Received: from latitude [196.25.32.21] by mail.end-time-issues.org.za with ESMTP (SMTPD32-5.05) id ACA8461B014A; Fri, 03 Aug 2001 11:25:44 +0200 Message-ID: <014e01c11bfd$f02de520$180bfea9@latitude> Reply-To: "Lists@End Time Issues" From: "Lists@End Time Issues" To: "Lists@ End Time Issues" Subject: [ETI Main, html, No Att, Summary 1A1.01.08.03] To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 11:21:00 +0200 Organization: End Time Issues MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_013D_01C11C0E.5F829DC0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 X-RCPT-TO: X-UIDL: 30 Status: U This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_013D_01C11C0E.5F829DC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Greetings I received this today and felt that it was worth sharing with you. Shalom aleichem James Robertson END TIME ISSUE MINISTRIES james@end-time-issues.org.za Tel : (0027)-(0)-11-791-2327 Cell: (0027)-(0)-83-251-6644 Fax: (0027)-(0)-11-791-5004 PostNet Suite 143, Private Bag X10030, Randburg, 2125, Republic of South = Africa >>FORWARD BEGINS<< To Obey Is Better Than An Offering.=20 "Go, gather all the Yahudim who are present in Shushan (capital of = Babylon), and fast for me, and do not eat or drink for three days, night = or day. I too, and my young women shall fast in the same way, then I = shall go to the sovereign, which is against the law. And if I shall = perish, I shall perish!" [Hadassah / "Ester" (Ishtar) 4:16]. Many of us are not strangers to fasting without food, but to fast = without water for three whole days was a new experience for me. Though I = have read about complete abstinence from food and water for three = days=92 time in the Scriptures [Hadassah / "Ester" (Ishtar) 4:16], I = often wondered if such a thing was even possible. As a boy in secular = public school I had been taught that human beings would die after three = days without water.=20 Thus, when I first read Hadassah (usually called "Ester," after the = Babylonian god Ishtar) 4:16 some time ago, I wondered if this verse = could be true or not. It seemed like such hyperbole. Would not such = fasting be a near-death experience? Not eating for three days I could = understand, but would I not be practically on my deathbed after three = whole days without water? When I received Karaite Jewish Hakham ("Chakham") Meir Yosef Rekhavi=92s = article about the Fasts of the Fifth month from the Karaite Korner, what = caught my eye at first was the idea that YHWH our Elohim was recognizing = and honoring a Jewish tradition. I had been raised to believe that = Jewish tradition was always bad. That may not be the case. It appears = that Yahoshua may have only come to rebuke the Pharisees of those = traditions of men that transgress the Torah. "Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the fast of the Fourth, the fast of the Fifth, = the fast of the Seventh, and the Fast of the Tenth [months] shall be for the = House of Yehudah times of joy, and celebration and good appointed times; = and you shall love truth and peace." (Zekaryah / Zechariah. 8:19) If one reads this paragraph carefully, one will understand that YHWH our = Elohim is telling Yahudah ("the Jews") to keep four fasts, when only the = Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, or the Fast of the Seventh Month) is = mandated in the Torah. This is interesting, because the fasts of the = other three fasts came in to being supposedly because the Jewish = Halachic authorities prescribed them. A Christian would consider that = such Jewish observances are done away with (Colossians 2:20-22), but = here we can see that YHWH our Elohim acknowledges (at the very least) = this one tradition that men have created. That was new to me. It was also new to me, this thought that a fast = should be joyous. As a former ascetic, I am used to the denial of the = needs of the flesh, but have always been taught to seek for a "state of = peace," or stillness and calm. The thought of being joyful during a fast = was brand new. Thus the Way that I fasted was going to have to change. I thought hard about observing this fast because of Zekaryah (Zechariah) = 8:23: "Thus said YHWH of hosts, =91In those days ten men from all languages of = the nations (the Lost Ten Tribes/ Ephraim) shall take hold, yea, they = shall take hold of the edge of a garment of a man (the tzitzit), saying, = "Let us go with you, for we have heard that Elohim is with you."=92" = (Zekaryah/ Zechariah 8:23) It sounded to me like this might be a reference to this day. Ephraim is = reawakening to his and her Hebrew Roots. We are all turning to Messianic = Judah (Your Arms To Israel) to learn about Messianic Jewish Ways, and = organizations such as Brit-Am (Yair Davidy) are even paving the way for = Orthodox Judah to re-embrace us as we come back to our brother Yahudah. = The two thousand years (Hosea 6:2) of the YHWH=92s divorce against the = house of Israel (the Lost Ten Tribes) (Hosea 2:2) is about over. Yahudah = will soon be coming to know Mashiach Yahoshua, and Ephraim is returning = to our inheritance in the Torah, and in the Land. The Day of Jezre=92el = is coming nigh. I thought that if it is written that I should go up to the Messianic = Jews and take hold of their fringes, learning their ways, then perhaps I = should consider this Fast of the Fifth Month. Though the prophesy is = that Judah (Yahudah) will perform the fast, I thought it would be good = to see what Judah does, since we are to go learn from them. After all, = Yahoshua tells us that there are certain kinds of unclean spirits that = do not go out, except by prayer and fasting. (Mattithyahu/ Matthew = 17:21) "But this kind (of unclean spirit) does not go out except by prayer and = fasting." (Mattithyahu / Matthew 17:21.) [Note: Although Yahoshua Himself tells us that some kinds of unclean = spirits do not go out except by prayer and fasting (which is observance = of Jewish tradition), this verse and some 18 others have been = "conveniently" removed from some of the more modern translations, = including the New International Version. This has been done to make the = NIV consistent with the Greek mindset that all we need to do as = Believers is to believe. The Greek approach is that all you need is = belief, rather than the traditional Hebraic requirement of "obeisance," = meaning "belief that leads to obedience." "Belief that leads to = obedience" is what Avraham, Moshe (Moses), Noach (Noah) and all the rest = of the men in Scripture had.] The Fast of the Fifth Month had been proclaimed because of the = destruction of the Temples. Since the Temple is very important, it = seemed that I should keep it. Still, three days without water seemed = like an awful lot. I was hesitant to make such a vow, because I know = that once we do make a vow, we have to go through with it, and I was not = sure how I would hold up for three days with no water. The day to begin the fast was "fast" approaching. I had not decided to = commit to it. I had had a blessed Shabbat at our new gathering place. I = was feeling good, and then I arrived home after dark to check the = answering machine, only to find out that a business deal that I badly = needed to come together had fallen apart. As a young Christian I was raised to believe that there were two gods: = "God" and Satan. I was taught that if something bad happened in my life, = that it is very likely the work of the Devil. I was taught to blame = Satan, and never to analyze my own life, to figure out why I was = receiving punishment or correction. I was taught to just assume that it = was the work of the Devil, waging war as he is against God and the = saints. But is that right? "I am YHWH, and there is none else =96 there is no Elohim besides Me. I = gird you, though you have not known Me, so that they know from the = rising of the sun to its going down that there is none but Me. I am YHWH = and there is none else, forming light and creating darkness, making = peace and creating evil. I YHWH do all these." (Yeshayahu/ Isaiah = 45:5-7) When the Devil (haSatan Hillel, "the Shining One") wanted to afflict = Iyob (Job), he had to go and get YHWH=92s permission first (Iyob/Job = 1:6-13). YHWH had to let down the hedge (the Torah) around Iyob (Job) in = order for haSatan (the Adversary) even to be able to afflict Job = (Iyob/Job 1:10-12). Thus YHWH is ultimately in control. When evil happens to us, we need to not just "blame the Devil," but to = check ourselves, to see what it is that we may have to learn. Perhaps we = are being punished, and perhaps we are only being tested, to strengthen = us in our faith. YHWH allows Satan to try us, in order to test our = faith, and to know what is in our hearts. "And you shall remember that YHWH your Elohim led you all the way these = forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove you, to know what is = in your heart, whether you guard His commands or not." (Devarim/ = Deuteronomy 8:2) That remembrance is a command, so we really don=92t have too much = choice. And further, although it is kind of out of context to quote it = here, we also know that YHWH brings us into affliction to know what is = in our hearts, and to refine us, as if in fire: "And it shall be throughout all the soil," declares YHWH, "that two = thirds therein are cut off and die, and one third is left therein. And I = shall bring the third into fire, and refine them as silver is refined, = and try them as gold is tried." (Zekaryah/ Zechariah 13:8-9) When wrong happens to us, it is both for punishment, and for learning. = We are not to consider it "the works of the Devil," for it is YHWH who = allows the Devil to get at us, for His purposes. He is disciplining us, = because there is something that He wants us to learn. "You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And you = have forgotten the appeal which speaks to you as sons, =91My son, do not = despise the discipline of YHWH, nor faint when you are reproved by Him, = for whom YHWH loves, He disciplines, and flogs every son whom He = receives.=92 If you endure discipline, Elohim is treating you as sons. = For what son is there, whom a father does not discipline? But if you are = without discipline, of which all have become sharers, then you are = illegitimate and not sons." (Ivrim/ Hebrews 12:4-8) (Mishle/ Proverbs = 3:11-12). YHWH controls all. There is no thing in heaven or on earth that YHWH = does not control. Therefore I knew that when the business deal had gone = sour after Shabbat, it was somehow for YHWH=92s purposes, but what those = purposes were, I did not know. Yet it did seem certain that there was a = good lesson in this for me to learn if I could rise to the challenge, = and figure out what it was. I had to figure out why I was being = punished. I decided in that moment to undertake the fast of the fifth = month, and I then took a vow to observe it. Zekaryah 8:19 says that the fast shall be joyous, and so I did whatever = I could think of to be joyous throughout the fast. I tried to remind = myself that I was fasting because I am one of His chosen sons. I put on = some uplifting messianic music to take my mind off of my concerns. = Despite all that, I felt worse during a fast than I ever have, because I = knew that there was some reason YHWH allowed my business deal to fall = apart. There was a lesson in this for me to learn, but I did not know = what that was. Fasting cleanses the system, but it also serves as a mild irritant to = the body (especially when you fast without water). The stomach = contracts. The body feels weak. It can become difficult to concentrate. = Prayers are oftentimes reduced to unutterable groanings of the spirit, = rocking back and forth, a kind of davening, almost like a heroin = addict=92s rocking. It is something to ease the pain. If our spirit suffers some form of discomfort, ordinarily-speaking we = can ignore it. A well-fed body can find some means of compensating for = spiritual discomfort. We can distract ourselves, turning to any number = of means to avoid owning up to what is right there before us. Our beings are experienced at ignoring spiritual discomforts in order to = pursue after unrighteous mammon and the lusts and desires of the flesh. = The last thing that the flesh wants to do is to acknowledge spiritual = discomfort, so it finds some way to numb itself out to the pain. We eat. = We smoke. We drink coffee. We take aspirin. We get nervous. We do = anything but own up to what the voice of the Spirit has for us. When we fast, we afflict the body. Nervous agitation that can ordinarily = be covered up by some compulsory distraction (such as eating or = drinking) can not be adequately masked during a fast, and now we have to = deal with the issues of spiritual discomfort in some other way (such as = meditation and prayer). When we fast, we can no longer ignore the issues = that the spirit presents us with quite so well, because our system is = weakened. Being unable to avoid these spiritual issues any longer, now = we have to own up to them. Our being likes to feel at peace. With the added physical affliction of = a fast, it becomes all the more important to us that we are at peace = with Elohim. By afflicting the body, it is as if we are "taking away the = crutch" that holds up our spiritual anxieties. In order to feel at peace = with ourselves, we have to deal with the issues that the Spirit has been = trying to tell us, but which we have been able to ignore up to now.=20 Simply by making the vow to fast, we are saying "no" to distraction, and = are saying "yes" to the Ruach haQodesh (the Set-Apart Spirit). We are = saying, "Yes, I vow to be teachable, and to hear what the Spirit has to = tell me. Listening to Elohim is far more important to me than my daily = portion of food and water right now. Teach me, Father. Show me what I am = ignorant of." Prior to Shabbat, I had been giving tithe offerings to a congregational = leader from India. His pleas for assistance seemed credible, and he = claimed to have over 100 pastors in his congregation. He said he needed = money for a computer, money for an office, money for a motor scooter, = money for bicycles for his people, etceteras. Being basically just an = old softie, I put him up fairly high on my list of tithes and offerings. Things progressed for some time. The man increased his requests for = assistance. He asked for books, Hebrew language materials, a tallith, = and more. I sent them all to him. After three months of this, however, I = began to have some doubts about him. The words he used were humble, but = something in his communications was not spirit filled. I had earlier mailed a package to the man with books and tapes and a = personal check inside of it. The package had not arrived, and the = congregational leader had been pushing at me to wire him the funds that = the check would have delivered. I sat at my desk, knowing that something = was not quite right with this situation, and the Spirit spoke to me very = clearly, soft and loving and clear as a bell: "This is from me. Do not = send him anything more. Send your money to Brit-Am and the Temple Mount = Faithful instead." The voice from the Spirit was clearer than I had ever heard it. I was = very happy. I called up my bank to cancel out the lost check, and then = sat down and wrote out checks to the other organizations. I mailed the = checks, and then sent out an email to the congregational leader in = India, informing him politely that I would no longer be able to assist = him, for that is what the Spirit told me to do. Situation solved. I felt very good, for the situation had been resolved in accordance with = the Spirit. I enjoyed a very good Shabbat. Then when I returned home to = hear that my business deal had fallen apart, I was dumbfounded. What had = I done wrong? Was YHWH punishing me for removing the congregation leader = from my tithes? I felt weak. I began to second-guess myself, wondering if I had been = supposed to continue giving to the man in India, despite adding Brit-Am = and the TMF to my tithes. Feeling very confused I picked up my = Scriptures, and turned intentionally to the Beatitudes. There I read how = we were supposed to give to every one that asks of us. "But I say to you, do not resist the wicked. But whoever slaps you on = your right cheek, turn the other to him also. And he, who wishes to sue = you and take away your inner garment, let him have your outer garment as = well. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to = him who asks of you, and from him who wishes to borrow from you, do not = turn away." (Mattithyahu/ Matthew 6:39-42) I usually give away so much that I find myself having a hard time making = ends meet by the end of the month, but vowed that if I was being = punished of YHWH, then I had to find some way to give more. It was such = a quandary. The spirit had been so clear: "This is from me. Do not send = him anything more. Send your money to Brit-Am and to the Temple Mount = Faithful instead." That is what I had done. I had done what the Spirit had told me to do, but here it was that I was = being punished! How could that be? What had I done wrong? I could only imagine that I must have misunderstood the voice of the = Spirit. Perhaps the Spirit meant that I was supposed to give additional = money to the Temple Mount Faithful and to Brit-Am? The thing is that I = usually give away all that I believe I will have as excess at the very = start of the month, and so by the end of the month I have a hard time = getting together money even for groceries. There have been many months = where I have ended the last week of the month or so either in fasting, = or else eating emergency rations out of sacks. There just is not a lot = of money hanging around by the end of the month. I was in agony. I did not want to disobey the voice of the Spirit, yet I = did not want to disobey the Beatitudes either. I vowed to undertake the = fast. When the first day of the week came ("moon day"), I transferred funds = from a credit card to my checking account, and then wrote out a check to = the congregational leader in India. I went to the Post Office and sent = it out to him, express mail. Already on day two of the fast, I tried to = keep a smile on my face with the local postman, but I was unable. I felt = weak and confused. I prayed continuously that YHWH would forgive me if I = was doing the wrong thing. I felt that, since I was unsure of what to do = then surely it was better to err on the side of Scripture? Surely YHWH = would forgive me for erring on the side of kindness. Yet I was in fear of YHWH. What would happen if giving money to the man = turned out to be the wrong thing? Would YHWH not punish me for = disobeying His voice? And yet I thought I was already being punished, = and how could I disobey Scripture? It was all so confusing. I kept praying and fasting. I felt awful. I knew in my heart that one = way or another I was wrong, just as Iyob (Job) had been wrong in the = end. I had to find out what I had done wrong, and atone for it. I kept = on fasting, praying and staying awake as much as I could. I received a letter seemingly out of nowhere from a Rebbetzin in the = Union, telling me that she had seen a reference to the congregation = leader on the web site. She told me that she could not sign up with the = group if we sponsored him, because she had had some horrific experiences = with him in the past. I asked her to clarify. She gave me some details = from her story, which sounded very similar to mine. She forwarded = information from a Protestant pastor who had found his representations = to be fraudulent. She further informed me that this congregation leader = from India had even threatened a lawsuit against another minister for = some alleged non-specific "problem." The Rebbetzin said that after she had finally cut the man from her = tithes that she and others in her congregation had come under an intense = spiritual attack. Several people had become ill. One man lost his job. = Another was demoted. Everyone in the congregation suffered in one = fashion or another. She suspected the congregation leader of witchcraft. I wrote to some acquaintances of mine, asking if they had had any = experience with the congregation leader in question. One friend wrote me = back right away, saying that the man was big trouble, and not to deal = with him any more. That testimony made a total of four witnesses, five = including myself. I picked up the telephone and called my bank, issuing = a stop payment on the check, and then transferred the funds back to my = credit card account. This was the afternoon of day three of the fast. I = finally had definite resolution to my problem. For the first time during = the fast over the destruction of the Temple, I felt joyous! At last I understood! I had indeed heard the voice of the Ruach quite = clearly, but then when I had come under spiritual attack, I began to = doubt myself. This had been a test from YHWH, the purpose of which was = to get me familiar with the voice of the Spirit, so that in the future I = will know His voice, and know to obey the Ruach regardless of other = circumstances or spiritual conflict. Our father Avraham obeyed the voice of the Spirit even when it would = have cost him his son. Avraham knew the voice and trusted it that much. = I did not meet up to that standard this time, because I perceived a = conflict between Scripture and the voice of the Spirit. I flunked the = test, but I graduated the class. Next time I shall know better. = Halleluyah for schooling and disciplining me! I was confused because what had seemed "right" to my logical, rational = mind was different than what the Spirit told me to do. By my logic I had = voided out the commandment of YHWH, justifying my actions by means of = Scripture. Yet we know that even the Devil can use Scripture for his = purposes. We can even twist Scripture to our own destruction [2 Kefa = (Peter) 3:16]. Then I remembered that I had been praying for the past couple of weeks = that YHWH would teach me how to hear His voice more clearly, so that I = would know what to do in all situations. I had also been praying for = better self-discipline. What I received within about two weeks=92 time = was an opportunity to learn what His voice sounds like, and the = opportunity to discipline myself to obey it. He gave me my lesson in the = form of a test. Not only that, but He gave me a good object lesson on = what kinds of things we Israelites can learn from Yahudah, by learning = to observe those "Jewish" customs and traditions that do not transgress = the Torah. It is said that YHWH never gives us more than we can handle. In my own = personal experience, that is true. He may give us a lot, but He is there = for us. He answers our prayers, and so we must be very careful what we = pray for, because we are quite likely to get that answer, even though we = may not recognize it when it comes. I have asked for clarity into my failure to obey His voice. The word = that came to me was that I am too much in to "man pleasing," and that I = seek the esteem of men, rather than of Elohim. Further, I have been a = respecter of persons. Now that I have clarity on that issue, I will be = praying for help from YHWH to learn to esteem Elohim rather than men, = and for help in learning not to be a respecter of persons. We=92ll see = what happens!=20 Just as the Pharisees misinterpreted the "Old" covenant Scripture (the = Tanach) because they did not utilize the gift of the Spirit, I have also = learned that it is possible to misinterpret the "New" covenant Scripture = (the Ketuvim Nazarene, the Nazarene Writings) by not listening to the = Spirit. Even if we have the very best of intentions, when we use = Scripture to justify ignoring the Word of the Spirit, we are begging for = trouble.=20 I have been accustomed to the idea that we can misinterpret and misapply = the Torah when we do not have the gift of the Ruach haQodesh (the = Set-Apart Spirit), but this was new to me that we can misapply the = Beatitudes when we ignore the voice of the Spirit. What a sin! I am = praying for deliverance from any further mistakes of this sort.=20 "Then Shemu=92el (Samuel) said, "Does YHWH delight in burnt offerings = and slaughterings, as in obeying the voice of YHWH? Look, to obey is = better than an offering; to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1 = Shemu=92el / Samuel 15:22) I have every confidence that YHWH will answer my prayers. Norman B. Willis Email: nwillis@regathering.com Web Site: www.regathering.com ------=_NextPart_000_013D_01C11C0E.5F829DC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Greetings
 
I received this today and felt that it was worth sharing with = you.
 
Shalom aleichem
 
 
James Robertson
END TIME ISSUE MINISTRIES
 
james@end-time-issues.org.za=
Tel=20 : (0027)-(0)-11-791-2327
Cell: (0027)-(0)-83-251-6644
Fax:=20 (0027)-(0)-11-791-5004
PostNet Suite 143, Private Bag X10030, = Randburg, 2125,=20 Republic of South Africa
 
>>FORWARD BEGINS<<
 
 
To Obey Is Better Than An Offering.=20



"Go, gather all the Yahudim who are present in Shushan = (capital of=20 Babylon), and fast for me, and do not eat or drink for three days, night = or day.=20 I too, and my young women shall fast in the same way, then I shall go to = the=20 sovereign, which is against the law. And if I shall perish, I shall = perish!"=20 [Hadassah / "Ester" (Ishtar) 4:16].

Many of us are not strangers to fasting without food, but to fast = without=20 water for three whole days was a new experience for me. Though I have = read about=20 complete abstinence from food and water for three days=92 time in the = Scriptures=20 [Hadassah / "Ester" (Ishtar) 4:16], I often wondered if such a thing was = even=20 possible. As a boy in secular public school I had been taught that human = beings=20 would die after three days without water.

Thus, when I first read Hadassah (usually called "Ester," after the=20 Babylonian god Ishtar) 4:16 some time ago, I wondered if this verse = could be=20 true or not. It seemed like such hyperbole. Would not such fasting be a=20 near-death experience? Not eating for three days I could understand, but = would I=20 not be practically on my deathbed after three whole days without = water?

When I received Karaite Jewish Hakham ("Chakham") Meir Yosef = Rekhavi=92s=20 article about the Fasts of the Fifth month from the Karaite Korner, what = caught=20 my eye at first was the idea that YHWH our Elohim was recognizing and = honoring a=20 Jewish tradition. I had been raised to believe that Jewish tradition was = always=20 bad. That may not be the case. It appears that Yahoshua may have only = come to=20 rebuke the Pharisees of those traditions of men that transgress the=20 Torah.

"Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the fast of the Fourth, the fast of the = Fifth, the=20 fast
of the Seventh, and the Fast of the Tenth [months] shall be for = the=20 House of Yehudah times of joy, and celebration and good appointed times; = and you=20 shall love truth and peace." (Zekaryah / Zechariah. 8:19)


If one reads this paragraph carefully, one will understand that = YHWH our=20 Elohim is telling Yahudah ("the Jews") to keep four fasts, when only the = Day of=20 Atonement (Yom Kippur, or the Fast of the Seventh Month) is mandated in = the=20 Torah. This is interesting, because the fasts of the other three fasts = came in=20 to being supposedly because the Jewish Halachic authorities prescribed = them. A=20 Christian would consider that such Jewish observances are done away with = (Colossians 2:20-22), but here we can see that YHWH our Elohim = acknowledges (at=20 the very least) this one tradition that men have created.

That was new to me. It was also new to me, this thought that a fast = should be=20 joyous. As a former ascetic, I am used to the denial of the needs of the = flesh,=20 but have always been taught to seek for a "state of peace," or stillness = and=20 calm. The thought of being joyful during a fast was brand new. Thus the = Way that=20 I fasted was going to have to change.

I thought hard about observing this fast because of Zekaryah = (Zechariah)=20 8:23:

"Thus said YHWH of hosts, =91In those days ten men from all languages = of the=20 nations (the Lost Ten Tribes/ Ephraim) shall take hold, yea, they shall = take=20 hold of the edge of a garment of a man (the tzitzit), saying, "Let us go = with=20 you, for we have heard that Elohim is with you."=92" (Zekaryah/ = Zechariah=20 8:23)

It sounded to me like this might be a reference to this day. Ephraim = is=20 reawakening to his and her Hebrew Roots. We are all turning to Messianic = Judah=20 (Your Arms To Israel) to learn about Messianic Jewish Ways, and = organizations=20 such as Brit-Am (Yair Davidy) are even paving the way for Orthodox Judah = to=20 re-embrace us as we come back to our brother Yahudah. The two thousand = years=20 (Hosea 6:2) of the YHWH=92s divorce against the house of Israel (the = Lost Ten=20 Tribes) (Hosea 2:2) is about over. Yahudah will soon be coming to know = Mashiach=20 Yahoshua, and Ephraim is returning to our inheritance in the Torah, and = in the=20 Land. The Day of Jezre=92el is coming nigh.

I thought that if it is written that I should go up to the Messianic = Jews and=20 take hold of their fringes, learning their ways, then perhaps I should = consider=20 this Fast of the Fifth Month. Though the prophesy is that Judah = (Yahudah) will=20 perform the fast, I thought it would be good to see what Judah does, = since we=20 are to go learn from them. After all, Yahoshua tells us that there are = certain=20 kinds of unclean spirits that do not go out, except by prayer and = fasting.=20 (Mattithyahu/ Matthew 17:21)

"But this kind (of unclean spirit) does not go out except by prayer = and=20 fasting." (Mattithyahu / Matthew 17:21.)

[Note: Although Yahoshua Himself tells us that some kinds of unclean = spirits=20 do not go out except by prayer and fasting (which is observance of = Jewish=20 tradition), this verse and some 18 others have been "conveniently" = removed from=20 some of the more modern translations, including the New International = Version.=20 This has been done to make the NIV consistent with the Greek mindset = that all we=20 need to do as Believers is to believe. The Greek approach is that all = you need=20 is belief, rather than the traditional Hebraic requirement of = "obeisance,"=20 meaning "belief that leads to obedience." "Belief that leads to = obedience" is=20 what Avraham, Moshe (Moses), Noach (Noah) and all the rest of the men in = Scripture had.]

The Fast of the Fifth Month had been proclaimed because of the = destruction of=20 the Temples. Since the Temple is very important, it seemed that I should = keep=20 it. Still, three days without water seemed like an awful lot. I was = hesitant to=20 make such a vow, because I know that once we do make a vow, we have to = go=20 through with it, and I was not sure how I would hold up for three days = with no=20 water.

The day to begin the fast was "fast" approaching. I had not decided = to commit=20 to it. I had had a blessed Shabbat at our new gathering place. I was = feeling=20 good, and then I arrived home after dark to check the answering machine, = only to=20 find out that a business deal that I badly needed to come together had = fallen=20 apart.

As a young Christian I was raised to believe that there were two = gods: "God"=20 and Satan. I was taught that if something bad happened in my life, that = it is=20 very likely the work of the Devil. I was taught to blame Satan, and = never to=20 analyze my own life, to figure out why I was receiving punishment or = correction.=20 I was taught to just assume that it was the work of the Devil, waging = war as he=20 is against God and the saints. But is that right?

"I am YHWH, and there is none else =96 there is no Elohim besides Me. = I gird=20 you, though you have not known Me, so that they know from the rising of = the sun=20 to its going down that there is none but Me. I am YHWH and there is none = else,=20 forming light and creating darkness, making peace and creating evil. I = YHWH do=20 all these." (Yeshayahu/ Isaiah 45:5-7)

When the Devil (haSatan Hillel, "the Shining One") wanted to afflict = Iyob=20 (Job), he had to go and get YHWH=92s permission first (Iyob/Job 1:6-13). = YHWH had=20 to let down the hedge (the Torah) around Iyob (Job) in order for haSatan = (the=20 Adversary) even to be able to afflict Job (Iyob/Job 1:10-12). Thus YHWH = is=20 ultimately in control.

When evil happens to us, we need to not just "blame the Devil," but = to check=20 ourselves, to see what it is that we may have to learn. Perhaps we are = being=20 punished, and perhaps we are only being tested, to strengthen us in our = faith.=20 YHWH allows Satan to try us, in order to test our faith, and to know = what is in=20 our hearts.

"And you shall remember that YHWH your Elohim led you all the way = these forty=20 years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove you, to know what is in = your=20 heart, whether you guard His commands or not." (Devarim/ Deuteronomy=20 8:2)

That remembrance is a command, so we really don=92t have too much = choice. And=20 further, although it is kind of out of context to quote it here, we also = know=20 that YHWH brings us into affliction to know what is in our hearts, and = to refine=20 us, as if in fire:

"And it shall be throughout all the soil," declares YHWH, "that two = thirds=20 therein are cut off and die, and one third is left therein. And I shall = bring=20 the third into fire, and refine them as silver is refined, and try them = as gold=20 is tried." (Zekaryah/ Zechariah 13:8-9)

When wrong happens to us, it is both for punishment, and for = learning. We are=20 not to consider it "the works of the Devil," for it is YHWH who allows = the Devil=20 to get at us, for His purposes. He is disciplining us, because there is=20 something that He wants us to learn.

"You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And you = have=20 forgotten the appeal which speaks to you as sons, =91My=20 son, do not despise the discipline of YHWH, nor faint when you are = reproved by=20 Him, for whom YHWH loves, He disciplines, and flogs every son whom He = receives.=92=20 If you endure discipline, Elohim is = treating you as=20 sons. For what son is there, whom a father does not discipline? But if = you are=20 without discipline, of which all have become sharers, then you are = illegitimate=20 and not sons." (Ivrim/ Hebrews 12:4-8) (Mishle/=20 Proverbs 3:11-12).

YHWH controls all. There is no thing in heaven or on earth that YHWH = does not=20 control. Therefore I knew that when the business deal had gone sour = after=20 Shabbat, it was somehow for YHWH=92s purposes, but what those purposes = were, I did=20 not know. Yet it did seem certain that there was a good lesson in this = for me to=20 learn if I could rise to the challenge, and figure out what it was. I = had to=20 figure out why I was being punished. I decided in that moment to = undertake the=20 fast of the fifth month, and I then took a vow to observe it.

Zekaryah 8:19 says that the fast shall be joyous, and so I did = whatever I=20 could think of to be joyous throughout the fast. I tried to remind = myself that I=20 was fasting because I am one of His chosen sons. I put on some uplifting = messianic music to take my mind off of my concerns. Despite all that, I = felt=20 worse during a fast than I ever have, because I knew that there was some = reason=20 YHWH allowed my business deal to fall apart. There was a lesson in this = for me=20 to learn, but I did not know what that was.

Fasting cleanses the system, but it also serves as a mild irritant to = the=20 body (especially when you fast without water). The stomach contracts. = The body=20 feels weak. It can become difficult to concentrate. Prayers are = oftentimes=20 reduced to unutterable groanings of the spirit, rocking back and forth, = a kind=20 of davening, almost like a heroin addict=92s rocking. It is something to = ease the=20 pain.

If our spirit suffers some form of discomfort, ordinarily-speaking we = can=20 ignore it. A well-fed body can find some means of compensating for = spiritual=20 discomfort. We can distract ourselves, turning to any number of means to = avoid=20 owning up to what is right there before us.

Our beings are experienced at ignoring spiritual discomforts in order = to=20 pursue after unrighteous mammon and the lusts and desires of the flesh. = The last=20 thing that the flesh wants to do is to acknowledge spiritual discomfort, = so it=20 finds some way to numb itself out to the pain. We eat. We smoke. We = drink=20 coffee. We take aspirin. We get nervous. We do anything but own up to = what the=20 voice of the Spirit has for us.

When we fast, we afflict the body. Nervous agitation that can = ordinarily be=20 covered up by some compulsory distraction (such as eating or drinking) = can not=20 be adequately masked during a fast, and now we have to deal with the = issues of=20 spiritual discomfort in some other way (such as meditation and prayer). = When we=20 fast, we can no longer ignore the issues that the spirit presents us = with quite=20 so well, because our system is weakened. Being unable to avoid these = spiritual=20 issues any longer, now we have to own up to them.

Our being likes to feel at peace. With the added physical affliction = of a=20 fast, it becomes all the more important to us that we are at peace with = Elohim.=20 By afflicting the body, it is as if we are "taking away the crutch" that = holds=20 up our spiritual anxieties. In order to feel at peace with ourselves, we = have to=20 deal with the issues that the Spirit has been trying to tell us, but = which we=20 have been able to ignore up to now.

Simply by making the vow to fast, we are saying "no" to distraction, = and are=20 saying "yes" to the Ruach haQodesh (the Set-Apart Spirit). We are = saying, "Yes,=20 I vow to be teachable, and to hear what the Spirit has to tell me. = Listening to=20 Elohim is far more important to me than my daily portion of food and = water right=20 now. Teach me, Father. Show me what I am ignorant of."

Prior to Shabbat, I had been giving tithe offerings to a = congregational=20 leader from India. His pleas for assistance seemed credible, and he = claimed to=20 have over 100 pastors in his congregation. He said he needed money for a = computer, money for an office, money for a motor scooter, money for = bicycles for=20 his people, etceteras. Being basically just an old softie, I put him up = fairly=20 high on my list of tithes and offerings.

Things progressed for some time. The man increased his requests for=20 assistance. He asked for books, Hebrew language materials, a tallith, = and more.=20 I sent them all to him. After three months of this, however, I began to = have=20 some doubts about him. The words he used were humble, but something in = his=20 communications was not spirit filled.

I had earlier mailed a package to the man with books and tapes and a = personal=20 check inside of it. The package had not arrived, and the congregational = leader=20 had been pushing at me to wire him the funds that the check would have=20 delivered. I sat at my desk, knowing that something was not quite right = with=20 this situation, and the Spirit spoke to me very clearly, soft and loving = and=20 clear as a bell: "This is from me. Do not send him anything more. Send = your=20 money to Brit-Am and the Temple Mount Faithful instead."

The voice from the Spirit was clearer than I had ever heard it. I was = very=20 happy. I called up my bank to cancel out the lost check, and then sat = down and=20 wrote out checks to the other organizations. I mailed the checks, and = then sent=20 out an email to the congregational leader in India, informing him = politely that=20 I would no longer be able to assist him, for that is what the Spirit = told me to=20 do. Situation solved.

I felt very good, for the situation had been resolved in accordance = with the=20 Spirit. I enjoyed a very good Shabbat. Then when I returned home to hear = that my=20 business deal had fallen apart, I was dumbfounded. What had I done = wrong? Was=20 YHWH punishing me for removing the congregation leader from my = tithes?

I felt weak. I began to second-guess myself, wondering if I had been = supposed=20 to continue giving to the man in India, despite adding Brit-Am and the = TMF to my=20 tithes. Feeling very confused I picked up my Scriptures, and turned=20 intentionally to the Beatitudes. There I read how we were supposed to = give to=20 every one that asks of us.

"But I say to you, do not resist the wicked. But whoever slaps you on = your=20 right cheek, turn the other to him also. And he, who wishes to sue you = and take=20 away your inner garment, let him have your outer garment as well. And = whoever=20 compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of = you, and=20 from him who wishes to borrow from you, do not turn away." (Mattithyahu/ = Matthew=20 6:39-42)

I usually give away so much that I find myself having a hard time = making ends=20 meet by the end of the month, but vowed that if I was being punished of = YHWH,=20 then I had to find some way to give more. It was such a quandary. The = spirit had=20 been so clear: "This is from me. Do not send him anything more. Send = your money=20 to Brit-Am and to the Temple Mount Faithful instead." That is what I had = done.

I had done what the Spirit had told me to do, but here it was that I = was=20 being punished! How could that be? What had I done wrong?

I could only imagine that I must have misunderstood the voice of the = Spirit.=20 Perhaps the Spirit meant that I was supposed to give additional money to = the=20 Temple Mount Faithful and to Brit-Am? The thing is that I usually give = away all=20 that I believe I will have as excess at the very start of the month, and = so by=20 the end of the month I have a hard time getting together money even for=20 groceries. There have been many months where I have ended the last week = of the=20 month or so either in fasting, or else eating emergency rations out of = sacks.=20 There just is not a lot of money hanging around by the end of the = month.

I was in agony. I did not want to disobey the voice of the Spirit, = yet I did=20 not want to disobey the Beatitudes either. I vowed to undertake the = fast.

When the first day of the week came ("moon day"), I transferred funds = from a=20 credit card to my checking account, and then wrote out a check to the=20 congregational leader in India. I went to the Post Office and sent it = out to=20 him, express mail. Already on day two of the fast, I tried to keep a = smile on my=20 face with the local postman, but I was unable. I felt weak and confused. = I=20 prayed continuously that YHWH would forgive me if I was doing the wrong = thing. I=20 felt that, since I was unsure of what to do then surely it was better to = err on=20 the side of Scripture? Surely YHWH would forgive me for erring on the = side of=20 kindness.

Yet I was in fear of YHWH. What would happen if giving money to the = man=20 turned out to be the wrong thing? Would YHWH not punish me for = disobeying His=20 voice? And yet I thought I was already being punished, and how could I = disobey=20 Scripture? It was all so confusing.

I kept praying and fasting. I felt awful. I knew in my heart that one = way or=20 another I was wrong, just as Iyob (Job) had been wrong in the end. I had = to find=20 out what I had done wrong, and atone for it. I kept on fasting, praying = and=20 staying awake as much as I could.

I received a letter seemingly out of nowhere from a Rebbetzin in the = Union,=20 telling me that she had seen a reference to the congregation leader on = the web=20 site. She told me that she could not sign up with the group if we = sponsored him,=20 because she had had some horrific experiences with him in the past. I = asked her=20 to clarify. She gave me some details from her story, which sounded very = similar=20 to mine. She forwarded information from a Protestant pastor who had = found his=20 representations to be fraudulent. She further informed me that this = congregation=20 leader from India had even threatened a lawsuit against another minister = for=20 some alleged non-specific "problem."

The Rebbetzin said that after she had finally cut the man from her = tithes=20 that she and others in her congregation had come under an intense = spiritual=20 attack. Several people had become ill. One man lost his job. Another was = demoted. Everyone in the congregation suffered in one fashion or = another. She=20 suspected the congregation leader of witchcraft.

I wrote to some acquaintances of mine, asking if they had had any = experience=20 with the congregation leader in question. One friend wrote me back right = away,=20 saying that the man was big trouble, and not to deal with him any more. = That=20 testimony made a total of four witnesses, five including myself. I = picked up the=20 telephone and called my bank, issuing a stop payment on the check, and = then=20 transferred the funds back to my credit card account. This was the = afternoon of=20 day three of the fast. I finally had definite resolution to my problem. = For the=20 first time during the fast over the destruction of the Temple, I felt=20 joyous!

At last I understood! I had indeed heard the voice of the Ruach quite = clearly, but then when I had come under spiritual attack, I began to = doubt=20 myself. This had been a test from YHWH, the purpose of which was to get = me=20 familiar with the voice of the Spirit, so that in the future I will know = His=20 voice, and know to obey the Ruach regardless of other circumstances or = spiritual=20 conflict.

Our father Avraham obeyed the voice of the Spirit even when it would = have=20 cost him his son. Avraham knew the voice and trusted it that much. I did = not=20 meet up to that standard this time, because I perceived a conflict = between=20 Scripture and the voice of the Spirit. I flunked the test, but I = graduated the=20 class. Next time I shall know better. Halleluyah for schooling and = disciplining=20 me!

I was confused because what had seemed "right" to my logical, = rational mind=20 was different than what the Spirit told me to do. By my logic I had = voided out=20 the commandment of YHWH, justifying my actions by means of Scripture. = Yet we=20 know that even the Devil can use Scripture for his purposes. We can even = twist=20 Scripture to our own destruction [2 Kefa (Peter) 3:16].

Then I remembered that I had been praying for the past couple of = weeks that=20 YHWH would teach me how to hear His voice more clearly, so that I would = know=20 what to do in all situations. I had also been praying for better=20 self-discipline. What I received within about two weeks=92 time was an = opportunity=20 to learn what His voice sounds like, and the opportunity to discipline = myself to=20 obey it. He gave me my lesson in the form of a test. Not only that, but = He gave=20 me a good object lesson on what kinds of things we Israelites can learn = from=20 Yahudah, by learning to observe those "Jewish" customs and traditions = that do=20 not transgress the Torah.

It is said that YHWH never gives us more than we can handle. In my = own=20 personal experience, that is true. He may give us a lot, but He is there = for us.=20 He answers our prayers, and so we must be very careful what we pray for, = because=20 we are quite likely to get that answer, even though we may not recognize = it when=20 it comes.

I have asked for clarity into my failure to obey His voice. The word = that=20 came to me was that I am too much in to "man pleasing," and that I seek = the=20 esteem of men, rather than of Elohim. Further, I have been a respecter = of=20 persons. Now that I have clarity on that issue, I will be praying for = help from=20 YHWH to learn to esteem Elohim rather than men, and for help in learning = not to=20 be a respecter of persons. We=92ll see what happens!

Just as the Pharisees misinterpreted the "Old" covenant Scripture = (the=20 Tanach) because they did not utilize the gift of the Spirit, I have also = learned=20 that it is possible to misinterpret the "New" covenant Scripture (the = Ketuvim=20 Nazarene, the Nazarene Writings) by not listening to the Spirit. Even if = we have=20 the very best of intentions, when we use Scripture to justify ignoring = the Word=20 of the Spirit, we are begging for trouble.

I have been accustomed to the idea that we can misinterpret and = misapply the=20 Torah when we do not have the gift of the Ruach haQodesh (the Set-Apart = Spirit),=20 but this was new to me that we can misapply the Beatitudes when we = ignore the=20 voice of the Spirit. What a sin! I am praying for deliverance from any = further=20 mistakes of this sort.

"Then Shemu=92el (Samuel) said, "Does YHWH delight in burnt offerings = and=20 slaughterings, as in obeying the voice of YHWH? Look, to obey is better = than an=20 offering; to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1 Shemu=92el / = Samuel=20 15:22)

I have every confidence that YHWH will answer my prayers.

 

 

Norman B. Willis
Email: nwillis@regathering.com
We= b Site:=20 www.regathering.com

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