Messiah – Harbor Lights Ministries

Horseshoes And Hand Grenades

Do we face consequences for our actions? Are punishments given to fit crimes? Does God, Himself, issue forth punishments today? Let’s face it, we can look at the statistics of crime today and see that in most cases the criminals are not getting “what they deserve” anymore. And when it comes to God above handing out punishment, if you listen to the modern Sunday churchianity crowds you would think that grace and mercy are so prevalent since the “new testament” times that everyone is being fast tracked to heaven! But, is this Biblically true? Well…no. It is not.

In a world solely driven by opinions, feelings, perspectives, and personal ideologies, one doesn’t have to look far beyond their day to day encounters with people to be bombarded with a myriad of differences in thought and view. In other words; what’s right to you is not necessarily right to me anymore, and it doesn’t have to be…as long as you agree me in the end…regardless of your views. We hear the phrases “that’s your opinion” or “well, I have a different perspective on that” or “you do you and I’ll do me.” It is becoming harder and harder to get people to all agree on any one topic at any time anymore! Whether or not you and your neighbor see eye to eye on a variety of topics should be irrelevant as to how you get along with each other. Grown adults should have the capacity to appreciate and respect differing opinions without throwing tantrums or inciting violence at those who seemingly “disagree” with you. I mean, small matters that were once never a dividing line between people have now grown to be the most contentious in today’s human behavior. This goes beyond governmental differences around the world these days. This has become neighbor against neighbor, culture against culture, and even dividing once close families!

When it comes to “religion” these days, we find that most outfits can have their differences without a major fear of violence being inflicted upon people who disagree. Of course, with anything, there are always an exception or two of groups that take their ideologies to extremes against those who don’t want to participate in their way of life. The term “proselytize” means to induce someone to convert to one’s faith; to recruit someone to join one’s party, institution, or cause. All religions practice some sort of proselytizing. What sets each of these groups apart is how they go about it. Some religions are very low-key and discreet about sharing their faith with those outside their circles. While others are very forward, even demanding, and push their beliefs with ultimatums attached. I think we can distinguish a who’s who when we look around and pay a little attention. But, I’m not here to criticize or condemn. In actuality, I find that those who do live a particular religious lifestyle and proselytize others are often the ones most guilty of violating their own deity’s rules and guidelines!

I think the term I am looking for here is “hypocrisy”! When a particular set of instructions tell you to do A, B, and C, for example…and yet you ignore B, sometimes practice C, and feel that A doesn’t apply anymore to today’s culture, you have essentially told the author of the instructions that “you know a better way” or that His rules need a re-write, or something. To skip, re-define, alter, or ignore altogether, and yet tell others to “follow the instructions” is what is termed hypocritical. Not only do I see this prevalent in today’s social and governmental practices, but it permeates every fiber of religious institutions that claim themselves to be in the “right.” When it comes to the Word of God contained within the pages of the Scriptures, the Bible, the world has long been teetering at the edge of destruction for its disregard of God’s Words. I don’t mean to say that everyone on the planet is either thumbing their nose at the Bible or that absolutely no one even believes in the Elohim of Scriptures. We know that there are a number of folks who do claim to believe in the Bible or the words within. But…are they practicing what they preach?

History lesson: the nation of Israel came into existence because Adonai instructed Abram to “cross-over” to a new land, that his offspring would spawn a new nation, and that nation would be instructed by God above through His words as to how they are to live and be “set apart”, Holy, so as to be a light, a beacon, to all the other nations of the planet and to point us all to the one true God…YHWH Adonai. Simple. Though this process has taken millennia, it is all within God’s plans. The people of Israel though, like you and I often when it comes to following laws and rules, didn’t always follow the “instructions” that were laid out for them. Many times they strayed, wandered, complained, altered, and even disregarded the rules, so to speak. And, like children who violate the rules, punishments were handed out from their Father above. God would use various nations surrounding the Israelites to wreck havoc on the people because of their grievous defiance to follow Adonai’s instructions. In God’s patience, he always allowed time for His children to repent of their ways and to correct their path, and yet, after a period of time, punishment would eventually be given out. The problem is timing. Many think that if they do something bad and don’t see a negative response to their actions right away that they “got away with it” and there is no consequence for their crime. The Israelites were often warned by the prophets or events to turn back to God and repent. But if nothing happened right away, most would just keep on doing what they were doing.

The United States as well as most of the countries of the western world have all claimed themselves to be “Godly” nations…formed under the banner of being Christian in foundation. And yet, like the nation of Israel throughout history, their walk does not match their talk. In other words, the claims of origin they say they hold true to are yet very different than their actions today. If we hold that the Scriptures are the Words of God, and believe that it is important to follow them…and yet walk a completely different walk in actuality…then we are hypocrites and lying to ourselves and God. Now…I know…there are many who will say “but no one is perfect and can follow everything in the Bible” to which I will agree. Many will even say that “we are under grace and are allowed to deviate and falter.” Again, to some degree, true. But in the same breath you cannot just pick and choose what to follow and what not to follow because grace abounds. His commands are not “let’s see how close you can get.” So many folks have this mentality that if you’re somewhat close and it appears that your trying, that it will all work out in the end anyway. But truly following God and His commands isn’t like horseshoes or hand grenades. Getting it “somewhere in the ballpark” is not obeying the Word of God. And, He doesn’t give prizes out to second place. Remember the words hot, cold, lukewarm?

If you look at chapters 40 through 48 of Ezekiel, you see something very intriguing about God’s words to the prophet regarding the coming millennial reign of Yeshua and the new temple. The author hears the words “and he measured” countless times when describing the dimensions of every wall, gate, doorway, room, and courtyard of the temple. He also spells out very specific details of the sacrifices and offerings and how the attendants are to conduct themselves. What this shows is that God doesn’t generalize. He is very specific and very detailed about what He expects! If God is going to spell out these things with such detail…His commands, instructions, His Torah to the people that He says are applicable and to be followed, not only in the time before, but also the time to come…than you would think that we all would want to make sure that we are following every word, jot, and tittle that He says! Now, I don’t purport to know exactly how and when the temple will be in the future, but for this writing the point is in the details that God above delivers to the people. He gives specifics that are obviously important enough to Him that He wants us to know! Which means that even in the future, before heaven and earth pass away, that “not a jot or tittle will pass from the law, till all is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18) Thus…His Torah is still intact!

So, punishment? Well, we know from history and His Word that the children of Israel were often in turmoil and even run out of their land because of improprieties with following the commands (Torah). And as Israel continued their downward slide into disfavor with God by taking foreign idols, following and worshiping pagan ways, and incorporating additional customs and practices into the commands of God, so has the many “christian nations” around the world. They have not only defiled the Word of God by twisting, adding, and/or subtracting commands and instructions, but they have even added numerous pagan practices to their worship and created idols. All this is testing and provoking God to anger by our constant defying of His Words of instruction to the World through Israel. And now? Now we are starting to see the rise of other nations coming against not only Israel (more so now than ever), but we are seeing very anti-Jewish, anti-Christian, anti-Messiah groups rising up from outside and within the borders of the so-called free Christian-based nations.

As anti-semitism and violence erupt more and more from people who have invaded these western nations through immigration and border crossings, all with the sole intent of pushing their anti-Biblical agendas, we see how the hand of God is in play. After all, He puts leaders into power and He also removes leaders from power, all to enact His plans and will. He stirred the Babylonians and Assyrians over time to each take captive the people of Israel and Judah because of their flagrant disregard of Torah. Israel has never had rest from outside forces simply because they disobeyed. And now, centuries later, the goyim, the gentile nations, that have seemingly embraced the God of Israel, have also, like the Israelites, continued with their disregard of His commands and instructions. God didn’t write a variety pack of rules and regulations for various groups and cultures. Nor did He put in various clauses and contingencies that allowed these folks to ignore those portions and the other folks to abide by the first half of the rules, but not the second. Nor did He throw up His hands in defeat and start from scratch a new set of instructions for the people on earth because they didn’t obey the first set! If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever…if His Word stands forever…if it is written from Genesis to Revelation by a variety of inspired Godly men that we are to keep His commandments…then who are we to thumb our noses at God and do our own thing?

Just because God hasn’t immediately punished the many nations who claim themselves followers, and yet live life their way, doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to ever happen. We can say that we are in the end times, but that doesn’t mean that things get easier. In fact, our end times might be to the degree (or worse) than the Israelites suffered at the hands of other nations. We in the US of A might think that we are immune to many things, but one thing we are not is the hand of God punishing us for altering and changing and even disregarding His Word! You might run a stop sign 50 times and not get in trouble, but eventually you will have to face the consequences of your actions. God’s grace and mercy is beyond anything we deserve, and yet we continue to test Him which will only result in punishment. God is a jealous God who commands and demands that we follow His instructions, His Torah. Just doing some of it is akin to just following some of the traffic laws. All laws are to be followed, not just what you feel like. All commands have been given to all people of the earth, not some to this group and some to that group. ALL COMMANDS to ALL PEOPLE.

People say that Torah is not in the New Testament, that Christ did away with the law. Yet, how do you account for the fact that He, and His disciples, and Paul all kept the Torah completely…up to their deaths? If we are to emulate the Messiah, then shouldn’t we do as he asked us when He said…”if you love me, keep my commandments.” His commands were those of His father above. His words are from His Scriptures, the TANAHK, our Old Testament. Yeshua/Jesus would often begin His answers to questions with the phrase “It is written,” followed by quotes from His Scriptures. When you read through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John…Yeshua not only emphasizes the Torah teachings to answer questions about holy living, but also explains how the Word of God’s prophecies point to Himself as being the Messiah. At least 16 times he quotes out of the Psalms! Countless times He speaks from Deuteronomy. Multiple prophetic books are spoken from by Yeshua. So, the New Testament is essentially the Torah explained! Messiah points us back to the Old Testament because that is where the Words and instructions of His Father, God above, are written. Yeshua simply wanted to make sure that we stripped away the extra-biblical instructions and rules and interpretations that man had attached, and keeps attaching, to His Father’s words!

The times are drawing close and the end times are going to be turbulent and crazy. We need not fear the ever increasing hostility toward those who hold onto their faith. Like Yeshua, like the apostles, we will be persecuted for His name’s sake, but, we have a hope, as promised in His Word! And, to avoid the wrath to come, it is important now, more than ever, to make sure that we are holding fast to His complete Word! It is written “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.” Deuteronomy 7:9-11.

Don’t go by what everyone else is doing or saying. If you love Him, you will keep all HIS commandments.

Amen

Where I Am At…

I have been writing and speaking over the last several years about a myriad of topics, most of which revolves around faith and the problems I have encountered in my own journey. I will confess that I am far from knowledgable, or even wise, when it comes to faith in God above and the actual faith-walk that the so many people seemingly claim themselves to be on because they attend a Christian church and acknowledge the Holy Bible as the core source of their profession and belief. In fact, if you’ve been following my writings and podcasts, you will see that my own personal progression in learning and studying what this religion is all about has shifted from one belief system into another and subsequently, another. My journey has taken me from new age paganism, through old-school Lutheranism, into the world of reformed theology, and into the world of Messianic Judaism. Where to next? The question really is this: where do I actually stand in my beliefs?

Well, to begin with, I have tried to point out in the past that there are quite a variety of structures and methodologies within the framework of belief in the canonical book called the Holy Bible. Many call these divisions in belief practices “denominations.” And within each of those denominational groups lie a multitude of smaller groups that can even differentiate themselves one from another. For example, within the denomination of Baptist there are many splinter groups that, though they all call themselves “Baptists,” do tend to be quite different from each other. And each group seems very confident that their ideologies of how faith and worship and understanding of the God of the Bible are the only correct way. So many of their practices may differentiate (sometimes) quite drastically from the other splinter groups under that same title group. Now, you add to this the hundreds of other denominations that all profess belief in the Holy Bible and you can see how this extreme diversity can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing and cause people to just walk away from religion all together! I have been at that brink numerous times and can say with certainty that I don’t have the answer to the age old question: “Which one is the right one?”

I will state this though regarding my basics in belief: There is a supreme being, God, if you will, who is the creator and ruler of the universe. I say that with conviction and confidence because I cannot explain away how all things, including human beings, just came into a perfectly operating existence without the design and perfection of a being of greater power and intelligence. Primordial ooze or cosmic explosions just don’t put all things into a perfect balance of operation. I also contend that our planet could be no closer or further away from the sun without causing complete damage to the entire ecosystem, and that all the other stars and planets of the universe are definitely in a fixed and perfect placement. There is no easy explaining how all the human parts work in perfect symbiosis with each other part in order for our existence to sustain and continue. This life that we see and experience is no by-product of an accident or evolution. No. The universe is working and existing because of that supreme God. So…I do give full credit to the Bible in answering the most basic of human questions regarding the beginning of all things and how they came to be. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

With that being said though, the struggle I have most is with all of the other details. I’ve read that book several ways and at several times and have, over time, come to alter some of my understandings of various topics of study. Either because I’ve fallen under the spell of someone’s slanted interpretations and teachings and conclusions regarding what the book is telling us, or, I had read things with too much naivety and ignorance in mind and heart. Essentially I have had to wipe my slate clean from those influences…whether good or bad. But at the core, I have always stood on the belief that this book, comprising of 66 individual writings from approximately 40 authors over the course of approximately 1500 years, is divinely inspired by God above. And though I may have faltered at times to see clearly what He is trying to say in parts, I am also certain that many areas are very clear and concise (such as don’t murder or worship other “gods”). But as to the exact manner of how our deity worship and daily walk is supposed to be practiced…I don’t have the exact definitive answers. Since most of the believers in the Bible all agree in unison that the God of the book is the supreme being and creator of all things, how is it that there is so much contention and disagreement about many of the details? Or worse yet (for me anyway) is how can so many learned and intelligent people who have solely devoted their entire lives to the study of this one book all seem to walk away with such a wide range of understandings and interpretations and conclusions?

The only solace I can find in my struggles reading this Bible is that if the countless “experts” are having a difficult time grasping and concluding exactly what the authors of these writings are trying to convey to the people of earth, through the supposed very words they believe that God the creator of the universe gave them to share, well, then I really cannot beat myself up too much! Again, this is where so many people like myself struggle and where so many get to a point and just give up. They walk through life knowing that God exists, that His word is the Bible, and that He is calling us to live a good moral life. Yet, there are also many details given from above that call us to worship this God of the Bible and, yet, nothing but chaos and divisions abound.

No religion on the planet has created more controversy, division, outrage, chaos, and even violence, than has belief in the Biblical deity above. And, to an extension, this includes Islamic and Jewish believers, since this is the same deity they also claim. It seems that as much as God above has extended His words to the denizens of this planet in one form or another, so has the disputes and conflicts as to what He is saying, and to whom, been. God spoke, people listened, then argued with each other as to what He said. This has gone on for countless centuries and is still very active today! I will not side with one faction or another simply because I am standing on the outside, looking in, trying to get back to the original source without the sway or influences of man. It seems to me that, like so many other good things, humans have this great tendency to muddy the truth and stir in dissensions. I’m trying very hard to avoid that. I’m trying hard to just read what we have been given and base my conclusions on…the very words alone!

Thus…why I seem to be in a state of evolution (if I can use that word in a Biblical conversation). This is why my “walk” has seemingly shifted from one path to another. This is why I appear to have started at one point, turned around in the journey at times and have gone back to the very beginning to start again. This is why I seem antagonistic toward “denominations” in my writings and podcasts. I just want to be as right as possible without being seen as someone who is just blending in with everyone else. Just because “everyone else is doing it,” doesn’t meant that it is right! The more I look at His words, the more I see that man has injected too much of himself into defining His words and has even overtaken the initial words given by this supreme being to the point that what I read in that Bible and what I see so many people doing…all seem to be in great contradiction to one another.

Everyone has an opinion, an interpretation, of what they think is the correct way of walking with the God of the Bible. Even within so-called like-minded groups (or denominations), there seems to always be disagreements and discord between the believers. But, I think we also know that will always be, no matter how black and white the writings are on any subject matter. I, for one, am not in a mood or place that I want to be in concert or conflict with the others as to how they walk this faith. I am going to just keep on asking Him to show me what He is trying to say…in hopes that He gives me enough to walk in faith His way.

Amen

Rest Stops

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~Jesus (Matthew 11)

So…an invitation from Messiah. We are often invited to a variety of things throughout our lives. Whether it is to family events, work meetings, social gatherings, religious groups, or just the myriad of other settings where we are given the opportunity to participate with others, the invitation is the request to “go” and be part of something outside our normal day to day. Sometimes the invitation is tempting and exciting. Sometimes it is something that taxes our heart, soul and mind. There are times when the invitation is a blessing, while other times we view it as a curse. No matter the invitation, we are being called to do something.

I, for one, am not the most adventurous person these days when it comes to participating in gatherings. I’ve found that as I’ve grown into my “older” years that I tend to enjoy more quiet routines rather than I do large crowds. So when an invitation comes my way I always have to take a deep breath, gather my priorities, and respond accordingly, often outside of my comfort zone. But there are many times that I also find the invitation turns out to be a blessing in disguise. I may end up going somewhere and really enjoy myself. It may be that the gathering I attend turns out to be the very thing my soul needed! And yet there are those rare moments when you take an invitation in the light of “this should be fun” only to later realize that you will spend the next several days or weeks in regret of accepting the invite.

One thing I do notice most is the importance to take time out of our routines for the sake of others. If someone has offered you an invite, they obviously took the time to think of you…to request your presence…and that they value your time with them. You might not want to go, but it isn’t always about what you want now, is it? In life, we often have to do things for the benefit of others. This is what that whole ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’ concept is about that Jesus was telling the crowds when he was quoting the two greatest commandments given from God above. Obviously, if they are important to God, they should be important to us…right?

Yet, as humans, we can also get to a point of feeling over-burdened when we are bombarded with lots of invitations, or for the sake of clarity, demands on us that are being made quite regularly. Between work and family and social commitments, we can easily become overwhelmed with too many requests for our attention. Overloaded, we can reach a breaking point and a variety of responses or reactions can occur. Sometimes those reactions can be adverse and even have a negative affect on our mental, emotional, and even physical well being. From mood disorders, anxieties, depression, ulcers, and other potential ailments, being overwhelmed can take us out of the game, so to speak, and cause us to shut down. There has to be a balance. There has to be a lighter load.

When we drive our car a lot, we depend on it to daily keep us moving to the necessary destinations. In order to do that, we must maintain the engine and other mechanical parts by routine oil changes and tune ups, keeping good tires on it, and being attentive to other aspects of the vehicle. If we drive it hard and don’t take care of it, it could very well break down and that will cause even greater issues. The same goes for humans. If we don’t maintain our bodies, our minds, and even our spirits, we can neglect ourselves to the point where something breaks down and we are out of commission. We, like our vehicles, can only go so long, so far, without a break for rest and maintenance. Driving long distances, for example on a road trip, we often need to stop and fuel up, stretch our legs, rest our bodies and our cars. This is so important! If our minds cloud, our joints ache, the vehicle starts to make weird sounds, or gas levels get too low, we are going to be out of commission. Those rest stops along the highways and byways are there for a reason! We all need to take breaks!

The Jews in Jesus’ day were burdened. They were over taxed, over worked, and were being pulled in a multitude of directions by demands from not only the Romans, but also the various religious leaders of the day. These people were originally called by God above to keep the Torah, His instructions or commandments, that He gave Moses in the wilderness. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. But the leaders of that time had added so many extra duties, rules, and other things, that it was near impossible to keep them all. They were so overwhelmed by all the demands from so many all around them that folks were at a breaking point. Like the overload of invitations and burdens, if they didn’t find relief, take time to maintain and rest, they would break down. Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah, came to free them, and us, from that!

His first words were to “come” to Him. In order to fix a problem we need to go and get the remedy. It is a first-step action on our part. We are already laden with a burden, a yoke around our necks, that weighs us down and makes our daily walk difficult. And if we keep going the way we have been going and don’t get rest, don’t get some relief, don’t get the proper repairs needed, and lighten our load, we are going to break down! Yet, here, Messiah is telling us that He will exchange our heavy yoke for His, that His yoke is light compared to the demands and weight the world currently is laying on us. He is also offering us rest…in Him! He also says that we are to learn from Him. At this point He is telling the people that He came to turn us away from the world’s ways, from man’s ways, and point us back to God’s ways. That the world’s ways were the heavy burden and yoke! He tells us exactly what we need to know…from God Himself. He is giving us the freedom to walk away from man-made rules and simply follow God’s ways.

Can you imagine how you would feel if you were in a position that required you to do, for example, one hundred various tasks every day at work, but you discover that more than half of those tasks were not only unnecessary for the end result, but that they were also not even part of the original job description? Now, can you imagine how freeing it would be if you were to get a new boss that did away with all those extra, unnecessary duties? Well, that is what Messiah is telling the people, telling us. He is telling us it is ok to stop, rest, get rid of the unnecessary baggage and walk in the freedom that He offers us! He is not saying that we can sit back and do nothing. He’s not saying that we don’t need to follow God’s Torah, His commands. Nor is He giving us the green light to start living life and faith in any way we want to. No, He is telling us to cast aside the ways of man and follow Him…who, followed God’s instructions perfectly. This is an invitation that should not be a burden, but one that we can readily accept and be blessed by!

It’s ok to take breaks. We all need them. And what is more freeing is when we can lighten our loads so as to allow us a better life balance! We need those rest stops along the way on our journey. We need to take time for necessary preventative maintenance. And most of all, we need to put aside all the excess commands, demands, and baggage that gets in the way from our having a proper relationship with God above through His Son Yeshua (Jesus). When faith through God’s instructions (Torah) is muddled and clouded by the many added “ways and means” that man has heaped on over the centuries, people tend to become overwhelmed with superfluous things and the excess heavy load causes them to loose sight of God and His original Words. It was happening in the days of Jesus, and it is definitely happening in the world of “churchianity” today.

Folks, there are so many schools of thought and practices that people think are necessary to follow in order to properly worship and walk with Yahweh Adonai (our Lord God above), but are in fact all overflowing with unnecessary additional doctrines and decrees that man conceived and/or invented so as to fit their personal ideology of what they believe faith in God above should be. That is why there are so many faith practices and orders of religion existing out there. Jesus knew this when He said in Matthew 15 (quoting Isaiah 29) “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings commands of men.” This was happening back then, and it still happens today! And yet the Bible is very clear that there is only one way to the Father above, and that is through His Son Yeshua (Jesus) and His keeping of the law (or Torah) perfectly. The Bible also says clearly that we are to follow Him, copy Him, walk in His ways as His disciples! Are we following Jesus and His ways or are we following the rules, precepts, and doctrines of man?

“For, let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah Yeshua, who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus (Yeshua) every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Messiah is master, to the glory of God the father. (Philippians 2:6-11)

I hope that it is obvious that there is the way of Christ Messiah and there are the ways that man has prescribed and defined when it comes to walking in the footsteps of Yeshua (Jesus). We cannot straddle the two worlds, because the two worlds are quite different (if you read the Scriptures). The yoke of men is quite confusing, burdensome, and often weighs down people to the point of giving up. The yoke of following Messiah is clearly spelled out and given in His Word. He helps us on that walk all the way and it brings us peace and joy and happiness! So, let us therefore walk in the freedom He has invited us to…by following Him! And “let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, looking to the Prince and Perfecter of our belief, Yeshua (Jesus)..”!

Amen

Snowballs to Avalanches

Breaking News Alert! We are ALL victims of a diabolical plan to destroy humanity!

Pretty bold statement! And actually one that is not necessarily too far off from the truth! We are all, in one form or fashion, participants of a plan that was set in motion long ago to bring the fall of mankind and destroy humanity! Now, if you have been reading any of my writings or listening to my podcast “Things I Preach To Myself About” these last few years, you’ll know that this obviously has something to do with God and the Bible and something with spiritual battles. And, I would say you are right…for the most part! Like a snowball that is rolling down hill, the initial attacker of humanity that started this destruction plot long ago really doesn’t have to do much anymore these days. Oh, sure, maybe a little “house-keeping” duties here or there to keep folks in line within the scope of the operation, but, for the most part, he doesn’t have to actually push the snowball anymore. In fact, it is our own power and energy (or, in laymen’s terms: our own naivety and ignorance) that keeps the rolling motion going! As the snowball rolls down, it gathers more snow to it and becomes larger and subsequently its own weight keeps that downward motion happening! Thus, the destruction of humanity is almost running on auto-pilot!

Do you remember the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”? A boy is watching sheep and yells that there is a wolf attacking, though no wolf was involved. The villagers all came running to render aid. No wolf. Later the boy does it again, and the villagers run to help. As before…no wolf. This happens several times with the same “no wolf” results. Eventually a real wolf approaches the boy and he begins to call for help again. But, the villagers are tired of the lies and deceit and do not come. The boy and sheep are attacked and the story ends. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Well, in the grand scheme of our destruction, we are easily fooled and swayed in much the same way as the villagers with repeated lies and deceptions. Growing up, our parents, religious leaders, and to an extension the education system, were supposed to be the primary source of our learning. Learning about life, morals, history, manners and mannerisms, culture, and interactions with people. We learn by seeing, by hearing, and by doing. We ‘trust’ that the information we are being given is the truth and we readily accept it that way. But what happens when we get older and discover that what we were taught, what we were being told all along, was not exactly the truth? What is our reaction, then, to finding out that the very people we held in trust have either twisted the story or flat-out lied to us? The ormal reactions are anger, hurt, sadness, and even despair. But one of the biggest results is causing us to distrust. Like the villagers, we become filled with doubts and suspicions about almost everything we are told and inevitably lose our confidence and faith in the source. Regaining trust is no small task. Once the trust has been broken, it takes a lot of time, effort, and energy in order to gain back even a small amount!

This very thing happens to so many that either grew up in religious families who regularly attended so-called ‘churches’, or became believers in the Bible through a ministry. A person becomes “saved” and begins attending a church group and starts what is called a ‘discipleship’ program. This is essentially an education system to take people with little to no knowledge of the faith and fill them with hopefully Biblical knowledge to strengthen their faith and walk as a believer. The Jewish people in the Tanakh, the Old Testament, would have weekly readings of the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) and would go through the entire Torah once a year. By the time they were adults, they had memorized most of the writings and knew the words intimately. In more modern times people would join Bible studies for a deeper learning of the words they heard weekly from church pulpits. But, as with many subjects, over time, disputes of definition and understandings would arise and people would simply break off and gather with other like-minded people and start their own groups. This would continue through the centuries and even occurs today. This is how we have ended up with so many “denominations” of belief. Group A would believe a particular way about the Bible and group B would think them wrong and start their own group. Before you know it, people in A or B would grow disillusioned with the beliefs and start another group…and so on and so on!

Over time, folks within their respective group would either continue to embrace their understanding or they would discover flaws in the beliefs and leave. But what happens when a person realizes that the lies and deceit actually goes all the way back to the beginning? Before there were “groups” or denominations that had started splintering off from one another? Well…that is where our trust becomes shattered and the damage is done. The enemy’s plan of destruction now gains another victim. Once someone discovers that there is so much misinformation, so many lies believed, so much deception that has just been accepted over the years, that in most cases they just…quit. They toss everything that they once held in high esteem out and close the door. This is how the villagers ended up turning their back on the boy and left him to his doom. Those who completely walk away from God and His Word are now the shattered souls who have become the success story of the devil himself. These are the people who have grown cold and complacent to any and all talk of religion or belief in a higher being. These are the folks who, like the villagers, will not respond anymore to the call of God because their heart and soul have been decimated. And…they are not alone. They were once inside that rolling snowball, that has over time now become an avalanche, with all the others, but have left…preferring to be out in the cold alone, rather than continuing on with the continuing lies and deceptions.

But…there is a remnant. Not all that have jumped out of the rolling, growing avalanche of destruction have given up seeking God above. On the contrary, there are a growing number who have walked away from the mainstream of deceptions and are starting over…but this time from the beginning. They are turning to the real truth, but not man’s version. Many are realizing that the devil has had a plan of destruction since the beginning and he is using man’s great weakness of being easily swayed by the masses as a catalyst to keep his plan ‘rolling’ down hill! Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden and yet were deceived by the devil. How much easier is it to sway people today who don’t walk and seek Him diligently? Instead of believing God’s words, they simply believe what the supposedly learned men tell them. Instead of walking in obedience and spirit, they simply walk the already smooth and paved path that so many others are walking. “Follow the crowd!” It is always so much easier to go with the crowd! The snowball was simply the start…the devil speaking and challenging man to question; ‘did God say…?’ And for most who don’t know what He says…they are easily drawn into the ever-growing avalanche of man’s version of faith! Man’s ego and pride keep the momentum rolling downward.

So the question remains: where are you…right now? Are you part of the avalanche? Did you jump on when it was a smaller snowball and, because all your family and friends are rolling, decide to stay? Do you answer the question “did God say” with answers that have readily been formatted in simple form from a pulpit or do you gather the answer direct from the Word? The devil’s plan to take out humanity is simple: keep people believing lies! After all…the Bible does call him the “father of lies”! And, if someone should happen to look out away from the deception, the devil will create diversions and distractions to keep them from the truth! We are bombarded daily with so many diversions and distractions from the world around…all brought right into our minds, hearts and even souls from our phones, tablets, computers, and television/radio. We see the elevated preachers and teachers that so many readily accept as telling the truth and, because of their position, are never challenged. People strive to live simple, easy beliefs so that they can focus more of their attention on everything else going on. Their priorities are to live their best life now and carry a pocket-sized version of God so that they feel comfortable within their “faith”. After all, everyone else is doing it…right?

Matthew 7, Jesus says: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” It’s obvious that the direction (down hill) that most are on is not the right one. If the right gate is small, it tells me that it is not an easy gate to find in the first place, and that we must be diligent to seek it out ourselves…because most, including the learned leaders, haven’t obviously found it themselves. If they don’t know the right way to enter into the Kingdom, you probably don’t want to be in that group. And the path being narrow means that there isn’t much room for deviations on the journey. In that case, most (again with most) who tell you that there are a lot of “ways” to the Kingdom obviously don’t know the true way. Again, you probably don’t want to be in that group! We might think that what we are being told is truth, because so many are readily buying into their narratives, but just looking at that verse from the Messiah, who came to point people to the “right” way, shows me that the vast majority out there are going the wrong way.

So all that being said, here we are in the beginning of another calendar year…2024. Perhaps it is time to say goodbye to the old and start new. Start from the beginning. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war (live our lives) according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations (cast down imaginations) and every lofty thing that rises up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Messiah…” (2 Cor 10).

We are to put aside man, the flesh, the history, the lies, the deceptions, and all that is currently rolling downhill according to the devil’s plan to destroy humanity, and we are to cling to the truth and hope that God above has given us from the very beginning. We put aside every weight and hinderance…which includes man’s plans, man’s religions…and conform our life to God’s plans…alone! We are not to follow the world (which is currently going downhill in the avalanche to destruction), but God alone! It’s ok to trust and believe again! Just believe in Him and His Word.

Amen

Drive The Car

I am an over-thinker. I am also an over-planner. You know how some people can plan a trip, wait until the last minute to pack, and then just head out the door and go? Well, that is not me! If there is going to be a trip, vacation, or any such event that will take miles and days…it’ll be researched, planned, plotted, organized, laid-out, mapped, and every other activity needed to make sure that there is no missed issues or questions that can arise! As an example, just to take a 3 day trip to a forested area for hiking would take me several days of research into where to stay (of course after evaluating reviews), looking at pictures of the area, and mapping the location. Then comes booking the room and assuring confirmations. It will also require an itinerary for each day as to where to hike, park, and also various places to eat in the area. This will all be accompanied by copious notes to review over and over again…even before departing! Next comes the packing. The planning for that will usually begin a many days before leaving because I need to make sure I bring enough to cover any situation that could arise with weather or breakdowns and have also have a contingency plan for any emergencies. Thus, when the day arrives to pack (usually the night before), all will be ready to put in the suitcase and backpack. The vehicle will have already been checked over a couple of days beforehand for tires, gas, fluids, and necessary safety/emergency equipment…even if the drive is only a couple hours away. The day of departure: review all things once more before getting in the car and driving off. Now, this may sound like obsessive compulsive…well, it sort of is….but that’s beside the point. The thing is…people plan! Some plan simple and spur of the moment. Some, like myself, will over plan and over think the plan. Regardless of the method of planning, when it comes to putting your plans in motion, you still have to get in the car and go! All the planning in the world doesn’t mean anything unless you get in, start the engine, put the vehicle in gear, and drive! Just getting in the car doesn’t make a trip. Looking at the transportation in the driveway does not make your vacation happen. You have to follow through with your plan…otherwise all your efforts up to that point are meaningless!

The same scenario can be said for many who claim themselves believers in the God of the Bible. They say they believe the Bible and have even read some of what it says. They’ll say that they believe in God and Jesus (Yeshua). They might believe in all the stories and the history contained in the Book. They might even attend groups that talk about the contents of the Book weekly and celebrate some of the “holidays” they believe are taught from the book. And yet, with all the reading and research and gained knowledge and perceived understanding of the messages within the Book, the question remains: are they actually participating in that journey that we are called to take by the Writer of the Book or are they just “sitting in their cars?” The plan has already been laid out. So whether you’re an over-planner or a spur-of-the-moment person, the plan is set in place and the maps are all laid out in front of us. So…have we actually started to go…to walk…to take the journey forward as laid out in the Book? Ya‛aqoḇ (James) says in chapter 2 of his letter; “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” Believing that the Book and all within it are true does not guarantee you a successful journey! I believe, and even trust completely, that the map makers have drawn all the roads and towns on the maps correctly. I have faith in their work! But, that doesn’t assure me success to my planned destination. They can only point the direction. I have to actually do the leg work to get there! Sitting on my butt doesn’t qualify!

Sad to say that most folks are very content just having the insight and knowledge that God has booked a trip for us, and that He even spells it out within the covers of His Word, the Holy Scriptures. But, that’s where their journey sits…in the driveway, so to speak. Many might have accepted the travel plans and absolutely love the destination ahead, but most just think that trusting the “map” is good enough. They will think that if they believe it’s true, that is all that’s needed and will bring them to the end of the road. Then there are some who what to take the blessed journey, but are either afraid to start to travel the roadway because they feel overwhelmed and nervous…wondering if they have the capacity to go the distance…or, they are feeling pressures from those around them who don’t want them to take that particular journey. They might favor the destination but feel that the travel course is too much, possibly too dangerous, and that they will either fail or be ostracized by friends and family for even attempting such a journey So, they end up just sitting in the driveway and “pretending” that they will still make it to the final destination without ever having to leave the comfort and safety of the world they know. And yet, like any journey, in order to get anywhere, you do actually have to take the first steps away from where you are. You cannot make it to heaven if you never leave your current place. You don’t arrive somewhere without ever leaving your starting point. I would never get to the hiking trails if I just stayed in the comforts of my home. No matter how hard I wished or prayed or daydreamed or talked about…I will never step foot on those trails and experience the beauty and the foliage with my own senses if I never leave my current place. Heaven is the same!

This might all sound simple or basic. But the reality is that most folks who want heaven don’t realize that the Bible clearly tells…nay, commands…that we must actively participate in Yahweh Adonai’s instructions, plans, commands, and decrees! We are to physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually follow His ways (maps, paths, directions, and instructions)! Sitting with a map book in your hands and seeing the destinations described doesn’t get you there. Listening to people tell you what the book says doesn’t magically bring you to the destination either. Listening to other people’s journeys will not take you from point A to point B. Only by getting up and actually doing the walk yourself will you get from this life to the next! Shaul (Paul) writes to the believers in Philippi that they are to “work out your own deliverance (salvation)” (Philippians 2:12). Matthew Henry comments that we are to work thoroughly at this, that we must “be diligent in the use of all the means which conduce to our salvation. We must not only work at our salvation, by doing something now and then about it; but we must work out our salvation, by doing all that is to be done, and persevering therein to the end.” The course of a believer in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) is one of action on our part. It is a journey of diligence and obedience. It is a trek that we must actively participate and walk in every day of our lives! There is no other way!

I am so tired of hearing all these preachers and teachers ramble on about short cuts and easy walks and happy trails they say the Bible guarantees everyone! They make the journey sound easy, but in actuality all they do is diminish the reality of the trek’s highs and lows. This is not a path paved in gold. There are no easy roads! Every step takes effort and energy on our part with the help of Yahweh’s Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit). Every forward motion requires us to push away the old life and thinking and completely follow God’s ways. This is what is called active obedience on our part! To think that we can sit back on our laurels and coast in to the finish line is one of the biggest lies westernized “Christianity” has perpetrated on people who have either not read the Word for themselves or have just accepted whatever teachers and preachers say from a pulpit without being a Berean for themselves. Many have fallen prey to what is called ‘easy believism’ which says that all you have to do is say a prayer (sinner’s prayer) and TA-DA! You’re all good with God! Another aspect of that ‘easy believism’ is that you’re saved by grace alone through faith alone, in Christ alone and that works are not needed as part of the walk. Yet that is contrary to what all the Scriptures clearly say! All those in faith actually had to walk and produce “fruits”. No fruit, no faith. Simple. John, a disciple of Yeshua, wrote in his 1st letter, chapter 2, this: “Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” And Scripture records the Messiah’s own commands to His followers in the gospel of John, chapter 14 where He says “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” So, what were Yeshua’s commands?

Well, a piece of history for you. Yeshua (Jesus) and His followers were all Jews (with some gentiles sprinkled in for good measure). The people of that time were adherents to the Torah, which is where the commands of God were given (in the first 5 books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The Torah (which means ‘instructions’) were given by Yahweh Adonai to His chosen people, the Israelites, so that they would be set apart from the other nations. He gave His words of instruction and law to the people so that, through the people of Israel, all nations could see and learn from them how to walk in obedience to Elohim and, thus, be grafted in so the gentiles could also walk according to God’s ways. God seeks our voluntary worship of Him through His instructions to the people of the earth! The instructions don’t have various ‘options’ laid out that says “this part is strictly for the Jews” and “this section is strictly for the gentiles”. The instructions, the Torah, were given for all. Given to the Jews first to be the example to the rest of the nations (people) so that all would come to faith in Yahweh Adonai. There was/is no distinction between Jew and gentile when it comes to what Elohim requires of people on the earth to walk in obedience to Him. It was only through man’s alterations/reinterpretations of the Word of God that there came to be the changes most practice today. Roman emperor Constantine and the growing gentile believers in ‘Jesus’ decided to put away the Jewishness of Yahweh’s word to the Israelites and edit the Word to fit only the “new Christian” believer’s new Romanized practices. This was a mix of accepted pagan practice (acceptable to the Roman rulers of the day) and Messiah’s teachings. Since the temple was gone by 70 AD, the rest of Torah could be diminished, or even done away with, and a new religion came to be that removed the need to adhere to the commands of God. They decided that they were no longer applicable. Yet, no where does Messiah (Christ) say that they were done away with.

Yeshua came to fulfill the Torah. His own words in Matthew 5:17 says “Think not that I have come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Fulfill means to follow through with it, to do, to make happen. Yeshua came to fulfill the law so that the law might be fulfilled in us, not so that we can continue breaking it without suffering the consequences. He came to save us from the consequences of breaking the law, not from the law itself. He also said that He “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), which were the Israelites who had drifted away from Torah by following man’s traditions instead of Elohim’s commands. His entire ministry teaching was expounding on the Torah; pointing people back to obedience to Torah. He never said they were ending. He explicitly preached to the people that they must turn back to that which was initially given by Moses from Yahweh Himself. If Yeshua’s (Jesus’) commands were to follow Torah, then why did the gentiles do away with it in their new religion? If people say they are following ‘Jesus’, and He specifically said to do Torah, then why are they not doing what it says in Scriptures? This is comparative to having a map that spells out the exact path you are to take to get to your destination, but you think that there is a better way and write out your own directions! Does that make any sense at all? When the instructions are clearly laid out for you, why would you go and make up your own? That, in essence, is telling God above that “you know a better way” and that you feel His ways are too archaic to be followed anymore. Sounds to me a bit like words that Satan would say! After all, Satan questioned and challenged everything that Yahweh instructed the people to follow. Satan is the master deceiver and the father of lies! So essentially, the devil has done a great job misleading people and attempting to destroy the right path that our Elohim commanded us to take by creating a false ‘new’ path that has mixed in some essence of truth, and yet, is none the less a completely different road.

Proverbs 22:28 says “Do not remove the ancient boundary which your fathers have set.” And Jeremiah 6:16 says “Thus said Yahweh, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and find rest for yourselves.” Jeremiah continues on in verse 16 by saying “But they said, ‘We do not walk in it.’” Which is what we clearly see going on today in the world. The Christian religion created back in the 3rd and 4th centuries had evolved from the old paths that Yeshua was trying to point people back to. Even today, there is so much controversy and matters of debate over various Scriptures because theologians are constantly trying to rectify and justify the various pieces of Scripture that don’t seem to fit quite right. They take various writings of Paul and twist them to justify their belief system that is negating the words of Jesus Himself and the commands to follow Torah. They create a works-free theology that lifts responsibility off of the believers from actually having to walk in obedience to Yahweh Adonai’s commands. The “scholars” have invented additional assurances to give comfort to people who might feel ‘guilty of sin’ by telling them slogans like “once saved, always saved” and “don’t worry about any tribulation from God, believers will be ‘snatched away’ before that happens”. All of these are heresies are created by twisting the Scriptures to fit the modern westernized thinking and to give people false assurances. When in actuality, we should be looking at the Word of God through the lens He intended when He gave His word to the people in the Torah. Being grafted in means assimilating ourselves to the root…which was the Jewish faith in Yahweh through His Torah. Being grafted in does not mean that we are to chang the root! But, yet, the Greco-Roman alterations created a religion that did just that…remove the root and replace it with sprinklings of pagan and modern thinking. What they ended up creating was a new “root”, so to speak. And as time evolved, so did the religion. Which brings us to today.

What we have now is a hybrid mix of some Jewish and some pagan practices that are sprinkled in with westernized “new testament” theology. All this has been customized over the centuries to fit into the various cultures over the centuries. Instead of people adhering to the commands of Yahweh Adonai, folks these days follow the teachings of men who have minimized, and even deleted, His Torah. They follow a new ‘Jesus’ and ‘God’ and put most of their focus on Paul’s doctrines instead of following Yahweh and His Messiah Yeshua and the Torah that was given to the people of Israel for all nations. The pulpits have taught more on new theologies and doctrines rather than the actual Scriptures given by Elohim above. Deuteronomy 12, Adonai warns the people of following the pagan practices of the nations around them. He says “…be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.” Exodus 22 warns “He who sacrifices to any god, other than to Adonai alone, shall be utterly destroyed.” And in Deuteronomy 32 it says “They made Him (Yahweh) jealous with strange gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons who were not Elohim, to gods whom they have not known…new gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread.”

Folks, it’s one thing to want to get to the destination of Heaven. It’s another to invent and follow your own road map. Yahweh gave us the map we are to follow! He didn’t create ‘many maps’! He gave one map…for all the people. We have to not only to prepare ourselves for the journey…which includes knowing the exact directions we will need to get to our destination…but we also have to follow those exact directions as given to us by the map maker Himself! Once we choose to follow the right path, His path, we then need to get up and actually walk the walk! You’ve heard the term ‘walking in the footsteps of Jesus’? Well, numerous times Yeshua gives us the exact instructions of how to follow His Father’s map by saying the words “Follow Me”! To follow someone is an action. Something we purposefully have to do! We don’t follow by sitting on a chair, or sitting in a car, or sitting in a pew, or sitting on our laurels. We follow by doing exactly what the person we are following is doing! Yeshua followed the Torah and the laws. He walked the Father’s path as an example to us all. We are to do the very same…step by step, moment by moment…without modifications or changes. We don’t follow some of the path, but are instructed to follow the whole path! The map has never changed all these centuries! The disciple Thomas was confused one day and asked Yeshua, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Yeshua said “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.”

Thus, we have our map, our guide, and our Messiah! Just follow Him!

Amen