HeARTworks: An Evil Report for September!

"Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!" 1 Kings 19:7

After Elijah slaughtered the prophets of Baal, Jezebel swore to hunt him down and have him killed. So Elijah fled to the desert alone and prayed that God might take his life. Completely disheartened and exhausted, Elijah fell asleep under a lone broom tree. The broom tree is not actually a tree, it is more of a shrub, and quite inadequate for shelter under the hot sun of the desert. You can imagine how Elijah must have been moaning with self-pity by this time. But then an angel woke him up and told him to get up and eat. There was bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water to drink. Elijah ate and drank and went to sleep again.

After a while, the angel ministered to him again. "Get up and eat some more, for there is a long journey ahead of you." Elijah got up and the food gave him enough strength to travel 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. Some writers say the journey of 40 days and 40 nights is symbolic of our whole lifetime on earth. Obviously, we have to eat and drink everyday to feed and nourish our bodies. We cannot live our whole life on one meal and we usually eat three times a day. The same is true for our spirit. We also need to feed our spirit, and not just once a month, or twice a month. Our faith can get weak and ineffective and we need to feed on the Word of God daily. If our physical body needs exercise, our spiritual muscle needs it too. "Build yourselves up by praying in the Holy Spirit..." (Jude 1:20-21) Reading the Word, obeying God, and praying in tongues,will make our spirit strong and equip us ably for the long journey ahead!

"An evil report he shall not fear..." Psalm 112:7

There are many "evil" reports going around today. Just search for the words "Jade Helm" to read about conspiracy theories about what America is preparing for, "Jeff Berwick" for the impending economic collapse coming next month, "shemittah" for the 7 year cycle of either blessing or judgement, "Rabbi Jonathan Cahn" and his best selling book "The Harbinger" about the signs of America's destruction if the people do not repent. According to Cahn, all 9 harbingers manifested in the last days before the destruction of Israel are manifested in like form in American soil. The first warning came in September 11, 2001 when terrorists attacked US landmarks. Seven years after, in September 29 (if you use the Jewish calendar, it is exactly 7 years after to the day), the Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 777.68 points, the largest drop in its history. So many people are awaiting what will happen this September, 7 years after 2008.

I believe that whether "evil" comes or not, whether collapse or economic ruin comes or not, we should ALWAYS be prepared! Psalm 112:7 continues, "his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord." We should be disciplined in reading the Word of God, and praying. In Acts 17:11 we read, " Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." We too should receive the Word of God with great eagerness, and examine the scriptures every day so that when evil does come, and it will, we will be prepared and victorious and peaceful.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

"Take to heart these words..." Deuteronomy 6:6

The 6th chapter of Deuteronomy is our God's call to us for wholehearted commitment to Him. This is a poignant moment for Israel. Moses is about to die (Dt. 34) and he leaves a whole Book filled with instructions and laws and reminders for his people. In the 6th chapter we find the "Shema", the great Jewish prayer, which devout Jews recite when they wake up, and before they sleep. The prayer is named after the opening word, which means "Listen up', "Pay attention", "Take heed".

The chosen people were instructed to keep God's Word close to them, bound on their wrists, or on their doorposts in a Mezuzah. I like to put the Shema in a little glass container and hang it around my neck.

Although it can be tedious reading, there are gems hidden in the Book of Deuteronomy. I always liken reading the scriptures to a treasure hunt. There are gems hidden in all those laws and statutes. We will get to know our Father more, and how much He loves and cares for us. That is the only reason for all those instructions. The people of Israel were surrounded by many pagan peoples with many practices that God abhorred. God did not want His people whom He chose to love to be contaminated by the culture around them. He wanted to bless them in the same way He wants to bless us today. Like the Jews, we too are surrounded by an ungodly culture, a culture of death and sin. If we want to be a people God calls His own, we need to know how God wants us to live, to be holy, a people set apart. "It was not because you are the largest of all the nations that the Lord set His heart on you and chose you, " He told Israel, "for you are really the smallest of all nations. It was because the Lord loved you..." (Dt. 7:7-8)

Thank you Lord for being faithful and for loving us! Teach us Your ways, and ingrain Your words in our hearts. Thank you for sending Jesus who fulfilled every law, every letter and every bit of the letter of law for us who accept Him as Lord and Saviour!

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