Posts Tagged ‘repent’

Elul 1, 5779 – Teshuvah Day 1 (9/1/19)

Posted: August 31, 2019 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Every day for 40 days of Teshuvah the 27th Psalm is read aloud.

First of all, what is Teshuvah? Teshuvah is a 40 day season of time for introspection, judging yourself. It begins Elul 1 and ends Yom Kippur  (Day of Atonement). The last 10 days are known as The Days of Awe. This year the Biblical calendar and the Gregorian Calendar totally align the days of the month of September and Elul! I believe that God is bringing us into a special time of alignment and of really preparing for these last of the Last Days.

The Hebrew root for Teshuvah is shuv, number  H7725 in the Strong’s Concordance and it means to return, to turn back, to restore, to cause to return. Spiritually speaking it is turning back to God. He never changes and if you feel distant from Him it is because you have distanced yourself by your own desires and choices in life. It is now an open portal to return to the Lord. For everything there is a season – and this is the season of what some call, an open heaven. Not for what we can get from God, but coming back to our First Love. The Passion Translation of Revelation 2:4 reads, “But I have this against you: you have abandoned the passionate love you had for me at the beginning.” Do you have that passionate love and joy you had when you first came to Jesus? Why? He has not changed. Just like the Ephesians, we have gotten too busy with good things.

Jeremiah 24:7, ‘Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return (shuv) to Me with their whole heart.

One of my favorite Jewish Roots teachers is Perry Stone. He calls this the season to prepare spiritually, financially and emotionally.  https://perrystone.org/40-days-of-teshuvah/

I woke very early this morning, feeling empty and I realized that I have been looking forward to this “special open heaven season” for the past month, anticipating the time of coming back to the Lord with my whole heart! I am ready to drop off the ‘sins’ that have so easily ensnared me – namely the sin of busyness. My priorities were not in order.

The Passion Translation of Hebrews 12:1 reads, “As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us.”

Prayer:  Jesus, I need Your help. Lord, help me come back to the passionate love I had for You in the beginning. Help me to let go of all the distractions and offences that harden my heart and cause my ears to be dull. Bring my life back into alignment with Your perfect will, In Jesus Name, Amen.

Teshuvah – Day 18 (9/8/17)

Posted: September 8, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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  1. Psalm 27:6, “And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.”

Praising God is a choice!!!

The first use of sing in this passage is the Hebrew word shiyr (sheer) and it is used to ‘sing to honor someone’.

The first usage of shiyr in the Bible is in Exodus 15 after Yahweh parted the Red Sea and their enemies were drowned. They sang in honor of their Protector and Defender God.

The second use of sing in this passage is the Hebrew word zamar and it is a primitive word that carries the meaning ‘to pluck with fingers’. This use of sing is from praises using instruments. It also means ‘to dance’.

The first instance that zamar is used in the Bible is Judges 5:3 with Deborah and Barak, “”Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, [even] I, will sing (shiyr) to the LORD; I will sing praise (zamar) to the LORD God of Israel.”

No matter what circumstance you find yourself in today, CHOOSE to sing praises to God in song, instrument and/or dance. He is so worthy of our praise!

I remember 2 weeks ago as 3 inches of water poured in from under all the doors from the 23 inches of rain that evening. I stood there and the song from Bethel began to rise in my heart, “It Is Well”.  “Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You. Through it all, through it all it is well…………” When we really need it, what we have hidden in our heart will either deliver us or bring us down.

As for Ken and I in our house, we will serve the Lord. It is a choice we made long ago and have never regretted that decision.

 

Teshuvah – Day 17 (9/7/17)

Posted: September 7, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Psalm 27:7, “Hear, O LORD, [when] I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me”

History records Elul 17 to be a day to cry out for mercy.

Traditionally, it was the day that the 10 spies that returned from the Promised Land with an evil report died of a plague.  (Numbers 14:37)

In 1935 Nazi Germany passed the Nuremberg Laws, a set of racist policies directed primarily against Jews. The Nazis blamed the Jews for poverty, unemployment, and the loss of World War I. Jews were banned from any professional jobs and Jewish stores were boycotted. Anyone with even one Jewish grandparent was stripped of German citizenship, with no basic rights. Within 10 years, the Nazi genocidal machine had swept through eastern Europe, leaving 6 million Jews murdered.

Today the Jews are being blamed for many things, history is again repeating itself.

Psalm 83 reads like the daily newspaper: God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, And don’t be still, God. For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads. They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones. “Come,” they say, “and let’s destroy them as a nation, That the name of Yisra’el may be remembered no more.”For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you. (HNV)

The alliance listed are the “Arab Confederacy”.

  • Edom: Southern Jordan and Palestinian refugees
  • Ishmaelites: Saudi Arabia
  • Moab: Central Jordan and Palestinian refugees
  • Hagrites: Egypt
  • Gebal: Northern Lebanon
  • Ammon: Northern Jordan and Palestinian refugees
  • Amalek: The Negev and Sinai Peninsula areas
  • Philistia: The Gaza Strip and Hamas
  • Tyre: Southern Lebanon and Hezbollah
  • Assyria: Syria and Northern Iraq

Teshuvah – Day 14 (9/4/17)

Posted: September 4, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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We are now 2 weeks into the 40 days. That may not mean time much to you, unless you are fasting something or some foods for these 40 days. I have found after 14 days that I don’t miss those things the same as I did in the first few days. I choose to stay with this for the next 16 days and then intensify the fast for the last 10 days, which are the Ten Days of Awe. More about that when we come to it. If you have not chosen to fast, you may ask God if there is a ‘time waster’ He would like you to put down as these next 26 days of Teshuvah continue, ending on Yom Kippur.

Psalm 27:5, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”

Rock– tsuwr (tsur) rock or cliff, rock of God

The first place we find tsuwr in the Bible is Exodus 17:6, where the Hebrew children were without water and thought they would die of thirst in the Wilderness. Water to satisfy the thirst of the entire nation was found in that rock. That rock actually ‘followed’ them and satisfied the nation’s thirst for 40 years!!! I Corinthians 10:3-4 reveals ‘they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah.’

The second place we find tsuwr in the Bible is Exodus 33:21-22. Moses was on Mt Sinai for the 2nd set of 40 days seeking atonement for the nation for the Golden Calf incident. Moses wanted to see God’s glory, but Yahweh showed Moses His goodness. He told Moses “And the LORD said, Behold, [there is] a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:”

Deuteronomy 32:4 praises Yahweh, “[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he.”

A marvelous little book called His Names Are Wonderful by Elizabeth L Vander Meulen and Barbara D Malda shares on page 135 about The Rock, HaTzur. “The expression, ‘like the rock of Gibraltar’ has come to mean something or someone that is impressive, dependable, steady, or immovable. God is our rock-solid place. Firmly plant your feet on The Rock and you will not be moved, no matter what storms of life come crashing your way.”

Teshuvah – Day 13 (9/3/17)

Posted: September 3, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Psalm 27:5, “For in the time (day) of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”

Our 3 places of safety in the ‘day’ or ‘time’ of trouble are pavilion, tabernacle and rock. Yesterday we remembered how Yahweh was so faithful in the Wilderness for 40 years, remembering their inhabitation of ‘pavilion’, tents.

TABERNACLE:

  • First we must remember that the Tabernacle is a ‘secret place’, not open to strangers. It was a place of ‘hiding’, a place of safety
  • In the Wilderness, the Tabernacle was a tent that housed the presence of Yahweh, where God might dwell among His people. It is described in Exodus 26 and 36-40. The entire last part of Exodus recalls the building of the dwelling place for God in the Wilderness.
  • Ohel, comes from the root ‘ahal‘, which means ‘shineth‘. The glory of God would be in the Tabernacle, and when the glory cloud moved they moved. When the glory cloud stopped they stopped. The entire nation was camped around the presence of God and there they found their safety.

The safest place is in God’s presence! But we have a life here on this earth we must live out, so we go into His presence in the morning, and then carry His presence with us throughout the day.

Matthew 7:24 tells us, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock (25) Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”

The Word tells us that it ‘rains on the just and the unjust’ (Matthew 5:25). In this Hurricane Harvey and TS Harvey we see this happen again and again. Some of the best pastors in our area lost everything in their home, some had incredible damage in their churches. Plus the loss of income for so many will affect the church finances. But one thing I learned, those who trust in the Lord for their help will dig deep into the roots of Truth and come out stronger. The Rock is Jesus, and He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is faithful, the author and finisher of our faith. Amen and Amen.

Teshuvah – Day 10 (8/31/17)

Posted: August 31, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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ONE THING  

One of the people who has most affected my life is Dr. Billye Brim of Prayer Mountain in the Osarks. One of her main assignments in these last days is to prepare the people to pray for the Second Coming of the Lord. When her prayer group was meeting to pray about the 2008 elections, the Word of the Lord came through Billye:

One thing will save America.
And it is NOT the election.
It is an awakening to God!
One thing will help Israel and the nations.
It is an awakening to God.

American Standard Version of Psalm 27:4 reads, “One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple.”

That still stands today. ONE THING is not a bank, a doctor, a president, not any one person or system. Our hope must be in our Lord Jesus Christ and understand our responsibility to the authority He gave the Body of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20.

Remember, what you look at the longest becomes the strongest. Look to Adonai, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He will save us. He will complete the good work He has begun in us and perfect all that concerns us.

Teshuvah 5777 – Day 4 (8/25/17)

Posted: August 25, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Sometimes I like to read different translations in my devotion times and the Message Bible is so rich in the wording for Psalm 27. Read this aloud to yourself today, especially those who are in the path of Hurricane Harvey on the West Gulf Coast. The worst thing you can do is sit and listen to the 10 spies report and build your fears. Use wisdom in all things, but trust God and don’t be afraid.

Remember, faith comes by hearing and your voice will impact your faith more than anyone else can.

PSALM 27 (MESSAGE BIBLE TRANSLATION)

Light, space, zest- that’s God! So with him on my side I’m fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged, I’m calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I’m collected and cool. I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: to live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, the perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic. God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down. I’m headed for his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof!  Already I’m singing God-songs; I’m making music to God. Listen, God, I’m calling at the top of my lungs; “Be good to me! Answer me!” When my heart whispered, “Seek God,” my whole heart replied, “I’m seeking him!” Don’t hide from me now! You’ve always been right there for me; don’t turn yor back on me now. Don’t throw me out, don’t abandon me; you’ve always kept the door open. My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in. Point me down your highways, God; direct me along the well-lighted street; show my enemies whose side you’re on. Don’t throw me to the dogs, those liars who are out to get me, filling the air with their threats. I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don’t quit. I’ll say it again: Stay with God.

Elul 1, 5777 – Teshuvah Day 1 (8/22/17)

Posted: August 22, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Every day for 40 days of Teshuvah the 27th Psalm is read aloud.

First of all, what is Teshuvah? Teshuvah is a 40 day season of time for introspection, judging yourself. It begins Elul 1 and ends Yom Kippur  (Day of Atonement). The last 10 days are known as The Days of Awe.

I believe this year, with all the prophetic End Time signs, is a urgent time to cleanse ourselves and stand in the gap for our nation and Israel like never before. I encourage you to read Psalm 24:1-6 today as we begin the 40 day Season of Teshuvah (repentance) for ourselves first, then our nation.

The Hebrew root for Teshuvah is shuv, number  H7725 in the Strong’s Concordance and it means to return, to turn back, to restore, to cause to return. Spiritually speaking it is turning back to God. He never changes and if you feel distant from Him it is because you have distanced yourself by your own desires and choices in life. It is now an open portal to return to the Lord.

Jeremiah 24:7, ‘Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return (shuv) to Me with their whole heart.

I am in Washington, DC and was able to view 81% of the Teshuvah Eclipse yesterday from a sidewalk café on Pennsylvania Ave. It was beautiful! But you needed glasses to view the beauty of the eclipse. Without glasses you would just see the sun and not realize it was not shining in fullness. That is way you need to look at yourself these next 40 days, with your spiritual glasses. Look at yourself through God’s lenses. Hear what He is saying, may your heart be sensitive and yielding to Holy Spirit as He leads us into these 40 days of Teshuvah (Repentance) so we can stand in the gap for our family and nation as Moses did when he went up the mountain 40 days for the second time to repent for the national sin of the Golden Calf.

As the eclipse was ending, I thought to take use my SkyView app on my iPhone and see the heavenly alignment. Below is the photo of this amazing alignment.

Teshuvah eclipse 2017 skyviewBeginning at the left below the back feet of Leo is Mercury. In Hebrew it is called KOCHAV, the Sun Star, Messenger Star.

At the bottom of his front paw, barely seen except the outline, is the Moon. It is fully black since it is the last day of the Hebraic month. In Hebrew the moon is called LEVENAH, or the White One. The Moon has no light in itself, but only is a reflection of the Sun.

Next the bright star is the Sun, which is called in Hebrew CHAMAH, the Hot One. This is believed to represent Jacob (Israel)  who was the father of the twelve tribes. (Genesis 37:9-10) When Joseph had the dream about the Sun, Moon and 11 Stars bowing down to him, his father immediately interpreted it to be himself, Rachel and the other 11 brothers of Joseph.

To the right is Mars, which is called in Hebrew Ma’adim, the Red One. This planet is known as the ‘mysterious red planet’. It is recognized by the Romans and Greeks as the planet of war and historically when it is ‘clearly’ seen, war breaks out on earth.

The Sun and Moon are over the ‘King Star’ in the Heavens, called by the ancient name of Regulus, which is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, the Lion from the Tribe of Judah. Regulus means ‘treading underfoot’. Leo in the heavenly storybook of Jesus from first coming to second coming is the last book, telling of “The Lion of the Tribe of Judah aroused for the rending of the prey”.

Psalm 19 reads, “The Heavens declare the glory of the Lord.” Prophet Johnny Enlow had a message on ElijahList.com August 15, 2017:  “The Heavens are SHOUTING About the Great American Eclipse.” This was an amazing heavenly alignment of the planets with the earth to bring the Church into position. I have a voice calling the Church to FALL IN, get in place, In the US Navy they would call “All hands on deck”.

This is not a drill! Our Commander and King, Jesus Christ, Lord of the Angel Armies is calling us to CLOSE RANKS!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40 Days of Teshuvah – Day 17 (9/1/15)

Posted: September 1, 2015 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Psalm 27:6, “And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.”

Praising God is a choice!!! And it is also coming in the “opposite spirit”. Pray for those who persecute you, love your enemies, forgive them who hurt you. WHAT? That is not the norm today. We live in an era of Me, selfishness. 2 Timothy 3 tells us what days we are living in, perilous times, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,….” In the days we are living in right now, we need to come in the opposite spirit of each of these.  Coming in the opposite spirit would be to praise God to whom all blessings flow! Praise Him for who He is, for the goodness He has given you in your life.

The first use of sing in this passage is the Hebrew word shiyr (sheer) and it is used to ‘sing to honor someone’.

The first usage of shiyr in the Bible is in Exodus 15 after Yahweh parted the Red Sea and their enemies were drowned. They sang in honor of their Protector and Defender God.

The second use of sing in this passage is the Hebrew word zamar and it is a primitive word that carries the meaning ‘to pluck with fingers’. This use of sing is from praises using instruments. It also means ‘to dance’.

The first instance that zamar is used in the Bible is Judges 5:3 with Deborah and Barak, “”Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, [even] I, will sing (shiyr) to the LORD; I will sing praise (zamar) to the LORD God of Israel.”

No matter what circumstance you find yourself in today, CHOOSE to sing praises to God in song, instrument and/or dance. He is so worthy of our praise!

Elul 19, 5772 – Teshuvah Day 19 (9/6/12)

Posted: September 6, 2012 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Psalm 27:7, Hear, O LORD, [when] I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. (8) [When You said], “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

These verses remind me of the prophet Habakkuk, who was crying out to God in the times much like we are living in right now. The first verses of Habakkuk, word are used to cry out to God “Why”….see trouble…. plundering…. violence….. strife….. contention arises….. law is powerless… justice never goes forth…. wicked surround the righteous,…perverse judgment proceeds.

Habakkuk’s problem is where he was seeking, where his eyes were looking.  The things in Judah were going from bad to worse and he was discouraged and losing hope because he was looking at the things on the earth.

God’s answer was found in 2:4b, “But the just shall live by his faith.” Once Habakkuk corrected his vision, and looked to God he ended the chapter with singing and dancing.

Habakkuk was part of the Levitical choir, “with my stringed instruments” (3:19).  Verses 17-19 are sung as a hymn, proclaiming that no matter what it looks like in the natural we will rejoice and praise God! We choose to trust, we choose to live by faith.”

Don Moen sings these verses beautifully http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijh_f7sTdGE

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