Ears to Hear, Listen! – Light from the Word

Out of the Womb of the Morning

Out of the womb of the morning is where the day starts; it is the beginning of things. Everything has a beginning from somewhere, or from someone. The womb of a woman holds her child for over nine months – a secure place where life starts and develops, provided the baby is not aborted. Life springs forth from the womb; the morning springs forth the day in its arrays of light sparkling on the dew, as the earth makes its turn, making it possible for a new day to be visible. In the spiritual sense, the death and resurrection of our Messiah YAHSHUA sprang forth the birth of His church. We are born again from His Spirit, for what is born of flesh is flesh; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:5-6). A new beginning, He gave to men through His death. He had to die to bring forth life everlasting to all who will. As the seed must die before it becomes a tree, He died that we might have life. His life was shared with us through His Holy Spirit. Out of the womb of His sufferings, His church was born and became His bride. We must be born again, YAHSHUA said to Nicodemus. For it is from Him that salvation springs forth. The Prophet Isaiah prophesized about His death many years before it happened. He said, He (YAHSHUA) shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; by His knowledge of Himself shall My righteous one, My Servant, justify many and many and make many righteous, for He shall bear their iniquities and their guilt (Isaiah 53:11).

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5b). The anguish that embraces the soul is felt in the night. However, in hope we wait for our morning to arrive, when its womb will spring forth joy. Morning does not have to be a specific time, but it is that time when relief comes rescuing us from our troubles. In trials, we must always remember that there from out of a womb of a morning, joy will spring forth sooner or later. YAHSHUA was in the heart of the earth three days and three nights; His morning came with His resurrection and unspeakable joy to all His disciples, and to all of us who would accept His gift of life. YAHSHUA said, blessed are you who weep and sob now, for you shall laugh (Luke 6:21b). The Patriarch Job did not see his morning for a long time. The womb of the morning stayed closed for him until God opened it in His time. And then, the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning (Job 42:12), for the Lord will not cast off forever; but though He causes grief, yet will He be moved to compassion according to the multitude of His loving-kindness and tender mercy (Lam. 3:31-32). The dew of a morning is life sustaining for the green of the earth; it is life expressed in the beginning of a new day, springing forth from the womb of a morning. The dew, in the spiritual sense, is resurrection of the Lord’s saints at the rapture. Isaiah said, Your dead shall live; the bodies of our dead shall rise, You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For the Lord’s dew is a dew of light; and the earth shall cast forth the dead [to life again; for on the land of the shades of the dead You will let Your dew fall] (Isaiah 26:19). The Lord’s supernatural dew will spring forth from the womb of that glorious day in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed (I Cor. 15:52). For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first (I Thess. 4:16). Therefore, comfort and encourage one another with these words (I Thess. 4:18).

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God’s Forgiveness Opens the Door of Heaven

For God so loved the world (you and me) that He gave His only begotten Son, for whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life (Jn. 3:16). This is a well-known verse among the Christian community. The message it conveys is rich and assuring of God’s deep love for humankind. How can God, holy and perfect in every way love a world so unholy and voided of love for Him? It is hard to understand the unconditional love that He has for all of us, for “we all have sinned and have become short of His glory.” What did it mean to us in the situation we were in before our Lord remediated? The glory of God is His goodness. In that, we became unworthy of His glory toward us. We were separated from Him and hopelessly lost in sin, and under His condemnation. For the Jewish nation, under the Law, they sacrificed animals to atone for their sins. However, the time came when that was no longer satisfactory to God. That’s when His Son, YAHSHUA volunteered to take the place of animals to redeem the human race. The letter to the Hebrews says, For since the Law had merely a rude outline of the good things to come-instead of fully expressing those things-it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars]. Because, the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to take sins away, hence, when He [Christ] entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offering You have not desired, but instead, You have made ready a body for Me[to offer]. In burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight. Then I said, Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God- [to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book (10:1,4-7).

The Law, from the beginning, pointed to the One Who would fulfill it to the letter. “A shadow of things to come,” Paul said. But when YAHSHUA laid down His life as a sacrifice once and for all for the entire world, this act of love poured forgiveness for all those who turned to Him by repenting of their sins. As many as received Him, the Bible says, He gave the authority to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in His name (Jn.1:12). YAHSHUA’S death opened the way for men to be reconciled with God. In His death-His demonstration of love, forgiveness flowed from His heart to men’s. Now, no longer under God’s condemnation, and short of His glory, men are free through His forgiveness. It is a powerful and unselfish act of love toward those who received the gift of YAHSHUA’S sacrifice. Through forgiveness, they “are constantly being transfigured into YAHSHUA’S own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another…” (II Cor. 3:18). That’s the process of their sanctification through the Holy Spirit of YAHSHUA. How beautiful, is the work of the Holy Spirit in each one of us who desire His touch of sanctification! So, God’s forgiveness restored men to Himself and men became sharers of God’s glory once again. God’s goodness is so important in one’s life; it would be hard to live without the benefit of it. Because being separated from God’s glory is to be without hope and voided of God’s promises, although available to all. The Bibles says that the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds, preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the Image and Likeness of God, for God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God in the face of YAHSHUA the Messiah. (II Cor. 3:4,6). We believers, who stand in the presence of the Lord, must shine His glory to the world, as Moses shone God’s glory to Israel, when coming down the mountain, after spending time with Him. From glory to glory, Moses, the servant of the Lord, experienced God face to face, and it showed on his face.

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The House Built on the Rock

(Matthew 7: 24-28)

So, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them, will be like a sensible man who built his house upon the rock. This comparison of illustration takes us to the parable of the Sower, who sowed his seeds on different soils; but only one fell on good ground, which produced fruit in abundance. YAHSHUA then said, For whoever who has, to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; bur him who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Mat. 13:12). What does it tell us? Listening to the word of God with the heart and understanding, it will make us wise and fit to face the storms of life, because our faith is firmed on YAHSHUA, the Author and Consummator of it. More knowledge and more understanding will come to those who hide the Word of God in their heart in order to follow and to depend on it. You see, the house here is our faith. Faith on God, on His word, His promises without waving or doubting, but believing with confidence. Do not therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward; for you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away what is promised (Heb. 10:35-36). The strength of our faith will prove itself in times of trials; Its genuineness will shine when tested. Our faith is the building block of and YAHSHUA, the foundation, the Rock on Whom our faith is built.

Comparing this to a physical house, we well know the importance of location, materials and the foundation for the building of a house in order to be strong and to endure storms of any kind. “There is no place like home” it is said and experienced when we are away for a while. The feeling of security one feels at home, not only for the strength of its foundation, but for the warmth of family nested in that home. A house is never a home, unless it is filled with family members. For a house, it is only an empty structure with divisions to accommodate the needs of the family or person. In any case, it is good to be found in a place where the roof does not leak in times of heavy rain, where the foundation does not rattle when the winds hit it. It is all together comfortable knowing that. YAHSHUA’S illustration of comparison should have hit the understanding of those who were hearing Him, for it was a very practical illustration; it touched everyone’s understanding of the matter.

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When the Holiness of God Touched Mount Sinai

The Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai on the third month after they had left Egypt. God came down to that mount to covenant with them at that time. That was a covenant that separated them for Himself as a nation of priests unto Him. A covenant that differentiated them from the other nations. But Israel did not get attune with God’s plan and continued aloof from it in spite of all the supernatural signs and wonders they witnessed. To start with, when they were between the Red Sea and the Egyptian’s army, who had come against them, He caused a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land; and the waters were divided. When the Egyptians recognized that the Lord God was fighting in favor of Israel, they tried to flee, when the waters closed on them (Exodus 14). Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land, while the Egyptians were taken in and drowned. The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. Arriving at Mount Sinai, Israel did not have a clue of what was going to happen. While they encamped before the mountain, Moses went up to God, and the Lord called him out of the mountain and spoke to him giving him a message to give to the people. It was a covenant He was establishing with them. He said, You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession and treasure from among the above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites (Exodus 19:1-6). The Lord told Moses to sanctify the people for two days and then wash their clothes and on the third day the nation was to meet Him.

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The Sin of Unfaithfulness

(Ezekiel 14:13-20; Jeremiah 15:1)

The word Unfaifulness denotes a feeling of offense toward relationships of all kinds, including relationship with God; it also affects other aspects of life as in the work place. Unfaithfulness is like a sword piercing the soul; it is a betrayal of one’s confidence, in the case of relationships. The sin of Unfaifulness is the sin of transgression or trespass. The Webster dictionary defines transgression- trespasses as to go beyond the limits of what is considered right and moral. When God betrothed Israel in Mount Sinai, He betrothed her in faithfulness; that was a covenant of marriage between them. But right after the betroth, Israel committed the sin of unfaithfulness through idolatry. Israel, after four hundred years in Egypt, lost the sense of their true God, the God of their fathers and followed the Egyptian gods. The Mount Sinai experience, when God came to covenant with them, was of no importance to them, so it seems, in spite of thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled (Ex. 19:16) It started with Moses’ brother, Aaron, when God called Moses up to give him the tables of stone, with the law and the commandments which He had written for Moses to teach (Ex.24:12). That was the covenant in writing. But when the people saw that Moses had been gone a while, they decided to go the way of unfaithfulness and committed idolatry. They gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. Aaron agreed to the idea saying, Take the gold rings from the ears of you wives, your sons, and daughters and bring them to me; so they did and Aaron fashioned the gold with a graving tool and made it a molten calf; and they said, These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw the molten calf, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord; and they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play (Ex.32:1-6).

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Time to Keep Silent, For the Days Are Evil

(Micah 7; Amos 5:13)

What constitutes evil days, if they weren’t for mankind? When God created the world, He created a beautiful world for man to enjoy and take care of it. There was no presence of evil anywhere, all were in harmony with the Creator. The animals weren’t violent toward one another and they did not eat one another. Peace was the harmony that kept them together, heard in a bird song. Music filled the air of that garden- the garden of Eden with happiness and innocence. It was the world God created. I can’t tell how long did the world of yesterday enjoyed perfection in every side, neither can I tell you how long it was before our parents messed it up by doubting God’s word and falling into temptation. That must have been one dark day in the lives of Adam and Eve, which changed the destiny of the world and theirs too. The door was then opened for evil to permeate the garden and take control of the lives of men and animals. They no longer behaved peacefully toward one another. The sweet fragrance of love and peace vanished and the world started to experience evil, hate, jealousy instead. As a matter of fact, the first-born son of Eve, committed the first homicide. From there, it went from bad to worse, until God destroyed the yesterday’s world by means of water in the days of Noah. Those were truly evil days!

The psalmist cried to God, Help, Lord! For principled and godly people are here no more; faithfulness and the faithful vanish from among the sons of men. To his neighbor each one speaks words without use or worth of truth; with flattering lips and double heart they speak (Psa. 12:1-2); and Isaiah prophesized, The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; and merciful and devout men are taken away, with no one considering that the uncompromisingly upright and godly person is taken away from the calamity and evil to come (Isaiah 57:1); Micah echoes by saying, the godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; each hunts his brother with a net; both their hands are put forth and are upon what is evil to do it diligently; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire. Thus, they twist between them; the best of them is like a brier; the most upright or the straightest is like a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, even of [God’s] judgment and your punishment, has come; now shall be their perplexity and confusion. Trust not in a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Keep the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom…But as for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me (Micah 7:2-5,7). Therefore, he who is prudent will keep silence in such a time, for it is an evil time (Amos 5:13).

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Strongholds of the Mind

(II Cor. 10:3-6)

For though we walk in the flesh we are not serving as soldiers according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful in God for the tearing down of strongholds, tearing down reasonings, even every high thing being lifted up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every though in obedience to Messiah, and being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience would be achieved (II Cor. 10:3-6).

A stronghold is defined as false statements Satan establishes in our mind. They control and direct our mind to believe his lies. After a while they become reality. The Word of God confirms this in Proverbs 23:7. It says, For as man thinks in his heart so is he (Prov. 23:7). As someone said, “To think on what we believe, in time we will become.”

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “The brain, the most important part of the body as the command center for the nervous system, receives input from the sensory organs and sends output to the muscles. It is the main organ of the human central nervous system. It is the most complex part of the human body. This three-pound organ is the seat of intelligence, interpreter of the senses, and initiator of body movement and controller of behavior.” It is no wonder Satan goes after this important part of the body. He knows that if he can control man’s mind, he has control of his body. Of course that started at the Garden of Eden. He planted doubt in the mind of Eve and she believed. From that time on, men became slaves to Satan’s lies and fear took control of his emotions, and our trend of thoughts became open to Satan. He has taken every opportunity to control and torment the mind of man. The evidence of Satan’s control of the mind is seen in the way we behave, in the decisions we make. Many times our decisions are based on fear. In no way those decisions are directed by God, for the Word says, For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but love and sound mind (I Tim 1:7) and in another passage it says There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love (I John 4:18).

The first step to free yourself from the control of Satan is to accept the sacrifice YAHSHUA made for you. His sacrifice was the purchase of your salvation and deliverance from the enemy I Peter 1:19, 23: But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Messiah, like that of a [sacrificial ] lamb without blemish or spot; you have been regenerated not from a mortal origin, but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God; ( 2) Acknowledge your sins, repent and renounce them I John 1:9: If we admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness; (3) study the Word of God II Tim. 2:15-16: Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing the Word of Truth; but avoid all empty talk, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness. (4) Accept God’s forgiveness Psalm 103:1,3-4: Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy, as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us; (5) give the Holy Spirit complete control of your mind Romans 12: 2: Stop being conformed to this age, but you must from the inside continually be changed into another form, by the renovation of your mind, to prove what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God for you (6) hold onto the truth of God’s Word; (John 8:32: and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free; (7) be ready to go to the battlefield dressed with the full armor of God Ephesians 6: 10: From now on, you must right away become strong in the Lord and in the power of His strength; you must continually be clothed with the full armor of God to enable you to stand against the strategies of the devil; (8) offer Him sacrifice of praises; worship Him in spirit and in truth John 4:23-24: In fact an appointed time is coming and is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such as these who worship Him; god is Spirit, and it is necessary for those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth; (9) walk in God’s love and forgiveness I John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and he who loves is begotten of God and is coming to know and understand God; Psalm 139: 23-24: Search me O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting; (10) submit to God, then resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

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The Sending Out of the Twelve Apostles

(Luke 9)

Luke chapter nine reports a beautiful picture of what YAHSHUA’S church should have been: powerful with authority over all demons and sickness. It took only a word from YAHSHUA, for demons to submit to Him. In His presence, they did not have a chance. And that’s the way it should have been for YAHSHUA’S church. Equipping the apostles with His power, they were sent out to preach the kingdom of God, a very important mission- the establishing of YAHSHUA’ S church. The time had come when He saw fit to send His apostles out with the important message of salvation. He gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and to announce and preach the kingdom of God and to bring healing. (Luke 9:1-2). He didn’t send them empty of power and authority to face a spiritual battle. Power and authority are two things we must have to battle against the spiritual forces. Human power is not sufficient to overcome the “present darkness, and the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly sphere.”

YAHSHUA sent His apostles out with important instructions to follow, besides equipping them with power and authority over demons and diseases. He told them, Do not take anything for your journey- neither walking stick, nor wallet, nor food of any kind, nor money and do not have two undergarments; and whatever house you enter, stay until you go away; and wherever they do not receive and accept and welcome you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet, as a testimony against them (Luke 9:3-5). The apostles were to be in complete dependence on God. No, they did not have to go from place to place raising support before their journey, as we do before going to a mission field. Under YAHSHUA’S instructions, they departed; they went from village to village, preaching the Gospel and restoring the afflicted to health everywhere (Luke 9:6). They accomplished the task before them beautifully, and blessed all who opened their doors to them. Upon their return, they reported to YAHSHUA all that they had done; YAHSHUA, hearing the report, He took them and withdrew into privacy near a town called Bethsaida (Luke 9: 10-11). What does this tell us? It is in the strength and in the power of God that His ministers are to serve Him. Self-sufficiency is the work of the flesh and that does not compete with God’s sufficiency in us. There is a need for us to return to Him in order to be restored, away from the noise of the world; away from technologies’ noises. They for sure distract us from hearing God’s voice. Only being in the presence of our Lord, will we be restored spiritually and mentally and physically. At His departure from earth, He commissioned the apostles to Go into all the world and preach the good news; Go and make disciples of all the nations, (He said) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days, to the very end (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20). That was the beginning of a new era. He laid down the foundation of His church and entrusted it to His apostles to carry on the task of spreading the Gospel, and to teach the nations to obey His word. Out of that, His church was built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Messiah YAHSHUA Himself the chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20).

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A New Era Is Coming Our Way

There is a promise out there that “The Best Is Yet to Come.” We have been waiting for it to be implemented for two years now in this chaotic world of lies and deceit. They say, It is almost here, feeding false hope to all who believed them. This promise seems vague and undecided concerning the time when it will be reality, because it is based on numbers and signs seemly from the New Age religion. The question remains, what is it about? False peace. A peace that will be dissipated in a very short time of its existence, when destruction will take the world by surprise (I Thess. 5). The new government promises prosperity for all, debts forgiven, health for all, free energy, money for all and love for all. It is wrapped up in the belief, among many others, that we all will become gods. Hugging a tree, as the object of worship, and earth is called “Mother Earth.” I am referring to the new spirituality, or New Age religion, which is rooted in eastern mysticism. It is obvious to see that several of their beliefs have bled into Christian churches, as these, for example: (1) thinking positively with faith, we will get from God anything we desire. (2) Follow your heart, because our emotions indicate truth and direction (3) we are gods because we are children of God; we can get anything we desire, for we are divine in nature (4) we can become one with God through being without sin, and not by faith alone. (5) there are many spiritual paths to God and heaven. (From Daily She pursues website).

New Age has many dark sides we Christians must realize, even when they use the Bible for many of their references to support their plans. Yes, they know the Bible and use it to appropriate to their plan. They say if you do not believe their plan, you will be left behind, while those who believe it will ascend. There are five types of ascensions:

Awakening of the mind
Awakening of a new personality
Awakening of spiritual energy
Awakening of the soul
Total wakening (enlightenment)

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Prayer, the Key to Open Heaven’s Door (part 2)

YAHSHUA cried again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit; and at once the curtain of the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51). Before the death of the Son of God no one, with the exception of the High Priest and once a year, could enter the Holy of Holies of the temple. The sanctuary of the temple was designated for the presence of the holiness of God alone. The High priest performed the duty of burning incense to atone his and the sins of the people by sprinkling the blood of a sacrificial animal on the mercy seat of the ark (Lev. 16:2). The Holy of Holies was separated by a veil to provide a barrier between God and man; between His holiness and the sinfulness of man. The tear of the veil or curtain is of great significance for all who profess to be a believer in YAHSHUA, for it provided access to all men to enter the presence of God, as the writer of Hebrews said, We have full confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of YAHSHUA…Let us all come forward and draw near with true hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith, having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water (Heb. 10:19-20, 22). When we pray, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groaning too deep for utterance (Rom. 8: 26). When we enter the presence of God, we do so with the help of the Holy Spirit. We enter heaven in the name of YAHSHUA by the power of His blood. We must be reminded every time we enter the presence of God, that that privilege cost His son’s life. When we pray in His name we are acknowledging His sacrifice for us and that it is only by His name that we can come to the presence of God. When we pray in YAHSHUA’S name, we are presenting all that He is. YAHSHUA said that the Father will grant whatever we ask in YAHSHUA’S name (John 15:16b; 16:23 b). But the believer must dwell in YAHSHUA and His words must remain and continue to live in his hearts for whatever he/she asks to be done or given them (John 15:7).

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