LeFors Tribe

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This message is to encourage Believers to live healthy, to live in victory, not defeated. Believers have what the world does not have. We have the victory. It has been given to those who believe. For this subject, I will cover the area of sicknesses and dieases. It is very clear in the Bible that it is NOT God’s will for us to be sick. Unfortunately, I have seen a COMMON “fall-back” among most Believers who want to accept that they are sick or have dieases attacking them. They go back to point out that Paul said he had a “thorn in the flesh” which can be found in 2 Corinthians 12:7. I will show you in this vlog that “the thorn in the flesh” DOES NOT mean sickness and I strongly encourage us to abandon that misleading understanding. It is a mentality that Satan has attempted to infest God’s church.

For those who are not familiar who Paul was: He was a pure Jew, a pharisee, who was anti-Messiah. He murdered a lot of Believers but one day he saw Yahushua (Jesus) in a vision and believed in Him. He became a Believer of the Messiah and established many churches and was inspired by God to write 2/3 of the New Testament. He was one of the powerful apostles of Yahushua. He said in one of his letter that he had a ‘thorn in the flesh’ and many Christians today view it as sickness and as a result, many accept the fact of being sick….because Paul was said to be sick, too. Some assume that Paul’s sicknesses are: earaches, headaches, eye afflictions, epislepsy, hysteria, malaria, speech impediment, or sexual lust.

Praise God for the TRUTH. Gosh, if there were no such thing as Truth, I’d be a mess.  The “thorn in the flesh” DOES NOT mean sickness. I will show you some pointers where we can see that it does not mean sickness.

Paul preached ‘big-time’ on healing. Never do you see in the Bible where a sick person has healed sick people. Did not Yahushua say that a kingdom divided against itself would fall? You can read that in Matthew 12:25-30. Sickness vs. Health? We can see this is not so.

The truth is: In the Bible, God wants His children to be healed, well, and strong! Yahushua suffered beatings so that we could be healed. 

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” -Isaiah 53:5

Notice the verse says, “By his wounds, we ARE healed.” This means healing is possible and will happen. Satan wants you to be sick– he wants the opposite of this verse. He wants to limit us of what we are capable of doing. He wants to snap us away from God’s plans for us. What good are we if we are sick. We cannot do anything if we have to stay in bed and try to recover.Unfortunately, we as Christians, agree with Satan in this view. We think that the thorn in the flesh is a sickness put upon us.

Now, let’s get to the bottom of the “thorn in the flesh”. That  mentality must be destroyed. It is a false teaching or ”concept” that Satan has infested in the Chruch today and caused us to believe a misconception of the Bible. Knowledge is power. God has said:

 ”My people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge…” Hosea 4:6

 And later in that verse, he blames it on preachers. Preachers are supposed to be shepards– taking GOOD care of God’s flock but instead, many just take care of their flock allowing them to be sick and get worse.

Let’s see what kind of attitude did Jesus’s own brother, James, have when he wrote a letter to a church:

“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;”-James 5:14

This clearly tells me that James is expecting to hear that there is no one sick. He asked if there was ANYONE among you that is sick…He expects that no one is to be sick.

Now back to Paul, himself, healed people and performed healing. He raised the dead back to life! It would be truly an ironic if he was dead-sick but healing everyone else.

“The thorn in the flesh” really means HUMAN ENEMIES.

‘Thorn of the flesh’ is an Old Testament idiom. That’s something the Bible uses. It’s a Hebrew idiom not used among us, Americans. If you mentioned that idiom to a Jewish person, they would know that it means someone is being a bothersome to you. Unfortunately, to Americans or to those who are not familiar with the customs of Israel, they think this idiom means sickness. 

 Joshua used that phrase and so did David. Let’s see the CONTEXT of what that idiom was used in the Bible. Joshua said:

“But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and **thorns in your eyes**, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.” -Joshua 23:13

Joshua was not talking about sickness. The ‘thorn’ in that verse was regarding to the heathen nations in Caanan. We see that ’scourges on your sides’ and ‘thorns in your eyes’ are not sore eyes or sore body. It is human enemies.

.Again, David said:

“But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away, for they tear the hand that touches them.” -2 Samuel 23:6

In this verse, thorns means personalities from a human. A godless person. A human enemy.

Paul was clear when he mentioned what the ‘thorn’ was.

“…a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan…”-1 Corinthians 12:7 

A messenger of satan = human enemy and is also angels of satan. It’s a CLEAR reference to what “thorn in the flesh” means but unfortunately many people do not get it. It’s a MESSENGER from satan.

First of all, if ‘thorn in the flesh’ were really sickness, then boy, the people were really stupid when they took Paul’s handerchief which was filled with mucus, booger, snots, from his sickness. The handerchief would be filled with g-e-r-m-s of his eye infection and all the boils and other infection and dieases Paul had, but interesting, the handerchief was used to heal many OTHER people, but not Paul?!?!

 We can see the lie in the meaning of ‘thorn in the flesh’ being a sickness.Secondly, If Paul, “the sickest of men” was one of the mightest apostle accomplishing more work than a well man, then let us all pray for sickness in order that we also may do more work for God.

it’s not sickness. It’s a messenger of satan, which means human enemies.

Now, if some of the people say that Paul had the “thorn in the flesh” to prevent him from being boastful– and they have the same thing. Then in my perspective, they are SO arrogant to think they are so righteous, so like Paul, and so wonderful and that they have their thorn in the flesh to keep them humble. This is an issue of pride.  that’s an arrogant mentality.

I want to close this with encouragement. Beloved I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers.” -3 John 2:1

We can see here that the apostles wish for their beloved brothers and sisters to prosper in everything and to be in good health just the same way as their soul prospers. When you are saved, you have a new creature– in this verse, John is saying he wants you to have it all.

Be blessed!

http://www.leforstribe.com/

Hello!

 I want to talk about hardened hearts. I tend to sign “hardened heart” in this way (signed as a rock) but the most appropriate sign would be to sign it the same way stubborn is signed. I am sure that some of you, Believers, know about the word I am talking about. The words, “hardened hearts” have been used again and again in the scriptures– beginning with the Pharoah, then throughout the Israelites when they complained, and here and there in the new covenant–Jesus calling the Pharisees of having a hardness of hearts.

What is hardening of hearts? I don’t mean the heart becoming hard like a rock. It’s a metaphor. Harden has other definitions: it means of having a characteristic of pitiless, unfeeling, stiff, rigid, and/or unyielding.

Hardening of the heart is considered negative. It’s not a positive word in the Scriptures. Many times the bible encourages us not to have a hard heart.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”-Hebrews 3:13.

I want to specificially share that a hardening of heart is NOT limited to unbelievers. You as a believer can harden your hearts. We can have a resentment– not willing to be teachable– to hear what the spirit has to say to us  I will share with you two situations as a proof that hardening hearts are not limited to unbelievers. Remember the famous story of the Pharoah in Egypt. He would not let God’s children go. His heart was hardened. He was so stubborn even to the point that it cost the life of his first born son. 10 plagues attacked Egypt because they would not let the Israelites go.

“Pharoah’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?” -Exodus 10:7

We can see here that the Pharoah had a hard heart but his officials softened up. The hardness of hearts can happen to those who believe in God. Those who may know A LOT about God. The Pharisees are a good example. They knew a LOT about God yet Yahushua (Jesus) called them stiff-neck. Hard heart. But, Scriptures mentioned that some  of the Pharisees heeded to the word of Yahushua. Take Nicomodus for example. He was a pharisee. He loved Yahushua even to the point he helped Joseph bury Yahushua.

Often we like to stereotype. We label groups and often go as far to saying that the unbelievers have hard hearts. People who don’t know God. Or we go as far to saying that a certain group of people practice such strange religions. They’re the one who has hard hearts. We often say, “The hardness of heart does not apply to me. That’s not for me. Surely, not for me.”

Don’t forget the Egyptians recognized God and pleaded for Pharoah to let the people go.  Also, of the Pharisees, some of them understood Yahushua and followed HIm.

Tradition is another thing that causes the hardening of heart. Yahushua said,

“Why do you forsake the commandments of God for the sake of your traditions?” Matthew 15:3

Traditions– “It’s something I grew up with. I’m used to it.” Or, perhaps when we have learned something new, we say, “I’ve never heard of that before…I don’t want to know about it.” Traditions are not of God. Traditions are man-made. Traditions also include  ”rituals”. It can some kind of “teaching” or “doctrine”. Also, it can be a “way of life”- a lifestyle, etc.  Some of us are so used to a certain ritual or teaching and we would say, “My church does that.” or “My pastor told me.”. No one can force you to do this or that.

The Holy Spirit teaches us the truth. He will stir you up. The bible says that the early Believers turned the world upside down. No, the world did not turn upside down. It’s a saying of when there was a time when so many people began to do something no one had ever done. Yes, the Holy Spirit will turn you upside down. Do not harden the heart. He will stir you up. If we harden our hearts, we will not be able to hear from the Holy Spirit anymore.

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands”-2 Timothy 1:6.

This is something that Paul said to Timothy and can be used for us, Believers. If we are not being sitrred up…we can start to live in what is commonly known as “Christian Boredom”. “I know everything about the Bible. same ol’ same ol’.” They do not have their spirit stirred up. People among them hear and tell the same thing over and over again. It’s as if they have hit the glass ceiling. There is so much more in the Bible. It’s alive. If we do not stir up, our spiritual being can be like living in a stagnant lake–comfort zone. A stagnant lake is yukky. It has a lot of algae on it– perfect home for mosquitos and many other yecky insects. leeches- I’m not fond of them. Our spirit being can be like that easily when we harden our hearts. Don’t let yourself get into that position.

If you harden the heart, you will have separated yourself from the Spirit. Your ears will shut down and your minds will be stubborn. God is not going to force you to listen to Him. There will be no coercion (twisting of arms). Hardening hearts pulls you away from God. He always has his arms open. Perhaps you will ask me, “How do you know God will not force me?” The scripture says so. You have to act on it. It starts with your actions.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you.” -Matthew 7:7

Also, we see in the Bible of what Yahushua says of those who have hard hearts,

“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch”-Matthew 15:14

See here where Yahushua says to leave them alone.

The hardening of heart is an individual thing. We already see here in the scriptures that if we harden our heart, God is not going to force you to listen to Him. He’s not going to twist your arms. He will leave you alone. He will encourage you with a desire of bringing you back to Him, but He will not force you. He’s a gentleman.

I encourage you to stir up your spirit. The Scripture says not to quench the spirit. Take heed to this Scripture.

“Do not quench the Spirit…Test all things; hold fast what is good… Abstain from every form of evil.”-1 Thessalonians 5:19. 

I want to close this with an encouragement: If any of you lack wisdom, I want to let you know you can go ahead and ask God of it. He will be more than glad to give it to you.

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.’ -James 1:5

Be blessed! Have a great week!

http://www.leforstribe.com/ 

Y’all alright? I recently learned about some nuggets (short information) about Yahushua’s (Jesus) death and resurrection and how it parellels with the Torah (Old Testament). I just learned about them and really liked the information.

You know, sometimes we enjoy a rather large meal and sometimes we enjoy nuggets, tasting little foods, kind of like an appetizer. I will share with you six…hmm, a six piece “chicken” nuggets. Those are pieces I learned about the death and resurrection and found it very interesting.

Nugget #1: You know, Passover during Moses’ time, the time when the Israelites left Egypt. Prior to that, God sent 10 different plagues to the Egyptians. The Pharoah was very stubborn so it took 10 plagues before he finally let the Israelites go free. Anyway, just before sending out the 10th plague, God warned the Israelites that all the first born sons, animals, and etc would die. The Egyptians must let the Israelites go. There was a consequence for Pharoah’s heart being hardened against God. The Pharoah was stiff-necked. But God wanted to save the Israelites’ first born sons and animals. In order to save them, God gave them instructions. He told the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and paint its blood over the doorposts. God will send the Death Angel and when the Angel sees the blood over the doorposts, he will pass over the house. This is where Passover got its name. The Death Angel will pass over houses with lamb’s blood over their doorposts and not take away their first born sons. Houses that did not have the lamb’s blood over their doorposts, the consequences would fall upon the house and the first born sons would die. Every year since then, God commands that we remember the Passover. Yahushua’s blood, a very perfect blood, is our Passover Lamb. Yahushua was innoncent as He was condemned. His blood is smeared on those who believe in Him from head to toe.  This is a good one.

“And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses…”-Exodus 12:7

“For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed…” -1 Corinthians 5:7

Nugget #2: I mentioned earlier about the Passover lamb being sacrificed and using its blood to paint over the doorposts. There are criterias that must be followed. For example, the lamb must not have blemishes. It must be perfect without abnormalities, defects, or faults. It must be a perfect lamb. This is God’s commandment. He upholds a high standard on what lamb is to be sacrificed. This can be seen in the same manner for Yahushua. When Yahushua was arrested, about to be killed. Prior to that, they brought Yahushua to trial. Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, questioned Yahushua. At the end of that trial, the Roman governor declared that he found no faults in Yahushua and saw that there was no reason to hold him prisoner. But, it was the Jewish community that did not want to free Yahushua. Pontius Pilate was in a high authority position and he saw Yahushua FAULTLESS. This parellels with the animal lamb used in order to make sacrifices. God expected that the animal lamb be faultless. Perfect. Yahushua was perfect and He endured this for us so that He could be our Passover Lamb once and for all. Wow. This is a good one.

“Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old…”-Exodus 12:5

“So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.”-Luke 23:4

Nugget #3: In Genesis, Adam and Eve had intimacy with God, but they lost that intimacy by disobeying Him. As a consequence for Adam, God said in order for Adam to eat, work, and make a living of, Adam had to work hard. He would have to sweat and work hard in order to get food. This was a curse. Now, before Yahushua was arrested by the high priests, Yahushua was in the garden. At that time, Yahushua was under a tremendous stress for he knew exactly what was to come. He sweated a lot while praying. Keep in mind that the sweats that came out of Yahushua’s head was not salt-water like. It was of blood. The blood always represents a new covenant or a new agreement. God values blood because there is life in blood. So while Yahushua was in the garden praying, he sweated blood and this parellels with Adam’s sweating salt/water sweat to live as a curse.  Yahushua sweated blood in order to break the old curse and make a new agreement. This new covenant enables us not to be defeated in our trials and tribulations.

“By the sweat of your face you will eat bread…” -Genesis 3:19

“His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground…”-Luke 22:44

Nugget #4: For the same curse that Adam and Eve faced (the sweating to get food), there is another curse that came upon them. God told Adam and Eve that when they grow vegetables and fruits, their garden would have thorns and thistles being in the way. They would have to pull weeds, thorns, and thistles out of the ground in order to make their food grow healthy. This is a curse, a consequence of their disobedience. Now, Just before Yahushua was crucified, the Roman soliders mocked him since Yahushua said he was the king of Jews. The Roman soliders made Yahushua’s crown out of thorns. The thorns were long and strong. The thorns penetrated through Yahushua’s head and caused blood to come out. The thorns the Romans soliders used to make for Yahushua’s crown goes back to the old curse that Adam endured. Yahushua took the suffering of the thorns in his head to break that curse. In this way, in believing the Messiah, we do not need to worry about “thorns in our flesh” (sickness and diseases). We can break through it.

“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field…”-Genesis 3:18

“The soliders twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head…”-John 19:2

Nugget #5: This was a new information for me and I found it very interesting. The first time the Bible mentions the word “Love” can be found in Genesis 22. In that chapter, it talks about Abraham obeying God’s commandment to sacrifice Abraham’s son to God. This was a test of God for Abraham in order to see if Abraham would go that far in obedience.  In that chapter, where the word, “Love” is first used, it states, “Abraham, the son you have, whom you love, you will have to give to Me as a sacrifice…”  (paraphrased). In this chapter, this is the first time you will see the word “love” being used. This is parellelled to Yahushua. God’s only begotten son, whom He loved, was sent to Earth as a sacrifice for mankind for Him. By the way, just so that you know, Abraham did not sacrifice his son. Because Abraham obeyed, God stopped him in time by sending a ram to replace the son. I found this very interesting how the situation was when the word “Love” was first used–it was in a father-son relationship. Yahushua is Yahweh’s (God) son.

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love…” -Genesis 22:2

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

Nugget #6: The last nugget, savour it. During Moses’ time, there was a tabernacle that was built. It had many specific criterias in order to build that tabernacle. In the tabernacle, there is one room called, “Holy of the Holiest”. In that room, it was to remain holy. Not anyone can enter that specific room. Only the very highest priest could enter that room, and that only happens once a year to intercede with God for mankind. Everyone knows that this specific room is to be highly regarded, respected, and not something to take lightly. If anyone just walked into that room, they would immediately drop dead. There’s no games to be played when coming to that room. It is the Holy of the Holiest. That specific room is separated from all the other rooms in the tabernacle by a large thick curtain or veil. Some say that the curtain is three feet THICK. It is to completely separate the Holy of the Holiest room to all the other rooms in the Tabernacle. It is a very special place. Keep in mind that not anyone can just walk into that room. Only the High Priest can enter that room and that happens only once a year. If you and I or anyone else just walked into that room, ah, it would not be good. Anyway, when Yahushua was on the corss and just about to die, He said, “It is finished!!!” The earth began to tremble and there was an earthquake. The veil/curtain used to separate the Holy of the Holiest from all the other rooms was tore into half. It was torn completely apart. This action tells us that everyone, you and me, my mother and father, your mother and father, cousins, uncles, aunts, and everyone else has an equal right as the High Priest to have an access to God, the Father. We can talk with God, through Yahushua, the Messiah. Wow, this to me, blows my mind. It’s a good picture. Tearing apart the curtain/veil that separates the Holy of the Holiest to all the other rooms in the Tabernacle. All barriers, all circumstances, all religious rituals, and etc are destroyed and removed. Now it is just between me and God through the Messiah.

Holy of Holies verses: Exodus 26:31-37, Leviticus 16:2, Hebrews 9:7 & 25

“Then the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom…” Mark 15:38

“Brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…”-Hebrews 10:19

I hope you were blessed by these nuggets just the same as I was. If you have a nugget you would like to share with us, please feel free to share! Be blessed!

“Remember My Death: Is Yahushua the REAL Messiah?”

Is Yahushua (Jesus) the REAL Messiah?

Is He really the Messiah? How do I know? There are a lot of people who say they are the Messiah. How do I know if Yahushuais really the Messiah? What are my signs? What’s Yahushua’s proof?

I’m not the only one who wonders about that. Surely, some of you have, too. In fact, in the Bible, the Jews asked Yahushua for a sign that He is the Messiah. Yahushua says that the sign would be that He would die and resurrect after three days and three nights. That’s THE sign. A sign is a PROOF, a 100% TRUTH, no fibs, no twisting, and no covering up. 100% truith as to show that there is NO mistake that He is THE Messiah.

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. -Matthew 12:4

That’s quite hard to do. Can you get yourself to come back alive? Sounds impossible! You will have to have an “outer” source to bring you back to life. A defibrillator can bring you back to life and God also can. Yahushua’s proof that He is the Messiah is a TOUGH proof. He became specific– THREE days and THREE nights.

If Yahushua resurrected 2 days and 1 night. HE IS NOT THE MESSIAH. That’s another god…. I am looking for the Messiah that died and rose after 3 days and 3 nights.

The Easter holiday followed by million of Christians say that Jesus (Yahushua) died on a Friday (Good Friday) and was resurrected on a Sunday. That’s 1 day and TWO nights.  It’s half filled. That’s a false Messiah– I’m not interested in any false Messiah who cannot FULFIL 100% of the sign: 3 days and 3 nights. If Jesus (Yahushua) was not in the ground three days and three nights, then He is a liar and not truly the Son of God.  God forbid!

Unfortunately, Easter tradition pollutes the very sign that Yahushua gave of His identity as the Son of God. The Catholic church by Pope Constaine overthrew God’s feast, “The Passover” and replaced it with a pagan holiday, “Easter”. He even changed the dates making it Friday and Sunday. This is a total error. Yahushua was not crucified on a Friday and resurrected on a Sunday as, unfortunately, many people think.

Yahushua was crucified on a Wednesday and was resuurected on a Sabbath. Let’s stop spreading false signs about the Messiah and begin to tell the truth.

Here’s a timeline of Yahushua’ death and resurrection. Verses will be shown on the bottom (on video). Remember the Hebrew calendar begins a new day at sunset, not “midnight”. Nisan 15 is the Passover date. Nisan is the hebrew month which is between March and April.

Before Passover, Here in Matthew 26:1 and 2, Yahushua being the son of man now knows that He was going to be killed by crucifixion. He knows that He was the true sacrificial offering, the Passover Lamb of God. The Passover was sacrificed on the 14th of Nisan and Yahushua was talking in the evening of 11th Nisan going into 12th Nisan at sunset.

“When Yahushua had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”- Matthew 26:1.

Nisan 13, Tuesday (by sunset, Wednesday, Nisan 14): Yahushua ate an evening Passover meal with His disciples and insitutied the New Covenant symbols (Matthew 26:26-28)

Nisan 14, Wednesday-early morning (1 am?): Yahushua goes to Gethsemane (Matthew 26:30) and there Yahushua was then betrayed by Judas. (Luke 22:48). Yahushua is brought before the high priests. (Mark 14:53)

Wednesday morning: Yahushua is brought to Pilate and stands before the crowd. (Matthew 27:22). Yahushua is sent to be crucified at 9 a.m. (Mark 15:25)

Wednesday noon: Though it is noontime, it became dark as nighttime

Wednesday afternoon: Yahushua died around 3 p.m. (Matthew 26: 33-37)

Wednesday evening: This was the preparation day for the annual, not weekly, Sabbath, which began at sunset (Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John 19:31). Jesus body was placed in the tomb at twilight (Matthew 27:57-60).

FIRST NIGHT

Nisan 15, Thursday: Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset was the high-day Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread (John 19:31, Leviticus 23:4-7.) It is described as the day after the Day of Preparation (Matthew 27:62). The Pharisees go to the Pilate to have guards protect the tomb.

FIRST DAY

SECOND NIGHT

Friday, Nisan 16: The high-day Sabbath now past, the women bought and prepared spices for annoiting Yahushua’s body before resting on the weekly Sabbath day, which began at Friday sunset (Mark 16:1, Luke 23:56)

SECOND DAY

THIRD NIGHT

Nisan 17, Sabbath: THE THIRD DAY: The women rested on the weekly Sabbath, according to the Fourth Commandment (Luke 23:56; Exodus 20:8-11). Yahushua rose around sunset, exactly three days and three nights after burial, fulfilling the sign of Jonah and authenticating the sign He gave of His messiahship.

Nisan 18, Sunday: The women brought the spices early in the morning while it was still dark (Luke 24:1; John 20:1), finding that Yahushua had already risen (Matthew 28:1-6; Mark 16:2-6; Luke 24:2-3; John 20:1). He did not rise on Sunday morning, but near sunset the day before.

The gospel record of Yahushua the Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection prove His identifying sign of three days and three nights (Matthew 12:39-40).

Anyone holding to a Friday crucifixion and/or a Sunday morning resurrection is polluting the very sign Jesus gave to prove that He is the Son of God. 

What have bunnies and eggs done for you and me?

It was GOd’s desire that His children celebrate Passover forever. Certainly, God was not saying “forever” in vain.

“So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.” -Exodus 12:17

And Yahushua says to do so in the New Covenant. “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” -Luke 22:17

Yahushua says to REMEMBER his death (not birthdays as many of us do!)  REMEMBER His DEATH– when we do the Passover, we remember Yahushua.

And Paul tells us in the New Covenant to keep the festival!

“Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.”-1 Corinthians 5:6-8

Who’s your God that you will listen? The God that commanded us to celebrate Passover, or the god, the pope Constantine, that has commanded us to celebrate Easter and throw away God’s feasts?

Who’s your Messiah? The Messiah that fulfilled three days and three nights or the bunny, Ishtar, that died on friday and resurrected on sunday?

You have been spared because of the passover LAMB, not because of the bunny.

I did two vlogs last year titled “Easter is not a Bibical Holiday” and “A Messianic Passover” You can find them under http://www.leforstribe.com/ one in the month of March 2008 and one in April 2008.

Happy Passover!!

Hi! I would like to talk about The Word. It has power. You know, when I think I have known enough about the Bible, I, then, realize there is a LOT more to learn. It’s like opening a can of worms, and oftentime people want to close it. This one, you don’t wanna close it! It’s also like onions- you peel, then find out you gotta peel some more, and you peel and peel. Exactly why the Bible says,

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;”-Proverbs 3:13

We are made of flesh and bones. We also got a mind; a soul. We have a spirit and that is another being inside us. Flesh and bones. Soul. Spirit. That’s us as an individual. God’s like that. God is a Spirit. Yahushua (Jesus) was God in flesh and bones. Holy Spirit is the Word. They all three work together. God used the Word to create the universe.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”-Genesis 1:3

Here, we will see the works of the Spirit. We have The Word in us and we have power within our tongues. When God spoke, light acutally appeared. God made us in the same image as Him.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” -Genesis 1:6

You know, this verse says  ”US” and “OUR”. Not “I” and “MY”. This means more than one person involved. Plural. Certainly God was not talking to Himself, He was talking to someone else. Yup, Yahushua (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit were there as the universe was being made.

Look at yourself. You’re made in the like image of God. You got a skinsuit, a soul (mind/tongue), and a spirit.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”-John 1:1

The Word was the beginning. The Holy Spirit talks to us and convincts us. The Holy Spirit is God. The Word is God. Adam and Eve would have been immortal had they not eaten the forbidden fruit. They WALKED with God. We have the same opportunity to do so after believing in the Messiah.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold back there…The Bible says “No man has seen God.”

“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”-John 1:18

Oh, does this mean Adam and Eve did not walk with God? Oh yeah, they did. Take a closer look at the verse.

“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day”- Genesis 3:8

Hmm, check out the underlined of the verse. Voices don’t walk. But that’s Word. God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a being. It is Word. Adam and Eve walked with the Word. Amazing. And just at the instance of saying out loud you believe in God and the Messiah, you’re saved. The power of Word.

“that if you confess with your mouth the Messiah and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”-Romans 10:9

No rituals. No deeds. Just believe in it and say it. The power of Word and you’re saved. Yahushua (Jesus) has forgiven you of your sins. You are now a new creature in Messiah and will walk the Walk.That’s why faith is so important to God. Nothing can please God unless a person walks in faith and lives righteously by diligently seeking Him.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”-Hebrews 11:6

I have to remind myself that it is i.m.p.o.s.s.i.b.l.e to please God without faith. It does not matter if I have done thousands of good things and without faith, it is NOT going to please God anyway. It requires faith. I gotta have faith.  No wonder Isaiah shared this:

“If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established (stand).”-Isaiah 7:9

It’s really important to believe- say The Word. Yahushua says in the Bible that you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. However, you have to know first what the Truth is by reading the Bible before the The Word can start to work to set you free. I realize that there are zillions of different books and it can get confusing on what is true. Just give yourself the opportunity to read the Bible and seek God for the Truth. The Word will actually work in you and show you the Truth and it will set you free. Do not look onto other people–even Christians–They are not always a reflection of who God is. Do not always assume at whatever a Christian is doing or has done is the work of God.  There are many different factors. Are you able to see the person’s faith? Can you measure it? Do you know the relationship the person has with God? Is it deep and real? Does the person 100% actually believe and confess The Word? We doon;t know much, we can only tell from the outside–the fruits of the person. We also can see the Truth from the Scriptures. The Word will tell us what is true. If the person’s walk matches the Scriptures, then Praise God. If it doesn’t, stand on the Word, not on the person. The Word is what God says. I will trust in Him, not in people.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”-Hebrews 11:1 

I tend to use my pregnancy as an example of faith. I have been pregnant more times than the average American woman. When I find out that I am 6 weeks pregnant, I believe at the moment that I have a human child in my womb even though I do not feel the baby kicking nor do I see the baby in my arms. When I tell other people that I am pregnant, they tell me, “Congratulations!” even though they do not see a baby in my arms nor do they see my stomach as big as a basketball. Faith is the same way. I know that there is God and that I believe I will go to Heaven even though I’m not in Heaven at this point. I just believe, walking in faith. Also, if I am sick, I see that the Word says I am healed. Sickness has no right in my body. I need to walk in faith saying that I am healed knowing that I WILL be healed.  In fact, The Word says…

“..let the weak say, I am strong.”-Joel 3:10

That’s faith. Though I may be weak, I must say the power of The Word: “I am strong.” My inner spirit being gets connected with God and it lines up with The Word as I believe in it. That’s the power of The Word.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” -Proverbs 18:21

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Hello!

At our church we have a daily Bible reading planner and the goal of this planner is to read the whole bible in one year. Here is my checklist *shows list*. It is a blessing to me to have this daily Bible planner checklist. The checklist keeps us on our toes. I have to keep up with my reading everyday because it is very easy to get behind or even so when we do not have anything else to measure to show us how behind, on time, or ahead are we. It’s a good measurement tool.

Anyway, today I was reading Acts 14 and I thought it was very powerful and I would like to share it with you all.

You know, the gun itself can be very explosive. It is very powerful. It has the ability to kill. It has the ability to maim body parts. It can do so many things, but the gun itself as an object is harmless. You have to pull the trigger to make the gun harmful. If you do not pull the trigger, the gun will do nothing.

This concept is the same with God’s principalities. God is so powerful and has great abilities. He has countless of things that are available for us BUT if you do not trigger God, He becomes nothing to you.

Now, what can trigger God’s available power for us to activate?

Our faith.

You might ask me, “Our faith?”. Yes, our faith. We can see that in chapter 14 of Acts. This chapter talks about Paul’s missionary trips with Barnabas to different countries throughout Europe and Greece.

“And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” -Acts 14:8-10

Starting on verse 9, oh, I mean verse 8, we see that a man was born cripped. He was not born with normal feet and he could not walk. The crippled man was sitting in the audience listening to Paul preach. As he was listening to Paul and watching him preach, their eyes made contact. Paul, a Holy Spirit filled man, was touched and knew that the crippled man had faith. Paul could sense the faith in the crippled man- it just needed to be activated. So to activate the crippled man’s faith, Paul said to him, “Get up and walk now.” The crippled man decided to get up and walk and as a result, the crippled man actually could walk. The crippled man was born a cripple. He was born unable to walk because of the abnormal feet he had. The crippled man did not have an injury that caused him to be crippled. No! He was BORN a crippled person and was able to walk because of his faith. His faith TRIGGERED God’s power to work in him. That chapter touched me! And because of what happened to the crippled man, the crowd rejoiced. They were very glad. Now, the trigger touch is very important. If not for that trigger touch, the power God had for that man would have not happened. Wow. This is a good Word of God.

At the same time, as I think of a gun, the gun, if the safety button is on and we attempt to pull the trigger, it won’t work. The safety button has to be turned off in order for it to work. This has the same concept in our lives. We cannot just do things we want just for ourselves, live however we want, or have a wild, rivilous, and self-boasting life and when things turn for worse, we attempt to try to use faith. It’s not going to work. This is because God has clearly said in Galatians 6:7:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

So, in summary, I feel this 14th chapter of Acts was a good chapter as it explains to us what we are capable of doing when we have complete faith in God’s power in us.

Be blessed today.

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I recieved an email and as I read it, I thought it was a good ’food for thoughts’ and I am going to share it.  I don’t know if the story is an actual case or not.

There was a group of atheists who created a case against the Easter & Passover holy days. They hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews & the observances of their holy days. The argument was, it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized day(s). The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, ‘Case dismissed.’

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, ‘Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter & others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur & Hanukkah. Yet my client & all other atheists have no such holidays.’

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, ‘But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant.’

The lawyer said, ‘Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists.’

The judge said, ‘The calendar says April 1st is ‘April Fools Day.’ Psalm 14:1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned.

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I enjoy reading the Book of Acts (in the Bible). I like that book because it tells me how a church should be like. In the Book of Acts, Believers were making a difference, impacting so many people’s lives, healing a lot of sickness and dieases, growing together, teaching about salvation, sharing pure joy, unity, and peace. Unfortunately, we don’t see that too often nowdays- sure, there ARE churches like that, but not too common. Many people consider themselves to be a Christians but statistics show that only 17% of Christian Americans go to church regularly, and only 9% go to a BIBLE evangelism based church.  The numbers are just drastically low compared to the number of “Christians” we have in America.

Anyway, there was a verse in the Book of Acts that made me go, ‘wow’. But first, let me share the background of that verse.

“And when we (Saul and two of his friends) all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’”-Acts 26:14

There was a Jew pharisee named Saul who did not like Christians. A Pharisee is a rabbi who is very familiar with the Torah and other laws. Saul didn’t believe in Yahushua (Jesus) as the Messiah or Him being the Son of God. Saul was alive when Jesus had already died and He had risen. There was another man named Peter who was telling thousands of people about the power of Jesus’s resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result, thousands of Jewish people believed the Messiah. Many of them were Jewish people who believed that the Messiah had arrived– they were not “CONVERTS” but a Jewish person who believed that the Messiah had arrived. 

Saul, on the other hand disagreed with that belief and He was more than glad to send Christians to prision, to kill them, to bring more suffering to them because he hated the teaching of Christanity. It was like *roll eye* to him. One day on Saul’s way to a town named Damascus to persecute more Christians, Jesus appeared to Saul. After seeing Jesus, Saul converted and became a Christian and was one of the most powerful apostles. He also changed his name from Saul to Paul.

“And when we (Saul and two of his friends) all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’”-Acts 26:14

I’m gonna paraphrase Jesus a bit here.

“Why are you persecuting Me? You are only hurting yourself by fighting Me.”

This made me think deeper as I read. We live in a hurting world. People are hurting because the majority are fighting against Him. Jesus is saying that when you insult or hate God, you are only hurting yourself. It’s not hurting Him though it grieves Him. Again, any individual who fights against God are only hurting themselves. God is not hurting anyone. He’s always more than willing to help an individual receive joy, peace, love, and stability.

Deep deep deep down, are you hurting?

Perhaps this is why….

You are only hurting yourself.

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A Gentile Christian: An Oxymoron. It is a contradiction word. What does oxymoron mean? An oxymoron is when two words with different meanings are put together in a sentence. For example: PRETTY and UGLY: “The meeting was pretty ugly.” FOUND and MISSING: “The little girl was found missing.” GENTILE and CHRISTIAN: “I am a Gentile Christian.”

The word GENTILE means: a heathen, wicked, or a pagan. The word CHRISTIAN means: a follower of Christ, believes in Christ, belongs to Christ. “I am a Gentile Christian” That’s an oxymoron. Another way to put it: “I am a heathen, wicked pagan believer who follows and belong to Christ.”

Over time we have been told that we are Gentiles. We have adopted that idenity for ourselves. It also means that we do not belong to a Jewish nation. The dictionary also says that a Gentile means, “not from a Jewish nation”, but that is NOT at all how God sees the word “Gentile”. God has one meaning for the word “Gentile” and that is, “heathen”, ”wicked”, “a pagan”–separated from God. Remember, there is no culture with God. It is either, “come home with Me” or “You chose not to come home to Me.”

Yahushua (Jesus) shared a parable: “The Prodigal Son”. Luke 15:1-30. This simply explains us. The father has two sons. One of his son left home and did all he wanted to do, spent all of his money, partied hard and when he hit rock bottom, he became poor, hungry, and filthy. He missed home and wanted to go back. When he came back home, the father saw him and gladly recieved him. The other son who never left home did not like the idea that his father had a party in honor for the lost brother that came home.

The father is God. He has two sons. “Judah and Israel.” In the beginning Israel was one country.

“Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you.” -Deuteronomy 6:3

But due to pagan worshipping, the country split into two.

“When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin–a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men–to make war against the house of Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.” -1 Kings 12:21

Judah and Israel. Judah has two tribes: Judah and Benjamin and the house of Israel has 10 tribes.

“Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes.” -1 Kings 11:31

As time went on, other countries invaded Israel and the 10 tribes fled, moved elsewhere, got married, and so on.

“Then Micah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”- 1 Kings 22:17

The 10 tribes became the LOST tribes.

“But He (Yahushua) answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”-Matthew 15:24

The house of Judah remained for the sake of bringing the Messiah into the world.

“So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ “-Matthew 2:5-6

Those who know their bloodline are called Jews, but even so there are people who are Jews and have no bloodline to the Jews. It is because they have converted. They meet with the rabbi and complete certain guidelines and become a Jew. There are black Jews. Asian Jews. Hispanic Jews. It is only because of conversion.

God does not see it that way. He wrote in the Law that if any foreigners want to become an Israeli citizen, they only have to circumcise and partake the passover.

“And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.” -Exodus 12:48

Those who have no knowledge of their bloodline are told that they are gentiles. While that is true, we don’t know our bloodline. The 10 tribes are lost tribes.  But when we recognize the Messiah and accept Him as our Savior, Yahushua (Jesus) says we are back home.

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” -Galatians 3:29

Unfortunately, there is an issue of “superior” and “inferior. One Jew says to a person who calls himself a Jew, “He’s not really a Jew. He isn’t related to a Jewish person.” They feel superior because they are the chosen one- they have a bloodline. We also even have Gentiles who say to a person who calls himself a Jew, “Je’s not really a Jew. He isn’t related to a Jewish person”. They feel inferior– that a Gentile has become “the chosen” and the gentile wants the person to “step down”. But this is not how God sees this. He sees everyone as brothers and sisters. Israel: “That’s my son, my firstborn. Come home.”

“They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.” -Jeremiah 31:9

Paul shared another parable called “The Olive Tree”. This can be read in Romans 11.  

“But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree, some of the Jews, have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God’s rich nourishment of his special olive tree. But you must be careful not to brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. Remember, you are just a branch, not the root. ”Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” Yes, but remember – those branches, the Jews, were broken off because they didn’t believe God, and you are there because you do believe. Don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the branches he put there in the first place, he won’t spare you either.” -Romans 11:17-21

This passage tells me that God sees that anyone who accepts Him must see each other as “brothers and sisters”. We are children of God. God does not want religions. He’s not fond of them. He wants relationship. He’s the Father and I’m the “lost son”. I’m coming back home and God has recieved me with open arms. His servant is preparing a party.  

I used to identify myself as a Messanic Jewish but after I learned the real meaning of the name “Jewish” I changed the identity to “Israelite”. Abraham was not called a Jew. He was a Hebrew and so were the 12 tribes. They were all called Hebrews. Their language was Hebrew. When the country split into two, Judah began to call themselves Jewish. Their religion was Judiasm.  The Israelites became scattered–long gone– and many of them left their tribes and married pagan worshippers. They left God–moved away. They are called Gentiles. God preserved the bloodline of Judah, which King David belonged to. This was because of the Messiah to come. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, therefore he was called a Jew. Paul, who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, came from the tribe of Benjamin therefore he was called a Jew. The remaining 10 tribes were lost– a “bye bye” They left God and left His Commandments. God saw that they were wicked, a heathen. Gentiles. SEPARATED from God. Now for me, I do recognize God, I do recognize His Son, the Messiah. How do I know what tribe I come from? I won’t know. I really won’t know unless I spend hundreds of dollars to figure out my family tree. I am not going to do that I will walk in faith. I’m back home. Back to Daddy. We can read in Ephesians 2:11-22, but take close look at verse 19.

“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” -Ephesians 2:19

And the Scriptures tell us not to copy the ways of the Gentiles:

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” -Matthew 6:7-8

Also in 1 Peter, God tells us how to live among the Gentiles:

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” -1 Peter 2:12

 There is also a quote; ” O house of Israel and house of Judah…The Father has called your name. He will bring you back, each one of you to your own inheritance and each one to your own land. Yes, that’s His promise to you.” -Jeremiah 11:10, 16-17; 12:15;

“The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL and with the HOUSE OF JUDAH.” -Hebrews 8:8 

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Shalom! Happy Hanukkah! I made a vlog last year about Hanukkah but I wanted to elaborate some more this time. I personally think every Believer should observe Hanukkah. If you want to see the other vlogs I did on Hanukkah, you can check out under November or December 2007 link and find “Happy Hanukkah”. Last year, the commenters had a big discussion and I created, “Bits of Christmas”. You can check that out if you want.

 Hanukkah is also known as “Feast of Dedication” and “Festival of Lights” It is mentioned in the Bible. John 10:22.

“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter and Jesus was walking in the area of Solomon’s Porch.” -John 10:22-23.

Let us go back in time and imagine Jesus walking in Solomon’s porch. It was winter time. The temple is very beautiful and it has a lot of details and it was destroyed when the Babylions took over. The book of Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah, and Nehemiah talks about the destruction of the Temple.

The Macabee’s were a group of soliders who wanted to take back the temple and they fought against the Syrian-Greeks. This was before Jesus was born. This is just a historical event, proven to be true by other documents. The concept of this war reminds me of Boston Tea Party. A small group of people stirred up a war against a large group of soliders. Daniel 8 is a prophecy of this event, the Macabee’s war against the Syrian-Greek. In that chapter, there are a lot of symbols. Goats and rams, small and big horns, the small horns represent the Macabees and the large horn represents the Syrian-Greek armies. An interesting fact here: Kislev 25 is the beginning day of Hanukkah according to the Jewish calendar. This is the same date as the foundation of God’s temple that was laid by Solomon.

“From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the fuondation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought…: -Haggai 2:18 (Kislev is the ninth month.)

WHen the temple was won, it was very messy, destroyed, and out of order. only one jar of oil was found. This oil is to light the temple’s menorah. The jar they found was only good for one day but because of a miracle, the oil stayed lit for 8 days so that more oil could be prepared and that the temple could be rededicated.

Now, let’s go back to Jesus’ time, John 10:22. It was the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) and it was winter. Jesus was walking in Solomon’s porch. The Jews asked Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense?” (John 10:22-30) This is the very time, day, and moment that the Jews wanted to know if Jesus is really the Messiah. It was also the very time that Jesus annoucned to the world that he is, indeed, the Messiah. Jesus uses the miracle of the holiday to His life. “Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me.” -John 10:25

The Jews believed God had given them a miracle and that is allowing the oil to stay lit for 8 days so that they could rededicate the Temple and worship God. Jesus tells them that the miracles He does in the Father’s name speak outloud that He is THE Messiah. He is also THE light of the world. The Festival of Lights.

“Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”-John 8:12

We can live in victory and be glad– the Messiah has arrived. Let’s celebrate the Festival of Lights! When we believe that Yahushua is the Messiah, we rededicate our lives to God. It is a joyful time–this is a Feast of Dedication. It’s a good time to rededicate your mind, body and soul to God.

There are 8 nights and this is how I do it with my family. I do not think there is a right or wrong on how Hanukkah is celebrated but I like enriching my children with history, bible stories, truth, and applying to their lives.

The first and second night, we talk about the history of the Macabees. Pure History. We read from children books and we cover the miracle of the oil being lit for 8 days. HANUKKAH.

On the third, fourth, and fifth night we talk about the oil being a miracle and the greatest miracle EVER–the birth of Yahushua– the Messiah. We talk about how the Messiah is the light of the world and we also cover the story about John the Baptist and how he paved the way for people to reconnect to God. Jesus has completed the task and made way for us to reconnect and have a relationship with God. We read from Luke chapter 1 and 2. We also use children books that talk about the birth of the Messiah.  THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

On the sixth, seventh, and eighth night we talk about our relationship with God and how our bodies are the Temple of God and how we can keep it holy. You can read that in 1 Corinthains 3:16-17 and Ephesians 2:21. FEAST OF DEDICATION

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” -1 Corinthians 3:16-17

We also decorate our house with lights of different colors and we place icicle lights on the rooftop–for wintertime. White lights for purity, blue lights for the color of Israel and also we decorate with the Star of David and many menorahs. The tallest on the menorah represents the Messiah, the LIGHT of the world and it lights the others.  hanukkah parties to share the stories we learn and we cook different food and desserts that are commonly used during this season. Every night our children get one gift. They start off small and get bigger and bigger as the nights go. Let’s say, for example, one child will be getting an IPOD. The first night they get the headphones. The second night, they get the cover for the ipod. The third night they get the actual IPOD. For other children, they can get a neat and cool pen the first night, then the second night a headband, and so on.

Hanukkah is a beautiful holiday when we see how the Messiah is parelleled in it. I enjoy this holiday a lot.

Have a blessed Hanukkah!