Tishrei 10 / Yom Kippur/ Day of Atonement

Regardless of background, a common thread connects the Body of Messiah, strengthening parts that are weak and lifting that which is in a downward cycle. God’s people are joined, connected, strengthened, encouraged, framed for greatness, called out of darkness into Light, made whole, brought forth, renewed, lifted and seated with Him.

Yeshua our Messiah interceded for this in John 17 and He is now receiving His full inheritance in us. The eyes of our understanding are opened, we know hope and calling, have riches of His glory, greatness of His power, the greatness of His name; we are above and seated with him already – He is head over all and fills all with the compelling of Almighty God!

Imitating the Lord, we intercede with Him. Believing the call and extending the blessing, we journey today with vision to see and compassion to care; as we journey darkness is rolled back, shackles are opened, and life-giving breath comes in. No mountainous obstacle can withstand this influence.

Compelled by our God we also pray for the peace of Jerusalem on this Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, according to the prayer call given to Israel as they began to journey:

Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad.
  Hear, Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One.
Barukh Shem k’vod malkhuto l’olam va-ed
  Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.

Amen, so be it!

Hebrews 12:12
John 17  
Ephesians 1:18-22
Deuteronomy 6:4 

Christianity’s roots derive from Judaism. Christians deeply love the Jewish people and the State of Israel and greatly honor God’s eternal covenant with the people and land of Israel. We consider prayer for the peace of Jerusalem to be a Christian responsibility and privilege.

Every fall season Jewish people around the world celebrate three important festivals. These “Fall Feasts of Israel” are powerful reminders of God’s detailed plan for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This year the feasts are in our months of September and October, corresponding to the month of Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar:-

This evening at sunset the eve of the second feast, Erev Yom Kippur.  “… In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work … For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the L-RD” Leviticus 16:29-30 Leviticus 23:27-27

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! Because the Lord loves Zion, because His heart yearns for Jerusalem, we cannot remain silent. We will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see her righteousness. Kings will be blinded by her glory. And the LORD will give her a new name. The LORD will hold her in His hands for all to see—a splendid crown in the hands of God Isaiah 62:1-3. Therefore, WE bless Israel whom God has blessed—Israel, loved by God! Father, WE declare YOUR declaration for her; WE pray for the peace of Jerusalem declaring OUR love for that city and for YOUR people, Isra-el! Psalm 122, verse 6

Amen.

As Christians we have the Spirit of God – God’s own Spirit, living within to teach us through our human spirit to understand spiritual things; it is the Spirit within that enables us to discern between what is real, and what is not. Without the Spirit, revelation is veiled; without the Spirit, covenant relationship is more religious than spiritual.

This supernatural endowment distinguishes those who have the Spirit—we have hope, know truth, recognize God’s leading, and are blessed with spiritual understanding beyond even Jesus’ disciples. The disciples did not have the Spirit until Jesus ascended to heaven, leaving them with a critical mandate to wait in Jerusalem for “the promise of the Father.”

“While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.” But they didn’t know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn’t understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.” Luke 9:43-45, NLT  

Applied to our lives, revelation of God’s leading ‘by the Spirit’ empowers us to do more from His eternal perspective. Making the application, we rise above circumstance with insight beyond what is possible naturally; limitations of this truth result because we do not know it, or knowing it, continue to live as though we do not.

Amen.

Luke 9

The Lord ordained specific purpose for our lives and He did not mean for us to go it alone. We need “wise” counsel so that emotional traps will not hook us and so that isolated pride will not rule the day. Emotion and pride trick our judgment, allowing emotional desire to take over; for every emotional tug that might result in a judgment error, rescue is available if we listen to the counsel of God’s Spirit within our own hearts, and also from those in tune with His counsel. In the purpose of God, we are not to live to ourselves, arbitrarily choosing which path to take, which direction to go; neither are we sent forth by Him only to be moved by personal whim or random choices based in self-rule.  

In Song of Solomon, the king’s procession “came up from the wilderness” surrounded by sixty armed and valiant men “wearing swords on the thigh”. The entourage ensured protection against the fear of night—an attack in the dark of night. Night and darkness suggest something hidden from sight and the provision given was for protection against such threat. 

If your today is beginning to resemble a wilderness, remember to guard your heart against darkness; draw from the entourage of God’s provision—in cadence with the Lord, hearing Him step as you step, surrounded by wise counsel and Godly influencers. For us, as for Solomon the king, a wilderness is no place to go it alone. 

Amen.

Song of Solomon 3:6-8

Significant in this time is a push to settle things—to end some, change some, and begin others. I sense the Spirit prompting: “Those things in your life that are out of order, I want to come and to quickly put them into My order.”  

In this season a spotlight is divinely cast upon all that must come into order. Light represents exposure—in this case, light is given to distinguish between a pretense of belief, and what is actually believed. Pretense is not the real—it’s pretending.

What I say is what I believe. Belief and words go together—I can test one by the other. I can also apply the say-believe principle to others: I know what you believe by what you say; if you tell me your view and give every appearance of it being as you say, when you speak I know if you mean it.   

You and I will have what we say! It isn’t that we name and claim; rather, “saying” is powerful because words are powerful. The point is saying reflects what you think—it’s what you believe—really. If you think your prayer will gain what you claim to believe yet do not guard what you say, ultimately your belief fails since your words express another, often opposite, belief. It would be like trying to leave while committed to stay.

Order in the individual life reflects consistency—thoughts with actions and belief with words; interrupt the order and strength to believe is less. My life is a story others read and what I believe is not truly believed until it sincerely conveys naturally, in conversation and action. It takes discipline because consistency is the key—as pretense is pushed out, that what I sincerely believe flows naturally.

In Christianity, belief is distinctive to a faith that joins men to God’s plan: “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:2  
Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2

The Bible speaks prophetically of a time when lines are drawn and a distinction made between what the Lord approves, and what He does not. For months now, we have been in something like a precursor of such a time—a season of tumult and turning. Though difficult, there is much grace on this season; despite pain in what is experienced there is grace to come on through! We are seeing His goodness—He has intervened and supernatural help has been dispatched! Selah!  

Included in our experience is “the hand of the Lord” upon our lives—turning us around, bringing us back to something we missed, or maybe walked away from. The Hebrew word teshuvah means “to return” and refers especially to a time prior to and during the Jewish fall feasts—an important forty-day period when “to do” teshuvah means to return to the LORD in a significant way; to return to His path for our lives, making sure we are in the place He has chosen, doing what He has for us to do, with those He intends for us to work alongside.  

By the Spirit we realize there is much at stake—it’s the reason we pray as we do and conduct ourselves circumspectly, redeeming the time for the days are evil. (Eph 5:15-17) The LORD has opened a grace time, His intention being to snatch some, wake up others, and for others He has literally come up around them – under, over, around – personally over-seeing their condition until strength is established and their appointment secured.

Amen.

Ephesians 5:15-17

These are days of judgment. In context, the “Days of Awe”, a ten-day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is a time of self-judgment of one’s relationship with both God, and man. Judgment exposes sin and creates an opening for its removal; once removed, the power of sin to usurp blessing and perpetuate curse is also removed. It is a positive process—a very good thing!

Zechariah provides a glimpse into God’s plan for the future once judgment is past. The example is Israel; after judgment she is to expect  full restoration of the presence of Almighty God in her midst!  

Thus says the LORD of hosts: “ ‘Let your hands be strong, you who have been hearing in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets… For before these days there were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in… But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘ For the seed shall be prosperous, The vine shall give its fruit, The ground shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew— I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these. And it shall come to pass that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’ ” Zechariah 8:9-13, NKJV

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
I pray for the peace of Jerusalem—peace on every border and peace at her gates. Today I judge myself according to the biblical standard, asking the Holy Spirit to direct me. I remove influences that grieve the Lord and invite the presence of Almighty God—afresh, fully! My expectation therefore is peace – my “seed” shall be prosperous, my life fruitful, my labor productive, my land shall overflow with increase and the blessing of heaven shall rest upon my nation!

Amen.

Yesterday at sunset, the Jewish fall feast days began with the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah. Today is the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month on the Jewish calendar.

… And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation, you shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets. Numbers 29:1

… In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. Leviticus 23:24

Trumpets are blown throughout this Jewish feast day, marking the beginning of the Jewish New Year with a day of memorial, of holy convocation, and of Sabbath-rest. It is a time to look carefully at mistakes of the year past, taking action to make changes to correct those mistakes for the future. The changes that begin today continue for ten days known as the “Days of Awe” (Heb. Yamin Noraim), or the days of repentance. Obviously, the entire world is affected by the richness of this season—the Word of the Lord goes forth from Jerusalem; many respond and are blessed. Thank God!

We are encouraged along with Israel in this glorious season. Our lives are marked by daily repentance, a reflection of the awe and reverence with which we esteem the Lord. Therefore in this glorious time we declare with the psalmist “the name of the Lord in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem!” Psalm 102:21

Father, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem! We add our blessing to the blessing you have declared upon Your people, Israel. Lord we delight ourselves in You, “delighting in the delight” You have in this season. We ask that You extend Your right hand over Israel and the Jewish people everywhere—bare Your arm in their behalf, Lord, and deliver them from every threat.

Amen.

Isaiah 2:3

Rosh Hashanah – begins at sunset today
Tishrei 1-2 – date of Jewish New Year on the Hebrew calendar; marks the beginning of ten days of repentance culminating with Yom Kippur.

The Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, begins at sunset today with the blowing of shofars. Throughout the first day of the Jewish New Year, called ‘the head of the year’, the awakening blast of the shofar calls the people and the land to attention as a new year and the fall festival season begin.

Likewise, the Lord calls us to attention concerning how we invest our time and the sedative-effect of that investment so that what He is doing and revealing is given second, third, or fourth place to the demands of the moment—a plague common to those who are sleeping spiritually.

The shofar is a ram’s horn, significant in its role on Mt. Moriah when a ram miraculously appeared entangled by its horn in a thicket as Abraham lifted his knife over the sacrifice altar and Isaac, his son of promise. The message of Moriah is two-fold: man’s obedience, having heard the Lord’s voice, and the Lord’s voice in response to man’s obedience. Christianity would be very different if Abraham never heard.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
Father, today I pray for the peace of Jerusalem-I ask that You increase the numbers of those who love her, and wake the nations in this season to comfort and bless her. In this season I pray to hear the sound of the shofar for my own life and like Abraham, I will hear you clearly. I ask for the shofar symbolizing Your salvation to be clear in my hearing—the sound of Your voice saying to me…this is the way.

Amen.

In the fall of the year Jewish people around the world celebrate three important festivals. These “Fall Feasts of Israel” are powerful reminders of God’s detailed plan for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This year the feasts are in our months of September and October, corresponding to the month of Tishrei on the Jewish calendar: -
            September 9–18 Jewish High Holidays / Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
            September 23–October 1 Sukkot

Christianity is rooted in Judaism and Christians therefore have special love for the Jewish people and homeland, the State of Israel. We understand, honor, and consider ‘holy’ the power of God’s covenant with Israel, both the people and the land: Because I love Zion, I will not keep still.   Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her      until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth. The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—      a splendid crown in the hand of God.  Isaiah 62:1-3, NLT

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
We bless Israel, the land and people whom God has blessed. Father, we join our prayer declaration to yours; we pray for the peace of Jerusalem declaring our love for that city and for your ancient people, Israel. Psalm 122:6  

Amen!

Psalm 122