Shalom everyone!
I hope and pray that this post finds you all well! I have been thinking of you all even though the blog has been rather silent (sorry!). But at least it's only been a little over a month since the last blog post, so, yeah, it could have been worse...
I'm going to try and write a short post everyday until Shavuot *breaths deeply*. During these days of counting the Omer, it's a wonderful time to really press in in our relationship with our Heavenly Father and Saviour, and broaden our knowledge and vision of the coming Kingdom, our role to play as children of the King, and encouragement to live our lives in holiness and godliness so that we would be found blameless on the day of His coming.
Yeshua spent the days during the Omer, while He was still on earth, teaching His disciples about the Kingdom of God. And that teaching resulted in action being taken by God's people to hasten the day through their prayers and their actions. At the moment, there is a major historic event taking place in the world, one that has NEVER happened in all the history of the world. Starting yesterday, 5 million Christians have committed to a 21 day fast and prayer for Israel, the people of Israel, and for us from the nations, crying out to God to prepare our hearts to receive His Spirit and that we would all know our roles that we ought to play, as Christians and as Jews, and for our group, that fall somewhere in between (I'm still not exactly sure what to call myself - anyone else have that problem? Lol). Each of the people participating have committed to praying for Israel and God's guidance for His people for one hour every day, and fasting what they can, whether it be food, or sweets, or social media, etc.
Nothing like this has ever happened, and it's so excited! This doesn't mean to say that everyone has the ''picture'' or keeps the Torah, but everyone is gathering together with one accord, and I believe that Abba will reveal to each of us what the truth is, and change our path dramatically in the next few weeks as we enter into Shavuot. The Bible promises us that if we press in and seek the truth, we will find it. Even though we don't all share the same views on everything yet, or see eye-to-eye on all topics, we are all turning to our Father in unity, seeking His Face, and His mercy, and I am sure He will see and He will hear and act for His great Name's sake.
We may not all agree on everything. But let's not let our differences and our pride and arrogance keep us from loving each other as brothers and equal heirs of the Good Promise He has given us. The second Temple was destroyed due to the fact that the people of the Lord could not respect each other and work together in love. Instead, they hated each other to the extent that they persecuted one another. The enemy then had a full victory over them. Let us not do the same! We can disagree and still respect each other's view. We can chose to love without manipulating each other. Let us turn to Abba, the Perfecter of Faith. Let's draw close to Him, putting down all our own thoughts and ideas on what's righteous and right, and for a change, let's humbly come and sit at His feet, and just listen. He will answer us. He will tell us how to proceed together as one big family in Him.
In these coming weeks, let's pray together that He will raise up godly leaders for us, like those that were there at first, the Jerusalem Council. Let us pray that He will not forget His promises to Israel, because they have been trusted to safeguard the Word, and because if He doesn't keep His promises to them, then we are to be most pitied among men for believing in something false. Let us pray that He will empty our vessels of every ''me'' so that we can be completely ready to receive the pure Spirit and His download, and not have it mixed with all our vanities and pride, so that we can draw water with joy from the wells of salvation and fulfil our calling as His adopted and chosen people. We're here to follow our Master, not tell Him how we think it should be done. And He is faithful to reveal to us what His will is, if we are fully committed to Him.
I know it's not always easy. He knows that too, and gives us His grace to walk in His Light, even though we fall. But we have to stop this passiveness that we've all adopted, even and especially in our young people, the next generation to carry the light on down the road. We need to get passionate about the Kingdom and stop being luke-warm in this area. Press in.
Abba, we come to You in humility and remember Your Words to Your people. Abba, we want to be a part of Your plan for the salvation of the world. Forgive us for our passiveness in all things relating to You. Help us to be open to hear Your Voice and show us what You want of us in these last days. Give us the vision, give us the passion for You and Your Word, give us the strength to take action to change the world through just changing us, changing our homes, changing our communities, with one good act, one kind word, choosing to love instead of snap, and focus on You instead of all those around us doing everything ''wrong'', and see the good in them. Lead us in Your mercy, Abba, and please, in Your abundant lovingkindness, forgive us for the blood we have on our hands, the blood of Your people, whom we have persecuted for no reason over 2000 years, and for the blood of those we have harmed through our words and pride. Help us to love one another unconditionally, and surrender our lives to You fully. Show us Your plan in these days leading up to Shavuot, and please, pour out Your Spirit on us, as You promised in Your Word, that the second outpouring will be greater than the first. Prepare our vessels. Spread Your peace over us. And enlighten our hearts in Your Torah and Word. In Yeshua's Mighty Name. Amen.
Let us bombard the altar in Heaven with the sweet incense of our prayers as never before seen in history! Many blessings to you all as you press in closer to Him! Your prayers are as sweet incense in His presence. Don't be discouraged!
''But if we hope for what we do not see, then we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. In the same way, the Ruach helps in our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Ruach Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Ruach, because He intercedes for the kedoshim according to the will of God.'' Romans 8:25-27
''Let love be without hypocrisy - detesting what is evil, holding fast to what is good. Be tenderly devoted to one another in brotherly love; outdo one another in giving honor. Do not be lagging in zeal; be fervent in spirit. Keep serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, enduring in distress, persisting in prayer, contributing to the needs of the kedoshim, extending hospitality. Bless those who persecute you - bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be proud, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Repay no one evil for evil; give thought to what is good in the eyes of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in shalom with all people... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'' Romans 12:9-18, 21
''But we have this treasure in jars of clay, so that the surpassing greatness of the power may be from God and not from ourselves.'' 2 Corinthians 4:7
''Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden incense burner. He was given much incense to offer up along with the prayers of all the kedoshim upon the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the kedoshim, rose before God from the angel's hand.'' Revelation 8:3-4
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