Please lift me up in prayer for healing from nerve damage in my body from mold and chemicals from our house. We lost her home from hurricane Irma.. A tree limb came through our roof and from this mold took over our entire home every piece of furniture every piece of clothing everything. It almost killed me and I had to move out of our home. We did complete Mold Remediation and ended up putting our home up for sale with full disclosure of the home and the mold. Our home did sell and the new owners are not affected praise the Lord.. I now  have severe nerve damage throughout my body and electronics and Wi-Fi really affect my immune system.. My  husband and I are separated as I could not live in the new home that we bought In Vero Beach. Our home is in back of the Indian river canal which is contaminated and the smell my body just could not mitigate. Also, the retention pond in our community became contaminated with hydrogen sulfur gas that put my body into shock once again.  I am now living in my third home on my friends cattle farm in Central Florida. I have been looking in Ocala Florida for the past few weeks for a home for us. The water does not seem to be good for me so Ocala seems to be the driest place in Florida. My husband is 80 years old and I am 50 years old and his health is not that great. Praying the Lord will guide and direct us to the home where he wants us to live and my husband and I will be equally yoked and he will be sensitive and loving to me. Rick and Mary's teaching on being deceived and wanting what we want and not what God wants is what my prayer is also. The home and location must be God's will and plan for us. Please, also pray for the sale of our new home in Vero Beach. That the Lord will orchestrate every move according to his plan.  I am praying for spiritual discernment and guidance for a home for us.

Global Prayer Team - 8/6/2020

Parashat Eikev

In last week’s parasha we read how G-d’s covenant with the Jewish people to give them the land of Israel would be renewed in the last days. In fact, we saw that it will not just be renewed, but broadened to include the nation of Jordan. In this week’s Torah reading we are informed that the promise goes well beyond that of the nation of Jordan,

“HaShem will drive out all these nations before you and you will possess nations greater and mightier than you. Every place where the sole of your feet shall tread on it shall be for you, from the wilderness and Lebanon, to the river, the Euphrates River, until the western sea shall be your boundary." Deuteronomy 11:23-24

This is the same promise which G-d made to Abraham in Genesis 15:18. What is significant about this is that it is in this same chapter of Genesis that HaShem reassures Abraham of the promise of a son. Of course this son was Isaac, but ultimately we learn from the New Covenant that Isaac pictures Messiah Yeshua. What is the connection? The promise of the increase of land to Israel includes not just Jordan, but also Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and parts of Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

This is G-d’s peace plan for the Mid East. Please notice that it is not even close to what one hears from President Obama or Prime Minister Netanyahu. People say that one has to be pragmatic. I prefer to simply wait for G-d to fulfill His promises.

Remember that Abraham had to wait a number of years to receive his son, but look what accepting man’s attempt to solve the problem brought about—Ishmael and all the conflict that the Mid East is experiencing now.

I know that it is hard to accept and even to begin to see how this is going to come about. I guess about as far-fetched as a man building a large ship to preserve his family and all the animals.

Remember the name of our parasha—Eikev.   It means in this usage a reward. What was the reward for?

“And a reward shall come about if you listen to these judgments and you keep them and do them, and the L-rd your G-d shall keep you and the Covenant of Grace which he swore to your forefathers.” Deuteronomy 7:12

Global Prayer Team - 7/30/2020

Parashat Vaetchanan

In this week’s Torah portion, Moses pleads that HaShem will remove the consequence of his sin and allow him to enter into the Land of Israel. However, his request is rejected by G-d. Moses, in relating this to the people states,

“And HaShem became angry with me on account of you and did not hearken to me and He said to me רב לך, do not continue to speak unto Me (HaShem) anymore regarding this matter.” Deuteronomy 3:26

You will notice that I did not translate two Hebrew words, רב לך which are often translated to mean “too much or too great for you”. This is the rendering of the Stone Edition of the Chumash, an Orthodox Jewish publication of the Torah. The question is how to understand the intent of this phrase within the context of the passage? It is clear that Moses made this request after leading the people to two great victories over Sichon and Og, two mighty kings. Despite these great victories, still Moses’ punishment would remain.

It is clear that the simple rendering of the phrase רב לך does not fit the context. Would it make sense that it would be too great of a thing for Moses to enter into the promise Land? An alternate translation, which is quite literal, is “great for you”.  The verse would read as follows,

“And HaShem became angry with me on account of you and did not hearken to me and He said to me, (there is something) great for you, do not continue to speak unto Me (HaShem) anymore regarding this matter.” Deuteronomy 3:26

The idea here, based upon this alternate translation, is that although HaShem is rejecting Moses’ plea to enter into the Land and to continue serving G-d, there is something else which will be great for Moses. This something relates to the future, more precisely, to the last days.

In the Book of Revelation there are two witnesses mentioned in chapter 11. It is said about these two witnesses,

“They have the power to stop the heavens so that it will not rain during the days of their prophecy and they have the power over the water to turn them to blood and to strike the earth with all kinds of plagues as they desire.”Revelation 11:6

Malachi reveals that Elijah will return at the end of the age and it would seem that, based on the first half of this verse, stopping the rain would relate to what Elijah had done during the days of King Ahab. Likewise, turning the water into blood and striking the earth with plagues sounds most similar to Moses. Hence, the phrase רב לך could be referring to the role Moses will have in the last days, as one of the two witnesses. In other words, while Moses in this passage is beseeching G-d to allow him to enter into the Land, and thereby continue to serve Him, and although HaShem refuses, He is not rejecting Moses altogether; rather G-d is saying to Him, I have something greater for you to do in the future.

Each of us needs to remember that there are times when we will be disciplined by HaShem, but this discipline is not an all-out rejection of us by our L-rd, rather it may simply be a necessary part of preparation for something greater for you (רב לך) in the future.

Global Prayer Team - 7/23/20

Parashat Devarim

In this week’s Torah portion, HaShem commands the Children of Israel saying,

“…Enough dwelling at this mountain…See, I have given before you the Land, come and take posses-sion of the Land…” Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (Selected)

The mountain where the Children of Israel were dwelling was of course Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai). There, HaShem revealed Himself in a mighty way to the people. This place is also known as the Mountain of G-d. The people felt secure there and it is significant that HaShem commanded the people to leave this location. In other words, the Children of Israel were most content to simply re-main in the same place. This parallels many believers who are comfortable to simply rejoice in their salvation, hearing the Gospel message over and over and never moving past their salvation experience. Salvation is not the means to the end, but only the beginning of one’s call to be a servant of Messiah Yeshua.

This passage is simply a call for Israel to move forward in the purposes of the L-rd. These verses should cause each of us to ask ourselves whether we are pursuing the will of G-d or have we become spiritually stagnate? Israel was told to turn and travel in order to inherit the Land. If one reads carefully, the Land which is being referred to in this passage is not only the Land of Canaan, but also Lebanon and all the way to the great river, the Euphrates. This is a tremendous amount of land and far more than Israel ever inhabited. Some have argued that this promise of such a great amount of land only relates to the future, i.e. the Kingdom age. Although this promise will be fulfilled in the future, it was possible 3,500 years ago as well. The problem is that Israel did not act on the full ex-tent of the promises of G-d.

Believers in Yeshua are equally guilty today. Just think of the miracles that Yeshua preformed. It was these great wonders that were being referred to when He said to His followers,

“Truly I say to you, He that believes on Me, the works that I do, he shall also do; even greater than these he will do….” John 14:12

It is important to realize that Yeshua was not only speaking to His disciples on that day, but all of His followers throughout the ages. Yeshua wants to use you and me in much greater ways than we can imagine. The question is whether we are going to turn and go in the direction that the Holy Spirit leads and obey Him, or never move past the comfort of our salvation experience. Some of the rabbinical commentators speak of Mount Sinai as the pinnacle of Israel’s spirituality (See Rashi’s commentary of Exodus 20:15). If Rashi is right, then it is most sad that the beginning was the best that Israel reached. The same thing can be said about many believers, as the closest that they draw near to G-d is the day that they were saved.

When HaShem commanded the people “to turn and travel forth” it implies a necessity to make a significant change. Too many believers are failing to move forward and take possession of the ministry that Yeshua has for them. Do not let the height of your spiritual life be behind you; go forth and receive that which G-d has called you to accomplish with the life that He purchased with His blood.