I don't know why, when I use to acknowledge "Easter" as a time to worship my Savior, I didn't study to show my self approved over the matter. But instead just went along with what I was taught or what my family had always done. Of course as a child what could you do.

When you become an adult and with all of the easy access of learning we have available, I know now I would be without excuse to Father Yahweh in what I believe.

I'm so glad I have since learned that I don't have to sit and listen to someone else teach me what to believe. With the plethora of institutions out there today, it should not be so strange a thing to know that many are merely studying, learning and rehearsing a mixture of twisted interpretations of scripture to whole congregations all in the name of serving our Creator and Savior. And sadly enough the congregations love to have it so because it requires so little of them. Just tell me what I already know and nothing has to change.

Remember, the enemy appears as an angel of light. Hence, he's not a pitchfork toting devil worshiping obvious enemy.

"Man shall live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh".

Nowhere does it say that it no longer matters how we worship Yahweh. And nowhere does it say He doesn't mind if it's mixed with ancient pagan rituals and practices so we can do what we choose. And that is exactly what I have found the case to be with Easter. It don't matter how much I say I'm doing it for my Savior, if He and the Father are one, nothing has changed and it is still unacceptable worship to Him. He clearly tells us how to love/worship Him. By obeying His words. Not going about doing what is right in our own minds or what we were born into.
I have learned that just because something is done in ignorance by the church doesn't mean Yahweh is "changing" to adjust to the churches decisions.
It was a long time ago when the pagan elements were mixed into the practices of those who professed to believe. Time does not make something alright. Although time surely is the ally of deceit.

Would it be OK worship to Yahweh if I got me some goat horns, a black hooded cape, some crystals, had a few pentagrams and maybe chanted a few lines from some wiccan ceremony? What if I said it's for the children and it's just innocent fun? Or I could say I'm trying to win some satanists to the lord so it's fine if I try to look and do like them? Wouldn't that make it OK?
Unfortunately some would say SURE. Do what you feel in your heart.
But that's no more than doing what is right in my own mind if I thought that way.

Neither Yahweh nor Yeshua conforms to our will. We need to seriously consider that.
We are to be transformed by His words. Not going about seeing just how mixed in with pagan worship we can and then call it good.

How can "Easter", as it is celebrated the world over, be a part of that narrow path? It's one of THE most POPULAR celebrations next to Christmas. That's not so "narrow". It's quite broad.

The only reason I take the time to make such a post is the hope that it might stir someone to do as I have done. Seek the truth in the matter so that you can be free indeed.

Shalom

Doing Like He Did

If Yahshua/Jesus did it all perfectly in Father's eyes, why do we say "since He did it perfectly now I don't have to do it at all"? We should rather say "since He did it perfectly, I'm gonna' do my best to live just like He did". And that includes keeping the same appointed times as He kept. His physical life was the Word made flesh. That means He is the walking personification of perfect obedience to that Word. And because WE are NOT perfect is no reason to go about doing our own thing.

It is wrong to say we obey and follow Him to "earn" our salvation. No, He IS our salvation. ALL the MORE REASON to go about our life with the desire to be just like Him.

Sadly we have been raised under the teachings that since He did it perfect for us and paid a debt we owe, now we don't have to. But that's kinda' like saying "since my Daddy paid my speeding ticket for me I can now speed and choose what road laws I wish to obey or change them around to my liking".

It's really gotten so crazy that now we think it's perfectly fine to observe a celebrated time that is without a doubt rooted in paganism. As long as we say we're doing it for Him we think it's fine. Or so we've been taught. We think it's fine to mix our worship with pagan things now instead of doing just like Yahshua did and observe the Passover-Unleavened Bread memorial feast day. A time that was appointed by Yahweh. And then we go about accusing those who actually do keep the same observances as Yahshua did of being in some type of cult or teaching some strange doctrine. Is that not backwards? I have actually heard people refer to those who are keeping the times appointed by Yahweh as being ones who deny Yahshua. How can doing what He did be denying Him?

If these appointed times of Yahweh are all about Yahshua and He is revealed in them how the heck is observing them denying Him? And since those appointed times are a part of the Word given by Yahweh that Yahshua became in the flesh, wouldn't it be more like denying Him if one denies they should follow that Word?

Just as fast as there are new people waking up everyday to this awesome and life changing truth, you can rest assured that there are just as many opposers gearing up to take a stand for rejecting it. They are blind and cannot see the truth but it is so sad to see one fight with all of their might at defending abstaining from keeping the same appointed times that Yahshua kept and rather teach to celebrate something that is rooted in the very practices that He died to redeem us from.

Dear family and friends, do your homework. Diligently prove what it is that you do. If you choose to follow the majority that blend in with the ways of the world that is totally your freedom of choice. But please don't say you follow Yahshua/Jesus when you oppose doing like He actually did. He obeyed His Father and those that follow Him, those that REALLY follow Him, they obey His/their Father too.

We would do well to say "since He, Yahshua/Jesus, did it perfectly and pleased our Father, we should do like He did". And then we should actually do it like He did instead of making up our own things to follow.
One God. One people. One Torah/instructions for all.

Untwisting and Rightly Dividing

Oh how my understanding use to be so mixed up.

Scripture use to seem so contradictory in many places. I figured it must be something I just don't see. But I would still profess those things that didn't make sense to me.
I am so grateful that Father Yahweh has helped me see that NONE of His words are contrary to another in any way. It all falls in place when given eyes to see and when His words are rightly divided.
Here's one example of my past twisted thinking as I accepted how it was taught to me:
I use to think the "loving God and your neighbor" commandments was some NEW THING and only came about in the latter part of scripture. But it wasn't anything new. Even Yahshua/Jesus said:
2Jn_1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

Maybe it was unheard of to some of the ones He was speaking to but it has been the instructions of Yahweh all along.

Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
...
Lev_19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

And even still, when you read these proclamations in the latter part of scripture, why ASSume He is implying that you can disregard all others? It is impossible to disregard or throwout all other commandments if one desires to adhere to these two. For it is in doing ALL those OTHER commandments that these two are fulfilled. Hence the words: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Mat 22:40)
I'm still learning. Untwisting and rightly dividing what He instructed from the very beginning. What an awesome journey.

Going with the Flow

It's all happening so stealthily that even the would be opposser is going with the flow. Yet it's having the effect of a huge wave of destruction.
"Going with the flow" is neatly wrapped in the package of "we gotta' live". And to some degree yes we do "gotta' live, but we don't gotta' flow with just ANYTHING.
There are some that are paying attention but it's been happening way longer than we'd care to admit.
People thought, and still do, that it would never happen in this country where pride abounds. Did we forget that "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Pro_16:18)?
Oh we get upset and make a fuss when some new law passes. But soon enough life goes on and we conform.
We all thought we were safe since we cling to the phrase "one nation under God". Which God though? The term "God" is just a title. It needs to be defined in some way to know which God is being referred to. We've taken for granted that we all agree on the same one just because we all say "God". Especially if we all say "God" AND hold the bible. It's gotta' be the same one right? Most likely. But why are we all so different in how we worship and serve that one God?
Simple.
We disregard His instructions/Torah and go off trying to interpret His words in our own understanding. Just as the Apostle Peter said would happen in 2Pe_3:16. Or worse, according to someone elses understanding. Somewhere along the walk we started believing we can do unto Him anyway WE choose. No matter how little off course it is. How does that add up to "ONE GOD" and "ONE TORAH(instructions)" for all? "Deu_6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: Num_15:16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you."
If you get off course by the slightest degree, long into the journey you are WAY OFF.

We are all so divided yet some how we try to convince our self that it's just little personal preferences and not a big deal . OR we think WE are the ones that are doing it right and everyone else must be wrong.
The ONLY RIGHT WAY is exactly how Father Yahweh sanctified it. It's as clear as a bell in His written word. BUT, even He says He would cause those that don't love His truth to believe a lie.

The very fact that we've done each our own thing is the very reason we are getting ready to face those things we thought we'd never see. Not to mention the things we are already winking at.

Do we overlook the scriptures that refer to latter days when His people wake up and realize that they've inherited lies? Or do we assume that surely that is for someone else? Cause, no doubt "I'm not wrong" we presume, especially if we are doing it the way it's always been done so it must be right.
If ANY of us have not searched with all of our being prayerfully and stedfast we just might still be believing some of those lies.
You can read a verse of scripture, or MANY, every day. Go to services every week. Preach or listen to preaching. Do good deeds of kindness. But that does not constitute seeking with your whole heart, mind and strength. That's just routine. Yahweh tells us even the prophets prophesy falsely and the pastors have muddied the waters. (see Ez. 34 ) It's prophetic of our day. Are we testing what we're hearing in the churches? Are we trying the spirits? We can't go on good deeds. Plenty of non believers do good deeds.
Scripture defines believers/saints as those who have the testimony of Yahshua/Jesus, AND keep the commandments, AND you will know them by their fruits. We always need to rightly divide the word instead of taking just choice verses to try to sum up a matter.

We don't want to hear negative things. We don't want to hear it in reference to our physical or spiritual lives. We want good times and blessings. And we seek out those who will tell it to us.

We prefer to leave any doom and gloom for someone we deem "needs to get a life". Evidently we think our Savior and the apostles and maybe a few more are the only ones suppose to suffer worldly persecution. Or else maybe we think persecution is when someone stays away from us because we go to church or when we hear someone calling church folk "religious" or whatever the latest derogatory statement is. If that's the case we haven't a clue to what persecution really is.
Meanwhile what we want more than anything is to have that all American dream. You know, the one we see portrayed on television. Or at best, the one "we see" from the outside looking in at the passer by. Too bad for us most of it's only superficial and we only learn that later rather than sooner.
We cannot claim to believe in the God of the bible, what we call the written word of the one God, Yahweh, of all creation, and consciously ignore the events happening around the world. Within or outside of those who profess to believe.

If we choose to follow Yahweh, we need to see how temporary this world is and take inventory in regards to where we've been doing the most investing.
If anyone would like to know what's really going on they need to read the scriptures FROM THE BEGINNING and they would soon see there's a cyclical pattern with man and his defiance of Yahweh's commandments.
We are in the last cycle before the millennial reign. These "wars and rumors of wars" are about control. And religion is a tool that is being used to advance it. It's being done in the name of peace. It's being portrayed as what appears to be the right thing. BUT, it is also part of the judgement of Yahweh upon His people who have gone astray doing their own thing and claiming they do it unto Him.
So while many are giving all the credit to man and some secret plan as they spend the majority of their time concerned with this world, Yahweh is in control. And just like he turned the heart of Pharaoh, He's turning the hearts of those He has raised up for such a time as this.
Yahweh creates ALL.
"Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isa 45:8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it."
According to scripture ONLY a REMNANT will be saved alive. But even so, we MUST be to a point in our relationship with our Father Yahweh and Beloved Yahshua that we are willing to die even as He did.
Don't think so fast that His death was to give you freedom to sin. Or to treat it as no big thing.
"Heb_10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? "

Sin is the transgression of Yahweh's commandments. And Sha'ul/Paul says because we are saved by grace through faith alone and nothing that we have done, "Rom_6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" Rom_3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

So if sin, transgression of Yahweh's Torah/law, is in your life willfully you NEED to GET IT OUT.
It's just not worth going with the flow to continue to sin against the will of the One whom we seek to give us eternal life.
Shalom