Parsha Balak (Balak)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Isaiah {40:31} "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." What does it mean to wait on the Lord? I have known jobless Believers that abused this scripture passage. Instead of waking up every morning and actively looking for work, they would lay their hands on the classified job ads in the newspaper and pray for God to send them a job. Believers are not to be passive and we are certainly not to have passive minds. Passivity is not from God it is from the devil. In my youth I was involved in a number of occult activities. One of the things they had in common was teaching how to empty my mind. Yoga, which is a premier occult activity today, and most martial arts stress this point. I was not a Believer when I was involved in these things and was told that by emptying my mind, I would reach better concentration and a higher consciousness. I did not know it then, but know now that in the time of passive meditation evil spirits can take over a person’s mind. If a demon can control a Believer’s mind it can control their body and soul suppressing their spirit so as to inject thoughts making them think they are hearing from the Holy Spirit. At first, in the beginning of their activities, these demons masquerade their intentions and use thoughts of flattery and mental superiority so as to disarm a Believer’s opposition. Thoughts like, “You are more spiritual than others” or “You have a superior understanding of the Bible.” Or “You are better looking, smarter, etc. etc.,” but always with the intention of ultimately using the Believer for Satan’s sinister purposes. When we look to the Hebrew of Isaiah 40:31 we find that the word “Wait” in no way suggests passivity, in fact, it intends the exact opposite. The word “Kava” can be understood as hope, expect, eagerly look for, bind together. Psalms {27:14} "Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" In this passage of Scripture, the psalmist uses the same Hebrew word “Kava” and uses it in association with courage and strength. So, what is meant by waiting on the Lord? It means to be bound together with the Lord, intertwined with Him in courage and strength, not passivity."

Parsha Chukat (Statutes)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link
John {18:37-38} “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Yeshua answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me.” 38) “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.” With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against Him.” Truth is not subjective! We cannot rely on our own interpretation of Scripture to determine truth. Many Believers fail in their lives and in their relationship with God because they neglect truth and worse yet, neglect to apply truth to their lives. Satan is the father of lies and he likes nothing more than for a Believer to lie to themselves. Yes, most of the time Satan does not have to lie to us because we do a good job of doing that to ourselves! How do we do it? By not believing the truth so the truth has not set us free and we are still bound up in our selfish selves. Some of the truths we do not believe are: When Yeshua died on the cross, we died with Him and that now the life I live I live in Him. (Galatians 2:20). So many acknowledge that Yeshua died for their sin but they have no understanding that when He died, they died along with Him so they can no longer live their old lives. That is truth! I do not have to defeat Satan; he is already defeated. Yeshua did it for us on the cross. (1 John 3:8). Satan is a defeated foe. That does not mean he has given up on attacking us. It means that he cannot defeat us so long as use the weapons of war Yeshua has given us. That is truth! Yeshua died on the cross so that I will have eternal life and I have it now. It is not something I will get in the future. (John 5:24). Many believe that they get eternal life when they die and go to heaven, The fact is we receive eternal life at salvation. That is truth! Yeshua shed His blood on the cross. I am forgiven, of all past, present and future sin. (1 John 1:19). Some Believers relive past sins over and over again, when the fact is, they are forgiven and God said “I will remember their sin no more.” So, neither should they. That is truth! By Yeshua’s stripes I was healed. (Isaiah 53:5). Most Believers carry their diseases like they are still theirs. They constantly affirm their sickness by their words. But how can they have the disease if Yeshua bore it? I will tell you how, by not releasing it. That is truth! The battle is the Lord's, the victory is mine. (Deuteronomy 20:4). So many Believers have a negative defeatist attitude and countenance because they feel there is no end to the battles they are facing. When in actuality they do not have a battle, because it has already been fought and won by the Lord. They just need to claim their victory. That is truth!
from Ellen… Bible link
We had all had a really busy week, so I will not ask if you remember last week’s blurb. Then I asked only one of the two questions I was presenting before you. Well, all that said here comes the second question… How is your “kesher” with God? I like that word kesher so much, it is a Hebrew word meaning connection. So how is your connection with God? You think; “Well, I read the Word every day and pray and I am kind and compassionate and even generous to those in need.” Ok, so how is your kesher with God? “I do not commit adultery; in fact, I love my spouse and children and would do whatever I had to do to shield and protect them from harm.” Ok, so how is your kesher with God? “I do not steal from others and I have never killed anyone!” Ok, so how is your kesher with God? Sin is a huge umbrella of so many heinous things; like pride, perversion, persecution of others and the list is endless. I believe and have read that God Almighty is NOT going to ask us what heinous act we have done, He knows everything about each one of us…but He will ask; “How is your kesher with Me.” I ask you today wherever you are in this tough and tiresome world to ponder what I have written, because you know my next question…So how is your kesher with God?"
Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13) Rabbi Jack & Ellen
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Parasha Korach

BAMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 16:1-18:32 from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" It is a very common practice among preachers to give an ‘altar call’ after their sermon encouraging people to come and receive Yeshua as their Lord and Savior through the reciting of a prayer of salvation. I recall when I accepted Yeshua into my heart, I cried for days afterward and lamented over my sins. Before my salvation sin did not affect me at all. My attitude then was everyone is doing it. Also I immediately developed a hunger to read the Bible and proceeded to contact as many people as I could remember, and had contact information for, to apologize for my past offences towards them. To this very day my life as a Believer is in a constant upward progression as I grow into becoming more and more like Messiah Yeshua. I am telling you this because many people who say a prayer of salvation and who claim to be saved show no evidence of lamenting over their sin. Any evidence they do display is totally of their flesh as they learn to talk the talk and even walk the walk, in their flesh. They never really had a Holy Spirit conviction of sin experience and therefore, they never were really saved. They only attached themselves to the assembly as someone would join any benevolent organization or club. The prayer of salvation they recited was their initiation mantra! Acts 16:31 "So they said, "Believe on the Lord Messiah Yeshua, and you will be saved…." Herein, I believe lies the problem. Sometimes people turn to the Lord because of a personal need such as; loneliness, depression, mental torment, personal problems, sickness, or the need to belong and be appreciated. Most of all, these people turn to Yeshua because they have tried everything else and failed, so Yeshua has become their last resort. They never truly “Believed on the Lord Messiah Yeshua.” Although a preacher preached to them, they never really heard, so they never truly “called on Him in whom they have not believed.”

Parasha Shelach (Send For Yourself)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link

Psalm (139:23-24) Search me, 0 God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; 24) And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Man is a very unique being. Unlike all the other creatures on earth, man is the culmination of God's creation. In fact, we are the sum total of all creation. We are physical (clay from the earth), we are spiritual (the image of God), and we are functional (the breath of God). God breathed life into us and we became a living soul. These three factors make up our triune nature; body, soul and spirit. The body we know to be our flesh, our physical make up. The soul is our minds and our consciousness, it contains our free will. Our spirit is our God like nature. It is our spirit that connects us to God and is our bridge between heaven and earth. Psychics, spiritualists and palm readers are filled with the spirit of the world. The spirit they have is their bridge between hell and earth. That is why they are able to communicate with demons and get information from them about us. Stay away from them, stay away from anything that has to do with the occult and that includes reading horoscopes. The stars are not in control of our life, God is. When God said that He created man in His image, He was not necessarily speaking about His physical image, even though we know that God can manifest Himself in the physical, as He did in Yeshua. But the image referred to by God, I believe, is His spiritual image, for we know that God is Spirit. Unlike all the other creatures created by God on the earth, a born again believer has the moral essence of God living inside of them. This is reflected in the way God instructs us to behave towards one another and the way He instructs us to behave towards Him. Mark 12:30-31 'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. 31) " And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Parasha Beha'alotcha (When You Set Up)

from Rabbi Jack… Bible link
We all desire to have and do many things. But there is usually a special desire we have above all others and this desire will affect our lives and how we live them. If our special desire is centered around our family, then that is what we will work hard for, hope in and expect satisfaction from. If financial security is our special desire, then that will be what we will work for, hope in and look to for satisfaction. What I am saying is that whatever is our one special desire, that will be our god. That is what we will work for, hope in and expect satisfaction from and that is what we will end up worshipping and living for. We become slaves to our special desires, many times without being aware of it. As Believers in Yeshua, our special desire is supposed to be to know God and to worship Him. As humans that is what we were created for and as Believers that is what we were redeemed for. Unregenerate mans' desire is not to worship God. They choose their desires foolishly and slide into decisions that draw them away from God. The sad part is they do not even realize it is happening. A new car, bigger house, career, job and such are all desires that suck them into a downward spiral, unawares. So, the most important question we could ever ask ourselves is: "What is my one special desire? What is it that I work for, hope in and expect satisfaction from?" This question is just another way of asking, "Who is my god?" Who is your God? Who and what are you working for, hoping in, and expecting satisfaction from?" Mark {10:16} And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. {10:17} As Yeshua started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" {10:18} "Why do you call me good?" Yeshua answered. "No one is good—except God alone. {10:19} You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.' " {10:20}"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Here is a young man who knows the importance of keeping Torah. He knows the importance of eternal life and is aware of his own shortcomings. He came to Yeshua as the Teacher sent from God. Mark {10:20} Yeshua looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," He said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." Why did Yeshua talk to the man about money? Because it was his hidden special desire. Yeshua saw the need in this man's life to deal with our question. "Who is my god?" With divine insight Yeshua reveals, not just to the young man but us as well, who his real god was!
from Ellen… Bible link
Hi Ellen here…It is a very honorable thing to have creative ideas and put them into action. As a congregational leader we are so blessed when one steps forward and says "I want to serve!" Now comes the reality of the whole thing. First, we pray and ask the Lord if it is of Him. We then ask Him how to implement it and if the creator is mature and responsible to lead. Sounds easy but it is not, because we have to be very careful to be sure we are hearing from the Lord. This sometimes offends the not so ready party to lead, and their pride steps in and if they are not mature enough, they usually blame it on leadership and before leaving enjoy putting down those in authority. Then there are those who begin a ministry on their own without consulting leadership and come out like a bull but soon enough they cannot live up to their or anyone else's expectations. Isaiah {8:20} says: "…for teaching and instruction? For they will indeed give you this unenlightened suggestion." They draw in those who are equally immature with their charismatic manner, only to shut down the ministry they started on their own, because they just cannot live up to their own unenlightened suggestion. To sum up this quirky situation I would like to state the following… "All that glitters is not gold and let your yes be yes and your no be no!" I can recommend a very good book for all your questions and instructions and it is called The Bible! It is a best seller and you will be blessed as you read it!
Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13) Rabbi Jack & Ellen
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If you are being blessed by the teachings and commentaries we share, please consider supporting the ministry to Kenya and Israel. We support the needy, the hungry, the elderly and new immigrants (Olim). Most of all we teach and preach the Word of God in both countries and throughout the world. Contact us for more information: daatbina@gmail.com To Donate using PayPal click this link: https://paypal.me/kenyamission If you do not have PayPal and would prefer using another donation method, please contact me and I will send you other donation options.
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