Stepping Out in Faith

 

As we study the Word Of Yah, aka our Bibles, we will start seeing that our ways are not His ways. (Isaiah 55:8) Our Father wants us to learn His ways and apply them to our lives. (Proverbs 23:26, Psalms 81:13,Proverbs 8:23) For most of us this is a process. Yah is merciful and patient as we learn His ways. 

Some changes are easy, others not so much.  We can find ourselves bargaining with Yah when we are asked to give up something we like, or change something that turns our lives upside down.  I went thru trying to compromise on these issues. But in the end I could see that the compromises were not working,  and I was still in disobedience.  Some compromises I tried were because the changes I was making were affecting others, and they didn't like it.  For instance,  my kids were still at home when we gave up Xmas and Easter for the Appointed Times of Yah. We used Hanukkah as a transition celebration.  Kids are used to getting gifts, they look forward to that.  So we did 8 gifts, 1 gift each evening of Hanukkah for a few years.  Now after not doing Xmas and Easter for 26 years,  everyone is used to it and my grandchildren consider it my normal. 

The dietary laws were a challenge for me as well. I've been keeping a Kosher diet for 26 years. People assume I didn't like pork and shellfish so giving them up was easy... not so! Pizza isn't the same without Italian sausage, turkey bacon is not a good substitute, and I loved shrimp cocktail and hard salami. This change was not easy, but I realized it was beneficial for me.  Do some research on swine, you may be surprised by what you find.  The dietary restrictions are there for my health. After time I began to happily choose clean meat, and am now fairly disgusted by the thought of people eating animals that were not intended to be food. He's changing my thoughts to be like His thoughts. 

Recently my husband and I have stepped out in Faith again, making a huge life change. My husband worked for a refinery. This job came with a nice income, plus benefits, but shift work and scheduling made it difficult to keep the Holy Days. My husband has now left that job and starting his own business.  Scary? YES! But we have placed ourselves in the loving hands of our Father by making Him and His Ways a priority.  Yah never fails. He said if we keep His instructions blessings will chase us down.  We are striving to be obedient to Yah in every thing. Not just for the blessings, but it sure beats curses for disobedience.  

Still a work in progress 

Teresa

Truth is Truth

 

Truth is truth and isn't changed because someone's perception is skewed.  Ouch! Watch your toes! There is no "my truth" or "your truth", there is only THE truth. Facts matter, precise language matters and we must stop putting our own personal touch on these things.  The mainstream media do this all the time.  Looking at ALL the facts, not putting aside the parts that don't fit our desired outcome, is what a wise person who wants to see the full picture will do. Listening to the full message, understanding the meaning of each word, cluing into who is the speaker, for whom is the message intended, the culture of which the speaker and audience are part will help is truly understanding what that message is.  Often people read or listen to a message and only perceive it based on their own personal opinions, biases, and limits. 

The Holy Scriptures found in our Bibles are so often misunderstood and taken out of context.  Seems to me that those Scriptures are meant to relay a specific message and not up for individual personal interpretation, yet it happens all the time.  The same Scriptures preached from 5 different pulpits could render 5 different messages.  This is not to say that the Scriptures aren't layers of understanding,  they are indeed that.  Most of us have read a verse 50 times and on the 51st time we read it we see something more in it. But we should seek to know what was truly intended by the author(Yahuah). There are 50,000 (exaggeration) denominations in Christianity because so many people are not interested in what did Yah really say.  If we truly embrace what Yah really meant, we may have to change something,  give up something,  or acknowledge we were wrong about something. People want to be god of their own lives and for Yah to be ok with that.  He's not, by the way.  

Truth is not relative, it's concrete. Of course multiple witnesses to a thing will give you multiple perspectives. Yet the facts don't change. Multiple perspectives can give us a more clear picture of the thing. Just remove the bias from the perspectives. Bias, or your personal filter, can really skew the picture of the thing. We all use a filter to view life. This filter is made up of all our experiences and life lessons up to this point. How many of us can put the filter aside when recounting the thing? That would be a conscious act of a mature person. Can we be honest with ourselves about our filters? Can we be discerning regarding our filter? Shouldn't we, if we care to know the truth of the thing intended by author of the thing? 

Still a work in progress 

Teresa

Rollin' Down the River

 

Have you ever floated on a river? The current will take you with no effort of your own. Easy, breezy, relaxing and smooth, just floating on by...till you hit the rapids. Then you gotta navigate this river, trying to stay in the current while avoiding the rocks and debris in the water.  I feel like walking in The Way, being lead by the Holy Spirit  is similar. When life's circumstances are calm we can more easily float,  relaxed in the journey, relying on the current to take us. But when life becomes turbulent, problems arise, people treat us roughly bashing us against the rocks, broken limbs entangling us, we get off course. We have been moved away from the current,  now stagnant, caught up in the debris and struggling. We need to get out of the tangled mess and back into the current, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order to press forward on the journey of life. 

As I  find myself in the tangled mess I wonder, "How did I get here?" The truth is I was too comfortable, I was complacent. I didn't do my part to navigate life and stay connected to the Holy Spirit,  my guide and help. If I had just paid attention I would have seen the rapids ahead and been ready to get through them.  I would have referred to my Scriptures, my map, if you will.  I would have been prayed up and prepared. But here I am,  stuck in the tangled mess by the bank, going no where.  Repentance and prayer is my way back into the current( guidance of the Holy Spirit). For Yah is faithful to bring us back. 

Still a work in progress 

Teresa