Independence

A dear friend of mine sent me the following texts:

Dependence births the Spirit of YAHWEH in us while independence births the spirit of the devil…

Everything comes down to whether we do things dependent on YAHWEH or if we are going to act independently of YAHWEH.

 

This is REALLY DEEP!  Independence = pride.  YHVH HATES pride.  Pride is one of the roots of all sin!

 

Come Out of Her My People

The title of this post is the same title as a book I have which is written by CJ Koster.  In it, he discusses the many ways that paganism by way of Babylon has made its way into the lives of todays believers.

As I began writing this post, I was listening to an online radio show by a man who sees this completely.  He warns… has been warning for years.  Even to the point of receiving death threats for what he says.  Yet still people do not take heed.

There are so many ways for us to “Come Out” of Babylon.  The obvious ones are often preached, although less and less as time marches on.  I firmly believe that following our Creator, YHVH, and His instructions, will bring us out as well as bring us much protection… including in the coming times of tribulation, which seem to be very near.

In the book of Revelation (12:17 and 14:12), those who have faith in the Messiah AND keep the commandments are singled out twice and the book closes with a similar emphasis on keeping His commands also in chapter 22 verse 14.  We also know from the prophetic books of Scripture that we will be keeping His instructions during the millennium because they prophecy about people who are eating the abominations of swine and mouse and also of people keeping the Feast of Tabernacles and the New Moon.

So how do these things protect us?

First of all, we are promised blessings if we obey and curses if we do not at the initial point when the commands are given.  If you read all throughout the Torah (the first five books) you will see this.

But beyond that…  if we are eating only what our Creator has determined to be food, we will be protected from many diseases that come from pork, shellfish, and other unclean animals. I have also come to the conclusion that gm0 is not food.  Some of it is pesticides disguised as food and some of it has unclean animals inserted into the dna.  In fact, non-organic rice and a new non-organic wheat have human dna inserted into them.  Do your research!  This man I was listening to said that if people understood the mutagenic property of gm0, there is no way they would eat it.  Did you know that if you eat gm0 c0rn ONCE it will go into your dna and your gut and become a part of you and continue to change you?  I know I ingested this toxin for years before I was aware of that.  I believe the only way to undo this is to repent and beg the Creator to remove this abominable organism from our bodies, for there is nothing we can do in our own power to remove it once we have allowed it in.

People will think you are paranoid, they will tell you that you are taking things too far, that you are not trusting YHVH…  but I believe our Father feels very strongly about what we put into our mouth and our body.  The first commandment ever broken by Eve had to do with eating.  God’s people were given very specific instructions regarding what to eat.  And He does not change.  Why would He want us to now carelessly consume pesticides and mutagenic properties because they are cheaper, more convenient, they taste better or for any other reason?

Here is a quote from the Weston Price page

If genetically modified organisms (GM0s) are not yet on your radar screen, go to www. GeneticRoulette.com for a full presentation. Here is a teaser of what you’ll find: The only human feeding study on GM0s ever conducted showed that genes “jumped” from GM soy into the DNA of human intestinal bacteria and continued to function. That means that long after you stop eating GM soy, you may still have GM proteins produced continuously inside of you. (What if the pesticide-producing “Bt” gene found in GM corn chips were also to jump? It might transform our intestinal flora into living pesticide factories—possibly for the long term.) Most offspring of mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks (compared to a 10 percent death rate in the non-GM soy group). Similarly, when a lab switched to rat feed with GM soy, most of the offspring at the facility died within two weeks. Studies with mice also show reproductive problems. Mice fed GM soy had altered sperm cells and the DNA of their embryos acted differently. Hundreds of farm workers complain of allergic reactions when touching GM cotton. After sheep grazed on GM cotton plants after harvest, about one in four died; about 10,000 deaths in one region in India. Farmers on three continents say their livestock became sterile, sick or died, after eating GM corn varieties.

So, one area of protection will come from what we eat… or don’t eat.

Next, observing His days – Sabbath and the Feasts.  I have heard from several different source in various circles that persecution will begin in todays modern churches.  Those who are removing themselves from these places will be protected from this.  In addition, I believe those who honor HIS days will also be protected by Him.  Those who understand the Messianic meaning of His days, their fulfillment and their significance for the future will be watching and aware in ways that others are not.  We are told by our Messiah that if we are awake and watching, THAT Day will not surprise us like a thief.

1 Thess 5:4 “But you, brethren are not in darkness that that day will overtake you as a thief.”

Rev 3:3 ” Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast and repent.  If therefore you will not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you will NOT know what I come up on you.”

And the third area of protection will be from deception.

1 John 3:24-4:6 And the one guarding His commands stays in Him, and He in him.  And by this we know that He stays in us, by the Spirit which He gave us.  Beloved ones, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of Elohim, became many false prophets have gone out into the world.  (false prophets are defined in Deuteronomy as those who teach against the commands of YHVH and whose prophecies do not come true) Every spirit that confesses that Yeshua the Messiah has come in the flesh is of Elohim, and every spirit that does not confess that Yeshua the Messiah has come in the flesh is not of Elohim.  And this is the spirit of the anti-messiah which you heard is coming and now is already in the world.  You are of Elohim, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  They are of the world, therefore they speak as of the world and the world hears them. We are of Elohim – the one knowing Elohim hears us.  He who is not of Elohim does not hear us.  By this (who hears us and who doesn’t) we know the Spirit of the Truth and the spirit of the delusion.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-13…let no one deceive you in an way, because the falling away is to come first, and the man of lawlessness is to be revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god or that is worshipped, so that he sits as god in the dwelling place of god, showing himself that he is god….and now you know what restrains, for him to be revealed in his time.  For the secret of lawlessness is already at work, only until he who now restrains come out of the midst.  And THEN the lawless one will be revealed, (whom the Master shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and bring to naught with the manifestation of His coming.)  The coming of, is according to the working of satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not receive the love of the TRUTH, in order for them to be saved.  And for this reason, God sent them a working of delusion, for them to believe the falsehood, in order that all should be judged who did not believe the truth, but have delighted in the unrighteousness.

Matthew 24:12ff and because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many shall become cold.  But he who shall have endured to the end shall be saved.  and this good news of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations and THEN the end shall come.  So when you see the abomination that lays waste (spoken of by Daniel the prophet,) set up in the set apart place – he who reads, let him understand – THEN let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take whatever out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not turn back to get his garments. and woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing children in those days.  And pray that your flight does not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.  For then there shall be great distress such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be.  And if those days were not shortened no flesh would be saved, but for the sake of the chosen ones those days shall be shortened. If any then says to you, look here is the messiah or there, do not believe.  For false messiahs and false prophets shall arise and they shall show greats signs and wonders so as to lead astray if possible even the chosen ones…

Scripture tells us that in the last days the Spirit of YHVH will be poured out  in special ways, causing visions and dreams and prophecies.  I believe this same Spirit will enable His people to have supernatural discernment and wisdom in all kinds of situations.  Regarding who to trust, where to go, how to prepare, etc.

I hope and trust that you are mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared for what may come.  I firmly believe it is near and even knocking at the door.

Gluten Free Matzo

We found a great recipe for making your own gluten free matzo and not only is it delicious, it’s also simple to make.  Here is the recipe:

• 1 cup all purpose Gluten-free flour*
• 1/2 cup oat flour (or almond meal flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3-5 Tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 450.  Using a mixer, mix the flours and salt.  Slowly add in the liquid while pulsing.  If it is too dry, add water by the 1/2 teaspoonful to get it wet enough to form a ball, but not sticky.

Form a ball with the dough and pat out onto a clean counter dusted with gluten free flour.  Pat with your fingers to flatten and roll gently to make it thin like a cracker. Cut out desired shape, lift with spatula onto baking sheet or stone.  Prick each one with a fork, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle sesame seeds, poppy seeds and salt on top.  Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.

We tripled this recipe to make 50 crackers that are graham cracker size.  They last 3 people a full day when used for snacking and side dishes.

Here is our present Gluten Free Flour Mix, which makes very flaky crackers.

• 150 grams oat flour
• 75 grams brown rice flour
• 150 grams buckwheat flour
• 225 grams sorghum flour
• 250 grams sweet rice flour
• 75 grams tapioca flour
• 75 grams arrowroot flour

Here is the all purpose flour mix we will make after we have used up the rice, sorghum and tapioca flours:

• 350 grams oat flour
• 350 grams buckwheat flour
• 300 grams arrowroot flour

Both of these mixes are based on the idea from Gluten Free Girl to use 30% starch flour and the other 70% the other types of flours.  This has worked well for us.

The Passover Lamb Yeshuati!

Hebrew is such a rich language!  I recently discovered that the word Yeshuati means “my Salvation”  and since the name of our Savior is Ye’shua, which is the short version of Yehoshua, which means “Yahweh is Salvation”… it just shows the connection in so many ways!  Wow!  Overwhelming!

Passover

In less than a week, Passover season will be here again.  What a wondrous time of the year.  A time when our Messiah became the Passover Lamb, sacrificed for our sin and rose on First Fruits and then ascended 50 days later on Pentecost.  In these, He fulfilled the first feasts of the year.

This week we will be cleaning the house of leaven.  Spring cleaning, if you will.  Every week we do special cleaning on Preparation Day.  This week we do special cleaning for Passover.  I love the patterns in Scripture.

Paul also tells us to remember the leaven in our lives as we are observing Passover and the week of unleavened bread.  Our sin, breaking the Law of God, is like leaven, growing stronger daily if we don’t take care of it immediately.  We have been learning a lot about leaven this year.  We began using Kefir grains, which multiply like leaven.  And we learned how to make sour dough, which uses leaven from the air.  This is probably the type of leaven the Israelites used.

May each of us take the time to reflect on our own lives to discover the leaven hidden away in the dark corners of our lives.

 

God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble…

New Life

It’s that time of year again=)

On March 9th, my daughters’ Nigerian Dwarf Doe had her first set of twins… a male and a female.  I must say, they are beautiful.  And this gives my daughter the opportunity to learn some more about goats and to sell them and manage her money wisely.

Here are a couple of photos.

Xerxes

Cupkin

These little goats are not only cute, but they give the BEST milk I have ever tasted – cow milk included!  Creamy, rich and I dare you to taste even the smallest hint of goat!  I tell our potential buyers I will pay them if they can taste it.  I am that confident. =)

We use the milk from our goats to make kefir, yogurt, ice cream, chevre, mozzarella and ricotta… plus we drink it as milk.  Yum!  (we don’t sell the milk or dairy products though, just the goats!)

Looking to purchase a Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat?  Use the contact page above =)

Have You Been Norwexed?

You know how you find a great movie or read a great book or discover a fantastic restaurant and you can’t wait to tell everyone?  I am so excited about a new line of products I found and I have to share it with you!

Evidently this company has been around for years and I’ve never heard of it until the last month.  This is the best kept secret!  =)

You know I’m always looking for short cuts without sacrificing quality…

So, let me tell you about Norwex.

The flagship product is a fiber cloth called an envirocloth.  Basically all you need in order to do 90% of your cleaning is this Norwex envirocloth and water.  No more bleach.  Nor more ajax.  Nor more harsh chemicals.  Nor more window cleaner.  No more furniture polish…

And because it is so tightly woven (each strand of fiber is 1/200th the size of a human hair) it soaks up dust, dirt, grease… everything… so much better!

What’s more, there is a special silver woven in with the fiber.  So, after you clean up the germs and bacteria with your Norwex envirocloth, the silver gets to work killing them and then you don’t spread them to other surfaces.  (I think this is great considering all the new mega viruses and bacteria strains we have these days)

Pretty amazing, huh?

And that’s just the Norwex envirocloth!

We also have a window cloth that leaves your windows looking brand new with only water as a cleaner.

Norwex Silver Care Toothbrush

And then there is our silver care toothbrush that goes to work on gum issues, bad breath, yellow teeth…  no guarantees here, but these are all personal testimonies I have heard about.

 

We also have mattress cleaner, enzyme cleaners that remove hard water minerals and odors and clean ovens, laundry soap, skin care… and much more!  Visit my Norwex blog or my Norwex store to learn more about what we have.

And here’s the best part.  We do online or local Norwex parties.  So, if you like what you see, just let me know and I will set up a temporary page for you to have an online party.  Then you invite all of your friends using our system and it works just like a live party.  I can even do a Skype session to show you how the products work!  Then everyone places an order  on your page and it all accumulates for your online party, resulting in you earning lots of free stuff!  Here is a link to our hostess specials for the month of March 2013.

March Hostess Specials

Contact me through my contact page above to book your party and take cleaning to a whole new level!

Peter, James and John

Matthew 22:35-40

And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall love YHVH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

These verses come up often when talking about obeying our Father’s instructions.  The thinking is that because of these misunderstood words spoken by our Messiah, we now can simply love YHVH and love people and that eliminates the need for obedience.  While I don’t see the logic in this thought process, I did run across some words written by the three favorite disciples that helped me understand exactly what this does mean.

Remember that these three spent the most time with our Messiah, so we can be confident that they would have the same thought process as our Savior. =)

First of all, John, “the disciple whom Yeshua loved”, in the beginning of his first letter, gives witness to Yeshua and the Father.  He then gives some very strong statements such as:

”And by this we know that we know Him, IF we keep His commandments.  He that says “I know Him” and keeps NOT His commandments is a LIAR and the truth is not in him.

He also writes about sin and walking as Yeshua walked (obeying the commandments).  Then in chapter 3 sin is defined as transgressing the law.  

And later in the chapter …

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”

And THIS is His commandment: That we should believe on the name of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.  And he that keeps His commandments dwells in Him and He in him.  And hereby we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us.

So, is this saying that all we have to do is believe and love?  Is this the commandment John was referring to earlier in the letter?  Let’s move on to chapter 5 verse 2 to see what he means when he says to love:

By THIS we know that we love the children of God:  when we love YHVH and keep His commandments.

So we love people by loving YHVH and keeping His commandments.

For THIS is the love of God: that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not grievous!”

And we love God by keeping His commandments.

This is repeated in the next letter John wrote to a certain lady and her children.  After the greeting, he gets right down to business and says

“I rejoiced greatly that I found your children walking in truth as we have receved a commandment from the Father.  And  I ask you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto you, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

And THIS is love:  that we walk after His commandments.  This is the commandment, that, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

The other two in the inner circle, Peter and James, also had a few things to say about obeying the commandments:

In Peter’s first letter and the first chapter, he emphasizes obedience in verse 14 and verse 22.  Then in his second letter he refers to the false prophets (those who teach against the commandments of YHVH.  See Deuteronomy 13:5) who walk after the flesh (They do not submit to the law. See Romans 8:7), who have forsaken the right way, who promise liberty (isn’t that what we hear today?  Christ made us FREE!  We have LIBERTY), who turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them…

He then reminds them to be mindful of the words of the TRUE prophets and of the commandments of the  apostles of Messiah.  To live set apart, looking for the Day of YHVH.  And  to know that unlearned and unstable people twist Paul’s words and other Scripture to their own destruction, and in knowing this, beware to not be led away with the error of those who do not keep the Law. (3:17)

James speaks in 1:25 and 2:8-12 of the law as a perfect royal law of liberty that we should continue in and DO, which will result in blessing.  He says if we love our neighbor as ourself, we will fulfill the law, as it says in Matthew and John, but in the next verse says that we can be transgressors of the law and that we should speak and live as if we will be judged by the law of liberty.

Summary: Peter, James and John all teach that the law and the commandments are to be obeyed.  This agrees with the Hebrew Scriptures, with our Messiah and with Paul.  One unified Scripture.  Amein!

 

 

Is Sabbath-Keeping Repeated in the Latter Part of Scripture?

Have you ever thought that Sabbath-keeping is not repeated in the later part of the Scriptures?

I know there are some who think this is true, so I wanted to share some things that I have discovered in my studies.

1. Both our Messiah and Paul had a practice or habit of keeping Sabbath
2. We are to imitate our Messiah, and Paul said to imitate him as he imitates Messiah
3. Hebrews 4:9 says in the Greek,

“There remains therefore a Sabbath keeping to the people of God”

This is the same word for Sabbath keeping sabbatismos, that is used in the septuagint…sabbatizo

But even if it were not repeated, why do we think that if a command is not repeated in the gospels or epistles that it is irrelevant? The command against beastiality is not repeated… but obviously that is not ok now. =)

Also, He says in Matthew 5:18

“…Till heaven and earth pass away, the smallest letter or even ornament of a letter, of the Law will by no means pass away from the Law till all is done.”

and Luke 16:17

“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny ornament of a letter in the Law to fail.”

The Sabbath, the 4th of the main 10 commandments, is most certainly more than one tiny ornament of a Hebrew letter of the Law.

The Sabbath is not only the 4th commandment, but also an eternal covenant for the people of YHVH, who by the time of Moses had become known as Israel and also included all those who joined themselves with Israel. (we also know that His Law, or instructions, were given orally to Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham. etc. and none of them were Israelites except by promise, just like we are.)

Those who came out of Egypt were a mixed multitude of Israelites and Egyptians (Exodus 12:38) and the Law was given to all of them (Exodus 12:49) and they all made the covenant with YHVH to keep His Laws. (Exodus 24:3) “and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which YHVH said will we do” Then they all went through the covenant ceremony together, both Israel and the foreigners who were agreeing to the covenant with them.

Hebrews 8:8…He says,

“Behold , the days come”, says YHVH, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…”

The new covenant is only with Israel and Judah, so the only way we can be a part of the new covenant is to join ourselves to Israel and Judah, to be grafted in to the Olive Tree (Israel) and to be transitioned into the citizenship of Israel.

Ephesians 2:11- 13

Therefore remember that once you were a nation which is called uncircumcised in the flesh by those who are circumcised in the flesh using someone’s hands, that you were at that time apart from Messiah, shut out of citizenship with Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without having God in this world. But now, through Yeshua the Messiah, you who once were far away (from Messiah, from citizenship in Israel, from the covenants of promise, from hope and from God) are transitioning (to Messiah, to citizenship in Israel, to the covenants of promise, to hope and to God) by the blood of Messiah.

Romans 11:17- 25

If however, some of the branches were broken off, you, a wild olive tree being grafted in among them and becoming a fellow partaker of the root of the richness of the olive tree; do not be arrogant toward the branches. If on the other hand you are arrogant toward them: you do not support the root, but the root supports you. (we become part of Israel, Israel does not become part of us) You will then say the branches were broken out so I could be grafted in. Rightly, by their unfaithfulness they were broken out, you however are made to stand by faithfulness. Don’t think haughtily, be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches (for their unfaithfulness), neither should He spare you at all (if you are unfaithful). Behold therefore the kind goodness and harsh severity of God: On those who have fallen, severity; but to you, the kind goodness of God IF you continue in His goodness, otherwise you also will be cut off. And also, if they do not continue to be unfaithful, will be grafted in, indeed God is able to graft them back in! For if you were cut out of the wild olive tree which is naturally wild and were unnaturally grafted into the cultivated olive tree, how much more these, who are naturally branches, will be grafted into their own olive tree? Indeed, I don’t want you to be uninformed of this mystery, or have your own understanding: the hardness has happened to Israel in part until the completion of the nations come in;

It is a spiritual meaning, but also literal, just like the mixed multitude in Exodus, just like Ruth was grafted in and began keeping the Law and and just like in Isaiah 56:6 where it says,

“…the sons of the foreigner (those who are not Israel), that join themselves to YHVH, to serve Him, and to love the name of YHVH, to be His servants, everyone that keeps the Sabbath from polluting it, and takes hold of My covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer…”

This is why the Greeks asked Paul to speak to them on the next Sabbath and Paul did not correct them, nor did Luke explain years later when he wrote the book of Acts that Paul was wrong (Acts 13:42,44). This is why Polycarp, a Greek, and one of the disciples of John in the first and second century, knew to keep the Passover and the people in that area (Eastern Europe) were known to keep the Sabbath as well for years after the last disciples were gone.  Were these just ignorant people that didn’t understand because they didn’t have seminaries to teach them?  Some teach this is the case, but I think those taught by the disciples of our Messiah had it right and today WE have it wrong.

The new covenant does not do away with the first covenant, it changes the terms of the covenant: in the new (or renewed) covenant, the law will be written on the minds and hearts of His people (Hebrews 8:8-12 which is quoting from Jeremiah 31:31-34 ) So as citizens of Israel and the seed of Abraham under the new terms of the covenant it will be in our mind and in our heart to keep all the Law and we are also given His Spirit to enable us to keep it =)

Ezekiel 36:26,27

“A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put MY Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statues and you shall keep My judgments and do them.”

This is also what Paul says in Romans 8:2-10

“The Law of the Spirit of Life through Yeshua the Messiah, has freed us from the Law’s penalty of sin and death. For what the Law could not do (free us from the penalty), in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for missing the mark, condemned those who transgress the Law in the flesh, so that the acts of living according to His Law can be accomplished in us when we walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Those who live in the flesh think on and then produce in their actions the things of the flesh, but those who live in the Spirit the things of the Spirit. The ways of the flesh (disobeying the Law) lead to death, but the ways of the Spirit lead to life and peace. Because the way of the flesh is enmity to God, since it does not obey the Law – in fact it cannot obey the Law. Therefore, those who live in the flesh (do not obey the Law) can NOT please God. You, however, are not living in the flesh (disobeying the Law), but are living in the Spirit ~ if indeed YHVH’s Spirit lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, he is not of Him.”