Gentle Breeze

Sometimes in life we get so busy we don't take the time to feel G-d's gentle breeze blowing over us.

G-d's Holy Spirit sweeps over His people to restore them and renew their strength so they can reflect Him.

Do not despise small beginnings for all things in life work out for those who wait upon the L-rd.

As we pass through this life we must learn to respond to His gentle guidance, following His footsteps though His Words of instructions.

Producing small waves of love and dedication can turn into big waves of revival while walking in His presence.

We must renew our minds daily for greater is He that is in us then he that is in the world.

Misconceptions about Jesus Christ’s birth?

The typical story we hear repeated is:

“It’s about 2000 years ago, the evening of December 25. Mary rides into Bethlehem on a donkey, urgently needing to deliver her baby. Although it’s an emergency, all the innkeepers turn them away. So they deliver baby Jesus in a stable. Then angels sing to the shepherds. Afterwards, they all join three kings with camels in worshiping the quiet, newborn.” The problem is, this story may be almost entirely wrong. The events surrounding the birth have been retold so many times and in so many ways—in plays, poetry, books and movies—that most people have a distorted view of the true events. The only accurate record is found in the Holy Bible, God’s Word.

Did Mary ride a donkey to Bethlehem? Perhaps, but there are various other possibilities. The Bible doesn’t say how she got to Bethlehem. It only says that she came with Joseph.                                 Did Mary arrive in Bethlehem the night she gave birth? The Bible does not suggest this. They could have arrived weeks earlier. God’s Word simply states, “while they were there [in Bethlehem], the days were accomplished that she should be delivered” (Luke 2:6). Arriving in town well before her due date would make more sense.                                                                                                 Did Joseph or Mary talk to any innkeepers? Perhaps, but there is no solid, biblical reason to believe that they did. Although innkeepers play a prominent part in many Christmas plays, no innkeeper is actually mentioned in the biblical record of Christ’s birth. Furthermore, it is likely that Mary and Joseph actually stayed in a house with relatives, not behind some kind of Bible-times hotel.                                                                                                                                                          Was Jesus born in a stable? Or a barn? Or a cave? The Bible does not mention any of these three places in connection with Christ’s birth, only a manger. Scripture simply reports that they laid Jesus in a manger because there was no room for him in the guest room. The Greek word used in Scripture is kataluma, and can mean guest chamber, lodging place or inn. The only other time this word was used in the New Testament, it means a furnished, large, upper story room within a private house. It is translated guest chamber, not inn (Mark 14:14-15). According to our Bible archaeology experts, Jesus was probably born in the house of relatives, but outside (under) the normal living and guest quarters. (Learn more: Was Jesus born in a stable? / What is a manger? / What is an inn

“Away in a manger the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.”        Although this is part of a beautiful song, we cannot be sure that Jesus did not cry. The Bible does not report this.

Did angels sing to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem? Perhaps, but the Bible doesn’t specifically say that the angels sang. It says that first an angel appeared and spoke, and then appeared “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” (Luke 2:13).

Were angels present at the birth? It seems logical to assume that they were, however, Scripture does not report it, and there is no evidence that angels were visible to Mary and Joseph at this time.

Did three kings riding camels come to Jesus’ birth? The Bible does not say that any kings or camels visited young Jesus.

It does report wise men (“magi”) came, but it does not say how many. None of the early Church Fathers, suggested the magi were kings. Since the word “magi” used in the Bible is plural, there were apparently at least two, and there could have been more—even several more. The Bible simply mentions three costly gifts they presented—gold, frankincense and myrrh, but this does not necessarily indicate the number of magi. There is also no proof of what country these men came from.

Also, the wise men clearly did not visit Jesus when he was still lying in the manger, as is commonly shown on greeting cards and in plays. The magi did not arrive until sometime after Christ’s presentation in the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 2:22-39).

At this time, Scripture calls Jesus a “child,” not a “baby.” It is possible that little Jesus was walking and talking by then. Based on the calculations of King Herod and the magi (Matthew 2:16), Jesus could been two years old or under.

Was Jesus born on December 25, or in December at all? Although it’s not impossible, it seems unlikely. The Bible does not specify a date or month. One problem with December is that it would be unusual for shepherds to be “abiding in the field” at this cold time of year when fields were unproductive. The normal practice was to keep the flocks in the fields from Spring to Autumn. Also, winter would likely be an especially difficult time for pregnant Mary to travel the long distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem (70 miles). “A more probable time would be late September, the time of the annual Feast of Tabernacles, when such travel was commonly accepted. Thus, it is rather commonly believed (though not certain) that Jesus’ birth was around the last of September. The conception of Christ, however, may have taken place in late December of the previous year. Our Christmas celebration may well be recognized as an honored observation of the incarnation of ‘the Word made flesh’ (John 1:14).”
“…The probability is that this mighty angel, leading the heavenly host in their praises, was Michael the archangel; this occasion was later commemorated by the early church as Michaelmas (‘Michael sent’), on September 29, the same as the date of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. It would have at least been appropriate for Christ to have been born on such a date, for it was at His birth that ‘the Word was made flesh and dwelt (literally tabernacled) among us’ (John 1:14).
The date was chosen by the Roman Catholic Church. Because Rome dominated most of the “Christian” world for centuries, the date became tradition throughout most of Christendom. The Church wished to replace the pagan festival with a Christian holy day (holiday).
Study to show thyself approved, 2 Tim. 2:15 Don’t just take a preacher’s word for anything, look it up yourself/

World of Doing

The lesson for the current world is profound. Each of us has been given authority and dominion – a kingship. The divine will need human beings to bring to fruition the divine desire. Two spirits are seeking to undermine humanity. One is the Spirit of Truth, the other the Spirit of Error. The conscience of the mind is caught between the two, choosing per its own inclination.
In the final analysis, anything that impedes us, that inhibits the expression of our spiritual nature, from substance abuse to lustful foibles, also impedes G-d. Choice is an awesome gift in the World of Doing; we must use it wisely.
A person who is true doesn’t desire gold and never deceives anyone else, doesn’t live on a fancy diet, and doesn’t need fine clothing. Such a person doesn’t make plans for life, but waits on the divine will. The spirit of Error has no power over such a person.
When a situation is going well, ride the wave. When things are going badly, withdraw is another form of action. The flip side of withdraw is engagement.
We can learn from the Good Book that is full of examples of other people’s life’s:
Reuben – Desire         Zebulun – Mercy and Compassion
Simeon – Jealousy      Dan – Anger
Levi – Arrogance        Naphtali – Orderliness
Judah – Courage         Gad – Hatred
Issachar – Simplicity  Asher – Single-mindedness and Duplicity
Joseph – Chastity        Benjamin – Imitation of Goodness
The person who has wishes seeks possibilities; the person who has no wishes seeks only explanations. The world of faith should never have become a closed system, shut off from all inconsistent ideas, but an open book, intimately approachable, hiding nothing. The principles are simple, and the possibilities they present are awesome:
Know who you are, be true to yourself and the divine image that is in you. Cultivate a ‘G-d’s eye view of your world, a higher perspective that will help you make the right choices.
Reach out genuinely with your feelings, and dare to do great things.
It is all about the desire to be something greater than what we already are, and it is that upward motion that makes us fully spiritual, and fully human. The accumulation of ‘stuff’ never satisfies.
Don’t bemoan you ‘fallen’ condition; embrace knowledge, accept the reality of pain, and experience divine compassion.
We are all ‘light-bearers’. Know that the things you seek have been in you all along.
Believe in your own goodness and purity, whatever hellish experiences you encounter.
Organized knowledge and organized life, and calm will appear during any storm.
Accept the fact that nothing is permanent. Seize the day! Don’t surrender to doubt or despair. Become aware of the larger pattern, and of fate. Don’t just do something; sit there!
You are not a mere copy of the divine image; you are that image. Recognize the divine fullness in yourself, others, and in the natural world around you. There’s a hero hiding in each of us.  
Become a ‘ring-bearer,’ channeling the negativity of life situations in positive directions.
Let hope energize love and actualize deeds as you move in consonance with your feelings.
Discover the ‘momentum’ in any situation. Stop. Think. Observe. Plan.
Imitate the virtues and shun the vices of previous generations.
Let your pain be transformed into the building blocks of character.

Living Will

We need to teach the next generation of children from fay one that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind’s greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear. They who are the road of independence must have a code that they can live by. And so, become yourself, because the past is just a goodbye.
It is all about teaching our children and teaching them well – perhaps the most important task in all life. It is often said that the words spoken on the deathbed of a parent or love one remain forever with those who must go on. Every single breath is not one that we take but one that is given. The art of breathing, life itself, is a gift from above. Dying, rather than a grim veil, shrouding us in sadness, may be conceived as G-d’s last kiss, the moment when the breath of life is retrieved by the One who dispatched it, on load.
Isa. 28:10 ‘principle upon principle, line upon line’.
If you get angry, don’t allow words of slander to come from your mouth.
Never boast with pride.
Don’t speak with vulgar language.
Keep your body pure; treat it right, as though it is a holy temple, making sure that you are clean and hygienic.
Treat your speech seriously, not as sport.
Neve desire things that don’t belong to you.
Make sure you are pure and undefiled before approaching the altar.
Keep your thought separate from the rest of the world.
Think of yourselves as constantly in in the Eternal’s presence, at the altar.
Don’t just make offerings, but make peace among all people.
Don’t kill with the tongue (the corollary of killing with the sword).
Don’t remain angry till sunset.
Don’t accept too much praise.
Don’t rejoice at your enemies’ downfall.
Do what you already know is the right thing.
Do not let circumstances control your live, but control the circumstances.
The secret of making a better world comes from the inside out. Person by person, heart by heart.
In the Bible, it says, ‘Go ye!’ nowhere does it say ‘Come back.’
Stand up for right, even when the judges are wrong, how insight can triumph over institutions.
G-d is indeed the only true judge, enthroned above any human magistrate. It is G-d who judges the judges, therefor one must turn to G-d for guidance, who in turn are impotent before the Divine Presence.
The lesson of life - and the secret – is simple: Get out of yourself for a change. Take notice of situations of human need around every corner, all the time.  
Stop, observe, and act. Always ask what you can do to make a difference. ‘Ride the good wave,’ and the rest will be history.
Align yourself with natural forces in a situation, you take advantage of the unseen force in the universe. The race of life is not won by the speedy, nor the battle by the mighty …for the time and misfortune befall everyone. When you do decide to act, bide your time, wait for your chance. Know that the perfect moment of action will come.
One can find any and all situations in the Bible – check out what He has to say. He is your Guide through life and His is the last word, for He is the true Judge.

Lamentation

I went to see the movie ‘The Shack’, a must-see movie. To me, it was seeing G-d in all people, meaning in all races, no matter the ages and sizes, or sex. Lamentation is a part of life, tears are cleansing, they actually remove toxin from our body that builds up courtesy of stress. As for me, I tend to feel others pain, whether in a movie, on TV, in a book – G-d open the faucet when I turn 40 and forgot to turn it off, sound it still held back.  The movie also shows that G-d is and has been always with you in life, all you got to do is believe it.
The torches of lamentation are lit by agents of the divine will. How comforting it is to learn that the loss we feel when tragedy strikes is part of a purpose and a plan that we cannot see. To be sure, our character is forged in grief’s crucible. Death is   universal; the bonds of life are fragile. We are destined to lose those closest to us, but the essence of our lives is delivered to posterity, kept alive in the sacred memories of those who come after us. The body dies, but the spirit goes on, for the human soul, is never really lost. It is merely waiting for a future unveiling.
The ancient faith was supposed to be the celebration of life, not a fixation with death, but it is a necessary part of the grieving process. It is the way back to health, encouragement, and level-headedness. We can make a good case that the very word Messiah came forth from the crucible of suffering. Grief expressed, therefore, is beneficial, for it has led to the deepest and most powerful spiritual pronouncements in history.
Grief must be let go to move forward in life, do not let your grief turn into despair, for there are wonderful things in store for the future, of which you know nothing. Our view of time is limited, so that hope eludes us. Our present deprivation is only a blip on history’s radar screen. This too shall past, all will be well.
Learning how to grieve constructively is just as important as learning how to rejoice. There are five stages of grief; shock, denial, anger, bargaining, and acceptance. It all begins with shock – a feeling of distress, numbness, even psychological collapse. We enter into denial, a bitter illusion, a bad dream from which we will soon awaken. As reality begins to set in, we next give expression to anger and we may choose to internalize it. Finally, we reach the stage of acceptance, the ultimate destination of process, the place to which our grief inexorably leads us. Our loss is final; the damage is irreparable, and yet we realize, life goes on. Our pain becomes a building block of true character. We grow though our grief and ultimately beyond it.
Ps. 56:11, 8 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me… put thou my tears into thy bottle
Isa. 25:8 GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Rev. 7:17 God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Rev. 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Holy Writ - Love Heals, get busy living!

Why all the violence in the Bible? But notwithstanding the Bible’s many tales of woe, there are many marvelous accounts of compassion. However much we suffer, it is hope that keeps us alive. You will be very wealthy, as long as you honor the heavenly Father.
Ecclesiastes 3:2-4, 8 states there is a time for everything. A time for birth and a time for dying…  a time for killing and a time for healing, a time for demolishing and a time for building, a time for crying and a time for laughing, a time for mourning and a time for dancing … a time for loving and a time for hating, a time for making war and a time for peace.
Some of the greatest lessons in life is that hope is a good thing, perhaps even the best of things. And no good thing ever dies. Motion – taking action – is the best kind of therapy. You either get busy living or get busy dying. Among those who suffer from clinical depression, those who engage in physical activity, such as jogging, recover at roughly the same rate as those who take medication in the form of prescription drugs.
The upshot of this research is that our feelings respond to movement and that motion and emotion are linked. Love is hardly a static quality, nor is compassion. For love to be love, it must be given arms and legs. How we act affects how we feel. Getting out of the circle of self and opening ourselves to addressing the needs of others results in unexpected blessing.
Love, in all its manifestations, is an eternally popular theme, featured more often than hope.
In truth, however, we might want to stress hope even more than love, for it is hope that energizes love, hope that lends love its spirit, hope that transforms despair into healing. As much as love, if not more than hope is the emotion that brings forth motion. Love and desire are the spirit’s wings to great deeds.
Hope is strength, courage, fortitude. As long as there is hope, there is reason to go on. As long as we draw breath, there is hope for the future, and hope generates healing. There is no adversity that cannot be conquered, as long as we have hope. Just as important, hope has a dynamic ally in love. “Love conquers all!”
Obstacles are flattened; adversaries are neutralized. Never underestimate either the dynamic of hope, or the power of love.
Westerners know least about is mourning. We are trained from earliest childhood to hold back our tears, to retain our composure, to restrain ourselves. Males in our culture are taught to be a man certainly means not being allowed to cry. What a pity! A true man shows all feelings!
Jewish tradition is a prescribed period of intense mourning, for seven days. Jeremiah 6:26 says “clothe yourself in sackcloth, and roll around in the dust! Mourn deeply …wail intensely.” Grief is only human, and to hold it back is to deny our humanity. When we vent our grief, we pave the way, metaphysically, for even greater joy in the future. Devoted to lamentation is that expressing the fullness of grief opens the door for moving into the future. Mourning can be turned into gladness. It is a part of the circle of life that new things are built on the ruins of the old, that joy springs forth from the valley of despair.
If you run from pain, if you hide from grief, you short-circuit that process. Instead, hold the grief to your bosom. Vent it, write it, even sing it. Then let it go, and that very process will fill your heart with hope.
Reach out with your feelings, move in consonance with them, and let your spirit soar.
You will find that love really is all around.
We wouldn’t be able to taste the fullness of joy if we had never tasted the tears of sorrow.

World of Being

The name of Soloman is virtually synonymous with the word wisdom. The ancients were firmly convinced that Soloman was not merely a monarch, but also a wizard. (Strongs definition: properly knowing, wise, prophet, wizard, always used in a bad sense of false prophet).
In a world beset by pain and sufferings, where the power of evil often seems to triumph. G-d gave Solomon a great deal of wisdom and insight, along with understanding, as great as the sand along the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom surpassed all the sons of the east as well as all the wisdom of Egyptians.…
He talked about trees, from the cedars of Lebanon to the hyssop that sprouts from the walls. And he also talked about the beast, the birds, the creeping things and the fishes. And people from all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, having been sent by all the kings of the earth who heard his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:29-30; 33-34; 5:9-10; 13-14)
There seems to have been a whole folklore about Soloman, as a miracle worker/magician, who had power over demonic forces. Even Y’Shua makes slanting reference to this fact in Luke 11:29, 31. But haven’t all mature Believers been given a seal, a divine signer, a ring of power that has been placed in our hands. We are to become the Bride of G-d, we can wear it, we can display it, we can also exercise it, because it is a weapon. A signet ring may not look like a weapon, but it is. In ancient times the ring-bearer possessed the seal of the king – with his power and authority. Slip it on and we enter a new realm, a new dimension – the World of Being. We are invested with a power invisible to others, but more potent a weapon than Excalibur. Y’Shua is our King, and we can have this gift also when we come to mature in Him. Did not Y’Shua said we can do all things and even greater He did – all you must do it receive it, and use it.
Soloman, being king, was blessed with great bounty, wealth, privilege, and status, which he well knew come from above. But his way of paying back the divine providence was to pay it forward, to pass the blessing along to someone else.
The exercise of our own gifts; all must be submitted to a Higher Power. Discovering the power within us is a wonderful thing, but with our power we must learn a dependence on the Divine Presence. Power brings down kings but raises up tyrants.
Solomon’s heart is turned away to the worship of pagan deities by one of his many wives. The spirit of wisdom subsequently takes leave of the great king., who spends his time building temples to pagan idols instead. His spirit of counsel is darkened, and his words become vain chatter. It is a lesson for us to learn – a warning and admonition, not merely to consider the beginning of a spiritual journey, but also its end. Pay attention to our ancestors and learn from their mistakes.
The best temples are spiritual temples, built not with human hands but with human hearts. The rabbinic sages of old ask each other why the temple was destroyed. The answer they gave was what they called boundless hatred. Surely, it stands to reason that if the temple were destroyed thought boundless hatred, it might be rebuilt through boundless love.
Like King Solomon the wise, we must put that seal – that image – to work, transforming the powers of darkness around us into forces for good. Finding ways to channel negativity around us into positive directions with G-d’s help, it is not such an easy task, but it is possible. Even at some homes where conflicts continually arise, and you find yourself in the middle of a war zone. I thought of myself as living proof that it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness, fancied myself as a bearer of King Solomon’s ring, remembering I am only accountable for my own actions. Truth be told, feelings are in fact nature’s way of ensuring survival.

World of Emotions & Feelings

The world of our emotions is a formative world, affecting everything we do. We spend much of our lives in the world of our feelings, or our ego. Indeed, the emotive world is a battleground, on which the war of moods, critical to our well-being and our well-being and our very survival, is fought. It is a war that is waged every day. We may surrender to negativity and agree in the battle or choose to enter the fight and engage each negative emotion with a positive response. It is all a matter of choice. Our greatest challenge is to gird up the loins of our mind (in the words of 1 Peter 1:13) and charge into combat. We are often beset by a fight-or-flight mentality; sometimes we must choose the flight.
One of the greatest works of literature ever produced deals with a man who loses everything he has and is plunged into despair. No biblical character is a better expression of this battleground than the venerable Job, life is symbolic of suffering. Job curses the day of his birth (everything was taken from him on his birthday). He raises his complaint to G-d as he sits in sackcloth and ashes and wallows in self-pity. Satan is depicted simply as one of the angelic messengers in the divine court. He is dispatched by G-d, but given no power in his own right. Satan is far too dominant and independent a character to be tolerated.
As the book begins, Job is ill and nearing the end of his life, he gathers his seven sons and three daughters and relates the fantastic tale of his earlier years. His Hebrew name was Jobab, before it was changed by divine decree to Job. Job was attacked as part of a bet, a wager between G-d and Satan, to see whether a righteous man who is unjustly afflicted with retain his steadfast faith in G-d (1:1-12; 2:1-6). A plague is unleashed and devastates on his livestock, and his children, then his friends (there are allies as well as adversaries). Through the tragedy, Job holds fast to his faith in G-d, and did not blaspheme. After all the L-rd gives and the L-rd takes away, trusting in His reasoning. Teaching us that when facing the most intractable enemy of all, ourselves, in the world of feeling, the admonition is simple and direct: HOLD FAST!
We know very little about Job’s wife, Sitis, – only that she taunts him with the words, “bless G-d and die.” While Job sits on his dung heap, immovable defiant, she becomes a maidservant to bring bread to her afflicted spouse. When self-pity threatens to consume us – when we are at the brink of despair – the compassion, the caring, and the action of others often help us regain our perspective. Realizing that we are loved by others makes all the difference in the world of feeling.
Job, responds like the fighter he is, he has never surrendered his soul. far from letting his emotions defeat him, he summons his feelings, and commands his anger. Reveals he is one who has taken charge of his emotions and has wielded them as a weapon against the foe. Job has learned that there is a time to mourn and a time to engage the enemy. We may have lost everything, but why should we be alienated from G-d, who is our greatest wealth. Physical action is not always required, but fortitude of soul is, physical illness and/or pain. To wrestle emotionally is to feel a physical sickness. To live is to wrestle, and to wrestle is to live.
You must never surrender to despair. You must never give up. You must be steadfast, for if ever you despair, if ever you abandon yourself, you also abandon G-d. You may feel like Job, or like Abraham’s son Isaac, about to be slaughtered, but remember that your emotions are a battleground. You can and you must prevail. The deepest pit into which one may fall:
HOLD FAST, AND KEEP THE FAITH!

World of Vanity

Long ago, in the days of the prophet Jeremiah, there lived a group known as the Rechabites, a name derived from their leader, Jonadab son of Rechab. They lived as nomads, pitching their tents from place to place, never touching wine and not even cultivating their fields. The prophet Jeremiah praises them for the purity of their ways and declares that they will be spared from the calamity soon to befall Jerusalem. The descendants of Jonadab certainly kept the commandment give to them by their ancestor: yet his people have not listened to G-d, and did not when He called, and doing what He called them to do … there will always be a member of a family of Jonadab the son of Rechab before His presence. (Jer. 35:13-19)
Another communal group who flourished in the days of Y’Shua and John the Baptist, lived in splendid isolation along the western shore of the Dead Sea, they were known as the Essenes. They were the one ancient sect that accurately copied all the sacred scrolls.
The Hebrew have a community living called a kibbutz. Kibbutz means group in Hebrew. It is a modest name for something unique: a voluntary community where people live and work together on a non-competitive basis. Their living expenses and studies are financed by work. It is required that a serious and responsible attitude toward all work be maintained. No work is more or less important than any other; you are respected according to how you work as opposed to what you work at. All for one and one for all.
It takes a child – or a lost tribe from the days of Jeremiah – to know the difference. We live in a world of vanity. But Paradise cannot be found in the clothes we wear or do not wear, or the food we eat, or the fine wines we drink.
Desiring nothing, they had no cares, no worries, no anxieties. They understood implicitly that that the real problem in life is desire; whenever we want something, we are a little bit less than whole. Unexpectedly, it is in the learning to empty ourselves of desire that we really become full. As the biblical psalmist wrote in Ps. 23:1 ‘The L-rd is my shepherd; I shall not want.” How did we become a ‘I want, I want world’ the more the better? He has and will provide for us always.
US. society urges us to put on airs, to leak splendor and circumstance, pride and prestige. Possessions are often just status symbols, designed to distract people’s eyes from our native shallowness. Such things really amount to invisible, defiled clothing, worn to mask our nakedness.
We live in a world of vanity, the more we have the more stuff we have, the more time and energy we are likely to expend taking care of it. The most important and enduring values in life we often barter away simply to acquire more stuff. We have no need to display our wealth or position by the acquisition of one status symbol or another. There should not a struggle to build a bigger house, drive a sleeker car, or put together a bigger stock portfolio.  
Bankrupt is spreading rapidly, even Christians partaking in it. Part of being grown up is to learn to pay your bills. Living in ones means, not wants.   The Good Book says in Prov. 22:7 The rich ruled over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Be neither a loaner or a borrower, saves friendship, even among family members. Better if people learn to save for a rainy day, and manage their money wisely.

Message of the two choices

A major advantage of age is learning to accept people without passing judgment.  People’s days are numbered and the days of your earthly life are drawing to a close, and your death is at hand. It is time to set your affairs in order, were do you want to spend eternity? G-d has created the world, and does not wish to destroy anyone. After all, everyone has a chance to change their ways and live, until their number is up. G-d needs us to be merciful. If we want divine compassion to have an impact on the planet, we had better show compassion ourselves.
There are two gates we can take; the broad gate or the narrow gate, Matt. 7:13-14 says ‘Come in by the narrow gate, because the gate that leads to destruction is wide. That way is easy, and many enter through it. But the gate that leads to life is narrow. That way is hard, and few people find it.’
Life is fundamentally about choices. There are no scripts, but there are gates – toward the good or toward the bad. People are not forced to do evil. They make choices, and what we think of as rewards or punishments are the natural consequences of those choices. We can choose the marriage of heaven or the pit of hell. Consequently, we should not really think of G-d sending people to hell; people send themselves. We also realize that unjust actions bring their own consequences, naturally.
With respect to judging others, spiritually, I became aware of an unbelievable phenomenon in life that causes people to forget who they were meant to be by adopting strange spiritual experiences that links with self-righteousness and judgmental attitudes.
People make choices and experience their consequences. We act without thinking of the consequences. However, by sitting back and simply being -through stillness and meditative practice – we can see how our actions today affect the larger whole, and how our mercy is the channel of divine mercy. By mentally getting out of the world for a while, we gain a larger perspective. We become more open, because we have cultivated a G-d’s eye view of things. Each of us is born, not evil, but morally neutral, carrying within us the staggering power of the divine image. It is pure creative power, which can be used however we wish to use it.
We are invested with the ability to accomplish deeds of goodness, but also to harm and even to destroy. Each of us is a messiah in our own right, anointed with an innate ability to create the universe we inhabit, day by day. We are not simply adapted to our environment, as are all others species. We are masters of it. We have learned to harness the very forces of nature, even splitting the atom. We live longer, healthier lives than our ancestors ever thought possible. We have a rambunctious aspect to our personalities, a certain mischievousness that perpetually gets us into trouble. We have an evil inclination. This rambunctious side of our personality is nothing more than an assortment of our base drives and instincts; our lust, sextual and otherwise; our desire for power, prominence, and prestige. Truth be told, we need these drives, for without them we would be incapable of leading, commanding, or taking charge in any situation. We would be incapable of building a home, creating a family, and bringing forth children and raising them. Our evil inclination is essential to our functioning in society.
Y’Shua was born a real human being, flesh and blood, who had to wrestle with His evil inclination like everyone else, remember His blood carried also His human mother traits, and we know nothing of His childhood lessons, until He was twelve years old, astounding the Rabbis in the Temple.
You are more than what you know, you are stronger than you know, you can mature in life’s lessons. Maturing into Messianic, redemptive roles, in short, do not worry if you are not perfect. All of life is a learning curve.

Becoming Human Beings

It dawned on me that he real problem behind human conflict is not that we love ourselves too much, thereby being selfish and self-centered, but that we do not love ourselves enough. It is only when we can see G-d in ourselves that we can see G-d in everybody else.  If we could all grasp the magnificent truth of our being and tap into that expression of the divine source in each of us, we would not be so easily controlled by strong personalities and other powers of this world. We learn to release the fears that keep us focused on materiality, judgments, hatred, and prejudice. Our actions become more meaningful. We can evaluate knowledge more effectively, transcending the bombardment of information that is so much a part of modern life.
We may agonize over whether we believe in G-d, but G-d believes in us. If we can only clear away the cobwebs in our minds – glimpse that wide-open heaven – we will understand that our potential is unlimited, and our powers are multifold. We always have options. After all, look who we have as our Source. The first step toward reaching our potential is of course to change our focus from the physical to the metaphysical, to let the breath of the Eternal fuse with our own.
I had a special need to tap into that supernatural presence. The stresses I encountered daily were frequently beyond my poor constitution to handle. I needed to fine myself, once again, to be rejuvenated. Fortunately, I knew where to go, having my mind back into the Word. I tend to wonder in the outdoors were the stones, water, leaves – just everything in nature strangely alive with the divine breath, calms and speaks to me. I had discovered myself afresh, but I had also discovered how to leave myself behind, how to filter out the background noise that robbed me of my inner peace.
I decided each day to set some time aside, to set a place aside, to center-down into my deepest being through silence, meditation, and study. Learning how to approach life and never underestimate yourself. Trust yourself; believe in you own judgment. Look in the mirror daily, but do not look for blemishes or the latest wrinkle in your brow. Stare at yourself and say not only, “I am made in the divine image,” but also, “I AM with the Father and the Father is with me.”
Satan can be said to represent human denial. He could not recognize the divinity of humans, or of anything else for that matter. He is a metaphor for the countless mental factors that get in the way of our believing in ourselves and in others. The great Adversary short-circuits the world of being by denying our connectedness with G-d. The outermost regions of hell as being occupied not by those who committed the worse acts, but by those condemned for their callous indifference to the divine image in others.
We must cultivate stillness, practice meditative silence, and take every opportunity to observe the world of nature. We realize that we are all part of the whole, the divine Source. It is only when we forget that greater reality that we perpetrate negativity, doing things that are not
G-d like. The Eternal considers humans to be nothing less than divine. We can see the spark of Deity in ourselves and know that we are a piece of the divine fullness.
Bottom line is we are all a part of the Divine Presence in the earth, and so is everyone else. All people have inherent worth. Dominating is not the way, for we are hurting ourselves as well as others, for we do damage to the image of the divine in us, enable us to act with conscience and creativity rather than reacting to circumstance. Remember we are only accountable for ourselves.
True, good deeds often seem to go unrewarded, but acts of revenge spawn their own demons to perpetuate evil. Cycles of revenge are as common today as they were in the Scriptures producing the same lamentable results. Revenge is a dish best served up cold, and may work as short-term tactics, but they inevitably fail as a long-term strategy. Be G-d like and leave it to Him.

Self Discovery

Being is all about self-discovery and self-actualization. It is where true life begins, this sense of being is what makes us true to ourselves. In the case of a woman – me – the voice that beckoned was from the Scriptures, which had gotten into my blood. I lived, and studied as 2 Tim. 2:15 says, peace comes over me, over time I had my own Mount Sinai experience. I realized that the answer for my life was in the personal empowerment that comes from self-actualization, an I decided to simply sit for a while out of denomination teachings and influence. Once again filling my life with a sense of wonder and to understand the complex tapestry of civilization which has given birth to us all.
How many of us are plagued by inner voices whispering: “You will never amount to anything? You will never get ahead in life. You will never accomplish much. We had grown accustomed by measuring our self-worth based on what we do, having never discovered the world of being. Like many other members of the Baby Boom generation, I used to think that I was never good enough, after all I am just a woman in a man’s world. It was a phenomenon I overcame only when I learned to quit judging myself by other people’s expectations. I have learned that happiness comes not through what you do, but by who you are. You need not prove yourself or your worth to anyone. You simply need to discover yourself. Shakespeare said it simply and directly: “This above all, to thine own self be true.”
Long ago on a mountaintop, somewhere in the vast desert of the Sinai Peninsula, a voice from the world beyond spoke from a bush that burned with fire but was not consumed, declaring to a fugitive shepherd named Moses, with all simplicity and directness. This voice commissioned Moses, an encounter between a frail human being and the world beyond. The secret of Moses’ strength was his meekness, the great Israelite sages called him a ‘hollow reed’ – personally empty, but filled with the divine breath. The power with which he acted was not his and the staff he used represented divine fullness and his own emptiness. Why was Moses chosen to be the recipient of such secrets? The answer lies in Moses’ deep humility, his hollowness, it emanates from the infinite domain of heaven and finds expression in the limited. Moses, learned to leave himself behind and simply rest in the Divine Presence. When we know that all of history – and our own life – is under control, we discover the secret of rest. We quickly realize that history is going somewhere. It is not an endless circle with no progression, but a dynamic process, charged with meaning. Nothing is lost in G-d’s economy.
The burning bush moments for me when I discovered a human being can alter their life by altering one’s attitude of mind. I choose to alter both my attitudes and my mind. The most important lesson to be gleaned from all this is simple: before doing anything, you must first learn the secret of being a part of G-d’s great plan. Believe in destiny. You were born for a specific purpose, and there are no accidents. The universe makes sense, and you make sense within the greater cosmic pattern. As the jubilees of your own life unfold, look for the larger patterns. Let go, and get out of the way. Each of us resides a mind-boggling, G-d given power so don’t just sitting there, be all you were meant to be! Each one of us resides a mind-boggling power, through which we can transform ourselves and the entire world. Many people in the ancient world loved the Scriptures which tells us a great deal about the spiritual nature of human beings and the torture and judgment of evildoers. G-d is eternal and beyond space and time.

Life has chooses

Yet, we all feel somehow inadequate. There is a huge disconnect between what we are and what we wish it be. The flesh and the spirit may seem incontrovertibly opposed, but true knowledge will make them one. When we know ourselves and the world around us, we can replace conflict with harmony, to fine unity in all things and among all people.
We must be beware, for appearances are perennially deceiving. We must look beyond outward appearances – good or bad – to behold the true light in others. It is the snare of materiality (the smoke-and-mirrors act of everyday life) that robs us of true vision.
We only truly arrive at our destination when we realize something universal – that none of us needs to seek beyond ourselves for courage, fortitude, intelligence, or anything else we desperately wish we had. What we seek is already inside of us; we need only recognize it. We need not look any further than our own backyard, and if we cannot find it there, it must be that we never lost it at all.  The holy Spirit fire is the power residing within each of us, guarded by the Master until we understand and know enough about ourselves for it to burn brightly. May that day come, sooner than we dare to believe. People’s lives consist of multiple choices they make. Life has no scripts, but it does have paths, and we are free to choose among them. The hell we occasionally experience is a part of life, and we could never appreciate heaven otherwise. These visions come from human experience, and it is in our (sometimes fearful) experience that we appropriate redemption. We can choose to see goodness and mercy, rather than wrath and punishment. Every action has its consequences. But wouldn’t our lives be infinitely sweeter if we studied to know and understand the two ways – of good and evil, of life and death – chose the way that leads to life? Know yourself, believe in yourself. Get out of the role of victim; give yourself the power to choose.
One might feel a victim of religious persecution becomes a story of a hero of religious perseverance, liken onto Daniel. Symbolically it tells us how to find calm during a storm. Discover the source of true nourishment, which, even in deprivation, will never fail you. Why was Daniel fearless in the face of persecution? Because he had cultivated knowledge and wisdom, which are really intertwined. Science is organized knowledge, wisdom is organized life, Daniel it seems, was a master of both science and life. I knew that it is not about setting dates or plugging current events into some prophetic scheme, but about finding meaning on a personal level. Indeed, there is something very comforting in knowing that history is going somewhere, that events are not random, and that life itself consists of something more than time and chance in an impersonal void. There is a lesson here, summed up in a single word: progress. It is a word we take for granted. It is all part of a great cycle, endlessly repeating itself, constantly seeking equilibrium and balance, but never finding resolution.
It is said that hope springs eternal in the human breast. We all want to nourish hope – for a better, brighter day, for a renewed and restored world. Hope is a good thing, perhaps the best of things, though it is sometimes a rare commodity in the modern skeptical world.
Enoch, the grandson of Adam declares that a time of terrible persecution will come someday; in which the righteous will suffer greatly at the hands of the wicked (the great flood). Enoch’s very name in Hebrew; Khanokh, is another word for education or knowledge. The second judgment will not be by water but by fire. Fire destroys, but it also purifies. Let your heart be purified, Enoch would surely advise us today. Let every motive be judged. Open yourself to divine scrutiny, and let the hand of G-d be upon you. Images of fire notwithstanding, judgment is not for evil, but ultimately for the good. You must understand fundamentally that you cannot know mercy without judgment. You must understand fundamentally that you cannot know mercy without knowing judgment. When we understand that everything is temporary, we can relax in the only day that really matters – today.

The World of Knowing

My personal quest for knowledge, my path through the World of Knowing began in 1997. Studying was to be my therapy, knowledge my deliverance. It was freedom and power, for I understood implicitly that no group of domineering shepherds could control me if I studied the Word myself as it said in 2 Tim. 15. I see the Scriptures as a story book and I came to identify with the ancient writers and placing myself in the story line to see and feel what was happening.
The first thing I needed to do in my own life’s odyssey was discover my worldview, my own value system, which no one else could do for me. One of the counterproductive things modern people do is to throw out he time-honored traditions of their ancestors, claiming that organized religion doesn’t do it for them.  My personal advice to the perplexed is to find your spiritual heritage all over again, don’t lose your first love. Seek out the ancient wisdom, when we dedicate ourselves to that search, we enter the World of Knowing.
When we get out of the role of victim, when we quit being passive and dare to ask questions, when we challenge somebody else’s interpretation, we are on the path to discovering the true knowledge is all about. Life in the final analysis is not only about what we feel it is about what we know. When we enter the World of Knowing, we can make valid judgments about right and wrong, about the path we need to follow, without being led astray into a mess of relativity.
In the life of Adam and Eve, they were told not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge - - there are always consequences if we disobey, but it got me to thinking that from the lessons we learn in life good can also come out of it if we look hard enough at it. G-d has always turn when was meant for evil into a blessing. I also discovered where you biggest hurt is, is where He will use you – for you been there done that and can help another in a similar situation, telling them how G-d has helped you through it all.
So there has to be a blessing out of eating from the forbidden fruit – I am now in my ‘golden years’ and encouraged to take the time to search it out as I tip toe though the Scriptures and find what I have missed.
G-d made Adam and said it was not good for man to be alone, and made him a help ‘Meet’ – which taken back to the Stongs means ‘equal partner’. After the fall brings about many plagues that afflict us, also makes us fully human in the most positive sense, for without pain, we could not possibly know compassion, the most G-dlike quality of all. The language of compassion is the language of sacrifice and of love. Their sin is described as covetousness, or simply desire. Desire focuses us on ourselves, desire leads to ‘I’ trouble. The irony is that desire brought forth knowledge which in turn has made each of us aware, not just of our own pain, but the pain of others. It gets us out of ourselves. We may have fallen, not down, but up, looking always for
G-d’s help. In a marriage it is taking deliberate action on behalf of someone else and teaches us to accept the pain attendant with living in a fallen world knowing that pain leads to compassion.
Knowledge is power is a valuable one in our victim’s culture. Through the consequence of disobedience was the Fall, eating from the Tree of Knowledge has also brought redemption. They knew that they were made in the divine image, and they could have used that power to rebuke the serpent and command him to leave. We will be wounded, but our wounds need not debilitate us. When we truly know who, we are – miraculous divine creations – we unleash a secret power that puts us in charge of circumstances, rather than circumstances overseeing us.
The pains of life invariably yield to death, but because we have knowledge, we need not surrender to fear. The love and compassion we express become sweet-smelling incense, to make fragrant the passage into eternity. Without the Tree of Knowledge there would be no pain. Neither would there be weakness. But without the capacity to be weak, would we truly have the capacity to care?
The bible tells us that the serpent once walked on all fours, and that he even had ears and wings, prior to being cursed from on high. Notice the serpent could talk to mankind, from that day forward animals could not verbally communicate with man. I believe in heaven they will be able to once again. We now can see from our pets they can understand and feel.
Adam is to toil working the ground, and Eve is to experience pain in childbirth. Through all the pain that is predicted, Eve will learn a touching vulnerability, as she cries out to the Almighty. Pain has a positive, redemptive value, for it acts as G-d’s loudspeaker, nudging us out of complacency and awakening us to the Divine Presence.
Historically, women have guarded the home and built nests, while their husbands have gone out into the world. The homemaker is a higher role, not lower; she is the Director of Homeland Security.
 
Allegorically, the serpent is like all the people who try to mess with our heads. We need to remind ourselves who we are – made in the divine image – and operating in that kind of knowledge, no serpent can fool us. The concept of a personal devil made me do it – the fact remains that evil exists, and the Bible is trying to teach us that we created it by our own desire, be it lust, the desire for power, wealth, prestige, or whatever. We must take accountability for our own actions, if we open the door of our own garden to evil. We open the door to desire and desire produces its own fruit.
We know not to bemoan our fallen condition, but to embrace it, to celebrate our weakness, and even our mortality. From the Tree of Knowledge, we find our way through the wilderness of life.
When we are in the Work of Knowing, we unleash the power of wholeness. Whenever we think we want something or need something, we need only remind ourselves that we are complete already, because we are made in the divine image. Every time we look in the mirror and affirm who we are – the very stuff of G-d - we are embracing wholeness and conquering desire. We need not fear shrinking from death, for dying brings forth life. When dreams, and hope die, knowing that the very next phase is mercy, compassion, and resurrection.
We are all on a journey of self-discovery. We are destined to have many adventures, make new friends along our way, and ultimately learn that what we thought we lacked was inside us all along. We are strangers in a strange land, we are not at home, and we are looking for answers.
But all too often we fabricate brittle doctrines of religion, that is the true nature of our fallenness, we are blind to the divine spark within, which ought to be a blazing fire, the soul is far from being corrupt, it pure, eternal, and birthed in Paradise. Knowing that you are pure and holy and birthed in Paradise doesn’t get you back there. Each of us must set out on a road of discovery. How to find this knowledge is a deeply personal – a self-revealing path, unique for each person. The kingdom is not some far-off hope for the future, in the sweet by-and-by, but a present-tense reality for those who know themselves, those who have discovered their divine nature. We should expect to be troubled, but we should also persevere, through massive, consistent action. We should keep seeking the answers, because knowing them is what causes us to reign over our adversity. Getting the right requires both knowledge and discernment. We must know ourselves but also know the world around us, evaluating each grain field and every sojourner on the road to the kingdom.  It takes a heart of discernment to separate the wheat from the chaff, to cultivate a set of personal values that somehow reflect eternal values. It takes a childlike heart to believe that true virtue still exists.

In His Time

Y’Shua was a Jew, not a Christian (which is Greek for Messianic). He was circumcised at 8 days old, observed Passover, read the Torah in Hebrew, and kept Saturday as the Sabbath Day. In growing up in a religious and cultural world that has been almost wholly lost to the subsequent developments of Christianity, He had a deep commitment to the ancestral faith of His fathers. He saw Himself as doing nothing other than fulfilling the words of Moses and the Prophets, and the messianic hope that guided His life, and led Him to His death, was the central core of His innermost being.
Y’Shua grew up poor in a rural Jewish town in Galilee. Archaeology has shown that the houses were modest, made of fieldstones packed with mud and straw. The floors were beaten dirt, windows were few, the roofs were thatched reeds laid over wooden beams and covered with mud to form a flat rooftop area that was utilized year-round for sleeping, eating, and domestic chores. Houses often had underground chambers used for storage. Furniture was sparse and pottery was local and practical, almost wholly undecorated and unadorned. Absent was mosaics, imported ceramics, fine glassware, gold and silver coins, cosmetics, jewelry, and bronze vessels that were common in the urban areas. The larger houses might have a courtyard and several rooms and extended families living together; these houses often expanded into a random network of shared structures. Livestock lived in enclosures attached to the house or in dugout areas and caves, and small gardens were cultivated wherever space allowed. Staples were olives, bread, and lentils. Eggs, milk, cheese, salted fish, meat, fruits and vegetables were welcome additions. Skeletal remains show evidence of dietary deficiencies, and death from disease before age forty was not uncommon. This was the noise, the stench, the crowding, the grime and grit of daily peasant life, the feel of living under military occupation of ever watchful inspectors, agents, and tax collectors.
Stone vessels, required for required for purposes of ritual purity, are typically found, as well as plastered pools or mikvahs used for ritual immersion. The bones that turn up are from goats, sheep, chickens, and some cattle, but no pigs. Tombs were outside the living area, expanded from natural caves or cut into the bedrock. The corpse was laid out in a shaft to decompose and after a year the bones were gathered and placed in a separate niche.
The center of civic and religious life in a Jewish village was the Synagogue. Gatherings were held on the Sabbath day when the normal work activities of the whole town came to an abrupt halt from Friday at sunset until dusk on Saturday. Where is, it written that it was to be changed to Sunday? Has G-d’s Word changed? Precious handwritten copies of the Torah, or Jewish Law and the scrolls of the Prophets were read aloud and discussed. Aramaic was the spoken language but judging from the Dead Sea Scrolls the sacred scrolls were written in ancient Hebrew. The central activity was the reading and discussion of the Scriptures. How far away from this original plan have we come?
Among the Dead Sea Scrolls was a complete copy of the scroll of Isaiah that scholars have dated to 100 B.E. It had been hidden for two thousand years sealed in a clay jar in a cave near the settlement of Qumran. The Isaiah scroll has fifty-four columns of Hebrew text. It is twenty-four feet long and made of seventeen panels of goatskin, ten inches high, sewn together. It was rolled from right to left and one would need to put it on a table or podium in order to hold it steady for unrolling or reading.
Jews are the people of the Book and this is what made them different from any other people. Judaism can be summed up under four rubrics: G-d, Torah, Land, and Chosen People. As a Jew, Y’Shua would have affirmed His belief in one Creator G-d Yahweh; the divine revelation of the Torah as a blueprint for social, moral, and religious life. How often do you hear a sermon from the Torah? He affirms the holiness of the Land of Israel as a perpetual birthright to the nations; and that the people of Israel, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had been chosen by G-d to enlighten all nations. Their historic mission was to draw humanity to the one G-d and His Torah revelation. He avoided the eating certain forbidden animals or consuming blood, He celebrated the required pilgrim festivals, and He practiced ritual purity as commanded it the Torah. As a Jewish male Y’Shua wore the fringed tassels (tzitzit) on His outer garment, which indicates His strict observance of the mitzvoth or commandments of the Torah. In that sense, He was not liberal with regard to Jewish observances in any modern sense of the term. We are commanded to do as He does --- are we, or have we considered all that just for the Jewish people? Gentiles who turned from idols to the true and living G-d and observed the prohibitions against stealing, murder, and sexual immorality were considered righteous Gentiles or G-d fearers.
Josephus, our contemporary 1^st century Jewish witness, tells us that there were three main sects or philosophies of Judaism: Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. The Essenes who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls expected the end of the world and were awaiting the coming of Two Messiahs – a priestly figure and a Davidic King. They called themselves the people of the New Covenant, believing they were representatives of a newly purified Israel at the end of the age. The practiced communal living, initiation rites involving immersion or baptism, and sacred meals, curiously, the Essenes are never mentioned in the New Testament, whereas the Pharisees and Sadducees regularly appear in opposition to Y’Shua. Y’Shua shared some important beliefs and practices with the Essenes but judging from the Dead Sea Scrolls His open attitude towards Gentiles and women were different. Josephus tells that there were only 6,000 Pharisees and 3,000 Essenes. Philo, another 1^st century Jewish writer, puts the Essenes at 4,000. Y’Shua would have grown up familiar with each of these schools.
In broad terms, Y’Shua is best identified with what might be described as the Messianic Movement of the 1^st century Palestine. It had a much broader appeal to rank-and-file Jews of all persuasions, united in their hope for G-d’s deliverance. What matters are not so much the labels but a certain vision of reality – a faith that G-d would intervene to fulfill those messianic predictions.
Scientist & Archaeology have given us a glimpse into the times of past.
Whom do you want to copy, today’s idea of religion or Y’Shua’s example?

Deep is calling to Deep

Enoch was the first one about whom it was said that he prophesied, and he is the father of the prophets. If you are called to this ministry today and you mature as you should, you will be more like Enoch, and you will be one of the happiest people on earth.
Our food is to do the Father's will, and the joy of the L-rd will be our strength. New joy will be our companion, and we will grow in this every day that we stay on the path.  In His presence is the fullness of joy, and the joy that comes from being with Him is a food that gives us greater strength than any other food ever could.
The shepherd's staff is the Tree of Life. The authority of the shepherd comes from the Tree of Life. It is the fruit of that tree that you are to lead G-d's people to. It is the 'root of Jesse' that brought forth the Messiah who is our life. He is the food that is our joy, and His joy is our strength.
It is also the rod of Aaron that sprouted. His rod sprouted because the staff of the shepherds is from the Tree of Life and is living. It is this life that helps us recognize the ones who have been sent by G-d and are the true shepherds.
When some called me a prophet, a seer, a watchman (I am not big on titles for I believe we all are called) I was told that one of my assignments was to recognize those who had the shepherd's staff and to support them. Their staff seems like it is new and fresh because of the life that is in it, and life will stay in it as long as they walk with G-d and do not depart from His path. This was cut from the Tree of Life before the world was formed, and it was sized just for them at that time. This is true of every leader's staff given to the leaders, even those who lead the smallest company of G-d's people.
True leaders are known by their walk with G-d. They may be great counselors, healers, and teachers, but the leaders are known most of all by their walk with G-d and their closeness to Him. Ones that have stayed on the path of life do not seem to have cares or burdens because they are yoked with the One whose yoke is easy. These are not stressed, but are constantly energized by the strength that comes from the joy of the L-rd. Their rod, or their authority, will be recognized by the life that is in them.
Deep is calling to deep, hearts are being awakened. Deep calls to deep, and life calls to life. Those who have the leaders come increasingly sensitive to what is life and where the water of life are flowing. Their rod will be His rod in the earth. They will not just lead
G-d's people and protect them from the enemy with the rod, but they will strike the enemies of the L-rd with their prayers. They will not just part seas, but they will part nations. They will lead G-d's people to the Promised Land.
When one feels commissioned from the Father, they may not feel adequate and throw down the rod, it becomes a serpent and will chase them until they pick it back up. That is what happens when you cast off the calling of the L-rd. Like Mosses, your rod became a serpent and chased you until you picked it up again, which was to take up your commission again. When running from my calling I was miserable. I felt that what I had dropped - my calling to teach and minister to the unloved, it was pursuing me day and night. People did not think 'women' were called to be pastors', and those that did one had to go to 'there' schools. G-d is the one who calls and said I was to serve Him and His Word! When I orbed and picked it up again it was like I had never missed a step in some ways, but stepped into a place much higher than when I left, for I work for Him not man.
Now it is time to grow in it, but for a long  I had missed a lot. There is danger for all who do not grow up into their authority as they should. The L-rd's grace is made perfect in weakness, and weakness comes from walking apart from ones calling. This is a time the enemy found access to you and your family that led to some of the greatest failures of your life. Even though you see the results of your failures now, you have the promise of the L-rd for your children and their children. They will serve the L-rd and glorify His name. He who is faithful will bring this to pass.
You are being called to the mountain of the L-rd!
From the Father's Heart

Nehemiah. 8:10

The L-rd's strength is made perfect in weakness. Your failures have prepared you for what you are now called to do. The more you seek Him the more He will become your joy, it is the foundation of a shepherd's life. You only lead and care for His people well if you are walking with Him and getting ever closer to Him. When you stop getting closer to Him you will begin to fail in your leadership of His people, because your purpose is to lead them to Him. He is their green pasture. He is their living water. He is their rest. He is their life.
We all are to be shepherds and called to lead others in different ways, it is not the Pastors job to bring in the sheep, his job is to feed the sheep and give them the joy of the L-rd. Joy is not a gift, but fruit. It is the fruit of walking closer with the One who is the greatest desire of every heart. The closer you walk with Him the more joy you will have. The joy that one has in Him then becomes a joy in His people, in His creation, and in everything He calls you to do.
Getting closer to Him will change you into who He made you to be. When you get closer to the consuming fire, then the warmth of His fire will be in you.  Everyone is a priceless treasure. It is while you are walking with Him and doing His work that the innermost springs of your heart are open. You must always stay close to the living waters and stay on the right path of life. If you cannot find it under your feet than you know you have strayed from your course, dig deeper for water in His Word.
Then the whole earth will be restored to the paradise it was created to be, and all people will know and serve the L-rd. Then all mourning and pain will be over, and the joy of the L-rd will be everyone's portion for the secret of true joy is walking with G-d.
What you become in your life on earth will be who you are forever, without the carnality of course. If anyone on earth realized how much their life on earth impacted their eternity they would be in pursuit of the fruit of the Spirit more than any earthly treasure or accomplishment.
Love is the foundation of true joy and peace, and is the essence of what mankind was created to be. G-d is love, and if you walk with Him as you are called to, this will be your portion.
I walked the earth during difficult and dark times. I learned eventually to walk with G-d and loved Him, but until then I let the evil of man overshadow the love I should have been growing in, for both G-d and people. I even delighted in calling fire down on people, even if it was necessary, it was not necessary for me to enjoy it. I should have been weeping for them. If I had loved people more, even the ones I had to confront and bring  judgment upon, maybe they would not perish, but would have been turned to the L-rd instead.
Without love, I became self-centered, one of the greatest mistakes one can make is to not pursue loving G-d and loving others more than anything else. Those who are known as the great ones on earth are not always well-known in heaven. Those who are known as the great ones in heaven are those who love the most, There is such a thing as 'tough love', sometimes you must confront the wicked and bring judgment upon them. You must confront the false teachers and false prophets. You must confront eh evil leaders and authorities.
The judgments of G-d are His discipline for those whom He loves, and even His judgments that require destruction are done in love, not in retaliation. He never rejoices in destruction, but it is required at times to preserve others. By walking with G-d, you will manifest the joy and peace of the L-rd that will turn many from their wickedness; there will not need to be as much destruction.
Seeing the truth is never disrespectful. The Bible is the account of G-d's dealing with mankind, and mankind's dealing with G-d and one another. When we obey G-d it is required that we obey Him in His Spirit. Here on earth we are forming the character that we would have for eternity. This gave far more significance to every day. I do not want to miss another opportunity to grow in the fruit of the Spirit. I thought about what Scripture says that we should 'count it all joy when we encountered trials because the test of our faith is more valuable than gold.
I pray and beseeched the L-r to help me remember how curial this is for the anointing to convey it to others.
From the Father's Heart

The Turning

One must find solutions and turning problems into solutions is essential for us to make it through this wilderness. There may be situations that are traps intended for evil, but they have been allowed so that we can learn to overcome evil with good. Every situation has something important to teach us.
We need trained, skilled watchmen who have courage and discernment, with the courage it will take to handle situations we may find ourselves in. When a lion is about to attack remember He who is in you is greater then he who in the world.
You are drawn to the supernatural because you are called to a supernatural life, and you are being prepared for the last battle which will be supernatural. Many of you are called as prophets. The foundation of prophetic ministry is being a watchman. We are in need of watchmen, and you are in need of the experience.
This is they year to watch what is happening and praying the Father's will in a situation.  Beware of the critical spirit that is in many self-proclaimed watchmen. There are a number of reasons for this, but the main one could be that the people who have the gifts and callings have not taken their place, so others who are not called to do it fill the void.
It destroys and does not build up. I think it is rooted in unforgiveness, or having disappointment and wounds that never healed.
To become overly critical and negative is a trap set especially for those who are called to be watchmen and prophets.
Some of the good things about this calling. We are called to walk by faith, not fear, but our basic purpose is to look for the right path, not just the wrong ones. For this reason, the watchmen are usually the first to see the wonders and the glory.
We are changed into the image of what we behold, and if we're just looking at and studying the enemy all of the time we can start to take on his nature. Biblical watchmen were also to be on the lookout for the coming of the King or His messengers, to warn the people of their approach so that they could have a proper reception prepared.
It is true that critical people rarely build anything, but just tear down. If the true called ones would rise up and take their place as watchmen for the body, and learn to do it the right way.
There is a lot of danger involved. You will be in the front line, and when there is danger you will be the first to face it. It will take a lot of courage, and it will take wisdom and discernment. One has to mature quickly to do this job.
See every problem as an opportunity, that is a basic leadership principle. What they needed is to be shown respect, to be valued and given a purpose. Our deepest heart desire touches what we were created for.
From the Father's Heart.