Nomenclature: The Namer of Names

 

December 26th, 2021

I woke up in the middle of the night last night hearing the word “nomenclature” in my mind, over and over again. It’s not a word I have ever used nor one I am familiar with. I had no idea what it meant. 

So, I looked it up in the dictionary. This is what I found: "The act or process or an instance of naming."

When I asked the Lord about it, He simply said, "Nomenclature is giving names to something. The only names that stand are the names I've given. All others fall to the ground. Remember this."

I considered what He'd said for a moment, then I asked Him, "Lord, what name have you given me?"

He immediately spoke a Hebrew name I had heard Him use for me in the past, then He added the calling He has placed on my life as He sees it. (I choose not to share it right now as I am still treasuring and pondering it in my heart).

But it was like hearing something akin to Richard the Lionhearted. A name and a description. I realized He had given me a new weapon in my arsenal against the enemy's lies to and about me. If ever I feel down on myself or am believing a negative name the enemy or a person whose mouth he's speaking through has called me, I will just repeat the only name that stands; the one the Lord has given me.

It reminds me of what Philippians 2:9 tells us about Jesus: "Therefore God also has highly exalted HIm and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

As we are co-heirs with Messiah, God has also given us a name that is above every other name the world would give us. This is what He was telling me by giving me the word nomenclature. He is the only One who has the authority to name me. He is my Father, and He has given me not only my name, but HIS Name, just as in Numbers 6:22-27 we are told: "The Lord said to Moses, 'Tell Aaron and hs sons, "this is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

"'The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace.'" 'So they will put My Name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.'"

Once we have His Name upon us, He will bless us.

Which also speaks into 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

When I understood the Lord is the only One who has the right to name me, I felt my whole identity gathered up in His arms as He called me by that name and I came into agreement with it. When you sit before the Lord and ask Him what He has named you, listen and then come into agreement with Him; begin to call yourself by that name. Say “I am____________”. It doesn’t matter if what He calls you isn’t apparent. It doesn’t matter if you don’t yet see yourself doing or being what He has called you. We serve a ... “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;” (Romans 4:17b)

So calling ourselves by this name literally renews our minds and causes us to know who we are and helps bring about God’s plan for us. As we read in Genesis 17:1-8 “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.’ Abram fell face down, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.’”

Just as Abram, whose name meant Exalted Father, learned by the changing of his name to Abraham that he was called to be the Father of multitudes (the meaning of Abraham) before he had any child or descendant as evidence, so are we to receive the name God gives us even if our lives don’t yet reflect that name. Abraham didn’t disagree with God and insist that He wait to name him that until he saw it happen. He accepted his new name and had others call him by that name, even as he was still clearly childless with a barren wife. The name God gave him rested, not on Abraham’s abilities or circumstances to live up to it, but on the authority of the One who named him. And having named him that, He brought it to pass. Abraham, through a miracle child, became the father of many nations. And all of the nations of the earth are truly blessed because of him.

Abraham’s wife, who had borne the shame of being barren her whole life, was also given a new name that indicated she would be a mother of nations before the miracle of the impossible birth of her son Isaac took place. As we read in Genesis 17:15-16 God also said to Abraham, “‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’”

We see the transformations of others in the Bible who were given new names by God.

Jacob (usurper) was named Israel (one who wrestled with God and overcame).

Simon (one who listens) was called Peter (an unshakable rock).

God considers your name very important. Ask him what name He has given you. Then rejoice and believe you will see it come to pass in your life. Whether it is, for example, Heidi, the teacher of many; Susan, the giver of compassion; Joseph, the worker of miracles, receive it, believe it and let it do a work in your heart as the new name He has given me is doing in mine.

I'm told in Revelation 2:17 that if I overcome, I have a promise of a new name waiting for me when I see Him face to face. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’

But, as I await that blessed day, I will take His Name and the name He has chosen to give me now to build my faith and help bring about the purposes He has for me.

God bless you as God takes His place in your life as the only one with the right to name you. Only the name He has given you will stand. Remember this.

Blessings and shalom,

 

Nancy

THIS SHALL NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU!

Shalom.

What I am about to share came about because one morning I woke up at 5:00, which is unusual for me. I asked the Holy Spirit what was on His mind and was immediately taken to the scene in the Bible where Peter rebuked Yeshua and Yeshua called Peter Satan. Then the Holy Spirit showed me how this same scene is being played out over and over again in our day and how grieved He is over it. It’s taken me months to put what He showed me into words.

Why would Yeshua refer to one of His disciples as “Satan”?

In Matthew 16:21-23 we read: From that time Yeshua began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Yeshua, in speaking to his disciples about the path of suffering, death and resurrection He was about to take, was describing the high price He, in His love for mankind, was going to have to pay for the world’s sin.  He was about to take that sin upon Himself as the Lamb of God and receive in His own body and soul the just punishment for that sin. This had to be very hard to hear for those who followed Him and loved Him, but, it seems, even more so for Peter.

Although Peter had learned how authoritative Yeshua’s words were by watching Him command demons to leave, calling dead people to rise and forgiving the sins of a paralytic so that he stood up and walked, something rose up in him that made him feel he was justified in arguing with what Yeshua was saying this time. What might have motivated him to do that? Perhaps he felt it was from a heart of love and devotion to Him that he rebuked Him. Perhaps it was pride in his own ability to protect Him. After all, he was the only one to draw a sword when the time came for Yeshua to be arrested. (See John 18:10)   Perhaps he wanted to comfort Him by telling Him He was far too important and loved by God for something like what He had described to be allowed to take place.  Perhaps it was that he was still looking for Yeshua to take His place as a King on Israel’s throne.  Or, perhaps it was fear that if it could happen to Yeshua, then it could happen to him.  Maybe it was a combination of all of these, but whatever the reason behind it, Yeshua attributed it to Satan not only having deceived Peter but speaking through him as his mouthpiece.  He said Peter did not have in mind the things of God but the things of men. 

“The things of men” in our present culture could be defined as a humanistic perspective rather than one based on the truth of God’s Word.  Today we are seeing a great falling away from the truth of the Gospel; the Gospel that speaks of repentance, salvation through Yeshua’s Name and eternal life and redemption by His blood. It’s the Gospel that presents a choice that must be made between the narrow road that leads to life and the wide road that leads to destruction.  What the Holy Spirit made clear to me is that what is being substituted for the Gospel is the sin that Peter unwittingly committed resulting in the only time Yeshua referred to a man as “Satan”. 

We see Peter’s sin being repeated in our day as teachers and leaders assure people that whatever sin they are living in, be it sexual sin, addiction, bitterness, etc. there is forgiveness and grace for them without repentance. They tell them they don’t have to turn from their sin in order to inherit the Kingdom of God.  They fail to speak of the holiness of God and the necessity of the cleansing that comes through His Son’s blood. What is more, when it comes to what the Scriptures say are the very clear and eternal consequences of sins that have not been repented for, these leaders are, in essence, saying to their congregations, “This shall never happen to you!”  They may think they are showing people compassion, mercy, understanding and the “love” of God, but they are actually leading them into deception and being Satan’s mouthpiece by encouraging them to ignore the many scriptures that clearly warn us of the seriousness of sin.  For instance:

Romans 6:23 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.

Galatians 5:19-21 

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Philippians 3:18-19

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Messiah. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

John 3:16  

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Mark 9:43

And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.

These are just a few of the many scripture verses that speak of God’s perspective on sin, His solution for it and the very real and certain consequences for those who don’t turn to Him from their sin and rebellion in order to be saved. These scriptures can serve to inspire the fear of the Lord in a sinner’s heart in a way that brings wisdom and understanding of how to live a life pleasing to God in true freedom.  As we read in Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

We need to remember that when Yeshua first started his ministry, his preaching consisted of this warning in Matthew 4:17: “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Repentance is a necessary part of entering the Kingdom of God.

Does that mean we, as followers of Yeshua, are perfect and never fall or fail? Of course not! But there is a sorrow for sin that leads to repentance and restoration. The Apostle Paul knew how uncomfortable it can be to confront sin in the body of Messiah. He had to confront the community in Corinth for having no problem with a man living in sin with his father’s wife.  And though his addressing it brought sorrow to this community, and even to Paul himself, he knew the sorrow was necessary and redemptive.  As we read in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 “Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it – I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while – yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

One of the beautiful things about this confrontation was that it resulted in repentance on the part of the offender and his return to fellowship with his brothers and sisters in Messiah.  But this happened because, in response to Paul’s letter, they held him accountable for his actions and removed him from their fellowship until he repented and turned from his sin.

Those who are walking after the Spirit and desiring to stay close to God seek His forgiveness and cleansing on a regular basis.  As we are told in 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That is the assurance we have that if we sin there is a way made to be forgiven AND cleansed of our unrighteousness.

When Peter took Yeshua aside to assure Him that the suffering and death He was telling them would take place would never overtake Him, he was unknowingly demeaning the seriousness of sin.  And we know Satan would love to see that message go out. Because nothing speaks more clearly or eloquently of how serious sin is than what Yeshua was forced to suffer to save us from it.  And so, well-meaning believers today who feel they are being more compassionate and merciful than those who preach the truth about sin found in the Word are actually negating the work of Messiah’s sacrifice and what it saves us from—slavery to sin and eternal separation from God.  We have to be wary of the subtle pride that creeps in when we disciple others in this humanistic form of “love”, because it can exalt one’s own sense of being a “loving person” rather than the righteousness of a holy God. God is Holy. That is why Messiah had to die for us. It is only through Him that we can approach the Father who so desires to have us restored to fellowship with Him He gave up His Son for us. But to believe we can continue to live in habitual, willful sin having no regard for God’s holiness or the price He paid for that sin is grave deception and, according to Yeshua, directly from Satan himself; and so is the message going out from too many pulpits— “This shall never happen to you!”

May God forgive us and grant us the strength to stand firm on the truth of God’s Word. May we be delivered whenever we are tempted to negate the truth in order to be “merciful” and not cause sorrow. May we instead say, “Get thee behind me, Satan! For I have in mind the things of God, not the things of men!”

FOR THE INTERCESSORS

This is an offering and word of encouragement for the intercessors who have been hidden in His hand, and are now rising up in great power and authority. He is enthralled with us and breathes in the aroma and incense of the sacrifice of our hearts poured out before Him. We are bearing fruit! Hallelujah!

 

THE WORD AND THE BLOOD

 

The Word and the Blood are all that you need

One is the life, the other the seed.

To see things spring forth that never have been

takes both to be working in darkness within.

Just as there is soil that covers the earth.

Just as there’s a womb, dark and warm, before birth,

Just as there is nightfall that comes before dawn,

A deep cloak of darkness, then the light’s turned on;

So now, though the world in deep darkness is stumbling,

Groping for the light, tripping, falling and tumbling,

I’ll be there to catch those who reach out for Me.

I promise you love—that the blind ones will see.

And KNOW that those whom I have put on your heart

Are also on Mine; they’re the ones set apart.

And so as you mourn for them, cry out and weep,

It truly is this- Deep is calling to Deep.

For as I reside in you, deep, dark within

You are in My tomb with Me, burdened by sin,

Awaiting the moment the stone’s rolled away

When you can announce “It is HERE! The NEW DAY!”

Then you will arise with Me, clothed in My glory.

Then you will ascend with Me, part of the story

That will be retold and retold o’er again.

A story that starts, “Do you remember when…?

But then this thing happened and then we broke through!

We found out there’s NOTHING our GOD cannot do!”

So this is the longing that makes your heart cry

With the moans of a mourning dove, gentle, you sigh.

By you I am moved to compassion and grace.

Because you have wept, people will see My face.

Because you have joined me in this, My desire,

I will touch the earth with you filled with My fire.

Because you have faced what looked like certain death

I will blow My wind through you; they’ll feel My breath.

Because you have walked through the vales and the flood,

I will give to you those things I bought with My blood.

And you will distribute them, like loaves and fishes,

To the hungry multitude, filled with just wishes.

But then they’ll be filled with the faith to move mountains,

And they will go forth as My torches and fountains!

 My torches and fountains, My Word and My Blood!

Nothing can withstand Me; just like Noah’s flood

I will cover the earth as the waters the sea!

The earth WILL be FILLED with the KNOWLEDGE OF ME!!!

For that’s what you long for, the cry of your soul

To see what is broken be made new and whole.

MY dear, please be comforted now in this knowing

That in your own womb this new thing is now growing

And will soon spring forth into the light of day.

Our groaning together breaks open the way!

 

 

 

WEAK AND UNAFRAID

 

 

Years ago I was thinking about the scripture in Hebrew 4:15 that states: For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

I had a question for Yeshua regarding that verse, and His answer was a life-changing one for me.

I was thinking about how I feel when people accuse me of doing wrong. I knew Yeshua was to be my example in terms of my response. But when I read in the scriptures of how he handled situations like that,  I saw that He always seemed so unmoved by criticism and the judgments of people. Sometimes he would ask them a pointed question that would put them to shame; sometimes He would deliver a sharp rebuke; other times He would simply walk away. But, it never seems He (unlike me) responded from a place of feeling defensive. He never reacted angrily out of hurt feelings or a wounded soul. So I asked him a question:

“Lord? When people point their fingers at me and criticize me, if they aren't 100 percent correct about what they are accusing me of, they may very well be some percentage correct. But when people accused You, Yeshua, You were able to think to yourself, 'They're wrong. I never sin. I never make a mistake.' And you could respond to them from that place of confidence in your own perfection. But I'm not perfect! I can't do that! So how could you have been tempted in the same way I am when people accuse me of doing wrong?”

The answer He gave me was so profound that, after all these years later, I'm still only just beginning to digest it. But, it has challenged me in the way I walk ever since I heard it.

This is what He told me:

“Nancy, when people accused me of doing wrong, my confidence didn't lie in the fact that I was perfect, but in the fact that I wasn't afraid of my own weaknesses in front of other men.”

Think about that for a moment. Take it in. He wasn't afraid of His own weaknesses in front of other men. He wasn't afraid of His own weaknesses in front of other men! He wasn't afraid of His own weaknesses in front of other men? Can you imagine that? Take time to try to. What would that look like in your life? What would that feel like?

Oh, what freedom there would be in having that attitude! If I could just take that position in my heart and soul!  A fearlessness regarding my weaknesses; a nonchalant attitude about being discovered and seen for who I really am.  To live without the constant need to defend myself, explain myself, justify myself to those who don't understand or support me. To live a transparent and uncovered life before those who have proven they are not patient with my weaknesses and are quick to judge and criticize me. Seriously, take a moment to imagine what that would feel like. Do you sense the resistance in your soul to it? I do. Just the thought of it makes me feel naked...and ashamed.

I was reading a book recently that spoke of Yeshua's mission as being one of restoring our relationship with the Father to what Adam and Eve had with Him in the Garden before they sinned. Before they sinned, we are told in Genesis 2:25, they were both naked, but not ashamed. After they sinned, the first thing they noticed  was that they were naked; and the first thing they did in response to the knowledge of their nakedness was to try to fashion coverings for themselves.  As we read in Genesis3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

They even hid from God out of fear because of their nakedness, as we are told in Genesis 3:9 & 10: Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Unfortunately, that is our natural response when we realize our own sinful state;  we try to fashion our own coverings and hide ourselves. Those coverings can be made up of our gifts and talents, our anger, our physical beauty, our strength, our pride, our success, our material belongings, our own image and how we project it, our intellect, even our  "spirituality". They are all our own attempt at remedying the fear of being exposed.

But God had a different remedy, even for Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3:21 we are told God clothed them with the skins of animals.  Now we know that in order for them to be covered with animal skins, the lives of animals had to be sacrificed. So, from the very beginning we find the loss of a living thing's life is necessary to cover sin and nakedness. And in that sacrifice we begin to see a picture of the work of Yeshua in dealing with our sin on the tree.  He hung  there naked and exposed to humiliation and, as we are told in 2 Cor. 5:21"For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He actually became the embodiment of our sin, then let Himself be destroyed on the cross so our sin would be destroyed with Him. Yeshua's sacrifice accomplished much more than just covering our sin. It made us righteous. 

 

In Hebrews 10:14 we are told: “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

That means in God's eyes I am perfect because of the blood of Yeshua and the sacrifice He made on my behalf. But, I am still being made holy. My being made perfect allows me to come boldly before His throne of grace to receive grace and mercy in my time of need. My being made holy is the process I go through as I allow that grace to do its work in my life.
 
I know I don't have to tell you that this process of “being made holy” isn't easy. It's a dying to the flesh daily and allowing the Sword of His Word to cut where it has to in order to prune what doesn't bear good fruit in my life. It's also allowing the Holy Spirit to comfort me even as His fire is painfully burning away the  chaff in my life. Yet, it is in the midst of this difficult process, so often done in the sight of others, that I am called to remember I am "perfect" in God's eyes, even while Messiah's character is being "formed in me". As Rav Shaul said to the Galatians who were trying to appear holy in man's eyes instead of standing confidently in the grace of God, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Messiah is formed in you.” (Gal. 4:19)

God sees me as perfect. Men don't. God sees my weaknesses and has compassion for me. Very often men see my weaknesses and are impatient and critical of me. And I desire to not be afraid of that fact.  I desire to walk as my Master walked.  He was unafraid of His own weaknesses in front of other men. When He was publicly scorned, rejected, mocked, betrayed, beaten, crucified, stripped of his robe, in other words naked and weak  before men, He was not ashamed. In fact, we are told in Hebrews 12:2 “for the joy set before Him He endured the cross, despising it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I would like to be like Him. It would be the most courageous way to walk through this world and this life—unafraid of my own weaknesses in front of other men. And for the joy set before me—that is Him and my eternal hope in Him—I desire to be able to despise the shame rather than so magnify it that I am consumed with trying to appease it and keep it at bay.

We are told in 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Messiah Yeshua, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Therefore as it is written: “Let everyone who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

My prayer for myself and all of us who are His children is that we could let go of what we use to cover our own nakedness and allow His blood and righteousness to be the only covering we have, the only thing of which we “boast”.  When  Rav Shaul cried out to God to be delivered of a thorn in his flesh, he was told by God that His grace was sufficient for him and that His power was made perfect in his weakness. Rather than being dismayed by that answer, Rav Shaul's response in 2 Cor. 12:9 & 10  was one that I hope to someday be able to join him in saying: “Therefore I will all the more gladly boast about my weaknesses, so that Messiah's power may rest on me. That is why, For Messiah's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong!”

Til next time, shalom!

THE FULFILLER OF DREAMS

     I want you to know that God is a God who fulfills dreams and visions when they are ones that He has given to us. Just as He fulfilled His promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah, taking it upon Himself to make that which seemed impossible, possible, so He does for us.

  I recently experienced this beautiful miracle in my own life. Something that I was “pregnant” with in the Spirit came to fruition in a miraculous, unexpected and marvelous way.

   A little over 3 ½ years ago the Lord gave me vision for a house of prayer that would be called WOWHOP (Watchmen on the Walls House of Prayer). The vision for this house of prayer is that it would ultimately be 24/7 and that the prayer going up from it would be exclusively for the peace of Jerusalem, Israel and the Jewish people. It would be filled with a combination of worship and intercession. I saw that it would be a place where we could help fulfill God’s prayer request for 24/7 prayer in Isaiah 62:6 & 7: I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem. They will never be silent day or night. You who call upon the Lord, give yourselves no rest and give Him no rest til He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth.”

  A small group of us from my Messianic Jewish Congregation began to pray for Israel in the “upper room” of our congregation every Shabbat after services. Then a door opened where I was invited to lead worship/intercession for Israel at the University of Minnesota House Of Prayer (UMHOP) on Monday evenings. Many of our little band of intercessors would come faithfully and regularly to pray for Israel there as well. We prayed there for a year every Monday evening, while still praying on Shabbat. Then, I was asked to lead a worship service in Buffalo, MN and the lovely woman who had invited me asked that I come every Thursday to her storefront and lead worship/intercession for Israel. So we had 3 worship/prayer times for Israel a week.

    All the while, with no obvious way to go about it or get it done, the Lord kept the vision for WOWHOP alive in my heart and mind. Our little band of intercessors would often pray for that time and place only the Lord knew about, but we prayed in faith that He would bring it about.

   A Messianic Rabbi in our community suggested my name to a visiting missionary from India to lead worship for his services. The woman who oversaw his ministry, Lisa, was a lovely woman and we connected heart-to-heart immediately.

  Later on I invited her to be a part of a new woman’s prayer group that a friend had just begun, so we began to fellowship together bi-weekly. This prayer group knew about the vision for the house of prayer the Lord had placed on my heart, and would often pray into it.

   I had been through a lot in the way of receiving ministry for generational curses, and doors opened for me to do teaching on spiritual warfare. As a result, people began to ask to meet with me to pray for them over generational strongholds in their lives. I would invite them to my apartment and a friend and I would team up to pray for people and saw wonderful breakthroughs in their lives.

   Lisa heard about this and told me she had some offices available in the building she and her husband owned in Long Lake for us to use for that kind of prayer. I finally visited the building a couple of months later…exactly 3 ½ years to the week that we had begun praying for Israel. The offices were perfect for the prayer ministry; and then I went around the corner of the offices into a 1000 sq. ft. space that Lisa had told me another vendor in her building was going to be renting. But, now she told me that person had backed off from renting it.  It had been vacant for 2 years. We both saw that it would be perfect for WOWHOP and she and her husband donated the space to us to begin the house of prayer.

  WOWHOP officially opened on May 20^th, 2014.  We had forty people come that first night to pray for Israel. The numbers aren’t always that high, but it doesn’t matter if there are forty, fifteen or five…the Lord is always SO present and SO leading us in strategic prayer by His Spirit.

  I wanted to share this testimony with you to strengthen you in your faith to believe for those things He has planted in your heart, even as you faithfully do those things He puts in front of you.  (I have included pictures of the beautiful WOWHOP space the Lord has so graciously given to us.)

Til next time,

Shalom!

  

HOW CAN WE BELIEVE?

One of the passages in Scripture that has really captured my attention lately is in the 5th chapter of John, where the following words of Yeshua are recorded: “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.  Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life. I don’t receive glory from men. But I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in yourselves. I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.  How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?  Don’t think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses, on whom you have set your hope.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.  But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

I know there are those who are following a teaching these days that any encounter with Yeshua apart from the scriptures is deception. Yet, in these verses we find Yeshua telling the people of his day that they were believing that the scriptures themselves gave them eternal life, and he acknowledged that those scriptures testify of Him, but these same people were refusing to come to HIM, the Messiah in the flesh, not just in the Word.

But what really stood out to me in this passage are the two times Yeshua asks how we can believe. The first time he asks  us how we can believe if we receive glory from one another, and we don't seek the glory that comes from the only God. He's telling us that  seeking to be praised by one another rather than by God makes it impossible for us to believe in him! That's something I had never considered before. Where and how we seek to obtain glory affects our ability to believe. I know we have all suffered from this malady of wanting the praise and applause of men more than praise from God. But, Yeshua isn't just recommending we seek the praise that comes from His Father and not from each other--he is equating it with our ability to believe at all!


 But how do we walk this out? False humility, where we are constantly pointing to God when we get compliments about our ministry isn't the answer. We may think we're seeking God's glory in that, but what we're doing is walking in fear--fear of taking glory away from God and fear of not appearing humble before men. It can also be a subtle form of pride that tells the person who is complimenting you that they really need to see more truth and not give you any credit or praise for your efforts. That actually hurts people who are looking for a way to express their gratitude for what God just did through you! It really is OK to hear each other tell each other how the anointing and the gifting God has placed in each of us has blessed our hearts. The correct response is to rejoice with them over the wonder that God would use weak jars of clay to display His glory, and respond with a loving, "Praise God! I'm so glad you were blessed! I was blessed, too!" That is walking in love and humility, not fear. It's all about our hearts' motivations and our needs. Seeking the praise that comes from God is found in spending time with Him in the "secret place" where we find our inestimable worth in his eyes. Only that can leave us satisfied and not seeking our sense of worth elsewhere. Then we are able to take the compliments without them meeting a need that is unmet by God. I believe that is a key to what can deliver us from seeking glory from one another and not from the only God. Yeshua put it this way in Matthew 6:5 & 6:And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

I don't believe Yeshua is saying we should never pray in public. But if the heart motivation is like the Pharisees he is referring to--"to be seen by others"-- then it's time to get into the secret place with God and pray to him there. That is where we find our worth.
I can tell you from experience that when I journal my prayers to God, he pours out praise on me! He just goes on and on about how much he loves me, how he sees me, what I mean to him. I come away from those times with fresh revelation of my inestimable worth in his eyes; and my heart is filled with the love of God!

Another statement Yeshua makes about our ability to believe in Him is that if we believed Moses' writings then we would believe Him. Then he makes a statement that I have never heard a sermon preached on in my whole life. He says "But if you don't believe his (Moses') writings, how will you believe my words?" 

When Yeshua spoke of the Scriptures that were being searched out,  he was speaking of the Law and the Prophets--what is now called the "Old Testament." And he tells us that these scriptures "testify" about Him. He tells us that seeing how the Old Testament scriptures testify about Him makes it possible for a person to come to Him to have life. We see an example of this after his resurrection when he walks with the two disciples who are filled with doubt and unbelief on the road to Emmaus. This is what he tells them as they express their dismay over all that had taken place when Yeshua was crucified, and how their hopes in his being the Messiah had been dashed:  He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Here we see what he had said in John 5 confirmed; we are foolish and slow to believe when we don't know what Moses and the prophets say concerning Him. It kind of makes the doctrine that is commonly preached that all that Moses has said and, in fact, the whole 
Old Testament are "done away with" a dangerous one, doesn't it? So many are taught that all scripture before the Book of Matthew  is no longer relevant to our faith. Yeshua himself has told us the exact opposite---that not only should it not be ignored, but it is vital to know what Moses wrote about him in order to believe in him, and might I add,to know who he truly is!

So in this one passage he speaks of two conditions of our faith, our belief, our hearts that determine our ability to believe in Him and believe His words. One is if we seek praise from each other, and not from God. The other is if we don't believe what Moses wrote about Him. I know the Holy Spirit is at work throughout the earth to bring correction to the children of God in regards to both of these detriments to our believing. May He use my little offering here, which is spoken in love and compassion for all who are seeking to truly believe, to do that work in our hearts.

Til next time,

Shalom!

Strong In Me

You are My loved one and you are My child.

The world you walk in is untamed; it is wild.

Roots on the path make you stumble and fall.

Voices will whisper and night owls will call.

Just know I have walked it, I know every bend.

And for every step you take, My grace I’ll send.

Just learn to access Me with eyes looking up.

I’ve water to give you; just hold out your cup.

I know that at times it is hard just to lift

Your arms up in order to receive My gift.

But if you will do this, and if you’ll oppose

The forces of evil that try to impose

Their will on your feelings; their thoughts on your mind,

I promise you there will be power you’ll find

working on your behalf that was there all along.

My child, I am telling you, in ME you’re strong!

It is true what My Word says. The enemy flees

At the sight of my warriors down on their knees

Entreating and calling on My holy Name.

He flees because he knows that now he’s fair game!

Then all of the darkness that tries to deceive

Returns to its haunts because YOU, child, BELIEVE!

So keep your eyes open. I’m not far, but near.

The moment you turn to Me, you’ll find I’m here.

Just KNOW that it’s true I’m at your beck and call.

I proved that to you when I gave you My all.

So call on My Name and receive what I died for.

Then My zeal will fill you to get what I cried for—

The children of Abraham scattered abroad

Gathered in the shadow of the wings of God!