Friday, March 14, 2014

Purim 2014


Yom Shishi 12th of Adar II, 5774 - Friday, 14 March, 2014

"Shabbat Zachor" Sabbath Preceding The Feast Of Purim

Boker Tov!    
Shabbat Shalom! 

"And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the maidens, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti."

Esther 2:17


 The biblical Book of Esther is a beautiful story of love and courage, a reminder of God's faithfulness to those who place their hope and trust in Him!

After the victorious battle fought in Exodus 17 between the people of Israel and their marauding and murderous enemies called the Amalekites,  the Lord spoke to Moses telling  him, "Write this for a memorial in the book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua (Moses' successor), that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens."  Exodus 17:14

Moses built an altar and called the name of it Adonai Nissi , The Lord is my Banner.  Afterwards, he told his people, "Because theirs is a hand against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

  The prophet's declaration reveals that the Amalek will wage war against God and the people of God in each succeeding generation right up to this present day.   What believers must realize is that the spirit of Amalek is actually the spirit of Antichrist and  is the driving force of the enemies of the cross.

In these perilous days, believers need to stand and openly declare their love and support for the people and the nation of Israel, and to also remember that God's promises to Abraham concerning His chosen people are real and eternal!

"And I will bless those who bless you, who confer prosperity or happiness upon you, and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed and by you they will bless themselves." 

Genesis 12:3

"And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify declare righteous, put in right standing with Himself, the Gentiles in consequence of faith, proclaimed the Gospel, foretelling the glad tidings of a Savior long beforehand, to Abraham in the promise, saying, 'In you shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.'
Now the promises made to Abraham and his Seed, God does not say, 'And to seeds, as if referring to many persons, but, And to your Seed, obviously referring to one individual, Who is none other than Christ the Messiah."

Galatians 3:8, 16

 

Monday, March 3, 2014

The Healing Scriptures: "For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power...."

            
             Speak These Scriptures Daily Over Your Life And You Will Be Blessed!


"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you until you become a group of peoples."
Genesis 28:3

  "If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God and will do what is right in His sight, and will listen to and obey His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord Who heals you."
Exodus 15:26

 "The Lord bless you and watch, guard and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious, kind, merciful, and giving favor to you; The Lord lift up His approving countenance upon you and give you peace, tranquility of heart and life continually."
Numbers 6:24-26

"See now that I, I am He, and there is no god beside Me; I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand."
Deuteronomy 32:39

"Kiss the Son, pay homage to Him in purity, lest He be angry and you perish in the way, for soon shall His wrath be kindled.  O blessed, happy, and fortunate, and to be envied are all those who seek refuge and put their trust in Him!"
Psalm 2:12 

"Salvation belongs to the Lord; May Your blessing be upon Your people."
Psalm 3:8

 "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy..."
Psalm 107

"O praise the Lord, all you nations! Praise Him, all you people! For His mercy and loving-kindness are great toward us, and the truth and faithfulness of the Lord endure forever. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!"
Psalm 117

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds, curing their pains and sorrows."
Psalm 147:3

 "Surely He has borne our griefs and sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses, and carried our sorrows and pains of punishment, yet we ignorantly consider Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God. 
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement needful to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes that wounded Him we are healed and made whole."
Isaiah 53:4-5

"But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong.  This peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me, this is that which I impart to them as their justification, says the Lord."
Isaiah 54:17
 
"For thus says the high and lofty One-He who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, but with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent bruised with sorrow for sin."
Isaiah 57:15

"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise."
Jeremiah 17:14

 *"And on the banks of the river on both its sides, there shall grow all kinds of trees for food; their leaf shall not fade nor shall the fruit fail to meet the demand. Each tree shall bring forth new fruit every month, these supernatural qualities being because their waters came from out of the sanctuary. And their fruit shall be food and their leaves for healing."
Ezekiel 47:12

"And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and infirmity among the people."
Matthew 4:23

"And Jesus said to him, Go your way; your faith has healed you. And at once he received his sight and accompanied Jesus on the road."
Mark 10:52

"So He said to them, You will doubtless quote to Me this proverb: Physician, heal Yourself!"
Luke 4:23

"So now we are bringing you the good news of the Gospel that which God promised to our forefathers, This He has completely fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second psalm, You are My Son; today I have begotten You, caused You to arise, to be born; formally shown You to be the Messiah by the resurrection. 
And as to His having raised Him from among the dead, now no more to return to putrefaction and dissolution of the grave, He spoke in this way, I will fulfill and give to you the holy and sure mercy and blessings that were promised and assured to David."
Acts 32-34

"Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried. Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him."
Romans 4:7-8


"Yet the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and set you on a firm foundation and guard you from the evil one."
1 Thessalonians 3:3

"For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power, making it active, operative, energizing, and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword; penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life, the soul, and the immortal spirit, and of the joints and marrow of the deepest part of our nature, exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12

"Confess to one another therefore your faults, your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins, and pray also for one another, that you may be healed and restored to a spiritual tone of mind and heart. The earnest prayer of a righteous man  makes tremendous power available, dynamic in its working."
James 5:16

"He personally bore our sins in His own body on the tree, as on an altar, and offered Himself on it, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed."
1 Peter 5:24 

"But you, beloved, build yourselves up founded on your most holy faith, make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher, praying in the Holy Spirit; Guard and keep yourselves in the love of God; expect and patiently wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah, which will bring you unto life eternal."

Jude 1:20-21


* The meaning of Ezekiel 47:1-23:

"These waters signify the gospel of Christ, which went forth from Jerusalem, and spread into the countries about; also the gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost which accompanied it, by virtue of which is spread far, and produced blessed effects. Christ is the Temple; and He is the Door; from Him the living waters flow, out of His pierced side. They are increasing waters.
 Observe the progress of the gospel in the world, and the process of the work of grace in the heart; attend the motions of the blessed Spirit under Divine guidance. If we search into the things of God, we find some things plain and easy to be understood, as the waters that were but to the ankles; others more difficult, which require a deeper search, as the waters to the knees, or the loins; and some quite beyond our reach, which we cannot penetrate; but must, as St. Paul did, adore the depth, Romans 11.

 It is wisdom to begin with that which is most easy, before we proceed to that which is dark and hard to be understood. The promises of the sacred word, and the privileges of believers, as shed abroad in their souls by the quickening Spirit, abound where the gospel is preached; they nourish and delight the souls of men; they never fade nor wither, nor are exhausted. Even the leaves serve as medicines to the soul: the warnings and reproofs of the word, though less pleasant than Divine consolations, tend to heal the diseases of the soul.
 All who believe in Christ, and are united to Him by His sanctifying Spirit, will share the privileges of Israelites. There is room in the church, and in heaven, for all who seek the blessings of that new covenant of which Christ is Mediator."


-Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

Saturday, March 1, 2014

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God




 A mighty fortress is our God, 
a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He,
 amid the flood of mortal
 ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe 
doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
 and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
 our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, 
the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
 Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabath, His Name,
 from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world,
with devils filled,
 should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear,
 for God hath willed His truth
 to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, 
we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
 for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers,
 no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
 through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, 
this mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
 God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

The words and music of this song
were written by
the Great Reformer
 Martin Luther.
This song 
has been called 
“the great­est hymn of the great­est man
 of the great­est per­i­od of Ger­man his­to­ry”
 and the “Bat­tle Hymn of the Ref­or­ma­tion.”

It was sung at the fun­er­al
 of Amer­i­can Pre­si­dent Dwight D. Ei­sen­how­er 
at the Na­tion­al Ca­thed­ral, Wash­ing­ton, DC,
 in March 1969.

Friday, February 28, 2014

Saturn Billboard Controversy

*This was a letter I sent to the editor of the South Jersey Times in December 2013.  You should have read the disgusting online comments made about my letter which proved to me that internet anonymity not only protects the gutless cowards who walk among us, but, that we have a very serious problem with literacy skills in America today!

In response over the recent brouhaha over the 'Saturn" billboard in Pitman, in order to understand why this otherwise pleasant southern New Jersey community is once again being targeted at Christmas, this time by a group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation, one must first understand Pitman's unique history as a Christian "Campmeeting Town" in the late 19th century.
In the years prior to the Civil War, there was a strong temperance movement throughout Gloucester County.  After the war, there came an intense need for another religious revival nationwide. In the 1870's, major camp meeting grounds were established in both Pitman and in Malaga.

For many years thereafter, people flocked to Pitman during the warm months of summer to hear the sermons of renown ministers of the day.  The men proclaiming the good news of the Gospel to the masses undoubtedly served to influence both the people and the shaping of the town of Pitman.  Today, the town remains a strong, tightly knit community and a nice place to live.  Pitman is certainly tolerant of her non-Christian residents as well.  In that way, she reflects America as a nation founded on the Judeo-Christian principles of the Holy Bible.  We are the most religiously tolerant nation on the face of the earth. 
The word, "religion" is defined as having to do with peoples' beliefs in God or perhaps the beliefs of the church they attend, however, religion can also mean your way of life.
The FFRF claims that because the town of Pitman posts a banner at Christmas proclaiming, "Keep Christ In Christmas" that the town is officially endorsing  Christianity.  I believe that this banner is simply a reminder to those who participate in the holiday to keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas. 
There is no mandate forcing everyone living in Pitman, or any place else in America to observe the holiday, or,  to become Christians for that matter.
However, I am puzzled as to why this group, which claims it does not endorse religion, would choose to endorse the Roman festival of Saturnalia? Could one of the reasons be that the human sacrifice of Christians was part of the ritual practices of Saturnalia?
In the book, "The Golden Bough" author J.G. Frazer retells the story of Saint Dasius, a Christian soldier who was killed after he refused to play the role of the King of Saturnalia.  Frazer wrote that role of the king was originally a "scapegoat victim" sacrificed to appease the god Saturn and thus mark the end of the festival.
The torture and death of the mock "King of Saturnalia" sounds very much like a mockery of the torture and death of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Roman soldiers before He was crucified.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President Dan Barker claims that the town of Pitman "...wants to control the content of speech".  But the question is, Who is really offending whom in this situation?

Thoughts On The Movie "Son Of God"

I have been having some doubts lately over the new film, “Son of God”. While I believe that producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey are truly sincere in their faith, and in their efforts to bring the life of Jesus to the big screen, the fact that Newsweek Magazine, and the rest of the liberal news media, as well as Hollywood, are singing the praises of this new movie raised a red flag in my mind.

I felt there was something not quite right about it.

Then, I happened to read in an interview with Roma Downey about her new film, in which she said that she and her husband decided to “leave Satan on the cutting room floor.” Downey claimed that they wanted all the focus to be on Jesus. She was also concerned because of last year’s reaction by the liberal news media to the miniseries, “The Bible” in which the actor portraying Satan resembled President Obama.

While I understand her concern for possibly offending the president, I cannot see how can she and the producers of this new film can truly portray the life of Jesus by leaving Satan out of the story, when the Lord went to the cross specifically to destroy all the works of the enemy, thus fulfilling the wonderful promise of God in Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring. He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel.”

 In these perilous times we are living in, people are desperately searching for the truth and need to know that while there is mercy and forgiveness for their sins, and that eternal life comes only through and in Jesus, our loving and compassionate Lord and Messiah, He is not merely a religious figure on the big screen, but He is alive and seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. And He is coming back soon to claim His bride, the Church.

However, people should also be made aware that Satan is alive too. And he is not only a lying and deceiving force of appalling wickedness, but, in his own words, from the Book of Job, he “has been wandering to and fro through the earth and walking up and down on it” from the very beginning.

In my opinion, by leaving out Satan’s essential role in the story, the producers of "Son of God", although they are probably not aware of it, are actually appealing to his vanity and his legitimacy as the destroyer of the souls of mankind.
On the other hand, I hope that many people who will see this movie will be inspired by the life of Jesus and will choose to seek Him as their Lord and Messiah.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Remember Pearl Harbor Day

This Friday, December 7, 2012 marks the 71st anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan. On that grim Sunday morning- December 7, 1941- 3,500 US Servicemen were killed and hundreds more wounded in two waves of air attacks lasting a little over two hours. Three hundred and fifty aircraft were destroyed and all eight battleships of the US Pacific fleet were sunk or severely damaged, although the US Aircraft carriers at Pearl remained unharmed in the attack. The sinking of the invincible USS Arizona marked the end of the battleship's distinguished career in service to this nation. In 1987, I had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii and visit the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Standing there looking down at the lost ship, which at that time was still leaking oil into the water, I thought of the lost men lying entombed beneath my feet. It was both an eerie and sad moment. I was also reminded of the words of Christ, "Greater love hath none than he who lays down his life for his friends." Freedom loving Americans need to pause and reflect on and honor the memory of those lost that Sunday morning over seventy years ago. Now more than ever, the bravery and sacrifice of those men and the slogan, "Remember Pearl Harbor" should never be forgotten.

Friday, July 20, 2012

America's Freedom In Serious Jeopardy

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
 -Ronald Reagan

 The government of the United States of America has been literally hijacked by people who are about as anti-American as you can get. The long standing belief of the American individual's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness has now been placed in serious jeopardy after last week's devastating betrayal of the American people by the US Supreme Court's decision to uphold Obamacare.
 The highest court in the land ruled in the name of “fair and equitable treatment for all people.” This is certainly not the same as “and justice for all.” This is about appeasing the lazy, the selfish, and the greedy who walk among us, those screaming in the streets for "economic equality" yet do not want to work, and are jealous of those who have worked hard and been successful in their lives.

They would rather listen to the media spun lies of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the rest of the traitorous and hypocritical political Far Left  about how the much demonized, "greedy, rich people" of America "owe them". In reality, Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are "greedy, rich people" themselves!

Christ said, "The poor will always be among you." And while it is noble and good to help the poor and the needy, it should not be a state-mandated obligation based on income levels. In other words, people should not have to be forced, through the federal government imposing higher and higher taxes, to foot the bill for those who want to sit around on their lazy butts and collect a government check every month. It does not seem very fair or right when many of these people are physically and mentally capable of going out and getting a job and pulling their own weight in this world.

Being and taking responsibility for your life, and the time-honored Yankee notion of  "pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps" through hard work and determination, is one of the mainstays of a free society. Yet, the Obama Administration seeks to reward the lazy and the selfish by encouraging them to stay on welfare and other government entitlement programs, which now includes free healthcare at the expense of hard working American tax payers already struggling to make ends meet in this floundering economy.

"If anyone will not work, neither let him eat....Indeed, we hear that some among you are disorderly, that they are passing their lives in idleness, neglectful of duty, being busy with other peoples' affairs instead of their own and doing no work." II Thessalonians 3:10-11

  America was established on the Judeo-Christian principles found within the Holy Bible. Those who fought the Revolutionary War to secure our freedom from the tyranny of the British Crown, and later, the men who founded our government, realized that if it had not been for the direct intervention of Divine Providence, we would have never won the War of Independence. 

 As Benjamin Franklin, often portrayed as one of the least religious of the founders, wrote in a letter to William Strahan in 1784:

“My dear friend, do not imagine that
I am vain enough to ascribe our success [Revolution] to any superiority…If it had not been for the justice of our cause, and the consequent interposition of Providence, in which we had faith, we might have been ruined. If I had ever before been an atheist, I should now have been convinced of the Being and government of a Deity!”

  Mr. Franklin realized that true liberty can only come from God, and striving to live righteously before Him and by obeying His laws. The founding fathers' personal religious beliefs might have been varied amongst themselves, yet, the general consensus of the men assembled to draft our laws were unanimous in their conviction that the primary role of the newly formed government was to uphold and protect the constitutional rights guaranteed to all Americans, and to keep us safe from enemies, both foreign and domestic. And that's it!

However, from her infancy, the great freedom experiment called America has been threatened by people who have actively fought against these principles, who wanted to impose their own selfish desires on the people that they, as public servants, had pledged to honor and protect.
 Fortunately, this  group of detractors were far outnumbered by people who believed in and practiced the godly principles implemented into our government. The result of their striving to live righteously before God was America, a nation like no other on the face of the earth, a "shining city on a hill" and a beacon for Jesus Christ.

Now, 236 years later, it seems like the descendants of the anti-God group have triumphed. Liberalism has taken over this nation and is destroying our freedom.  In the eyes of many liberals, God, if He truly does exist at all, is viewed as the enemy. The only god they seek to serve is the humanistic god of The State. Man is worshiping man and replacing God's truth with the inferior and self-centered desires of man.
 However, unlike the too often broken promises and betrayals of politicians and judges in these uncertain days,  God's promises are the real deal.
And His promises are eternal.

"If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14


Photograph Source: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=637&q=cross+in+America&oq=cross+in+America&gs_l=img.12..0i5.12730