An unschooled man who knows how to meditate upon the Lord has learned far more than the man with the highest education who does not know how to meditate. --Charles Stanley
All I know is that when I pray, coincidences happen; and when I don't pray, they don't happen. --Dan Hayes
Jesus Christ is present in every single book of the Bible.
God’s precious Word has both the Old Testament and the New Testament .. In the Old Testament Jesus is miraculously concealed and in the New Testament Jesus Christ is magnificently revealed. .. GOD’S WORD .. As God’s children there is no doubt that the Bible is our absolute life-life .. but as we spend time meditating in God’s Word, how much do we really know about this priceless treasure and the life-changing Truth it carries ? .. THE BOOK OF PSALMS : A magnificent collection of poems and songs written over a period of many years. The Psalms were originally intended and used as worship songs for both congregations, as well as for individuals and for this reason you will notice that many of the Psalms address God directly, which makes them easy for you to read and pray. The Psalms are treasures filled with praises and worship to God, but not only this they also hold practical advice and helpful insight into the many different emotions, struggles and victories that you may walk through on a daily basis. .. GOD WANTS TO HEAR YOUR HEART .. As you spend time reading the Psalms, notice how raw and honest the writers were with God, when they spoke to God they spoke directly from their hearts. It did not matter if they were joyful, confident, afraid, angry, depressed or lonely, they wrote about it. In the midst of expressing themselves fully and freely to God, the Psalmists realized their desperate need for God in fresh new ways, and they reaffirmed their unwavering trust in Him. Have you realized that every single emotion that you ever experience seems to have already been mentioned in the Psalms, and the reason for this is so that you may grow in confidence knowing that no matter what you are going through, God wants to hear your heart. Your journey through life may sometimes feel a little difficult to navigate, and there will be days when you find yourself desperate for a word of encouragement, an instruction, or even a word of comfort. In these times of need, when your spirit needs to be uplifted, there is no better place to submerge yourself than in the book of Psalms. Read the Psalms and read them often and let them comfort you and remind you to always speak to God, telling Him openly and honestly everything that is in your heart. As you speak to your Father, begin to confidently receive all the encouragement, comfort, strength and direction that He wants to share with you You have the wonderful privilege of loving God .. BECAUSE .. He loved you first, and keeping this in mind, allow the Psalms to inspire you to praise and worship God with every fiber of your being. .. GOD IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED .... AMEN .. .. JESUS CHRIST .. In Psalms He is .. The Lord, Our Shepherd The LORD is my Shepherd [ to feed, guide, and shield me ], I shall not want. Psalms 23 : 1 Why are the biblical feasts - our Heavenly Father's appointed times - not kept ? There is a huge misconception that these feasts are Jewish feasts. THIS IS NOT TRUE, these feasts are meant for everyone.
The scripture and our Father's instructions to Moshe and to us, His children, is very clear -- we MUST keep these appointed times. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is a day of selflessness where we approach the King of Kings. It is a day of setting aside our own desires in favour of His. We offer thanks for the atonement He has given us in YAHushua our Messiah and pray for strength that in this next year we might be more conformed to Him. Leviticus 23:26 - 32: And YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying, “On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring an offering made by fire to YHVH. And you do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before YHVH your Elohim. For any being who is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. And any being who does any work on that same day, that being I shall destroy from the midst of his people. You do no work – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings. On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath.” Although all YHVH's appointed feasts are important, the Day of Atonement is considered the holiest day of the year - it is set apart even from the other appointed feasts. All other Sabbaths and holidays are times of feasting and celebration. However, on the Day of Atonement, everyone is commanded to afflict himself through fasting and abstinence. Leviticus 16:2 And YHVH said to Mosheh, “Speak to Aharon your brother not to come in at all times to the Set-apart Place inside the veil, before the lid of atonement which is on the ark, lest he die, because I appear in the cloud above the lid of atonement." After the deaths of the two sons of Aaron, YHVH warned Aharon not to enter the Holy of Holies but once a year. On that day, Aharon alone (or the high priest after him) was to enter in order to make atonement for Yisra'el, the holy place and the altar. The day on which the high priest entered the Holy of Holies was called the Day of Atonement. Even then, Aharon was to enter only with blood and under the cloud of incense. Leviticus 16, the Torah reading for the Day of Atonement, describes the Tabernacle/Temple ceremony of the Day of Atonement: the two goats—the sin offering and the scapegoat—the incense, the sprinkling with blood and the high priest's entrance into the Holy of Holies. In Leviticus 16 we read about the intersection of three spheres of holiness. On the holiest day of the year (the Day of Atonement), the holiest man in the world (the high priest of Israel) goes into the holiest place in the world (the Holy of Holies). The high priest had to enter in order to make atonement for Yisra'el, atonement for the Holy of Holies, atonement for the Tabernacle and atonement for the altar. Because these things remained continually in the presence of YHVH, they needed to be atoned for. Without atonement they could not remain in the presence of YHVH. According to the writer of the book of Hebrews, YAHushua ha Mashiach has become our High Priest. He entered into the Holy of Holies in heaven—the actual throne room of YHVH—and applied His own blood for atonement. He entered into the presence of YHVH for us so that he might usher us in as well (Hebrews 9:11-12). "But Messiah, having become a High Priest of the coming good matters, through the greater and more perfect Tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, entered into the Most Set-apart Place once for all, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, having obtained everlasting redemption." Hebrew 8:1 - 2: "Now the summary of what we are saying is: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Greatness in the heavens, and who serves in the set-apart place and of the true Tent, which YHVH set up, and not man." Therein He applied his atoning blood. Therefore, the ceremony of the Day of Atonement uniquely patterns the work of Messiah: His death, His sacrifice and the atonement of His blood. We boldly enter the presence of YHVH because the blood of Messiah covers us. Today he stands interceding on our behalf before the throne of YHVH our Elohim, just like a high priest. ‘n Sakeman kom by sy nuwe motor wat 'n straatseuntjie staan en bewonder.
Hy vertel die storie self so: Toe ek die sleutel in die motordeur steek, vra die seuntjie: "Is dit Meneer se motor?" "Dis myne, ja." "Hoeveel het hy gekos, Meneer?" "Ou seun, ek weet nie." Hy kyk ondersoekend na my: "Meneer, lyk nie na die soort wat 'n motor sal steel nie, maar waar het Meneer dan die motor gekry?" "My broer het dit vir my gegee." 'n Verlangende uitdrukking kom in die seun se oë: "Ek - ek wens..." Ek verwag hy gaan sê: "Ek wens ek het so 'n broer gehad," maar hy eindig sy sin anders as wat ek verwag het, en dit raak my diep in my hart: "Ek wens ek kon so 'n broer wees." Dadelik wil ek hom plesier. "Kom, klim in, dan voel jy hoe ry hy." "Ek sal Meneer se kar net vuil smeer," keer hy. Ek dink by myself: jou klere mag vuil wees, maar jou hart is spierwit. Ek dring by hom aan en hy klim gretig voor by my in. "Sal Meneer voor my huis stilhou, asseblief," vra hy dringend. Ek hou voor 'n trapgang in 'n agterstraatjie stil. Soos 'n klipspringer is hy uit die motor uit en kom na 'n rukkie stadig terug met 'n kleiner seuntjie in sy arms. Die seuntjie is inmekaar getrek as gevolg van polio. Saggies sit hy die seuntjie op die onderste trap by die sypaadjie neer. "Daar is hy, Boetie. Sy broer het dit vir hom gekoop. As ek eendag groot is, gaan ek vir jou net so 'n kar koop, dan kan jyself na al die winkelvensters gaan kyk." Met 'n knop in my keel sê ek: "Kom julle twee. Jou Boetie gaan sommer vandag die winkelvensters sien." Ek help om die kreupel seuntjie voor by my en die ander een in te tel. Ek ry na die grootste winkelsentrum toe in die stad. "Kom ons gaan kyk," sê ek terwyl ek die kreupel outjie in my arms dra. "Soek uit wat julle wil hê." Hulle het ruim van my aanbod gebruik gemaak, en die volgende paar uur was die gelukkigste tyd wat ek ooit in my lewe ervaar het. Die loon van aan ander te gee, is nie altyd materiële loon nie, maar die beter loon van 'n verruimde en gelukkige hart. "Daar is mense wat vrylik uitdeel en tog steeds meer het, daar is ander wat suinig is en tog arm word. Wie 'n ander voorspoed gun, sal self oorvloed hê. Wie die dors van ander les, sal self genoeg kry as hy dors is" (Spr.11:24,25) YHVH – the Hebrew Name for our heavenly Father. Pronounced YAHuah or YAHveh.
YAHushua – Our Messiah’s Hebrew Name Torah - The first five books of the Scriptures - written by Moses. The correct translation of Torah is instruction, NOT law. Mosheh (Moses) went and spoke these words to all Yisra’el (Israel): “Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be afraid of them. For it is YHVH your Elohim who is going with you. He does not fail you nor forsake you.” (Deuternonomy 31:6). The upcoming biblical feasts, not Jewish feasts as most have been led to believe, are primarily about our relationship with our heavenly Father (YHVH). These are appointed times for reconciling with one another and with our Father in heaven. If we take the opportunity to turn to YHVH in sincere repentance in the name of His Son YAHushua (Jesus), He will receive us. The feasts are: Feast of trumpets or "Yom Teruah" in Hebrew Leviticus 23:24 “Speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a rest, a remembrance of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart gathering. Numbers 29:1 ‘And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work, it is a day of blowing the trumpets for you. Day of Atonement or " Yom Kippur" in Hebrew Leviticus 25:8 - 9: ‘And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years. And the time of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. You shall then sound a ram’s horn to pass through on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of Atonement cause a ram’s horn to pass through all your land.' Leviticus 16:29 - 34: “And this shall be for you a law forever: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you afflict your beings, and do no work, the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on that day he makes atonement for you, to cleanse you, to be clean from all your sins before YHVH. It is a Sabbath of rest for you, and you shall afflict your beings – a law forever. And the priest, who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, the set-apart garments, and he shall make atonement for the Most Set-apart Place, and make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar, and make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be for you a law forever, to make atonement for the children of Yisra’el, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as YHVH commanded Mosheh. Feast of Tabernackles or " Sukkot" in Hebrew Numbers 29:12 ‘And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. And you shall observe a festival to YHVH seven days, Leviticus 23:34 “Speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Booths for seven days to YHVH. Mosheh encouraged the Yisra’elites not to falter on the edge of the promised land, as the previous generation had done. He told them to "be strong and courageous," and he comforted them by telling them that YHVH would not fail or forsake them. The writer to the book of Hebrews encourages us to rely on our heavenly Father to provide for all our needs, he tells us to avoid greed and materialism because He has already promised not to forsake us: "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money (Mommon), being content with what you have. Psalm 118:6 - 8: "YHVH is on my side; I do not fear what man does to me! YHVH is for me among those helping me; Therefore I look on those hating me. It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in man." Hebrews 13:5 - 6: Let your way of life be without the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For He Himself has said, "I shall never leave you nor forsake you, so that we boldly say, YHVH is my helper, I shall not fear what man shall do to me.” People who have been abandoned or abused by a parent or spouse sometimes suffer with anxiety about their relationship with our heavenly Father (YHVH). They might project their hurts and fears from human relationships onto their relationship with our Father (YHVH). They fear that He will withdraw His love from them. Such a view of YHVH makes a true faith relationship almost impossible. Our Father (YHVH)wants His people to know that He will not fail us, nor will He abandon us. Even in times when our Father (YHVH) punished Yisra’el (Israel) for disobedience, it was not as if He had abandoned them or cast them off. He punishes Yisra’el (Israel) as a father disciplines his beloved son. Our Father (YHVH) is faithful to His people. Even when He sent the children of Yisra’el (Israel) into exile, He did not send them out alone. The rabbis teach that our Father's Dwelling Presence went with the people of Yisra’el (Israel) when they were driven from their land, and that He will return with them when they are gathered back into the land. We can trust our Father in Heaven (YHVH), He travels with us even in the lonely places of pain and exile. He will not fail us or forsake us. The entrance of your word gives light and understanding to the simple.” Ps 119:130
The Psalmist also said that God’s word was a light to his feet and a lamp to his path. Do you need light or direction in your life today well let the word enter your spirit and you will receive understanding and understanding or knowledge will bring deliverance. The entrance of God’s word brings light to the simple. Regards, Lindi. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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