TRADITIONS

March 27, 2015  by hnemets  No Comment  Christian encouragement

One day a man watched his wife prepare a roast for dinner, and as he observed her, she cut the ends off the roast, even though there was plenty of room in the roasting pan.
“Why do you cut the ends off the roast?”, he queried.
With a shrug of her shoulders, she responded,” Hmmm, that’s a good question!
This is the way my mom makes it…”
Having had their curiosity aroused, they decided to ask her mom the same question, to which she responded,
“Hmmm that is a great question…that’s the way my mother makes it, so let’s ask her!”
So off to visit the living matriarch of the family they went, and so they asked the burning question:
“Nana, so why do you cut the ends of the roast when you are preparing it?”
She answered: “Well, simple…it wouldn’t fit in my pan!”

“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…”
Mark 7:5-9a

I was talking to my bride this morning, and since Pesach (aka Passover)  and Resurrection Day (usually referred to as “Easter”) are around the corner the topic regarding the false traditions of major Christian holidays, specifically Easter - came up as it always does. Information and truth abound, most Christians clearly know that those cute little easter bunnies and the easter eggs are glaringly pagan, as is the term- “EASTER”- yet they continue to walk in these pagan observances, bringing theses false traditions of men into their families, into the lives of their children and grandchildren.
If this is you, I ask you, without any condemnation, but with love:
WHY ARE YOU OBSERVING PAGAN RITUALS?
If your answer is because it “fun” or “cute” is not really a valid answer here.
We are talking about the act of remembrance of the Messiah’s resurrection after paying for all the sins of “the sons of Adam” with His life, conquering death once and for all…The idea that it is cute, fun and harmless is incongruous with what the Messiah Yeshua tells the people, and what the Lord Himself warned the children of Israel against. He warned them not to marry themselves to foreign cultures, religions, and their pagan traditions, but the “Church” has suffered the same fate…their holidays, the calendar, even the names of the days of the week-all pagan.
Beloved, pagan symbols are contact points to demonic entities and realms…trash these idols and slam those doors of false traditions, replace them with God-filled observances and traditions instead.

PEER PRESSURE

“Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 
Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.
See, the Lord your God has given you the land. 
Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. 
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
”Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us
and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”
The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe.
Deut.1:19-23

Moses was faithful about obeying the Lord-usually.
But there were a couple of moments, situations where he caved to peer pressure,
or at least the pressure from the clamoring of the Israelites, whom God said repeatedly were a “stiff-necked and rebellious people. In Deuteronomy 1 is Moses recounting to the people the major events of those 40 years in the desert.
As my family read this chapter last night I noticed for the first time that it was not God’s plan for 12 spies to be sent to into the land which God had already promised to give them. However because of the clamoring and pressure of the people Moses gave in to their idea, an idea that resulted in a bad report, riddled with exaggerations and unbelief. Only Caleb and Joshua had the faith to trust God and it served them well, and Joshua led Israel after the death of Moses, who only saw the Promised Land, but was barred from entering. Here Moses tells the people the price he would have to pay because he listened to his peers instead of completely do things the way Adonai commanded:
 “Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either. But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it.” Deut. 1: 37-38

Beloved, when situations arise where you are feeling pressure from those around you who may be giving you “advice” that is contrary to what the Lord through through Holy Spirit has already made clear to you, my suggestion (and Moses’ too if he were around) would be to ALWAYS heed the Lord’s clear direction.

Interesting Facts About Acacia Trees

Recently I had the privilege of hearing an great word from a great teacher and woman of God, AJ Jones,
about the use of acacia wood in the Bible.
Here are some interesting facts about acacia I gleaned from her teaching, and some other observations thrown in for good measure.
In the Old Covenant God commands Moses and the children of Israel to make basically everything for the Tabernancle and the Ark of the Covenant from acacia wood. Some items were overlayed with pure gold but everything except the golden lampstand had acacia wood at the core. So why acacia ?
Acacia (atzei shittim in Hebrew) was the only tree that grew in the desert in abundance
and was more bush-like than tree-like.
Acacia wood is dense, thorny,the grain of the wood is gnarly and changes direction.
It is resistant to decay, and happens to be unpalatable to insects making an ideal material for  building items that would need to be durable and lasting, such as a Tabernacle that would be mobile, constantly being constructed,taken down and transported as the Israelites sojourned in the desert.
The construction process was tricky as the wood could shatter if the tools used by the craftsmen were not kept sharp.

My notes fom AJ's teaching included these impressions:
"We can be like acacia wood-gnarly, our "grain" changing direction, thorny, not easy to work with.
But God loves to take gnarly things and cover them with gold.
The Lord God is not going to keep us in the desert if we seek after Him;
He is looking for a "YES GOD!"- obedience from us.
We are God's dwelling places!- if the Lord was so concerned,
caring so much about His first dwelling place then we should not be surprised about how much He cares for us!"

Here are some of my thoughts and input from other readings:

“Israel settled in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moav . They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and prostrated themselves to their gods.”( Numbers 25:1-2)

The area known as "Shittim"(pronounced "Shee-TEEM") was so named because of the abundance of acacia (a plus), but the problem was that it was a place of idol worship and low morality, which dragged the children of Israel down.
The Midrash Rabba even says that the spring of Shittim watered Sodom."
So why these specific  trees from this specific seemingly unholy location used to create the ark and the tabernacle?The Jewish sages teach  that God always “prepares the remedy before the illness.”  The use of the Atzei Shittim-acacia-was in fact the cure for the moral failures of the people in Shittim.We, like the children of Israel, have a tendency to lose our way when we begin to feel unworthy and impure. The ark of the covenant and the tabernacle being fashioned from acacia, in spite of the their place of origin was a constant reminder of God's habitation in their midst.
The ark being built of these same trees was meant to reinforce the understanding that moral failure was not a function of trees, or springs of water but a matter of choice.
God's plan to use of the same wood would be a spiritual healing (tikkun) of the sins of the people at Shittim.

-Thanks to AJ Jones, and Shorashim 

Battlegrounds

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
2 Cor.10:5

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 
Phil.4:8

So as a person thinks he becomes.It has been said that our minds are the battlegrounds where victories are gained--or lost.
We have all been there, like a battleground our thought lives are never static;
we are either gaining ground for the Kingdom of Heaven or we are losing ground to a dark relentless enemy.
We are either taking every thought captive for the Master or else the wrong kinds of thoughts
-speculations, pride, condemnation, anger, doubt, lust, among others- will make captives and slaves of us.
There is a difference between resting our minds from striving and a type of spiritual sloth
where an unattentive, unguarded mind/heart, like an untended lamp that runs out of oil,
whereas darkness creeps in as the flame diminishes and flickers dimly-eventually going out.
We are to be vigilant, beloved, so set your mind on things that are pure, lovely, excellent,
praiseworthy, things that will fan your flames and thus enable you to to walk in obedience
as you claim your battleground victoriously  for Yeshua.

Then There Was Morning

"...And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day."
-Genesis 1:3 NIV

"Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning."
- Psalm 30:5b

Did you know that nighttime actually preceeds the day?
I was at a gathering recently where a group of friends came together to celebrate the life of a friend, husband, brother in Messiah who had passed into eternity unexpectedly, and in the unanimous mindsets of us all way too soon. During the course of the evening we cried, hugged, laughed, prayed, comforted one another and listened to some of the music of this gifted young man. As I sat and listened to the lyrics of one of his songs, When The Morning Comes, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me: "Weeping may come for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
Night is synonymous with darkness, weeping and mourning; but then morning comes... and there is nothing that the darkness can do to hold back the brilliant rays of a glorious sunrise. The song was truly a prophetic word, a love note from Abba Father reminding me-as I now remind you- that morning is coming, with it the joy of the Lord, the true source of our inner strength.
Beloved, no matter what you may be going through take heart and wait on the Lord...be assured that morning is coming!

Ultimate Trust

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways submit to Him,
and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5,6

Trust: an easy concept to grasp when life is good.
The wind is to your back, the sun is shining, health is robust, finances are abundant.
Success seems to be coming at every turn,
and we gladly and happily declare that we love God, and we trust Him.
But what happens when a "curve ball" is thrown your way?
When the "sails of your ship" hang slack as you sit stagnant and still in the doldrums, an unexpected pink slip comes, finances are scarce, serious illness strikes you or a loved one, even the sudden death of a loved one leaves you feeling like you just got sucker punched-and so you wonder;
"God where are you?
How could this happen?
Why me, why them?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why?

We search and strive for answers and understanding, but there aren't any.

Back to Proverbs 3:5- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding. 

Sometimes people mistakenly think that God, the creator King of the universe, owes us an explanation, which He doesn't.

Instead He whispers to our tear-streaked faces:
"My ways are not your ways, nor are My thoughts your thoughts. 
I ransomed you from hell with the life of My only Son. 
Trust Me."

Real trust requires that regardless of any situation or circumstance we give up the right to understand.
Let the Lord of the Universe, who even numbers the hairs on our heads do what He does best.
Just know beyond the shadow of any doubt that God is for us.
Beloved, as we submit our ways to the Master, He promises that even when adversity knocks us off the path momentarily He will pull us back onto the course He has lovingly mapped out for us.

Dedicated to Abrielle Hintz Miller and the blessed memory of her beloved husband and my friend, Garrett Miller

Bucking Protocol

Sometimes in life situations may arise when doing the right thing, the courageous thing may buck the standards of what is considered status quo, bucking against established protocol, like salmon leaping persistently upstream. Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, found herself in just such a situation. The name "Esther" means "hidden", just as Esther's Jewish identity was hidden from her Persian king/husband, Xerxes (aka Ahasuerus). When confronted with information of the impending planned extermination of her people by a wicked conniving enemy, Haman, she had a difficult and dangerous decision to make. It would require her bucking the protocol of the court of the king, approaching without being previously expected or invited. If her actions, violating the rules of protocol were not accepted she could be executed, but if she followed established protocol her people would perish:

 "When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai,  he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:  “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”(Megillat) Esther 4:12-16

In this day the ancestors of ancient Persia once again threaten not only the Jewish people, but the "Sunday" people, followers of Yeshua, as well as the rest of the free world. The descendants of Haman rattle their swords and rush towards creating their own nuclear arms and the desire to fulfill their apocalyptic plans. Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to buck convention and US presidential protocol, having been invited by the US congress, but without presidential admission. He brings a critical, but for many, an unpopular message, with too many willing to ignore the message because of transgressions against protocol to the risk of their own ruin, just as when Winston Churchill courageously and relentlessly, often bucking protocol, warned against the deceit of Hitler and his coming Nazi war machine.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times.
But that is not for them to decide.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
-JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

Beloved, although you may or may not be standing on an international platform-but you have a specific station and sphere of influence, You, too, have been born for such a time as this! There are no mistakes in the Lord, the maker of Heaven and earth, and He has you right where you are, right now, for a God-given purpose.  While it is not for us to decide the time we've been predestined to live in,  it is for us to decide what to do with the time Almighty God has given to us.