Based on how prophecy is portrayed in Scripture...

Legitimate Prophecy:

Receiving a communication directly from God and conveying it to other people.

Not Legitimate Prophecy:

Reading the Bible
Spiritual discernment
Gut feelings
Intuition
Cold reading
Astrology
Messages from angels, spirits, or the dead
Fortune telling
Statistical analysis
Predictions based on feelings or facts

If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; Is 58:13

OVERCOMING LONELINESS – PART 2

HOW DO I OVERCOME LONELINESS?

I’m trying to avoid overly simplistic answers here, because they won’t do you a whole lot of good, but the bottom line is that we can only overcome loneliness when we join in fellowship with other believers and with YHVH, usually in that order. [We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Yeshua Moshiach.] -- 1 John 1:3. What is significant in this passage is that it does not just direct us to fellowship with YHVH but gives equal importance to our need for fellowship with each other. When I find community with you, we together find community with YHVH. Rather than thinking of myself as an individual in relationship with YHVH and thinking that the only solution to my problem is to get to know YHVH better, I find that much of the real solution comes by growing closer to others in the Body of Moshiach. This is the complete opposite of how most of us deal with this problem, so there are a couple of things that need to take place in our lives if we’re going to change this.

1 – Re-Think Your View of the Church; Gatherings or TTN:
Many of us view the church, gatherings, prayer sessions or even TTN, in a way that is completely contrary to the New Testament. I want us to draw a contrast to the way we really look at any gathering, in person or the internet, vs. the way we should look them.

A -- An institution vs. a community:
If you think of the church as a building, or internet groups as denominational structures or as just a place where we can come together for worship and Bible study you are bound to think that they are the last places to go to solve your problems. But if you understand that as a community where we can come together, share our problems and our successes, encourage one another in the struggle and cheer each other on our victories, you will begin to look at it differently. Rather than cold, uncaring, generic places, we begin to understand that these communities of people have banded together to work, share and overcome until the day Yeshua returns.

B -- An event to attend vs. a family in which to belong:
Some view these communities as merely an event on their schedule. Just like on weekday mornings when it is time to go to work and weekends are time for sports or barbeques. Those who views these communities as an event are what I call [positional members.] They are like people who join a gym, pay their fees, but never actually go to the gym and exercise. They are members, but just in the sense that they have done the minimum necessary. And what happens to positional members at the gym? They stay out of shape. The same is true in the Body of Moshiach; if you view it as an event and you are a member so you can attend the event and have your name on the roll, you are a positional member who will lack the tools necessary to overcome your loneliness. [YHVH places the lonely in families...] -- Psalms 68:6a. While the Psalmist is most likely referring to a family with Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters, we know that in the New Testament the church is described as a family. [You are citizens along with all of YHVH's Holy people. You are members of YHVH's family.] -- Ephesians 2:19b. We each need to get to the point that we recognize and celebrate the fact that these communities are the family of YHVH, with all its faults, problems and diverse personalities, we are the family that YHVH has chosen to call His own.

2 – Revise Your Approach to Relationship:
One of the reasons we experience the loneliness that I have been talking about is because we have a wrong view of relationships, especially as it pertains to the church, prayer sessions, Biblical feast gatherings or internet groups.

A -- Realize your need:
If you view believer’s relationships as an option, you won’t make any effort to come into fellowship and grow with others in Moshiach. But if you recognize relationships with others as a need, in the sense that food and water are needs, you will begin to approach things differently. Remember what we read earlier: [We belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.] -- Romans 12:5b.

B -- Move toward others:
You need to take some initiative here; I have heard people say, [I’ve been to this church for two years and no one’s invited me over to their place. I have been a member on this website, but no-one makes an effort to chat and discuss. They all live in their own world and just want to make a name for themselves.] Well, how many times have you invited people? Take some initiative; others feel just like you do and they are waiting for someone to reach out to them; it needs to be you. Find someone, introduce yourself to them, let them know that you are glad they are a part of your church, your prayer group, your Biblical feast gathering or your internet groups, and see what happens.

C -- Be vulnerable:
When you open yourself up to other people you place yourself in a vulnerable state, especially when you get to know someone well and they know your problems. A few years ago, my prayer group on university had been meeting for a few months, one of our members said: [It makes me feel good to know everyone else is as messed up as I am.] Now that might sound pessimistic, but what he was saying demonstrated how vulnerable we each had been in opening up and fellowshipping with others. Attend your church group, or sign in to the groups of TTN, it is a great opportunity for you to overcoming your problem with loneliness.

D -- Be empathetic:
To sympathize with someone means you feel sorry for them or what they are going through; to empathize means that you feel the pain with them. Listen to others around you, their pains, joys, sorrows and their celebrations. As Stephen Covey says: [Seek first to understand, then to be understood.]

E -- Trust YHVH:
No matter how lonely you might feel right now, realize that there is going to come a day when you come through this time and in the meantime, you need to trust YHVH that that day will come. Perhaps more than any other time, this is a time for prayer. In Greg Boyd’s book: [Seeing is Believing] he has a chapter on [Resting in Moshiach] where he gives this helpful advice: [Spend time imagining, in as concrete and vivid a way as possible, using all five senses, what you look, sound and feel like perfectly manifesting the truth that you are filled with YHVH’s Love, Peace and Joy. Imagine this in various situations in your life, especially those in which you tend to experience yourself lacking love, peace and joy. [Trust YHVH to come through for you and allow His Truth about who you are in Moshiach and the Love He has for you, see you through to a brighter day.

OVERCOMING LONELINESS – PART 1

Years ago, Country singer Hank Williams had a popular song out titled: [There’s a Tear in My Beer.] The lyrics to one of the verses went like this: [Last night I walked the floor; and the night before; you are on my lonely mind; It seems my life is through; And I’m so doggone blue; You are on my lonely mind; I’m going to keep on drinking; Till I can’t move a toe; And then maybe my heart; Won’t hurt me so; There’s a tear in my beer; ’cause I’m crying for you, dear; You are on my lonely mind.] The thing is that song is basically what most people think of when you mention the word [loneliness,] but there is a type of loneliness that runs much deeper than that.

What is Loneliness?

There are a number of ways we could answer this question, but for our purposes I’d like us to look at three basic answers that apply.

It is More Than Being Alone:
You can be lonely in a big family, in a big church, in the most populated city on the face of the earth. The kind of loneliness I’m describing has to do with being disconnected from other people and from YHVH, it is being in a state of mind that doesn’t involve others. It is when you live constantly live with the question: [Does anyone really care?] It is when you don’t think that anyone else could possibly relate to what you are going through and that there will probably never be a time when you will feel differently than you do right now. It is a manifested in depression, despondency and often despair. If you are in this state of mind you know exactly what I’m talking about.

It Wears Many Masks:
For some people it is very obvious to everyone around them that they are going through a deep state of loneliness what some might call [a dark night of the soul] or [wintertime of the soul]. Others who are going through this state might appear completely normal to everyone around them, even to those who know them the best. But inside they feel like everyone has deserted them, that no one can relate to what they are dealing with; not their spouse, their friends, not even YHVH and sometimes, especially YHVH.

It is a Universal Reality:
This dark experience effects young and old, rich and poor, believer, unbeliever and seeker. Einstein said once: [It is a strange phenomenon to be so universally known yet be so alone]. You might have never personally experienced it, but odds are that someday you will or at the very least you know someone else who has, or is, experiencing it now. It isn’t something to be ashamed of, laughed at or ignored, it is something to recognize, share with those who can help, pray about and lay at YHVH’s feet. That is the answer to the first question.

WHER IS YHVH IN LONELINESS?

This is a question that most of us ask deep down inside, but we don’t bring it to the surface for fear that it would seem like we don’t have enough faith. But if YHVH is Who He says He is, He already knows that we are asking the question anyway, so why not give voice to what we are feeling inside? I have asked the question myself and I have found some answers to the question.

YHVH Cares About Your Loneliness:
Whether you are able to recognize this fact right now is beside the point, you need to understand that even if your emotions are saying something different, YHVH really does care about your loneliness. One tribe of Native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy's 13th birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods, all by himself and the whole night long. Every time a twig snapped; he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled; he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many, after what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy's father; he had been there all night long!

Something very similar takes place when we feel disconnected with YHVH and others. While we are going through our dark night of the soul and it feels like no one is around to fellowship with us, to care about us or to make us feel secure. There is going to come that day when the lights come back on, and we will find that YHVH has been there with us all along. [Adonai YHVH said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him. -- Genesis 2:18. This word translated [companion] literally means [a corresponding partner.] It is interesting to me that YHVH doesn’t say that being in a relationship with Him should take care of the loneliness problem, instead He sends other people who can fill the gap, in other words, it is not only a relationship with YHVH that will make the difference but relationships with other people are necessary also. YHVH cared enough about Adam to send him Eve, who has He sent to you?

Yeshua Understands Your Loneliness:
In the midst of your disconnectedness, why not call Yeshua along to be your Companion while you go through the experience? If anyone knows what you feel like, it is Yeshua. [This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same temptations we do, yet He did not sin.] -- Hebrews 4:15. Could one of those weaknesses that Yeshua understands be the loneliness we feel? Yes, it could, and it was, when He was on the Cross, when the Son faced the darkest hour in all of eternity. [At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. Then, at that time Yeshua called out with a loud voice: -- Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? -- which means, {My YHVH, My YHVH, why have You forsaken Me?}] -- Mark 15:33-34. Yeshua was abandoned, if only momentarily, by YHVH the Father, it had to be so. Yeshua was abandoned by His own disciples as they deserted Him. Yeshua was abandoned by His own people, the nation of Israel. If anyone can relate to what you’re feeling, it is Yeshua who spent much of His human experience being disconnected and abandoned by the people around Him.

Yeshua Invites You Into a Relationship With Him:
So many of us, when we feel despondent, run from Yeshua rather than run to Him. Yeshua said: [Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take My Yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light.] -- Matthew 11:28-30. Notice these two adjectives Yeshua uses; He is humble, and He is gentle. Rather than a god who stands with His arms crossed and points His finger at us, here we find that He comes down to our level and welcomes us into His Presence. [Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear Me calling and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal as friends.] -- Revelation 3:20. Yeshua is waiting for us to invite Him in; it’s up to us to decide if we are going to open up the door.

When You Belong to Yeshua, You Belong to His Family:
[So, it is with Moshiach's Body. We are all parts of His One Body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all One Body in Moshiach, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.] -- Romans 12:5. Two words really stand out to me here: [belong] and [needs]; to belong means that I am a part of something much bigger than myself; the Kingdom of YHVH, especially as expressed through TTN and your own gatherings. But this word need, stands out to me even more; what else in life could I say that I need? I need food, shelter and security but according to this passage I also need all of the rest of you who make up the Body of Moshiach.

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Residence in a polite Court, society of literati of the first order, a just cause and an approving God, will add length to a life for which all men pray. -Thomas Jefferson

Do you need a little silliness to get you through your day? Let Mr. Mu help you get a laugh by attempting to destroy my Sukkot packing list. Okay, so it was a little provoked but, this cat is so old and cranky that he'll attack a person's leg just for being within his reach. (<

Our sweet Naomi got to read the Shema, this morning. The first time she read it, she blew me away. I had no idea she would be able to read it on her own! Now, she barely had to look at the words because it's been so we'll written on her heart!!! What a blessing it is to share Yah's Word with our little ones!!!