Norwich, Connecticut; Spring 2008

 

     One cold Sunday afternoon in January 2008, I read the entire Book of Acts, beginning to end in one sitting, for the first time in my life (I was 60) and was enthralled! It was an action adventure novel, except real, with eternal consequences! It was not even four months that I was finally “home” in my Messianic Congregation. I was expecting everything to straighten out and life would settle into the “good” lane. YAH has His plans and I had mine. They did not match!

 

     When YAH answered my prayer (--The Little Miracle in The MG--) and brought me back to faith from atheism in 2005 I was unsure what to do. I figured I would start with the first two commandments.

 

Exodus 20: (ISR98)

1 And Elohim spoke all these Words, saying,

2 “I am יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You have no other mighty ones against My face.

4 “You do not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth,

5 you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, יהוה your Elohim am a jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

6 but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.

 

     My simple prayer each day was: “YAH, You are my Elohim, I am your child. I will have no other gods before me. Remove all the “gods” in my life.” My advice? Expect with all your heart that YAH will answer your prayer. The second piece of advice is; do you really mean it (?) and to “count the cost”. YAH will take you where He wants you to go.

 

     A few months later I was reading Matthew and found: “He will immerse you by the Ruach haKodesh and by fire.” I stopped cold right then and there! “Immersed in water”; check. “by the Ruach”; check. FIRE!? I flipped that phone open so fast and had the Rabbi on the line almost immediately, and did not even say hello. Repeating the line, all I said was “What’s this fire thing?” He did not hesitate a second saying: “Refining”.

 

     One spring morning in 2008 I sat in my car parked in a huge empty shopping center parking lot totally despondent, praying in tears. Remember I was expecting to settle into the “good” lane! Everything that I had identified as “gods” were being removed from my life. Business, power, money, recognition; slowly washed overboard as if in a storm. In my tears I could see them floating astern as the ship rushed east. I called a dear friend who prayed for me for at least half an hour. When done I just sat there praying on my own, and then I heard The-VOICE-:

 

“I will take care of you.”

 

     As all of my former life disappeared astern, I slowly learned to totally and ONLY trust YAH. I learned to walk blind trusting that HE was (and is) taking me where HE wants me to go. I have never been without, but I promise you that this life I live today is not of my plan. Today I have no plans, except to follow as I am led.

Matthew 3: (Aramaic English NT)

1. And in those days came Yochanan the Immerser and would preach in the desert of Yehuda.

2. And said, "Repent (for) near is the Kingdom of Heaven.

3. It is him for whom it was spoken through Yesha'yahu the prophet, "A voice of one crying in the desert `Prepare the way of Master YHWH and make straight his path.’”

4. Now Yochanan's clothes were from the hair of camels, and upon his loins a girdle of skins. And his food was locusts and wild honey.

5. Then was gone out to him Urishlim and all Yehuda and all lands that surround the Yordanan.

6. And they would be immersed by him in the Yordanan River when they would confess in their sins.

7. And when (he) saw the many from the Pharisees and Sadducees that came to be immersed, he said to them, "Generation of vipers! Who has informed you to flee from the wrath that will come?

8. Do therefore the fruits that are worthy of repentance.

9. And you (ought) not suppose and say within yourselves that we have Awraham (as our) father. I say to you that Elohim is able to raise from these rocks sons to Awraham.

10. And behold, the axe is placed on the root of the trees. All trees, therefore, that do not bear good fruit will be cut and thrown in the fire.

11. I immerse you with water to repentance, but he that will come after me is stronger than me. I am not worthy to remove his sandals.

He will immerse you by the Ruach haKodesh and by fire.

12. He whose winnowing fan is in his hand will cleanse his threshing-floors and the wheat he will gather to his granaries and the chaff he will burn in the fire that does not extinguish."

13. Then came Y'shua from Galeela to the Yordanan to Yochanan, to be immersed by him.

14. But Yochanan was refusing him and said, I should be immersed by you, and you come to me.

15. Then Y'shua answered and said to him "Allow (it) now for as such, it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness," and then he allowed it.

16. And when Y'shua was immersed, he arose at once from the water and heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of Elohim which was descending like a dove and it came upon him

17. Behold, and a voice from heaven that said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am pleased."