on I make note of that.
When I was a young believer, I made note of the things that God said He loved or abhorred and I still do that. In no way did I think that my SALVATION was purchased or that I was any higher up on His list. If I did it, or any worse if I did not, but I WANTED to do things that pleased This One Whom my heart loved. So I took note of what He wrote. I still feel that way and I don’t really understand the argument against doing what The Word says by His Spirit.
On the train coming home from the shuk, I looked over the parcels piled on the floor and laps of my fellow travelers. Every space was covered. An older woman along side of me had a drying rack. This is a simple, clever device for drying wet clothing in limited space, inside our outside. It folds to slim flat and can be anywhere from 3 feet to about 6 feet long when folded. I have noticed that the ones available at Pesach are plastic rather than the usual aluminum with clotheslines. Why? I still don’t know.
When I do find out I will likely shake my head. Anyway, it wouldn’t occur to me that my clothesline might not be kosher for Passover, but I guess it should because another woman called over to my neighbor from across the train. “How much did you pay for that one?”
Immediately I heard: “65 shekels. Some people are fanatics but I am not one of those. 65 shekels is enough.”
The woman across the train nodded in agreement. “That’s a good price. I found them 2 for 135 shekels.”
I thought, “Huh! I would never have thought to replace my DRYING RACK. Does it have leaven?”
But as I see the array of plastic sink and pipe liners, and stacks of new…everything, I try again to adjust my focus on Exodus chapter 12…
Our daughter came by today to help with a few things. As we discussed what was kosher for Pesach, she told me that her husband’s family gets rid of EVERYTHING and will eat no food unless it is marked “kosher for Pesach 2017” by a rabbi whom they approve of. They even throw out all of their spices. Yes, salt, pepper, sugar, coffee, tea and all of the expensive exotic ones as well. They are Algerian Jews by background and culture.
It surely helps you to have a very clean house and also to keep free of loving things! When you replace everything you own once a year, your items are limited by necessity. They empty the apartment of everything and then take a large hose and hose down the entire apartment. They are SURE that there is NO LEAVEN.
Each time my focus gets off base and I start to feel anxiety to keep up with my cultural and generational expectations, I return to Exodus chapter 12. Verse 3 says “…On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb…”
That is this coming Thursday or TOMORROW here. I cannot take a lamb, but I HAVE taken THE Lamb, and as instructed in verse 6 “Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.”
Yes, this I DID do. I was responsible. I nailed Him to the cross. I was guilty of killing The One Who died for me, to set me free, and yes, I am FREE. Free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, but more importantly, free to serve Him in love.
The time is moving quickly and I seek to keep my balance…HE is first and yet there ARE necessities. Shopping is much more hectic with the crowds, and choices must be made as this is a major holiday and many places will be closed, not only for the holy days themselves, but some for the entire week. I chuckle to myself…none of us will starve, that is for sure!
My thoughts drift to Esther and I lift her up in prayer. A couple of weeks ago as I waited to see a doctor in an area that I’m not very familiar with, I arrived early and went into a small toyshop. It was a tiny hole in the wall but piled HIGH with the most wonderful and creative toys. A truly amazing shop.
“If’shar la’aksor?” (can I help you?), an older woman asked.
I told her that I only had a moment and wasn’t from this area but I was a Grandma and couldn’t resist. She nodded and said, “I can help you find anything. I know everything that is here and where it is and can find the perfect gift for each child. I can do that because my husband and I bought every one for more than 50 years. We were together every moment of every day and chose each toy together, but he is gone now.”
She burst out crying and fell into my arms to the dismay of (apparently) a relative and husband who were helping her unload new stock. I assured them that it was ok and they should leave us alone.
“When did he leave?” I asked.
“It has been 4 months now,” she wept.
“Oh, this is so new and hard, I’m so sorry!” I said, hugging her tighter. “Was it a surprise?”
“Oh, he had the cancer, a bad one, but he did not want any treatment. He wanted to be happy. And he was for 3 years, we almost forgot that he had it, but the last two months he suffered. He told me that he had lived more than 85 years and that had been such a gift and that it was enough, but here I am and I miss him so much!’
I asked her if they had children and grandchildren and although I have forgotten the number it was a HUGE tribe.
“What a blessing. They must be a comfort.” I wanted so hard to comfort her, but I had the feeling that just listening and hugging was what she needed right now. No one could take his place and I understood they had been married more than 60 years. “I will pray for you and ask others to as well Esther.”
And that is what I’m doing now. This Pesach will be so hard for her and for others all around left behind by loved ones. Perhaps you will remember her too?
Pesach.
What IS it really?
The older I become the more mystical it gets in my eyes. Each time that I begin in Genesis (Beresheet in Hebrew) and walk on into Exodus (Shmote in Hebrew), it is as if I am reading it for the first time. The immense wonder of it all only gets larger as I see things that I never have seen before, the way it ALL fits together. The MASTER PLAN laid out both plainly and in code, a weaving begun of a most beautiful symphony.
And here WE, of ALL people are in Jerusalem, joining the throng, heeding the call of “come UP to Jerusalem, the city where I have put MY Name and I will meet you there.”
Psalms 120-134 (some include 119) are the Songs of Ascent because they were sung as the tribes gathered on the way, going up to Jerusalem for the feasts of Passover, Shavout (Pentecost or Weeks), and Sukkot (Tabernacles): the three feasts when all males were commanded to come up to Jerusalem. Yeshua (Jesus) was part of this and sang these songs when He was a child and came up to Jerusalem with His family for Passover as described in Luke 2:41-51.
And still, many visitors come up during Passover/Resurrection season – up to Jerusalem and to the feasts of The Lord. It is a time to visit with beloved friends – both old and new. It all mixes together and I wish you could all be here and see it and partake. BUT NOW WE SEE YESHUA, JESUS, THE RISEN BREAD OF LIFE, THE FULFILLMENT OF ALL OF THESE AMAZING PATTERNS AND PROMISES…HE IS THE LIVING MANA…HE IS ENOUGH… HE IS THE LAMB…HIS IS THE BLOOD ON THE DOORPOSTS OF OUR HEARTS…HE IS THE WAY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS…HE IS THE FIRSTBORN…HE IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE….
AND IT IS JUST ALL SO BEAUTIFUL THAT I MIGHT BURST…
But first, I do have to finish cleaning. So, I will just go and sing while I clean.
May the blessings of His Presence be ours. May we glorify The Lord and finish the work that He has given each one of us.
Lovingly,
your sister J
Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare, Uncategorized
Mountains Melt at the Presence of God (Part 3)
Am I a mystic?
A couple of years after my first time of being gone in my prayer life, I mentioned my prayer experiences to another believer. Big mistake!
The supposed spiritual man was kind enough to listen to me before he gave his opinion. “Well, brother, this just doesn’t sound right to me. It sounds new-age or like mysticism. You’d better be careful. You wouldn’t want to get off the well-worn path, would you?” he said.
How could I answer him? I had no clue except to say that my experiences drew me closer to the Lord.
Fortunately, not too long after my discussion with this man, I listened to a teaching by Benny Hinn in which he talked about being in the presence of the Lord. His description of his prayer experiences matched mine almost to a tee. Rather than using the words of “being gone” like I did, he referred to it as “resting in the presence of the Lord where time no longer mattered because the Eternal One was there.” Much better use of scriptural sounding words!
King David talked often about the presence of the Lord in the Psalms:
You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. (Psalm 51:11)
Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise! (Psalm 95:2)
But David also used metaphors to describe the presence of the Lord:
You have said, “Seek My face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek. Hide not Your face from me. Turn not Your servant away in anger, O You who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! (Psalm 27:8-9)
The Hebrew word paniym is translated into the English word face in these verses, but the same word is translated into the English word presence in numerous other verses.
In other Psalms David used the terms secret place, shadow, and hiding place to describe the presence of the Lord.
Today, many believers use the term “intimacy” to describe their relationship with the Lord. Yet, sadly, many critics hate the term because it is not in the Bible. I would guess that believers who use the term “intimacy” are just trying to relate their experiences in the best way they know how as I did when I used “being gone” as a young Christian.
(Continued in Part 4…the full series to date can be read here.)
Mountains Melt at the Presence of God (Part 1)
I was upset with God on that winter day in 1995. Things were not panning out quite the way I expected them to happen, not even close. I was thousands of dollars in debt, my friends had for the most part deserted me, and the woman who I thought would marry me didn’t even want to see me.
I sat by myself in that small upstairs apartment, near Iowa State University, reading a biography on John Lake’s life. As I turned the pages of the book, I decided to tell God exactly how I felt at that moment.
Standing up, I pointed my finger toward heaven. “Lord, I’m fed up with the way You’re running my life,” I said with foolish boldness. “In fact, I’m sick of it. If You’re the Creator of the Universe, why can’t You get me out of my problems in one day? Don’t You have enough power to do it by tomorrow? Or is Your arm too short? ”
I sat back down, quite satisfied with how I let God know my real feelings, and picked up the book again.
Much like it says in Acts 2:2 — And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind — God came into the room. His presence filled every part of the room with His holiness.
I dropped the book, fell to my knees on the floor, and wept. “O Lord, don’t kill me. Don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me,” I muttered over and over again.
You see, I knew I couldn’t live in that level of holiness for very long because of the sin in my life.
Then, the Lord spoke to my heart. “If I wanted to, I could deliver you out of your problems by tomorrow.”
“Yes, Lord, I believe that You could do that. Just don’t kill me.”
His heavy presence lifted off the room and eventually I stood up a changed man, much smaller in my own eyes than before that time.
This was an extreme example of God’s presence in my life, but interesting enough, it was God’s presence which came upon me as a young believer that drew me to love Him and desire to be with Him. And to be honest, if there is one thing that I hope I could somehow teach every believer: it would be to seek His presence.
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. (Psalm 97:5)
(Continued in Part 2)
Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, God, Presence of God, Prophecy, spiritual warfare, Uncategorized
Prayers for Healing and Deliverance (2/21/2017)
If we go to a doctor and learn we have a terminal illness, what would we do next? Call City of Hope? Call Mayo Clinic? Book a flight to a Benny Hinn Crusade? Drive to the closest healing room? Call for a prayer meeting? What?
No one wants to consider these questions, but the odds are that many of us will face such situations during our lifetimes. Shouldn’t we at least prepare ourselves ahead of time?
Just so you know: I’m not against doctors, nurses, and hospitals. I’m not against Benny Hinn nor am I against the healing room ministries nor am I against prayer meetings.
In those days, King Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'” (2 Kings 20:2)
King Hezekiah was thirty-nine years old at the time, had been king of Judah for fourteen years, and according to scripture “had done what was right in the sight of the Lord.” So, what did Hezekiah do after he heard the bad news?
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Remember now, O Lord, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (2 Kings 20:3)
Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and the other people in his room at the time and sought the Lord. He knew he had standing before the Lord because to the best of his ability he had walked in faithfulness to Him.
The result: the Lord added fifteen years to King Hezekiah’s life.
My prayer today:
O Lord, help us American believers to trust in You with all of our hearts, to not trust in our own understanding, to acknowledge You in all of our journeys, to not be wise in our own eyes, to fear You, and depart from evil so that we will have healing for our bodies and strength for our bones. (Based on Proverbs 3:5-8)
Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for new revelations on healing and deliverance for Americans NOW.
Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Deliverance, Fasting, Healing, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare, Uncategorized
Prayers for America (1/19/2017)
Only believers can make a difference with our nation’s sin, in accordance with −
If my people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
This familiar verse is quoted over and over again, especially after a tragedy, but let’s be honest with each other, okay? We must be doing something wrong because it’s not working very well.
Over the years, we have memorized the words and mouthed lip service to 2 Chronicles 7:14, but have paid little attention to the context of why the Lord spoke His words. If we look at verse 12, we will learn that verse 14 was an answer to Solomon’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 6:14-42.
In his prayer, King Solomon prayed about the possibilities of Israel being defeated by enemies, overcome by droughts, famines, pestilences, plagues, and sicknesses and asked the Lord to hear. To hear what? Prayers and supplications.
Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. (Daniel 9:3 NKJ)
In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was He heard because of His reverence. (Hebrews 5:7)
Supplications are desperate, passionate, earnest prayers from the deepest part of our hearts, crying out to God for Him to intervene on our behalves. It usually includes weeping, crying, and fasting − that’s really what the verb “humble” denotes in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
(Excerpt from Common Sense 2017 by Larry Nevenhoven, © 2017, Amazon eBook)
My prayer today:
Lord, help American believers to return to You with all of our hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. (Based on Joel 2:12)
What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?
Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.
Filed under America, Christianity, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare, Uncategorized
Geezer Up (Part 4)
Dylan
If someone would have asked me, “What do you want for your last meal?” It would not have been soggy cornflakes, warm milk, and awful coffee, which I ate for breakfast that morning. Sugar helped me endure the blitzkrieg against my taste buds, but my stomach demanded calories to halt its rumbling sounds. At the time, it was a dismal meal, but in the days ahead, I looked back on it as a pleasant repast. It’s funny how hunger can distort one’s memories.
Forty-five minutes later, the jailer stood in front of the holding cell with a clipboard in his hand. “Listen up men,” he said, looking down. “Ramos, Soto, Delgado, Valdez, Trujillo, and Matthews − you are in the first group to be taken to the courtroom. Your arraignments will begin at 9 a.m. If you have a lawyer, he will meet you there. If you don’t, a court appointed lawyer will handle your arraignment.”
He spun around and walked away.
I did my best to wash my face and clean up in the sink, but there was no mirror to help me in this task. I looked at the others in the holding cell and figured I looked better than some and worse than others. Oh well, I thought, this is as good as it gets for me today.
Two deputies guarded us as we walked over to the courtroom’s small holding cell. I sat down with the five homies on a metal bench and faced the empty courtroom. The clock on the back wall read − 8:34.
“Matthews.”
I looked up and saw a man wearing a dark suit and white shirt standing in front of the cell. He had short black hair and seemed to be of Chinese or Korean heritage. He motioned for me to come near him.
“I’m Artie Chin. Your lawyer, Jacob, referred me to you,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” I replied.
“You are charged with a hate crime for preaching to gays. This is a new law by the San Francisco City Council and went into effect three weeks ago on June 1st. The good news for you is that you are the worst possible test case for this law −”
“Why?”
He blew out a deep breath.
“You’re a retired seventy-one year old man, not an ordained preacher, have no ministry, and have no history of preaching or writing against gays. They’re after bigger fish than you.”
“Okay, what do you think I should do?”
“I’m sure you will be released on personal recognizance. No bail required. You will have to promise to show up in court in a couple of weeks, but I think I can get the charges dropped altogether. The judge may ask some questions, but probably not. You should be a free man in about sixty minutes.”
His words would have encouraged me if the Holy Spirit had not spoken to me a few hours earlier. I prepared myself for bad news.
(Continued in Part 5…if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.)
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Thursday’s Prayers for America (July 7, 2016)
Two weeks ago, as I walked out of the Broken Yoke Cafe after our weekly Business Men’s Fellowship, I struck up a conversation with another married couple. “Where do you go to church?” the gray haired woman asked.
“We attend a home church,” I replied. “What about you two?”
“We attend a great church in Garden Grove. It’s a bit of a drive, but it’s worth it for us,” she replied.
“Wow! You drive fifty or so miles past thousands of homes, right?”
“Yes, but it’s worth it because the church has the best combination of music and teaching of any church around.”
I bit my tongue and did not recite:
Never abandon a friend–either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away. (Proverbs 27:10)
When calamity hits —and it most certainly will — what will this couple do? Will they seek help from their Christian neighbors whom they’ve ignored for years? You see, their neighbors may also be stressed to their limits after the calamity hits and who will their neighbors attempt to help first? The answer is obvious: the people they fellowship with.
My prayer today:
Lord, help us American believers to love You with all of our hearts and our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. (Based on Mark 12:30-31)
What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?
Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.
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Summer Sabbatical
I need to take time off to do some extra studying and finish up a few projects, but I will still be fasting and posting prayers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you can, join me on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
If you need to get in touch with me, send an email.
God bless you all.
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Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (5/3/2016)
Turkmenistan: 5.4 million people (94.9% Muslim and 3.1% Christian) Persecution Level: Severe
Turkmenistan sells its top export, natural gas, to China, Iran and Russia. Its “President for Life” died in 2006, and the current leader was elected after highly criticized elections.
Life for Christians:
Turkmenistan is one of the most closed former Soviet republics. Unregistered religious activity and worship in homes are forbidden, and religious education is greatly restricted. Police frequently raid and harass unregistered churches, while new laws have increased the penalties for illegal religious activities. (Voice of Martyrs)
My prayer today:
Lord, I pray that Turkmenistan believers pursue love, yet desire earnestly the spiritual gifts, but especially that they prophesy. Let the spiritual gifts benefit the whole nation, bringing hearts back to You. (Based on 1 Corinthians 14:1)
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)
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Larry Who 