Thought for Today: Monday September 05:

The word {Redeem} means to buy back – to recover by paying a price. The word redeemed can be illustrated from the ancient world by the position of a slave who had been captured in battle or enticed into serving one who was not his legal master. His real master however, intend on recovering his slave’s service and love, would buy him back – redeem him from the enemy – at great personal cost. That is what YHVH did for us… By Yeshua’s death on the cross, He paid the price for our deliverance, a price far greater than our true value. He did it solely because He Loved us. Now we have been redeemed.

Today was hard. I had to drive down and see my mom for the first time in more than 2 years. A couple days ago, when I called her, was the first time I'd even spoken to her in more than a year and a half. The actual interaction was polite but nothing more than surface level conversation and the very hard realization was that she does not care about myself, my husband or our children. I wish I were exaggerating but every mention of them was dodged and avoided. What really broke my heart was having to explain to my 14-year-old, when he questioned my trip, that she genuinely doesn't care about our family. I don't understand that mentality. I don't understand how someone can treat their family, their child, as something that's disposable. I understand that she doesn't agree with Torah. I understand that she doesn't agree with us walking away from pagan holidays. I understand even that she seems to be threatened by the fact that I do things differently. I don't understand how she can be so okay with pretending we don't exist. Her house is full of pictures of birds and insects and mounted deer heads. Her three little dogs run around and occupy her attention. All the while, her grandchildren are growing up little more than 2 hours away. She's replaced all of us and doesn't seem the least bit phased with it. My heart is mostly numb to her, specifically, but my heart still breaks for my children and the relationships that they've lost. They don't even understand what an uncle is because my brothers don't have anything to do with them. They don't understand what a grand parental relationship could be because they don't have active grandparents. My husband's mom comes around once in awhile but doesn't really understand what it means to be a grandparent herself. Not only do I feel like my kids are missing out but I feel like parenting is so much harder for Jake and I than what our parents had. Both of our moms were teen moms and had more help than I've ever been able to even imagine! Their levels of help were very different from one another but they had help. Jake and I have never known consistent help at all! This generation is a very selfish one and a very hard one to raise kids in!

This week’s Torah portion is now available on our app and website. Check it out and give it a read!

Maybe they should take the advice of the mayor of London, "No excuses: there is never a reason to carry a knife."

Can you imagine the death toll had the victims been armed with knives, or heaven forbid, guns?

You can't arm yourself ya'll, criminals might break the law!

https://thefacts.com/ap/intern....ational/article_bdfa

 

Canadian police: 10 dead, 15 injured from stabbings | International | thefacts.com

REGINA, Saskatchewan (AP) A series of stabbings in two communities in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan left 10 people dead and 15 wounded, authorities said Sunday. Police are looking

You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.
#deuteronomy 23:15-16 #kitetzei

The United States was a great nation, but it was never perfect. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 violated both the Law of God and American ideals. There is a way to do #slavery that does not violate God's Law, but it's rare. Most slavery around the world (and it still goes on today on all continents!) is totally contrary to #torah.

I AM WITHOUT FEAR – PART 2

2 – YHVH Has Given Me… The Love To Motivate My Actions:

A lady answered the knock on her door to find a man with a sad expression. I am sorry to disturb you, he said, but I am collecting money for an unfortunate family in the neighbourhood. The husband is out of work, the kids are hungry, the utilities will soon be cut off and worse, they are going to be kicked out of their apartment if they don’t pay rent by this afternoon. I’ll be happy to help, said the woman with great concern. But who are you? I’m the landlord, he replied. I guess his motivation is clear. But what about us, why do we act upon the spiritual gift YHVH has given to us? I find it interesting that in Paul’s list of equipment for overcoming fear and timidity that he lists love between power and a sound mind. For YHVH hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of …love… -- 2 Timothy 1:7. Tina Turner made the phrase famous What’s love got to do with it? And indeed, what does love have to do with fanning into flame my spiritual gift and giving me the ability to overcome cowardice in using that gift? It is love that drives me, that consumes me and motivates me to do the things that YHVH wants me to do. Power enables me to accomplish what YHVH wants done, but if I do not have love for YHVH and for my neighbour, I am going to live in fear and timidity. As a human being I have been wired to need a reason for doing the things that I’m doing – if I don’t have that reason I will not be motivated to act. Of course, YHVH could just order us to do what He wants us to do but instead, He gives us the motivation to do it through the example of His Son. And walk in love, as Moshiach also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to YHVH for a sweet-smelling savour. -- Ephesians 5:2. I look at Yeshua’ willingness to come to earth as a human being and I see love. I think of Yeshua’ compassion for the hurting masses and I see love. I see Yeshua taking the nails in His hands and feet and dying on the Cross and I see love. I celebrate the rising of Yeshua from the dead as the firstborn of many yet to come and I see love. Everything about Yeshua exudes love for us and as His follower my motivation comes from both knowing I am loved and the need that YHVH has instilled within me to love others. No matter what spiritual gift YHVH has given to us, our motivation to act upon it with courage is motivated by our desire to love others. When I choose to cringe in fear when YHVH calls me to minister I am demonstrating my unwillingness to love as YHVH has loved me. When I choose to move out in the power of YHVH I am not only acting in faith, I am also acting with the compassion of Yeshua Moshiach Himself.

3 – YHVH Has Given Me… The Discipline To Follow Through:

For YHVH hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of… a sound mind -- 2 Timothy 1:7. A sound mind here means to have self-discipline. Dr. Evan O'Neill Kane was a chief surgeon and had practiced his specialty for 37 years. He was convinced that general anaesthesia was too risky, that people should be operated on with simply a well-administered local anaesthesia so the risks of general anaesthesia could be bypassed. He was anxious to prove his theory. The problem was finding a guinea pig willing to go under the knife while conscious. All those he talked to, it seemed, were fearful of their bodies waking up during the surgery and feeling the pain of the deep, probing scalpel. Finally, he found a subject. Kane had performed appendectomies thousands of times. So, it was once again, the same procedure. The patient was prepped and brought to the operating room. The local anaesthesia was carefully administered and the surgery began. As always, Kane cut across the right side of the abdomen and went in. He tied off the blood vessels, found the appendix, excised it and sutured the incision. Remarkably, the patient felt little discomfort. In fact, he was up and about the next afternoon, which is remarkable since this was 1921, when people who had appendectomies were typically kept in the hospital six, seven or even eight days. It was a milestone in the world of medicine. It was also a display of courage, because the patient and the doctor were one and the same. Dr. Kane had operated on himself! Dr. Kane had a passion for what he was called to do in life. He was also disciplined enough to carry out what had to be done even if he was the only one willing to do it. No matter what the cost, the possible risks involved or the ultimate outcome, Dr. Kane made up his mind that he would do whatever was necessary. In the ministry of Yeshua Moshiach, we would acquire the same self-discipline when it comes to exercising our spiritual gifts to minister to others. YHVH will give us the power to get the job done, YHVH will motivate us by demonstrating His love and showing us how to love others, but it is up to us as individuals to sign on the dotted line and say: [YHVH, whatever it takes, I am going to do it to get the job done.] Are you willing to do that? If so, get ready to rise out of the spiritual wasteland of fear and timidity and be used by YHVH in a mighty way. During the Gulf War of 1991, Iraq launched a series of Scud missile attacks against Israel. Many Israeli citizens died as a result of these attacks. After the war was over, Israeli scientists analyzed the official mortality statistics and found something remarkable. Although the death rate had jumped among Israeli citizens on the first day of the Iraqi attacks, the vast majority of them did not die from any direct physical effects of the missiles. They died from heart failure brought on by fear and stress associated with the bombardment. Psychological studies conducted on Israelis at the time showed that the most stressful time was the first few days leading up to the outbreak of war on January 17th and peaking on the first day of the Scud missile attacks. There was enormous and well-founded concern about possible Iraqi use of chemical and biological weapons. The government had issued to the entire Israeli population gas masks and automatic atropine syringes in case of chemical attack, and every household had been told to prepare a sealed room. After the first Iraqi strike turned out to be less cataclysmic than feared, levels of stress declined markedly. As in other wars, the people adapted to the situation with surprising speed. Then as the fear and anxiety subsided, the death rate also declined. There were 17 further Iraqi missile attacks over the following weeks, but Israeli mortality figures over this period were no higher than average. It was fear and the psychological impact of the missiles, not the physical impact that claimed the majority of victims. I think something similar happens among believers, we allow ourselves to be paralyzed by a fear that is completely unjustified. YHVH has given us the tools necessary to accomplish His will and to minister according to our spiritual giftedness, now it is time to act and to rebuke fear. Let us fan the flame that YHVH’s Spirit has placed within us and let us start, right now.

I AM WITHOUT FEAR – PART 1

In his book Fuzzy Memories, Jack Handey writes: [There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him. Then I decided to fight back and I started taking karate lessons. But then the karate lesson instructor said I had to start paying him five dollars a lesson. So, I just went back to paying the bully.] Too many people feel it is easier just to pay the bully than it is to learn how to defeat him. Every time that we give into fear or lack courage in our walk with YHVH, it is giving into the bully named satan. It is an admission of defeat, when we have all the resources at our disposal to live in and claim victory over, all that would pull us away from our faith. When you are a Moshiach Follower there is no reason to fear. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of YHVH, which is in thee by the putting on of My hands. For YHVH hath not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. -- 2 Timothy 1:6-7. Paul is encouraging his young friend Timothy in the faith and giving him the reasons why he need not fear the ministry YHVH had placed him in. He had every reason to stand strong in the face of opposition, to be fully aware of; and fully engaging in; the spiritual gift YHVH had placed within him. The Apostle was telling Timothy, as well as telling us, that YHVH grants Moshiach followers the ability to overcome any and all that would try to stop us from fulfilling the dreams YHVH has placed in our hearts. The promise to each and all who accept our Adonai Yeshua Moshiach is the ability to live life with an absence of fear. It is important to note how the word fear is used here; it means to lack courage, to give up hope, to run scared from the ministry YHVH has called us to. It does not mean that we should not be afraid if we were laying on the ground with a lion hovering over us ready to attack. There are some legitimate things to be afraid of in life, in the sense that we know they can bring us harm or affect our lives in a negative way. But when it comes to the absence of courage in the face of implementing YHVH’s will, there is no reason to fear. In fact, there is only one real fear object for the believer:

The Only Legitimate Fear is… Fear of YHVH:

There are well over a hundred references to fearing YHVH in the Bible. Sometimes it refers to those that are not in relationship with Him and their need to fear Him as far as their eternal destiny is concerned. But other times it is speaking to those who are believers and our need to fear YHVH in the sense that we have reverence for Him and will live for Him based on this fact. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of YHVH. -- 2 Corinthians 7:1. It is this fear of YHVH that gives us the impetus to work for Him and His calling on our lives, not a fear of judgment or condemnation, but a fear of respect, of recognizing our position as mere humans saved by the grace of our Creator. We do not fear what YHVH has called us to accomplish, because we are acting with complete courage and confidence, knowing the one that we do fear equips us. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of YHVH, which is in thee by the putting on of My hands. For YHVH hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. -- 2 Timothy 1:6-7. In other words, we have no excuse whatsoever to turn away from the ministry that YHVH has called us to, because He has equipped us to accomplish the task, He has given to us. What are you afraid to do for YHVH? Do you fear witnessing to your friend about your faith? Are you afraid to sacrifice your time, money and skills to build YHVH’s Kingdom? Is there fear in your heart to step out in faith and support your church or ministry by witnessing? What is it that you are afraid to do that YHVH is calling you to? Whatever fears you might have in you at this moment; there is no need to continue living in the defeat of that fear, because YHVH has given us three specific pieces of equipment that will give us the courage to overcome:

1 – YHVH Has Given Me The Power To Accomplish His Will:

For YHVH hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power … -- 2 Timothy 1:7. In May 1995, Randy Reid, a 34-year-old construction worker, was welding on top of a nearly completed water tower. According to writer Melissa Ramsdell, Reid unhooked his safety equipment to reach for some pipes when a metal cage slipped and bumped against the scaffolding he stood on. The scaffolding tilted to one side and Reid lost his balance. He fell 110 feet, landing face down on a pile of dirt, just missing rocks and construction debris. A fellow worker called the emergency services. When paramedics arrived, they found Reid conscious, moving and complaining of a sore back. Apparently, the fall did not cost Reid his sense of humour. As paramedics carried him on a backboard to the ambulance, Reid had one request: Don't drop me. Sometimes we resemble that construction worker! YHVH protects us from harm in a 110-foot fall, but we are still nervous about three-foot heights. Our YHVH Who saved us from hell and spiritual death can protect us from the smaller dangers we face as we work to accomplish His will. What is it that you need to fan into flame the spiritual gift YHVH has given to you? What is it that you are lacking from YHVH? What exactly is it that He is not able to supply to you so that you can accomplish His will in your life? Just how is it possible for YHVH to have enough power to create the world and to resurrect from the dead, yet not have enough power for your ministry? The fact of the matter is, if I am not courageous in exercising my spiritual gift for YHVH, it is not because YHVH has not given me the power; it is because I am relying on my own power to get the job done. YHVH gives us talents, abilities and skills in all different areas and we are to use them for His glory, but if we think that we can only accomplish for Him what we are able to do in and of ourselves, we will not attempt much on His behalf. If all that we have to offer is what we derive from our own natural power it is no wonder we are fearful and timid. We have to realize that YHVH has more power than we could ever possibly need and when we fail to access the power that YHVH has made available to us, that failure demonstrates itself in cowardice when it comes to doing what He has called us to do. Fan into flame the spiritual gift YHVH has given you by trusting in His power to accomplish His will.

You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land.
#deuteronomy 23:7 #kiteitzei

Do not look for points of conflict with your neighbor. They will find themselves without your help.