The Power of Deliverance

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THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE The Power of Yahweh to Save Every Man, Woman and Child (Body, Soul and Spirit) And To Heal Us And To Make Us Whole Robert Arthur McDuffie “And Elohim sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the Earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” ~Bereshith (Genesis) 45:7

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Copyright Robert Arthur McDuffie 2009 - 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

NOTE: ALL SCRIPTURES QUOTED IN THIS MANUSCRIPT HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM THE SCRIPTURES TRANSLATION OR THE WORD OF YAHWEH TRANSLATION. BOTH TRANSLATIONS HAVE BEEN FAITHFULLY PRODUCED FROM THE SAME TRUSTED MANUSCRIPTS AS THE KING JAMES ENGLISH BIBLE. ALL QUOTES WERE CUT AND THEN PASTED FROM THE 2010 COPYRIGHTED EDITION OF E-SWORD. WWW.E-SWORD.NET DISCLAIMER ~ All resources recommended and / or referenced herein are strictly concerning that one particular resource. It is not my intention to endorse any ministry, personality or any other related resources. My recommendation of any resource simply means it is my belief that particular resource will edify your most set-apart faith and greatly esteem the Father above.

This book is also available an an e-book in pdf format. You may purchase the right of distribution for a free-will donation of any amount. You may then freely distribute it to as many people as you would like for a free-will donation of any amount per distributed copy.

All donations, offerings and tithes will go to the further distribution of the message of The Power of Deliverance.

BANKING DETALS – UNITED STATES Bank of America Account opened in Florida Zip Code 33927 Name of Account: Robert Arthur McDuffie Acct #: 229025122207 Paypal: rnjmcduffie@yahoo.com REFERENCE: THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE – (Please notify me by e-mail once the deposit has been made @ 7rapturesrobert@gmail.com

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This book is dedicated to my Deliverer and King Yahoshua haMashiach and my one true helpmate Jennifer (Jenn) McDuffie. It has been my chief joy for us to walk / work out our deliverance together – with fear and trembling – over the last eight years.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation (deliverance) with fear and trembling, for it is Elohim who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” ~Philippians 2:12-13

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements – 6 Forward by Richard Bies – 7 Preface – 8 Introduction – Dot 1 – Dot 2 – Dot 3 – Dot 4 – Part 1 – Dot 4 – Part 2 – Dot 4 – Part 3 – Dot 5 – Dot 6 – Part 1 – Dot 6 – Part 2 – Dot 6 – Part 3 – Dot 7 – Epilogue –

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I give all the esteem, honor and praise to my Master and Savior Yahoshua haMashiach, who bought me with His own shed blood. By the full counsel of His Word and the power of His Set-Apart Spirit, He has transformed me into His image and made me His servant, a vessel of honor. Yahoshua, I am truly grateful for all that You have done in my life, are doing and will do in the future.

The human instruments He chose to use the most substantively in my life are first my parents, Robert H. (Bob) and Cynthia (Cindy) McDuffie Jr. – who not only led me to the Messiah, but also set an example before me of genuine faith and hope which perseveres through every season. They also imparted to me a love for singing all manner of praise and worship songs, choruses and hymns of faith and meditation. I am most grateful for the parents whom the hand of Providence chose for me. With all my heart, thank you dad and mom for everything you have done for me. No son could ever repay the debt I owe to you both.

Secondly, my best friend, mentor and pastor of the last sixteen years: Richard J Bies. By the hand of Providence, Richard came into my life at the exact right time. I shudder to think where I would be today if we had never been introduced to one another by the Set-Apart Spirit. Until I met Richard, my search for truth had been more of an intellectual endeavor than spiritual. The more I learned, the more I felt empowered to prove the next fellow wrong.

Richard’s intellect was easily up to every challenge I presented and more; the major difference being that he loved the truth with all of his heart, mind and strength; whereas, I had yet to learn the fear of Yahweh.

Although I am thankful for each and every blessing I have received through Richard, the most valuable gif Richard imparted to me was his absolute love for the truth without compromise. Richard, thank you so much for all of your helpful suggestions and for your enduring friendship. My heart overwhelms with gratitude for both. May your reward be great!

Thirdly, my wife, best friend and ministry partner of the last eight years, Jennifer Jo (Norwood) McDuffie. I have ofen said that Jenn is our Heavenly Father’s favor to me in the flesh. Once again, by the hand of Providence alone, Jenn came into my life at the exact right time. I know that I would not have been blessed to live the life that I have known over the last four years if it was not for her. I also shudder to think where I would be today if we had never been introduced to one another by the Set-Apart Spirit. Thank you Semaja – you are my one and only.

Finally, I want to acknowledge my seven beautiful children. First, Courtney, Nathanel and Julia – from my first marriage. Second, Joy, Jessica, Chinelo and Lilly whom I have adopted by the Spirit – because of Yahweh’s favor. They are ALL my pride and joy and they have taught me so much. I am most grateful to be their earthly and / or spiritual dad.

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FORWARD My introduction to Robert McDuffie was long before we had acgually met. I t was in the Spirit in 1991 at a Lowell Lundstrom Crusade when Rob was 19 years of age. I observed Rob talking and teaching the Scirptures to five ministers on the balcomy of the Charlotte County Auditorium in Punta Gorda, Floria, United States during a break at the crusade. As I listened to Rob, I asked the Father (YHWH) “How can that young man know Your Word so thoroughly at his age, and not know your Spirit?” That is when the SetApart Spirit (Ruach haChodesh) spoke to my spirit and said, “That is why I am sending him to you so you can teach him about truth.” I quickly responded and said, “Oh Father (YHWH) not him, please not him!”

Then I repented and said, “If you send him to me, I will share your truth with him.” Needless to say, YHWH sent Rob as he sought me out or I would not be writing this forward.

I must confim that what Rob has written in this book is true. I have personally witnessed, have been involved in, or have had first-hand testimony from Rob or others in what he has written of his walk in seeking the truth for the last 20 years. His teaching of the Scriptures has demonstrated his diligence in prayer, wisdom and understanding of The Power of Deliverance by the full counsel of the Scriptures.

I believe the three most important truths we have both learned these last 20 years are: 1. Compromising truth for peace is the primary deception of modern-day Christianity and is the seed for man’s eternal destruction.

2. Deliverance from compromising the truth and waling in the absolute truth of obedience is the only way a person can truly be set free.

3. We are all insignificant to YHWH’s plan for the world but we are all significant to YHWH. Shemoth (Exodus) 19:5-6 ~ “And now, if you diligently obey My voice and guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples… for all the earth is Mine – and you shall be to Me a reign of priest and a set-apart nation. Those are the words you are to speak to the children of Yisra’el.” ~ The Scriptures, 2009 Edition I am overjoyed Rob survived this molding process! However, this is not the Robert McDuffie story. It is the story of YHWH, Yahoshua and Ruach haChodesh! Rob is but the character, a vessel being used to bring the truth to mankind because he has the love of the truth, which YHWH gave to him as a free gif because of His favor.

Richard J. Bies

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The Power of Deliverance “Connecting the Dots”… “Deliverance from the Inside Out!” Preface: The Master, Yahoshua ha Mashiach (pronounced – Yah-ha-shoe-ah ha-Ma-she-ock - the true name of the One called Jesus the Messiah) began to grow this message in my heart and life in the summer of 2001. That was when the Set-apart Spirit first spoke to my spirit and said, “You need to be delivered!” At that moment, I was enjoying another typical, sunny Florida day. I was with my ex-wife at the Busch Garden’s amusement and theme park in Tampa getting ready to embark on another fun roller coaster ride.

A man I know and respect very much, has consistently pointed out “to muse” means to think over and consider a matter carefully. As a rule of language, when we place an “a” in front of a word, it can make that word mean the opposite of the original meaning. Thus, to (a)muse ourselves could easily be taken to mean, “to purpose not to think about or consider carefully a specific thought as much as we can help it.”

This definition of amuse would pretty much sum up my whole life until that day. In this respect, I was just another normal, average American. I was pretty much doing everything I could to amuse myself through every venue imaginable. I didn’t ever want to have to think about the great pain I had been carrying with me in my mind and heart most of my life. This deep and searing pain started when I was only five years old.

By the time I was in my mid-twenties, life had become nothing more than a personal quest to escape all the pain of my mind, heart and life. I had learned to escape into music, television, Hollywood movies, theme parks and many other various legitimate entertainment and amusement venues. Later on as an adult, this quest led me to pursue every imaginable depraved desire as well.

This book is not written to any particular audience – so, it really doesn’t matter what particular destructive habit, hang up or hurt you are currently struggling with in your life - as that is not relevant at all to the answers provided in this book. All that really matters as you continue to prayerfully read and study this manuscript is one question, and one question only. Only you can answer this question! Yahoshua asked this exact same question of a paralytic man almost 2,000 years ago.

“Do you want to be whole?” ~ Yahonan (John) 5:6 If your answer to this question is an honest “yes” (or even a hungry “maybe”) from the deepest place in your heart and mind, then this book is definitely for you. The answers you seek are right here in your hand by providential appointment! Keep reading and do not stop! You may be asking yourself by now, how I (the author of these words) can be so sure the answers presented herein are going to work for you?

My confidence that you are holding the answers you need to Connect the Dots in your own life comes from the Master, Yahoshua ha Mashiach. He has promised to help you to work out and walk out your own deliverance by His unlimited power. Here is His promise to you in His own words, as recorded in Yahonan (John) 8:31-32.

“Then said Yahoshua to those… which believed on Him, If ye continue in My Word, [then] are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.”

I will never forget the moment I thought to ask my counselor, mentor and good friend, Richard Bies, “What, exactly, is deliverance?” You may be asking yourself the same question right now. I will share with you what my friend shared with me back in the fall of 2001.

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“Deliverance is the application of the Truth of Elohim’s (God’s) Word, (as found in the sixty-six books of Scripture), to every area of our lives.”

Whatever ‘it’ is that is the source of our pain, addiction, sickness, poverty, or destructive behavior, the Words of Yahoshua ha Mashiach have the answer and power to save us, deliver us and make us whole! In case you haven’t heard, somebody figured out, “Holy Bible” stands for

He Only Left You Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!1 Like many of you, I grew up in a Christian church environment. My dad was even the pastor of the church.

As a child, I always knew that the Messiah came into the world to die for and save sinners through the cross.

I had always known at that time, that Jesus Christ (I did not know His given name was Yahoshua at that time.) was my personal Savior from the time I asked Him to come into my life. I also knew I was forgiven of all the debt which I personally owed Elohim; and because of this, I would go to Heaven one day.

What I did not know until the summer of 2001 is that I did not have to be a slave to my personal pain, destructive behaviors, poverty, and sinful addictions. I did not know how to “connect the dots” to become the completely free and whole person I am today. I did not know “the power of deliverance” could work itself out from “the inside out” in my life, personally.

What I am sharing with you is not an unproven and untested theory or speculation. I have experienced this delivering power in my life! I am continuously experiencing this power anew in my life everyday! I have also seen “the power of deliverance”, which is the very power of Yahoshua ha Mashiach Himself, working in the lives of countless others. It is my prayer for you that the Elohim of great delivering power would manifest Himself in your life, starting today!

The gospel of Luke (Luke 4:19) tells us more completely why Yahoshua came down to earth. In His own Words, Yahoshua said,

“The Spirit of the Master [is] upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” I much prefer to refer to the Holy Bible by the same name found all throughout Brit ha Dashah, (often called the New Testament or the Re-NEW-ed Covenant Scriptures), The Scriptures. Please see the notes at the end of the chapter.

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Because of the testimony and witness that Elohim has given me to share with you, I kind of identify with the words a great prime minister spoke to his family over 3,500 years ago. (I will be sharing more in depth and detail about this man with you later, in another chapter.) His name is Yoseph and his true-life story can be found in the Scriptures in the book of Bereshith (Genesis) chapters 37 & 39-50. He famously said,

“Elohim sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance!”

It is only when we have experienced the delivering power of Elohim in our lives personally (like Yoseph did), that we become qualified to share His power to deliver us with those around us – who also need to be delivered! This is my ultimate desire. It is my hope that through you (Yes, you!), Elohim will minister His delivering power to those in your circles of influence. I know it must seem like an absolute impossibility for you to believe what I am sharing with you right now. I remember thinking to myself the question, “How in the world could Elohim ever use a person like me?” – just a few short years ago.

However, I have long-since discovered that the Elohim of the universe can take all our messes and transform them into a powerful message of His faithfulness. He can take all our tests and transform them into a powerful testimony of the great things He has done for us! He delights in taking what is foolish and weak in the eyes of this world and using it for His purposes and great esteem! (1Corinthians 1:27) This book is both a teaching book as well as select accounts of my testimony of some of the great things Elohim has done for me. I am very grateful for the honor of accompanying you on this journey to healing and wholeness in your life. I want to encourage you to hang in there and to hold on! Whether you realize it or not, Elohim has helped you to make it this far on your journey. He will see you through and be with you (and carry you if necessary) till the very end, if you will put your whole trust in Him! Elohim promises this is true. YeshaYahu (the prophet called Isaiah) 40:31 says,

“But they that wait upon Yahweh, (the true name of the Creator, to the best of my understanding), shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

In Philippians 1:6, Elohim speaks to us this same hope again through the writings of the Pharisee Shaul (See Acts 23:6 if you do not know who I am referring to),

“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Yahoshua ha Mashiach.”

Elohim is declaring to us His eternal truth from the Heavens!

When you and I have absolutely no worth, consequence or estimable value in our own eyes for His plan or purpose for our lives – it is then, and only then, that we become that which is of the greatest worth, consequence and inestimable value to His plan and purpose for us!

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This is true because now He can receive all the esteem, honor and praise unto Himself!

MY PRAYER FOR YOU Heavenly Abba (Father), it is my greatest desire that you will shine Your unmerited favour in abundance upon all those who are reading these words. I ask you to shine Your face of benevolent love upon everyone who is reading this message that we may know you are the Elohim who saves us, delivers us and makes us whole! Abba, we want to be made whole by the power of your Set-apart Spirit. Hear me now and answer me, for the blood of Yahoshua’s sake, which was shed on the tav (Hebrew for cross) for all mankind (who are the elect of Elohim). I pray all this in Yahoshua’s Name, A-mein!

NOTES: My reason for this personal preference is because Holi is actually the name of a reknown pagan elohim (god) who is venerated in some of the more prominent eastern religions and Byble is also the name of a pagan elohim and its etymology is the same as our English word Babel. (As cited in “Come Out Of Her My People” by C.J. Koster pgs. 37, 38 & 39 & 77,78 & 81). The Scripture(s) is the name most commonly given to the inspired word of Elohim all throughout the first century writings. In addition, we are forbidden to speak the name of other elohim (Shemoth (Exodus) 23:13).

I would think that common sense would dictate that this would especially be true when we assemble ourselves together to worship Elohim.

“And in all that I have said to you take heed. And make no mention of the name of other mighty ones, let it not be heard from your mouth.”

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Introduction I originally wrote this manuscript by hand while incarcerated unfairly and unjustly for 20 months at the Charlotte County jail in Punta Gorda, Florida. On October 17 th, 2008 I finally stood trial for first degree burglary with assault, which is punishable by up to life in prison. By the power of the Set-apart Spirit, a professional and impartial Judge, two competent attorneys (which were provided by the State of Florida’s Public Defender’s Office) and an extremely attentive jury of my peers, I was found not guilty.

If you know anything at all about the legal system in America today, then you probably realize that, regardless if I was guilty or innocent of the charges brought against me, the outcome was truly a miraculous one!

I want you to know that what I am sharing with you, I am sharing as a fellow sojourner and pilgrim through this temporal world who has found freedom (true freedom!) by the “power of deliverance” working itself out in my life! I was set free by the saving, delivering and healing power of Yahoshua ha Mashiach and the Set-apart Spirit - long before I was ever a falsely-accused prisoner of the State of Florida.

I am so very honored and blessed to share this same freedom with all who will listen and receive it. The same power that has set countless men free behind the walls of the jail will set you free, also. Elohim has promised by His Word that He does not play favorites. His life, love and power are freely available to all.

“For there is no respect of persons with Elohim.” (Romans 2:11) Most of the population in the world has never been incarcerated. However, the great majority of men and women are still prisoners. They are prisoners of their own making. They are trapped in their own bodies and lives. They are enslaved to their own destructive behaviors. They can fully identify with the words of Henry David Thoreau. He is quoted as saying,

“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with their song still in them”.

Some are slaves / prisoners to all manner of drug addictions. This may include prescription drug abuse, illegal drug use, alcoholism, marijuana, and even caffeine and nicotine addictions and abuse.

Others are slaves / prisoners to pornography of all manner, variety and outlets.

Then there are those who are slaves / prisoners to their over-indulgent appetite for food, sex or inordinate affections in their relationships.

While very controversial, still others may be slaves to sicknesses that have originated from within their own bodies.

It does not matter which destructive behavior is imprisoning and enslaving you. It makes no difference if you are trapped in the prison of sickness and destruction mentally, emotionally or physically.

It is scripturally sound and true, and in all reality, it is very likely, that all of these different symptoms 13

originate from the same human condition. With this established fact in mind, I know it is 100% possible that the freedom I have found from my personal prison of pain and destructive behavior can be yours also.

Believe me when I say I know and understand your pain. That is why I can say what I am about to say without any fear of contradiction. The pain of being a slave and prisoner of my old, destructive self was far greater (beyond compare) than any pain, loss or suffering I ever experienced as a prisoner of the Charlotte County Jail.

For the most part, I did not consider myself a prisoner while incarcerated those 20 months. The power of freedom I have found and I am now sharing with you is that real! Most of the people who know me best, know I mean it when I say those 20 months were actually the very best months of my life. As you continue this journey with me, you will soon understand why I can honestly make such an outrageous claim without the slightest bit of exaggeration.

I am writing this message for the “soul” purpose of helping you to “connect the dots”. In doing so, you will be able to see the big picture and experience this real freedom for yourself.

Many of us played a game called “connect the dots” when we were children. By doing so, we could see the whole picture. In much the same way, that is what this book is meant to do for your life.

Before we continue, I want to encourage you to pray the following prayer, sincerely from your heart. You will soon discover there is more power in prayer than any other source of power in the known universe!

Prayer – (Please pray this out loud if it expresses the desire of your heart. (Romans 10:9-10)) Heavenly Abba (Father), I open my heart to hear Your Word. I desire to know Your will and for You to help me find my way. Please help me, as I seek to connect the dots by the leading and guiding of Your Set-apart Spirit. I want to become the whole person that You want me and made me to be. In the Name of Ya-hosh-ua ha Ma-Shi-ach, I pray, Amein.

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DOT ONE – IS IT THE FRUIT OR IS IT THE ROOT? It might surprise you to know that I have never met an alcoholic in my life. Nor have I ever met a drug addict, pornographer, food addict, sex addict, or relationship addict. I have never met an addict of any kind in my lifetime. By now, I am sure that you are probably thinking that either I must live a very sheltered life or I am 100% delusional. I assure you, it is neither!

While it is true that I have not met anyone with the above listed addictions, I have met many people who are suffering from what the Scripture calls a broken, breached or wounded spirit. Sometimes the symptoms of their broken spirit are manifested mentally with various mental illnesses. Sometimes, the symptoms are manifested emotionally with various emotional disturbances. Still others manifest the symptoms of their broken spirit physically with critical illness, presently killing their bodies. However, whatever the physical symptom, the origin is most likely the broken, breached or wounded spirit of the individual who is suffering from any one of these symptoms.

The root of each of these sicknesses is the broken, breached or wounded spirit inside of every person who has not yet been delivered by the favour of Elohim. The fruit of the broken, breached or wounded spirit is the actual addiction, destructive behavior or sickness originating in the body. Please do not take or receive any offense or judgment in my saying this so bluntly and directly.

I do not mean this as an accusation or condemnation at all! Please do not put this book down until you have received your healing, deliverance and salvation! The only motivation in my directness is Elohim’s love for you and my desire to see you become a whole person!

Sometimes we must hear some things we would rather not hear, so we might become the whole and free people whom Elohim made us to be. Ask yourself: “Would I rather hear the truth and get well, or would I rather believe a lie and stay sick?” “Do I want to be whole?”

It is the unseen, broken spirit that imprisons and enslaves countless millions (billions?) of people all over the world. Many of them are true Messianic believers. They are my brothers and sisters in the Messiah Yahoshua.

Maybe you are one of them. If not, then you most likely know someone who is. Perhaps you know of a family member or a close friend who is presently suffering from the fruit of a broken spirit. In all sincerity, they want to live for Yahoshua, but they just cannot seem to find the power to break free from the grip of addiction and / or destruction / sickness over their lives.

From the authority of the Scriptures alone, we will be discussing what a broken, breached and wounded spirit is and what causes our spiritual man to be sick in further chapters of this book.

For now, the first dot of truth we will be connecting to each subsequent dot is the simple reality that the root of our suffering, sickness and pain is our broken, breached or wounded spirit. The fruits our spirit produces are the addictions, destructive behavior patterns and many different sicknesses which originate from within.

Once we’ve connected all the dots, we will be able to see the whole picture. This is what is understood as the full counsel of the Word of Elohim. You need to understand it is not any one part of the Scripture we pick and choose at random; but it is the whole Word of Elohim which transforms us and makes us whole.

Mishle’ (Proverbs) 25:2 declares to us,

“It is the esteem of Elohim to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”

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Elohim has hidden Himself and the counsel of His Word throughout the pages of the Scripture for His esteem! You and I are the kings this scripture is speaking of (1Kepha (Peter) 2:9, Revelation 1:6). It is for our honour to search out Yahweh’s great esteem which is hidden in the wealth of the Scriptures. It is similar to working a puzzle. Each piece discovered to its correct place makes the whole picture become a clearer realization of what we are meant to see.

Darby’s Gold Mine The Word of Elohim is very similar to the true account of Darby’s famous gold mine, which was located in the state of Colorado. During the 1800’s, a couple of Easterners went to Colorado to stake their claim of fortune in the Old West Gold Boom era. They struck a very rich deposit of ore, right away. They immediately took the essayers report back East and were able to gather together some interested investors to help with their further mining efforts.

After two years of very hard labor, they had come to the end of the vein of gold ore which they had been mining; and decided to quit, pack it up and go back home. After all the time and effort, they had put into their mine, they ended up right back where they had started from. The whole laborious adventure had left them just breaking–even financially. Their dreams and hopes of immense wealth were completely dashed and their spirits crushed. Like most failed miners of that era, they sold off all their equipment to the local junk dealer for pennies on the dollar, along with their presumed worthless claim papers.

Now if that was the end of the story, then I wouldn’t have bothered to relate it to you. The aforementioned junk dealer had enough foresight and wisdom to hire an expert geological counselor to see if the claims had any value or not. The geologist came back and stated that, in his expert opinion, the ore fault line should continue just a few feet further forward and deeper than the very point where it had been previously abandoned.

Based on the expert counsel he had received; the junk dealer was able to excavate the single- richest ore strike in the history of Colorado gold mining. If we were to convert the value of this single find into the value of the U.S. Dollar today, this claim would be worth many billions.

Elohim’s Word is very much like that gold mine in Colorado. There is more than enough treasure on the surface of its pages to help you to break-even in your daily life. However, for those who understand the Scripture is a spiritual book and that it is spiritually understood, there is inestimable more wealth to be gleaned from the very depths of its hidden treasures and esteem.

Listen to the counsel of the Scriptures with your heart. Let the Scriptures teach you how to more fully understand them. Remember, this is another important part of what is required to be the whole and free person you desire to be.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of Elohim; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of Elohim. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Set-apart Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of Elohim: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Master, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of the Messiah.” (1Corinthians 2:12-16) 16

Elohim, Himself says,

“Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.”

(Mishle’ (Proverbs) 8:14)

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

(Mishle’ (Proverbs) 11:14)

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.”

(Mishle’ (Proverbs) 12:15)

“Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.”

(Mishle’ (Proverbs) 19:20)

“There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of Yahweh, that shall stand.”

(Mishle’ (Proverbs) 19:21) It is vitally important you understand that Elohim loves you! He is not out to get you! He proved His love for you (and every one of the elect) when he gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins and pay our debt in full.

“For Elohim so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For Elohim sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (Yahonan (John) 3:16-17) THE RULES ARE THE RULES Even though we understand and know Elohim loves us, we must still understand and know there are rules.

There are many, many rules and laws that govern the world and the universe which we need to understand and respect. For instance, if I jumped off the Empire State building, it would not be Elohim who was out to get me, but gravity sure would!

The spiritual laws we are going to be studying and searching out by the Scriptures are just as valid and real as the laws of gravity and science. It does not matter if you are completely ignorant to the spiritual principles that govern this universe and your life. They are still at work whether you know them, acknowledge them or even believe them to be real.

According to the Scriptures, this is called the law of sowing and reaping or the law of seed time and harvest time. Galatians 6:7-8 says,

“Be not deceived; Elohim is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

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For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

Let’s take a look at the example of a fruit tree in the natural realm. Imagine: a man has a citrus tree in his yard somewhere in Florida (United States) and it was producing inedible fruit year after year. Would it make any sense for that man to pick off all its fruit each year so he could permanently be rid of it? No, of course not! Why not? Obviously, getting rid of all the fruit does not solve the problem. In the next harvest season, he will have to go through the same futile exercise all over again.

If he desires to permanently be rid of the rotten fruit from his yard and get it out of his life altogether, then he needs to stop dealing with just the fruit of the problem. He needs to take the necessary and drastic action of rooting up the entire tree, and removing it out of the yard and his life all together.

In the exact same way, most of us are dealing with our problem of addiction(s), destructive habit(s), hangup(s), or sickness by dealing mostly with the symptom(s) – not the actual illness itself. We waste most of our time, energy, and resources focusing on the fruit of our sickness instead of identifying and dealing with the root of it.

The rest of this book is all about helping you to identify and root out the tree producing the rotten fruit of your life once and for all.

So, just what is a broken, breached or wounded spirit? How did we end up getting one? That is what we are about to find out as we turn to the next chapter and connect to dot two.

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DOT TWO – WHAT EXACTLY IS A BREACHED, BROKEN OR WOUNDED SPIRIT AND HOW DID I GET ONE? It is commonly understood that we humans are comprised of three different parts. Our human make up is that of body, soul and spirit. Of course, we all know what the body is. The Scriptures teach us that our soul is the made up of the collective experiences of our mind, will and emotions. The spirit of mankind, however, is made up of more than just the life force within us.

The book of Ecclesiastes differentiates the spirit of a man versus the life force found in other living things.

“Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?”

Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) 3:21 Our Abba (Father) in Heaven knows how to tell the difference between His Spirit, man’s spirit and the spirit of animals. Man alone was created to live forever with Him. In the simplest explanation and understanding, this is the eternal part of you. Your spiritual man can be (and most likely is) wounded, broken and / or breached.

SO WHAT DOES THE SCRIPTURES TEACH WILL BREACH, BREAK AND / OR WOUND OUR SPIRIT? The Scriptures teach us that there are two present evils in this world that will breach, break, or wound our spirit. The first of these two evils is found in Mishle’ (Proverbs) 15:4.

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.”

According to the Scriptures, a perverse tongue will breach our spirit!

This perverseness of the tongue that breaches our spirit is the Hebrew word, Seleph (Strong’s H5558).

Seleph means to violently distort. Distort what? Good question! If it is true that the Messiah created all things, (it is, by the way!), then He must also be the Creator of all thought! This is exactly what the Scripture teaches us in Amos 4:13.

Every thought originates from the very throne of Heaven. Every perverse thought and word therefore (by definition), is everything haSatan (The Adversary) and the cast out rebellious host have violently distorted.

Day and night they never cease to twist what is uttered by the Creator between the throne of Heaven and the mind of man.

We will soon look into the specifics of the experiences of this so you may relate personally to this teaching from Mishle. First, let us examine just how powerful our tongue can be. We already know it can breach our spirit. In addition, Mishle’ (Proverbs) 18:21 teaches us that within the tongue is the power of death and life itself!

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”

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Listen carefully to what the Scripture says about the tongue in Ya‘acob (James) 3:6-10. It reads,

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Therewith bless we Elohim, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of Elohim Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.

My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

The tongue is very powerful, indeed! The tongue possesses the power of life and death itself! It is also a fire. It is a world of sin. It is set on fire by hell. It is an unruly evil. It is full of deadly poison. It is the instrument by which we bless. It is the instrument by which we curse.

Once I heard a reliable and trusted speaker say that a computer analysis of the words pertaining to speech such as tongue, lips, mouth, words, sayings, speech, etc.; revealed that a full one third of all the Scriptures have something to say which is related to speaking and the words we say.

Lashon Hara is Hebrew for “the wicked tongue.” Many people only learn to identify the wicked tongue as the tongue that engages in gossip, slander and false witness. While this is true, it is far more reaching than that. The wicked tongue is the tongue which speaks anything contrary to Heaven’s will over our own life or the life of another.

A perverse tongue, which breaches our spiritual man, is not just a tongue that is full of swearing and all manner of crude and lewd speech. However, it most definitely can be! Especially if verbally abusive speech is directed toward a child or a loved one. However, a perverse tongue is best described as a specific curse that has been spoken into our lives and / or over our lives. Usually, but not always, it is accompanied by a strong emotion that makes it feel hateful, venomous and even cruel to its recipient. All curses are very powerful and demonic in nature.

For example: this curse could be a father speaking to his son and saying to him, “You’re no good!”, “You’re nothing!”, “You’re just trash!” or “You’ll never amount to anything!” This is usually accompanied by swearing, various insults and comparisons to others who have experienced devastating failures and are personally known. I am amazed at how many men and women have suffered from this kind of perverseness of tongue in their childhood. In my opinion, it is child abuse of the worst kind and will definitely breach the spirit!

In a similar manner, any person who is in a position of authority or who is highly respected in your life can also wield the power to break your spirit at any time, by their specific and cruel curses towards you via their perverse tongue.

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I fully realize that right now you are possibly recalling specific instances when others have directed the power of their perverse tongue toward you. Curses which were spoken against you and have since ruled over your life, even though they might have been empowered years or even decades ago.

I also fully realize how very blessed I am that I did not experience this type of abuse as a child. I have experienced it as an adult, however. Over the years, I have observed that experiencing the perverse tongue of another toward you is much more devastating as a child than as an adult. However, it definitely affects both child and adult alike.

I personally experienced a much subtler perverse tongue as a child. The Scripture says of the devil in Bereshith (Genesis) that he is the most subtle of all Elohim’s creation (Bereshith (Genesis) 3:1). This means that he is very crafty and sneaky. The direct attack and assault is always much easier to identify than the indirect / subtle one.

For example: While I was growing up, my father would always tell everyone he introduced me to that I was his genius and I was going to be a millionaire one day. He was very proud of both my intellectual acuity and my ambitious entrepreneurial ingenuity. What neither of us realized at the time was that this subtle, perverse speech was planting itself deeply into a pre-existing breach in my spirit man, of which he knew nothing about. By the time I was a young adult I was driven by this curse. I was consumed with the desire to be a millionaire and I literally did not care about anyone or anything else – even though I tried to act like I did.

For another example: My mother will be the first one to tell you that when I was 12 years old, I was the ideal son in her eyes. I was home-schooled from the time I was in the 6 th grade. Almost every day, I would start off the day by coming to her with a piece of paper and pen and ask her to please make me a list of all she wanted me to accomplish in school and what chores she wanted done around the house.

Very often she would remark to me how much she appreciated my servant attitude and my helping around the house. Then she would go on to say, “But Robbie, you know you will soon be 13 and a teenager, and all teenagers rebel. You’re going to rebel, too!”

You can just about guess what happened next. Just like a pre-set alarm clock going off, when I turned 13, I started to become a rebellious teenager. The funny thing is my mom doesn’t even remember saying this.

However, I sure do!

Please do not misunderstand what I am saying here. In no way am I saying that my parents or anyone else is responsible for my sinful behavior as a child, a teenager or as an adult. This teaching is not a license to excuse addiction, destructive behavior, sickness and / or sin. Ultimately, we are each responsible for our own attitudes, words and actions.

However, it is a universal truth that all spoken words have the power of life and death, and perverse speech can either breach our spirit or plant itself into a breach that already previously existed. I cannot even begin to tell you how many grown adults I have met who are still carrying around a voice of perverseness and cursing inside their heads and their hearts. Maybe you are one of them.

I would listen compassionately, as they would recount (many times with bitter tears) the pain they still carry from something that was said which breached their spirit years or even decades ago. Healing is on the way!

I promise, by the Word of Elohim.

The person who has not experienced Elohim 21

as their Savior, Master, Deliver and Healer will surely, ultimately, suffer for it.

In conclusion, I want to offer one last example of the power of the spoken curse:

Words which we speak against our own life and welfare As a younger man, I, too, was very careless with the words that poured out of my mouth. Both directly and indirectly, I constantly cursed myself and others with reckless abandon. I am not just talking about swearing and abusive speech here. I am speaking about giving license in the spiritual realm so our enemy can be empowered to use our own words against us.

Without a doubt, swearing and abusing others with our speech can activate a curse against us as well as against others. However, to the Messianic believer, that should be rather obvious. As followers of the Messiah, we shouldn’t use swear words or be abusive toward others with the words we speak (Ephesians 4:49; 5:4 & Colossians 3:16).

(One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was to take a highlighter and read through the book of Proverbs and highlight every verse that refers to any particle of speech, and then meditate on it. Once I had finished this seemingly simple exercise, I became very self-controlled as well as very self-aware about what I allowed to come out of my mouth. I challenge you to try this exercise and let me know how it works out for you.)

I was previously married for 13 years. In 2005, I suffered separation from my ex-wife, which was followed by a divorce I never wanted. In 2001, I watched an episode of Oprah Winfrey which had a profound impact on my life. This particular broadcast was about a psychological report which had just been released concerning children of divorce. The study followed over 1,000 children over the previous twenty years of their lives. What they discovered because of this study was truly disturbing to me. According to this study, almost every single child had suffered seeming irreparable damage to their mental and emotional psyche.

In addition, instead of getting better, most of them got progressively worse over time in every measurable area of mental and emotional health. In amazed horror, I continued to watch as a panel of grown adults (whose parents had divorced in their early childhood) wept openly. One by one, they testified about how messed up they were because of their parent’s divorce.

Now (hindsight being what it is), today I realize that they were all probably really messed up because they had been going to licensed and practicing psychologists with their problems. Part of the problem of going to most of those who practice the religious mind-science of psychology is that they believe their religion is the only answer and not the authority of the Scriptures. Additionally, many credible witnesses have stepped forward over the years and candidly admitted that one of the primary focuses of the practicing psychologist is to ensure their patient is completely dependent upon them for as long as possible. Financial security is the motive for doing this (of course) and not the overall welfare of the patient.

Anyway, at the time when I watched this particular episode of Oprah, my own emotions were completely overwhelmed with the pain I had just witnessed. In my overzealous, emotionally-charged response, I stated repeatedly that my children would never suffer the effects of divorce. I swore I would kill them, their mother and myself before I would ever let them suffer like that. I reasoned it was much better for everyone to suffer for a split second than to suffer over a lifetime.

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Years later, in 2008, I would be seriously tormented because of this statement. I knew I did not have any unforgiveness in my heart, nor did I harbor any bitterness toward my ex-wife or her lover. Yet, I was tormented with thoughts of killing them both, all my children and myself. This continued for approximately two weeks. I knew these murderous thoughts were not coming from within, but rather were attacking me from without. However, no matter how much I prayed and cried out to Heaven, I was still tormented.

Finally, it came to my remembrance that I had spoken this specific curse over my life, my ex-wife and my children almost seven years before. Immediately, I confessed the confession of that curse (which I had cursed myself with) as sin and I plead the blood of the Messiah over my life for mercy and renewed protection. From that time forward, I never suffered from this torment again. The legal access had been revoked in the spirit realm and I was completely set free!

IN SUMMARY: 1) The catalyst that gives birth to the behavior of any spoken curse is the wounded spirit-man.

2) The wounded spirit-man can be cursed by the words spoken by others or by the words that proceed out of our own mouth.

3) The spiritual man can be wounded, broken and / or breached by the perverse tongue of another.

Whether your spirit-man has been breached and / or cursed by an overt or subvert verbal attack, the result is always still the same, a life of absolute misery due to endless cycles of self-destructing behaviors, addictions and sicknesses.

Before we can begin to connect to the dots that will bring about the deliverance and healing which we all desire, we still need to connect to the next dot first. There is still one more thing you need to know that breaches, wounds and breaks our spirit-man.

Let’s connect to the third dot right now so we can discover what is the other root-cause which will make our spirit-man sick, according to the Scriptures.

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DOT THREE – THE SECOND CAUSE OF A BREACHED, BROKEN AND / OR WOUNDED SPIRIT There is yet another evil that will most assuredly break the spirit of any man or woman.

The Scriptures teach us in Mishle’ (Proverbs) 15:13, “by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

There are literally innumerable events that will cause each of our heart’s deep, abiding, almost unnatural sorrow. These are the instances when we are not able to grieve out our sorrow in a healthy manner. Some very specific examples might be: going through a divorce, a child going through the divorce of his / her parents, an unexpected or sudden loss to death – especially the loss of an underage child by a parent or the loss of a parent by a younger child. In addition, an individual who has been victimized by violence or rape will also experience and know the deep sorrow that will break the spirit of a person.

By now I am sure you are recalling something or even many things you have experienced that has caused you this kind of spirit-breaking sorrow. More than likely, there is not any one event, but a combination of several spirit-breaking events and spoken curses which have breached, broken or wounded your spirit. This is absolutely the root of the fruit of your sickness, addiction and destructive behavior.

Most of us have experienced the breach in our spirit-man caused by the sorrow of our heart. We instinctively knew something was very wrong. We just did not know what to call it and how to go about diagnosing it correctly.

I personally first experienced this sorrow of the heart when I was just 5 years old. I was repeatedly molested and raped by some neighbors who lived just down the street from me. This sexual trauma left me with recurring deep feelings of guilt and shame. I was raped again when I was 12 years old by a trusted authority figure in my life. Ironically, I knew everyone who sexually violated me through the local assembly where my father was the pastor.

These experiences worked together to deeply wound my spirit through the sorrow of my heart, because of the guilt and shame I carried with me constantly. In addition to these traumatic experiences, I was also exposed to Playboy magazine and other pornographic material repeatedly. These elicit images seared themselves onto my young and impressionable mind and sowed themselves into the depths of my broken spirit.

My family moved around a lot, all throughout my childhood. While moving did have its benefits and pluses sometimes, it also caused me some very deep sorrows. These sorrows were especially deep during my preadolescent years, when my world revolved around my few very closest friends and church activities.

Leaving them killed a part of me and further broke my spirit.

Finally, my father had instilled in me a dream for our family’s financial future through a business opportunity that he and my mom had endeavored upon with some successful results for a short season of our lives. I bought into his dream for our family hook, line and sinker. For whatever multiple reason(s) that dream never did materialize.

Due to the immaturity of my youth, I did not understand the reason(s) for this failure at the time. So, I blamed him almost entirely for much of my loss and pain. I truly felt at the time that he did not try hard enough. I thought if he really applied himself, then our dream(s) would all come to fruition and we could and would be marvelously happy. I carried all this accumulated sorrow of the heart well into adulthood.

The inevitable brokenness of spirit was the result.

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Once again, I want to emphasize that I am sharing these intimate glimpses of my past so that you too may have a point of tracking and relate ability. Maybe in some small way (or perhaps even exactly) you can relate to my life’s spirit-breaching experiences.

SO NOW THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE SICKNESS, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HEAL THE WOUNDED, BREACHED AND / OR BROKEN SPIRIT WITHIN? How can a wounded, breached, or broken spirit be repaired? That, my friend, is exactly what the rest of this book, message and testimony are all about. In just a little bit, we are going to connect to the next dot so you can learn how to be made whole and healed by the restoration of your spirit-man.

Author’s note: There is much confusion today about the sexual crimes of molestation and rape.

Even if the sexual violation was caused by another minor (even a minor of a similar age), it is still sexual molestation!

Even if the sexual act was seemingly consensual between a preadolescent or an adolescent and an adult, it is still rape!

No child is mentally and emotionally equipped to process the multiple intricacies of the loss of innocence to any kind of sexual assault. Almost every time children molest and rape other children it is because they were first victims themselves of this horrific crime.

Furthermore, many times people do not recognize that they have been violated at first, because in their innocent ignorance, they mistakenly thought they were a consenting party. It is firmly established all throughout our criminal justice system and most corporate cultures, that if a person in a position of authority such as a ranking government official, a pastor, a teacher, a school official, etc. has sexual relations with someone under their authority – it is a sexual assault. The law is completely ambivalent as to whether the second person believed they were a willing and consenting party.

The most widely-acclaimed example of this in recent history is President Bill Clinton and the affair he had with a White House intern. Even though the intern testified her relationship with the President was consensual – the truth is that under military law, the Commander and Chief of the Armed Forces was guilty of sexual assault. I have no doubt that this sexual assault broke the intern’s spirit (or at the very least wounded it pretty good). She truly was a victim of rape, whether or not she is consciously aware of it.

It is my sincerest hope that this further clarification will help many other victims of sexual molestation and rape to be able to identify it for the very first time. It was my intent in sharing this so you too might awaken to the further source of your own sorrow of heart and wounded spirit.

You probably have known all along that something was terribly wrong; you just did not know its source of origin. It can be very helpful to identify as many specific instances of the origins which have left your spirit in the sick and dying condition it is in presently.

Questions to consider: Has your spirit ever been breached by the perversity of the tongue because of evil communication spoken 25

against or toward you? Has your spirit ever been crushed by the continual sorrow of your heart because of the previous actions of your parent(s) or someone else who is very close to you?

Write down the specific curses that were spoken to you, against you or over you by a perverse tongue. Do not forget to record the words you have spoken against yourself!

Were / are these curses direct or indirect? Were they spoken overtly or subvertly / subtly?

Write down specific sorrows of the heart and / or losses you have experienced which you have endured and survived that you believe might have breached or broken your spirit.

Are you ready for Yahweh Elohim (Yahoshua ha Mashiach) to heal your broken spirit?

Why don’t we stop and pray to our heavenly Father and ask Him to reveal to your heart and mind any other “curses” or “sorrows of the heart” you need to be aware of. In this way, you can pray more specifically as we continue to connect the dots together. Elohim wants to, can and will completely heal you, deliver you and make you whole!

In my experience, I have found there are many things that are true in the natural realm which are a mirror of truth found in the spiritual realm. In the natural, doesn’t the doctor assess the ailment first? Once the ailment has been assessed, doesn’t he try to pinpoint its origin and the specific area within the body that needs to be treated? It works in the same way in regards to our spiritual man and assessing our disease, its origin and specificity of the treatment.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I ask You to reveal to me every curse that has ever been spoken against me which has breached my spirit and taken spiritual authority over any area of my life. I also ask You to reveal every event in my life which has caused my spirit to be broken due to natural / unnatural sorrow. I am asking You to help me to identify these specifically so I can be healed, delivered and made whole by the power of Your Set-apart Spirit. Thank You, Father, for revealing everything I have asked You to, so I may be whole. In the name of Yahoshua ha Mashiach I pray, Amein!

Now, let’s connect to the next dot, “The Power of Forgiveness!”

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DOT FOUR – THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS Forgiveness is probably one of the least-understood Scriptural teachings and mandates in the world today.

Speaking from personal experience, I know this is especially true of the “Christian” and “Messianic” communities. Everyone knows we are supposed to forgive. Most of us know in our hearts it is best to forgive. Everyone desires to be forgiven by Elohim, and most of the time we also desire to be forgiven by those we have offended.

Many times, the problem does not lie with our desire or willingness to forgive. Instead, the problem is usually with our lack of knowledge and understanding of what real forgiveness is. We do not know how Elohim defines forgiveness. Consequently, we will not experience the complete and total freedom He desires for us through forgiveness.

We often find ourselves completely frustrated without the correct knowledge of scripturally-defined forgiveness. More often than not, we feel like hapless, resigned failures to complete the task. Most of those I have met who are continually failing in their lives are failing in this area above all!

Before we define what real forgiveness is (and what it isn’t), we must first acknowledge that we know from our hearts we must forgive! Forgiveness is not an option! If we want to be free at heart, we must forgive!

We will never be free from addiction, destructive behavior and many body-originating sicknesses until we choose to forgive. Yahweh wants you to be free. He made you to be free. This is a self-evident truth that we each inherently recognize. For us to be completely free, we must forgive His way as taught by the Scriptures. We must forgive as Elohim Himself has forgiven each one of us – including you.

Every promise in the Scriptures is 100% true! The Scripture teaches this of itself.

“For all the promises of Elohim in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the esteem of Elohim by us.”

(2Corinthians 1:20) Listen carefully with the ears of your heart to just one of the Scripture’s many promises concerning forgiveness. These promises of Elohim were spoken by the Master Yahoshua almost 2,000 years ago.

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (MattithYahu (Matthew) 6:14-15) (Trespass is just another name for sin.)

Later on, in this chapter, we will see that every trespass of the elect has been paid in full and has thus been forgiven. This was done at and on the cross of the Savior of the world, Yahoshua ha Mashiach.

It is an absolute fact the Scriptures never contradicts itself. Intellectual honesty will admit that there are instances when (at a glance) there are seeming contradictions in the Scriptures. However, each and every one has proven to be non-contradicting to the mind of everyone who carefully studies out the entire Word of Elohim.

Now, because the Scriptures does not contradict itself and because we, the elect of Elohim, have been forgiven for all our debt in full – we can reasonably conclude this promise is not talking about whether we have actually been forgiven or not. What could this promise of Yahoshua possibly be talking about, then?

By the Scriptures, it is reasonable to conclude it is speaking of you and I (personally) experiencing the 27

power of Heaven’s love in and through our lives because we have forgiven as He has instructed us to by the Scriptures.

YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE BY CORRECTLY UNDERSTANDING HEAVEN’S FORGIVENESS FOR YOU! Let me illustrate this promise for you by sharing the following anecdote. Let us suppose the power is connected at your house of residence and is on a live power grid. Your electric bill has been paid and it is up to date. A friend or family member decides to drop by for casual visit with you. When they enter your home, they observe you do not have a single light or appliance plugged in or turned on. In addition, despite the weather outside, you do not have either the air conditioner or the electric heat running. Now, please tell me, of what benefit is it to you to have electricity connected to your home? What good is the power source, if you do not avail yourself to its many uses, benefits and comforts?

In almost the exact same way, everyone’s sin has been paid for in full by Elohim, Himself! However, most of the people in the world are not experiencing the full benefit of this; or even worse – no benefit at all!

(The Scriptures defines our sin as all our wrong-doing and our wrong-standing before Elohim.) That our sin is paid for in full is taught in my favorite Scripture verse, Colossians 2:14.

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;” A more careful study of the word that is in the Greek text for “ordinances that was against us” reveals it is actually the cheirographon (pronounced khā-ro'-grä-fon). The primary meaning of this word is the actual true bill of indebtedness personally owed by the debtor which must be repaid at a specific and appointed, predetermined time.

By the way of Colossians 2:14, Elohim is communicating to every one of us that our personal bill of indebtedness (which we each individually owe Him) was charged in full to Yahoshua ha Mashiach. Elohim the Father nailed it to the cross of His only begotten son, Yahoshua. It was on the cross Yahoshua paid for our sin / debt in full with (and by) His shed blood.

This is stated similarly in 1Yahonan (John) 2:2: “And he (Yahoshua) is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Pro-pit-i-a-tion is another way of saying Yahoshua became our sin so we could become Yahweh’s righteousness. This thought is restated exactly as I have explained it in 2Corinthians 5:21: “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of Elohim in Him.” Remember, according to Colossians 2:14, our debt was not only charged to Yahoshua and paid for in full, it was also blotted out of the record all together. Think about this marvelous promise! All the sin of every man and its required debt payment to Elohim has been blotted out of the record of history and for all time and eternity! No matter what wrong you have done in the past, are doing in the present and are going to do in the future; Elohim has already taken care of it.

This is only possible because Elohim is eternal. He is beyond all time and space dimension. His favor and His work of our salvation are also beyond all time and space.

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“Who hath saved us, and called us with a set-apart calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and favor, which was given us in Yahoshua ha Mashiach before the world began.”

(2Timothy 1:9) Ephesians 1:4 tells of this marvelous Truth in another similar fashion: “According as He hath chosen us in Him (Yahoshua) before the foundation of the world, that we should be set-apart and without blame before Him in love.”

Finally, Revelation 13:8b speaks to us of the idea that our sin and debt incurred was dealt with from the eternal perspective before sin even entered into the world. …“the Lamb (Yahoshua) slain from the foundation of the world.”

This is simply beyond all our comprehension. To attempt to illustrate this vast concept, consider the simple geometric line. We know from elementary math that a line goes to infinity in both directions. Now, consider your life in relation to the line by marking a single dot anywhere on the line. Now, ask yourself: was Heaven’s plan of salvation in place before I was ever born? Was I completely forgiven before I even took my first breath on the day I was born of my mother? Can you answer “yes” to both questions by the authority of “The Scriptures”? Now you can begin to understand how you can be (and already are) forgiven for sins you haven’t even thought of sinning yet. We will cover the two parts of knowing this benefit more fully; and all of Elohim’s benefits for us in a later chapter. The first part of experiencing all of Heaven’s benefits to us is Elohim’s responsibility – the second part is ours!

The promise of complete forgiveness is repeated in YeshaYahu (Isaiah) 43:25: “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

Mismore (Psalms) 103:12 also promises us: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.”

Even further assurance of Elohim’s permanently dealing with our sin by the forgiveness of the cross is found in Micah 7:18-19: “Who is a Elohim like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

By the promise of Elohim’s Word, now you know you are forgiven and exactly what that means to Elohim and what it should mean to you, too. Friend, I want to ask you personally: What good is it to have all your sins forgiven if you never avail yourself to the power and benefits afforded to you by it?

It is wonderful to be forgiven. (Ephesians.1:7) It is even more wonderful to become a child of Elohim (by being born again) by putting your faith in the saving work of the Cross and the power of the resurrection.

(Yahonan / John 3:3) It is also wonderful to know your eternal future is secure because you have put your full and complete trust in Yahoshua ha Mashiach and not in dead religious works. (Titus 3:5-8, Ibrim (Hebrews) 6:1-2) 29

By now you might be asking, “What about the benefits of being forgiven right here and now? How do we experience this power while were still on this side of Heaven?”

How does one experience the abundant life Yahoshua promised in Yahonan / John 10:10b?

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

How do we experience the overflowing of the Set-Apart Spirit’s power unto love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, meekness, self-control, patience, righteousness, holiness, etc. How do we experience true and lasting freedom? How do we escape from the prison of sickness, addiction and pain which we have made for ourselves through the self-destruction of our body, mind, emotions and spirit? In other words, how do we connect the dots to make the Truth about what the Scriptures teach about forgiveness work for us individually and personally?

We are going to examine this question in the next chapter… part 2 of “The Power of Forgiveness”.

If you have never previously, personally understood and experienced the power of Elohim’s forgiveness toward you and for you, then I would like to invite you to know Him personally right now.

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DOT FOUR – THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS – PART 2 You Will Experience Your Deliverance By Correctly Understanding What It Really Means To Forgive Others!

It is vital to remember, as we answer these questions, we are instructed repeatedly in the Scriptures that we must forgive! We must forgive! We must forgive!

Luke 17:4 ~ “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day… thou shalt forgive him.”

MattithYahu (Matthew) 18:21-22 ~ “Then came Kepha (Peter) to Him, and said, Master, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Yahoshua saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

Wow! Did you really get that? I mean, wow! Realistically, Heaven’s standard of how we must apply true forgiveness to our daily lives is 100% impossible by every human standard! Do not despair! Even though it is impossible for you and me to forgive like this, Elohim has made a way!

In my life time, I have heard many lessons taught on Mark 11:12-14 and 20-26. Most of these sermons and teachings centered their focus and attention on verses 22-24. It is for this very reason their exhortations of the text are out of context with the whole story. Unfortunately, the result is that much of what has been taught on these verses has been an absolute perversion and twisting of the genuine teaching of the Messiah.

Let’s read the whole story together right now.

“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, He was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find anything thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Yahoshua answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And His disciples heard it.”…

“And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Kepha (Peter) calling to remembrance saith unto Him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Yahoshua answering saith unto them, Have faith in Elohim. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses.”

A correct understanding of what this passage means is really very simple, as is all truth by the Word of Elohim. We are the fig tree – both you and I and everyone that belongs to the Messiah! The fig leaves are our dead works of self-righteousness and the trappings of man-made religion. They are the material substance that we are hoping covers up the reality of the fruitlessness of our lives.

We are using them to try and hide our nakedness and the shame we feel before Yahweh, others and ourselves. This is our fallen nature. We haven’t changed at all ever since mankind fell / failed – all the way back in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Hawah (Eve) dressed themselves in fig leaves to hide their 31

nakedness because they were ashamed of their sin and guilt before Yahweh Elohim. (Bereshith (Genesis) 3:7) In the natural, before the fig tree bears its fruit, it will first grow out its leaves. Afterward, its buds will appear; and then finally, it will produce its mature fruit. When Yahoshua inspected the tree for evidence of a coming harvest of fig fruit, He observed there were no buds. No buds meant that no fruit would be coming at harvest time. This was self-evident reality and truth. The fig tree was forever 100% worthless to anyone who would pass by it looking for fruit to satisfy their hungry cravings for figs!

No matter who you are, Elohim created you to produce the fruit of His Spirit as described and listed in Galatians 5:22-23 and Ephesians 5:9: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance… righteousness and truth” From Romans 6:22, we could add set-apartness to this list as well.

If there is no evidence that this fruit is being produced or abounding to harvest for others to enjoy, it is because we have a withered spirit. Just like the fig tree in the story, a fruitless life is 100% worthless to Heaven, to others, and to ourselves. We have died under the curse of our broken, breached and wounded spirit in large part because we have not understood how to forgive according to the Scriptures.

Mishle’ (Proverbs) 18:14b asks the thought provoking question: “a wounded spirit who can bear?”

It is almost as if ole king Solomon is looking off into the future to the account we have just read in Mark 11 and is asking out loud, “who can bear good fruit if their spirit is wounded?”

Once we understand how to do this, then we must make a quality resolution to continue uninterrupted in doing so – no matter what! I know that a life given to understanding and practicing the forgiveness of Elohim, Yahoshua, and the Scriptures is the only life worth living.

Within the context of the whole story, I agree with what many scholars of the Scriptures have correctly taught on Mark 11 verse 22. Yahoshua was literally saying / teaching to us we are to confess out loud and in agreement with that which Elohim has already confessed from the Heavens. We can only do this correctly when we do so according to the sound and pure doctrine of the whole counsel of the Scriptures.

The key to understanding all this passage is found in verse 23.

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

The very mountain that Yahoshua was speaking about was the mountain of the ruling authority over the spiritual man. (Mountains all throughout the Scriptures are symbolic of ruling authority.) Specifically, the spiritual man of whom Yahoshua is speaking to is broken, breached and wounded – and thus, fruitless. This is true because the mountain of unforgiveness is ruling over our lives!

If there ever was irony in the entire universe, it was here in this moment. The very mountain where all of these events transpired was the Mount(ain) of Olives! This is the very mountain where Yahoshua would be 32

crucified for all the sins of the entire world in just a matter of hours. On this ruling mountain of our unforgiveness toward Elohim, Yahoshua, one another, and ourselves; the Messiah received upon Himself all our sin, guilt, debt and shame for all time and eternity!

One day, Yahoshua will return; and according to the Scriptures, He will land His feet upon this very same mountain. This mountain will split in two when Yahoshua lands upon it and a river of pure and living water will flow from it for all to drink. (Zechariah 14:5&8) In that day, Yahoshua will rule over the entire world!

All of death, hell and the grave will be swallowed up in victory! Every broken, breached and wounded spirit will cease to exist and He will wipe all our tears from our eyes! Hallelu-Yah! Zechariah 14:9 ~ “And Yahweh shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Yahweh, and His name one.”

1Corinthians 15:54b ~ …“then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Revelation 7:14 ~ … “Elohim shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Come with me, and let’s look even further into the future through the eye of the prophecies of the Scriptures.

We know the day is certainly coming when this very same ruling Mount(ain) of Olives will literally be cast into the sea of oblivion when time and space will cease to exist all together! What an Awesome fulfillment to this prophecy! What an incredible picture of how Elohim views the finished work of the Cross and the eternal record of all sin!

Revelation 21:1 ~ “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

Remember? …this is exactly what the prophet Micah was referring to in Micah 7:18-19: …“and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

Can you see the vivid picture that Yahoshua is painting for us in this story? Our Heavenly Father has charged all the sin of the world to Yahoshua. Yahoshua’s blood paid for all of it in full and blotted out of the record; and if that wasn’t enough, one day this same mountain of all man’s unforgiveness will not only be cast into the sea, but literally destroyed into nothingness!

Wow! Wow! Wow! Yahoshua is calling us to each speak to our own mountains of unforgiveness that have been ruling over us and keeping us a prisoner. This is absolutely necessary for the power of Heaven to come alive in us. That we may come to this rightful conclusion is exactly why this true account is tied to and closes with verses 2526.

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses.”

True forgiveness that Yahweh requires is only found in agreeing completely with Him. He declares by His Word that every single wrong we have suffered is first, foremost and completely sin against Him and Him alone!

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“Against Thee,Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest.” ~ Mismore (Psalm) 51:4 Understanding this truth is absolutely essential to knowing the power of forgiveness to deliver us. It is Yahweh’s delight to charge every sin against Him and the debt we all subsequently owe to the Cross of Yahoshua! It is worth saying again; Yahoshua’s death on the Cross paid for our debt in full, blotting out the record of it completely and cast it into the sea of oblivion!

Now that we know this to be true… if we continue to entertain accusations against the person who has wronged us… if we stand in condemnation… if we demand repayment, retribution or revenge, we are actually asking for or demanding double jeopardy! We are asking for or demanding additional payment to be made for something Yahoshua has already paid for in full!

When we do this, in practice we are calling Elohim a liar, we are calling His Word (the Scriptures) a lie; and we nullify the work of the Cross in our hearts.

For the reader who is not familiar with the term double jeopardy, it is a legal term used in criminal law.

First, double jeopardy means no one can be accused of the same crime twice. In addition, it also means that no one can pay for the same crime a second time. Finally, it means that no one can pay for the exact same crime that another person has already paid for.

True forgiveness is refusing to play the “double jeopardy” blame game anymore. True forgiveness is completely agreeing with Yahweh, that even though we have been wronged and we have been deeply hurt by another – the actual sin is against Him alone! In charging our debt to Yahoshua, He accused His son (who was perfect and completely innocent) with every one of our sins.

In the Scriptures and in history, Yisrael’s King David is known as one of the greatest kings who has ever lived and ruled. Yahweh Elohim greatly loved and esteemed David. Listen to what He said about David: “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” (Acts 13:22) This very same David we find in 2 Shemuel (Samuel) chapter 11 at the height of all his greatness and esteem. He has been greatly blessed of Yahweh as much or more than any man who has ever lived before him. What David does next is absolutely unthinkable.

He kidnaps the wife of one of his most loyal, faithful and fierce soldiers – Uriah. (Uriah was one of an elite force called “David’s Mighty Men”. They would be equivalent to the U.S. military Special Forces like the “Navy Seals” or the “Green Berets” today.) Next, David rapes Bathsheba, gets her pregnant, and then elaborately schemes to cover up his crime and keep it hidden.

When that doesn’t work out, David has his “Mighty Man” Uriah murdered. As a direct result, several more of David’s front line soldiers were killed as unintended “collateral damage”. Seemingly, David has gotten away with his most heinous, deceitful and murderous crimes.

Next, David takes the now-grieving widow, Bathsheba, as his own wife in an attempt to bolster his reputation as a good and benevolent king. In a brilliant political strategy, he makes it appear as though he is acting in compassion and generosity toward Bathsheba (the now desolate widow) for Uriah’s sake. He is esteemed in the eyes of both his family and his subjects.

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However, the story does not end there. David is not getting away with anything. Yahweh has seen and knows everything David has done. The story continues in 2 Shemuel (Samuel) 12. Elohim sends the prophet Nathan to confront David with his sin. David’s sin is exposed and his guilt is made manifest to all!

In verse 13, David truly repents before Yahweh! David really and truly gets the truth of what he has done and just who it is he has sinned against. Listen to David’s own words as found in Mismore (Psalm) 51:4: “Against Thee, (Yahweh Elohim) Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest.”

Take note that David does not say, “I have sinned against Uriah, Bathsheba, my fallen soldiers, my military, my family or my kingdom”.

No, he does not say any of those things at all! David fully understands his sin is against Elohim and no other! He understands the ensuing debt is owed to Yahweh and no other.

There is no denying that there were many hurting and wounded spirits all over Yisrael because of David’s sin against Elohim. However, they were only the victims of David’s sin against Yahweh and Yahweh alone!

It is essential that we understand this all-important principle. Without it, we may never know Elohim’s power to deliver us unto complete and total freedom from the inside-out!

THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE THROUGH FORGIVING YOURSELF If most of us were to get real honest with ourselves and with others; we would have to admit that for most of us, our number-one enemy is the man in the mirror. Most of us are constantly barraging ourselves with selfcondemnation. We beat ourselves up repeatedly for our past failures and mistakes. Stop It! Do not falsely accuse yourself anymore! For the Messianic believer (man or woman), all our failures, mistakes and sin have been paid for in full by the blood of Yahoshua!

It is high time to stop beating yourself up and agree with what the Word of the living Elohim of the Universe has spoken. He promises you that every evil thing you have ever done and all you will ever do has been completely taken care of at the Cross of Yahoshua ha Mashiach! Your debt is paid for in full! Remember, Colossians 2:14!

Before proceeding to part 3 of this teaching, why not take the time to read 2 Shemuel (Samuel) chapters 11 & 12. After you have done that, why don’t you take the time to read Mismore (Psalms) 51. This was David’s prayer of repentance to Yahweh. After you have read it through completely, try praying these ancient words as your own – from your heart to Yahweh’s.

Author’s note to the elect, by our Father’s sovereign favor: Not one of us can possibly know who the elect are and who the elect aren’t while living on this side of Heaven. Thus, for personal freedom’s sake, we must each forgive every single trespass against us as though it were committed by the elect and thus paid for in full by the shed blood of Yahoshua!

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DOT FOUR – PART 3 – UNDERSTANDING WHAT REAL FORGIVENESS IS NOT Now that we have defined true forgiveness from the Scriptures, let’s take a quick look at what forgiveness is not. Forgiveness is not a teeth-gritting resolve! Forgiveness is not a forced repetitive mantra of, “I forgive” – as if by sheer determination we could will forgiveness to become reality.

Forgiveness does not necessarily mean we must reconcile a relationship to its previous standing.

As a matter of fact, it is sometimes best to keep a healthy distance from those who have deeply or continually hurt us in the past. In the Scriptures, there is an account of two twin brothers, Ya‘acob and Esau.

You can read their story in Bereshith (Genesis) chapters 25:22-34 & 27. To say that there was bad blood between these two is a gross understatement. These brothers had a lot of bad history when they were still but children and much younger men.

In Bereshith (Genesis) 33, we read the account of the genuine reconciliation and forgiveness that Ya‘acob extended toward Esau. A careful look at verses 16-17 teaches us that afterward they went their respective ways for the rest of their lives.

Sometimes wisdom dictates that it is best to love one another from a distance! In Ya‘acob’s case, this proved to be life-saving. The ancient Rabbis taught that Esau’s kiss was the kiss of betrayal and death.

There are four dots above the word “kissed” in the Hebrew manuscripts which help to indicate this ancient understanding.

In addition, from the ancient extra-Scriptural account of The Book of Yasher2, we learn that Esau had every intent to kill Ya‘acob at this reunion. However, he encountered heavy resistance from the Heavenly host on the way and was thoroughly convinced not to lay a hand on his brother Ya‘acob.

From this same book, we also learn that after their father Yitshak died, Esau wanted to kill Ya‘acob and take the inheritance for himself. However, once again Heaven intervened and prevented this from happening.

From every account, Esau could never forgive his brother Ya‘acob. As far as we know, he took his wounded and broken spirit to his death bed.

FORGIVNESS IS NOT DWELLING ON THE PAST, THE HURT(S), THE WOUNDS, THE LOSS, AND / OR THE REGRET(S) Many have testified that in order to facilitate complete forgiveness, it is sometimes very beneficial to have a fresh start. Having an entirely new and positive focus can yield many rewarding benefits. However, let me caution: this new focus should come only after forgiveness has been released from our hearts.

I am absolutely convinced that having an entirely new and positive focus played a vital role in helping a young man named Yoseph to experience the complete healing of his wounded spirit. His fascinating life and remarkable story is recorded in Bereshith (Genesis) 37 and 39-50. At 17 years, he was betrayed by his 10 jealous brothers in the very worst way. They sold him into slavery to some distant relatives who were traveling through the area.

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The Book of Yasher is an extra-Scriptural book that can be obtained for free on the world-wide web by conducting and internet search, The book of Jasher + pdf.

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Wow! I thought I had a lot to forgive and that my family was dysfunctional!

As a direct result of this betrayal, young Yoseph spent the next 11 years as a household slave in a foreign country. While in this house, he was promoted by his master to be head over the entire household and all his master’s affairs. It was while in this position, Yoseph was falsely accused of rape by his master’s wife – which resulted in two long years in an Egyptian prison. I will say it again at the risk of repeating myself.

Wow! I thought I had a lot to forgive!

At 30 years, Elohim’s hand of favor supernaturally intervened in Yoseph’s life. After 13 long years, he was delivered by Elohim out of slavery and the prison system; and he was immediately promoted to the position of prime minister over all the land of Mitsrayim (Egypt)! He would continue to serve as prime minister for the next 80 years!

Young Yoseph married a beautiful woman and started a family of his own. As prime minister, he directed all the agricultural community in supernatural wisdom that saved the entire kingdom from perishing by a great famine that lasted for 7 years. This fresh start and positive focus helped to continue healing young Yoseph’s spirit. (Bereshith (Genesis) 41: 50-52) Yoseph found complete and total healing and deliverance by and through the power of true forgiveness.

Later, Yoseph was able to extend this same forgiveness he had found to his brothers. He was also able to extend to them complete benevolence in their hour of desperate need.

At the climax of the story, we find Yoseph’s brothers standing before him begging for food due to a prophesied famine (foretold by Elohim) which had finally come to pass. Twenty-three years have passed by since they sold Yoseph into slavery. Yoseph is now 40 years old and he is dressed like a foreign king. They do not recognize him and they do not have the first clue it is their brother they are in the presence of.

Listen to this amazing part of Yoseph’s story and hear him with your heart as he expresses his forgiveness to his brothers for their sin against Yahweh Elohim all those years previously: “Then Yoseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, “Cause every man to go out from me.” And there stood no man with him, while Yoseph made himself known unto his brethren.

And he wept aloud: and the Mitsrites and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Yoseph said unto his brethren, “I am Yoseph; doth my father yet live?” And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Yoseph said unto his brethren, “Come near to me, I pray you”. And they came near.

And he said, “I am Yoseph your brother, whom ye sold into Mitsrayim. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for Elohim did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And Elohim sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but Elohim: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and master of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Mitsrayim.

Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Yoseph, Elohim hath made me master of all Mitsrayim: come down unto me, tarry not: And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest 37

thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benyamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Mitsrayim, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.” And he fell upon his brother Benyamin's neck, and wept; and Benyamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. (Bereshith (Genesis) 45:1-15) Wow! By Yoseph’s words and his actions, can you detect any bitterness in his heart at all? No, not at all!

Why not? Yoseph had come into agreement with Elohim by his confession that all of his brothers’ sin was against Elohim only! Yoseph knew that Elohim alone repays sin as it says in Romans 12:19.

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith Yahweh.”

By the Word of Elohim (which is written on every heart) Yoseph knew the Proverb: “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and Yahweh shall reward thee.” (Mishle’ (Proverbs) 25:21-22) It is wisdom to be able to know and recognize who our real enemies are. Whenever the Scriptures speak of our enemies, it is talking about the enemy of our soul and spirit first. Many times, our fiercest enemy and opponent might be our spouse, our children, our parents or even our best friend. After all, it is those who are the closest to us that tend to wound us the deepest. Just because you are very close to someone does not mean they are not your enemy.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HEAP COALS OF FIRE UPON THE HEAD OF MY ENEMIES? In ancient times, the people tended to use their clay pots for transporting various commodities. Many cultures around the world still use this practice today. Usually these clay pots are balanced on top of their heads. Sometimes someone would carelessly let their fire go out at their home or business. They would then have to take their clay pot and go to someone who had live coals burning in hopes of returning with live fire.

This is what Yoseph was doing with / for his brothers, and this is what the Scripture teaches us to do. Once we have had our fire lit by the Set-apart Spirit through genuine forgiveness, we are called to light the fire over at our enemies’ house, too.

If your heart is cold and bitter, you do not have any fire to share with those who have become cold and bitter, too. If your heart is ablaze with the fire of Elohim’s love toward you and your fellow man, then you can give it away and give it away and then give it away some more. There is plenty to go around. With Elohim as your supplier, your fire will never go out!

In addition, Yoseph probably knew and understood that one day Elohim would avenge Himself in His wrath by the sacrifice of His only Begotten Son as it says in YeshaYahu (Isaiah) 53:4-6: “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of Elohim, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and Yahweh hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

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Take notice that Yoseph practiced Heavenly-administered wisdom through the process of reconciliation and restoration. He moved all his family out to the countryside in the Goshen region. He did not invite them to come live with him in the city. He did not invite them to stay with him in his home. Yoseph’s forgiveness was complete, but that did not mean he was responsible to restore the relations they had known at a previous time to their prior standing. In the exact same way; when you forgive completely, that does not mean you are obligated to do so either.

FORGIVENESS DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE REPSONIBLE FOR THE OFFENDING PARTY ACCEPTING OR RECEIVING THAT YOU HAVE FORGIVEN THE OFFENSE Sometimes, people who have never truly had to forgive any serious offense or betrayal cannot comprehend that they could be forgiven for what they have done to an offended party. More often, it is true that people who have never learned to truly forgive others are not capable of receiving forgiveness themselves.

They have never been delivered, and they are hurting deeply on the inside from their breached, wounded and broken spirit. Such was the case with Yoseph’s brothers. They had never experienced complete and total freedom through applying this Scriptural Truth concerning forgiveness.

Tragically, many years later they came to Yoseph in the wake of their Father’s death and begged for their very lives. Listen closely to their plea and then to Yoseph’s reply as recorded in Bereshith (Genesis) 50:1521.

And when Yoseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, “Yoseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.”

And they sent a messenger unto Yoseph, saying, “Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Yoseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the Elohim of thy father.”

And Yoseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, “Behold, we be thy servants”. And Yoseph said unto them, “Fear not: for am I in the place of Elohim? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but Elohim meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones”. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Last of all…

FORGIVENESS DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN HAVING TO TELL THE OFFENDING PARTY THEY ARE FORGIVEN Yahoshua taught us to be both wise and gentle: …“be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (MattithYahu (Matthew) 10:16) Part of being wise is not casting your pearls of forgiveness before those who do not desire to be forgiven: …“neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (MattithYahu (Matthew) 7:6) 39

Until the other party expresses their desire for your forgiveness, you might be better off keeping your forgiveness for them to yourself. Heed Yahoshua’s warning and do not take the chance of needlessly being hurt again in your desire to forgive.

IN SUMMARY: 1. Scripturally-defined forgiveness that brings about deliverance is first agreeing with Elohim that all sin is against Him and no one else.

2. A. He has charged every sin to the Cross. B. Yahoshua’s blood was sufficient to pay the debt in full. C. It is blotted out of the record forever. D. In the eyes of eternity, the debtor’s mountain (commonly called Calvary) has been cast into the sea of oblivion and it is forgotten.

3. For you or I to stand in condemnation or accusation of anyone (including ourselves) when we have wronged another, we commit “Double Jeopardy.” We become guilty of blaspheming Yahweh, the Scriptures and the finished work of the Cross.

4. We will remain in bondage to our pain and whatever else it is we are suffering from in this world (usually addiction(s), destructive behavior(s) and many bodily sicknesses), until we sincerely and completely forgive from our hearts.

5. It is most helpful to the process of forgiveness to have a new positive focus in life that serves and ministers to our fellow man.

6. I am not responsible for anybody receiving my forgiveness toward them.

7. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean it is healthy to try to restore a relationship to its original standing or status.

REAL FREEDOM AND LIBERTY FOR ALL I spoke previously about my experience of being incarcerated for 20 months in the Charlotte County jail.

The difference between the incarceration I suffered as a prisoner of concrete and steel and the prison I suffered from my addictions and destructive behaviors was / is obvious. While in the first prison (the Charlotte County jail), I had limited to no control over the outcome of my freedom. While in the second prison, I had total power over the outcome of my freedom the very moment I knew the truth about why I was incarcerated. By the application of Elohim’s Truth, I became and I am a free man!

Now, this same power has been put into your hands. Are you going to choose to be free or will you chose to remain a prisoner in the chains of unforgiveness?

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: Am I willing to forgive the person(s) (including myself) responsible for wounding / breaking my spirit?

Am I ready to become the free person Elohim created me to be by releasing every offense to the Cross?

I fully recognize and understand that for some of you, the pain of betrayal and brokenness is so great that to forgive seems impossible. You have my empathy. More importantly, you have the empathy of our Elohim 40

and Savior, Yahoshua ha Mashiach!

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT In MattithYahu (Matthew) 5:3 Yahoshua says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

Blessed means happy! Yahoshua wants you to be happy because you are spiritually bankrupt! Now you finally realize that you are powerless over your life, your pain, your sickness, your addiction, your destructive behavior, poverty, and your sin! You have come to the place of having to trust in Him alone to save you, heal you, deliver you and make you whole.

This kind of poverty of spirit is genuine, Heaven-sent humility. It is the honest recognition that we are in need of Elohim (and no one else) before His throne in prayer. Our Father honors this humility and He will give you His unlimited power and ability to forgive through you! He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself if you will only humble yourself and ask Him! Let’s pray and ask Him for His powerful help right now! (Read the following prayer. If it expresses your desire, then you can pray it sincerely from your heart. It is best to pray out loud if you can. (Romans 10:9))

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I come in the name of Yahoshua and by His shed blood. You know how very hard and even seemingly impossible it is for me to forgive. You know all those who have wounded me deeply and have helped to wound, breach and break my spirit throughout my life. You alone have unlimited power to forgive. You have already forgiven all of mankind’s sin against You by the Cross of Your Son. By faith in Your forgiveness by the blood of Yahoshua I choose to forgive (Insert Name(s)) for the offense(s) of (Name Specific Offense(s)). I agree with Your Word that their sin is against You and You alone and they have been forgiven by the blood of Yahoshua. I therefore surrender my right to any retaliation, revenge, restitution, condemnation, and accusation. By Your favor, I will not commit the sin of “double jeopardy” any more. I also agree by Your Word I have been forgiven for every sin I have sinned against You. I ask You for Your power to accept Your forgiveness for my sin, completely. By Your favor, I will no longer falsely condemn and accuse myself, because Yahoshua was accused and condemned in my place already!

Father, I want to repent of not trusting in You previously with all my heart (my mind, my will, my emotions), to heal my broken spirit and my life. Right now, I trust in You to heal me completely by the blood of Yahoshua. Let His shed blood wash away all my pain, shame, guilt, condemnation, frustration, anger, rage, hate, bitterness, confusion and doubt. Please give me Your favor to continue to trust You for everything from this day forward, especially with my heart!

A PRAYER OF GRATITUDE Thank You, Father, for Your forgiveness for my all sins and also for the sins of all those who have hurt me.

Thank You for paying for all our debt in full with the shed blood of Yahoshua ha Mashiach. Thank You for blotting out the record of our debt and destroying every proof of it ever existing, forever. Thank You for healing me and making me whole by the stripes of Yahoshua! By faith I thank You, right now in advance, for delivering me completely from the sickness of, (Insert your specific addiction, destructive behavior and / or physical sickness in your body)! I agree fully with Your Word! Everything is forgiven and I am healed, delivered, and made whole in this very moment by Your provision through Your Set-apart Spirit and by the blood of Yahoshua! It is in His name, the name of Yahoshua I pray, A-mein!

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IF YOU HAVE NOT FORGIVEN YET It is of utmost importance that you know in your head and in your heart, that there are only two reasons why you have not released every offense to the cross and experienced the total freedom of forgiveness: 1. You do not know Yahoshua ha Mashiach as your personal Master and Savior and therefore you cannot truly forgive according to the promise of the Scriptures. If this is the case for you, you need to repent and trust in Yahoshua ha Mashiach for your soul’s salvation. Only then will you be able to release every offense to the Cross by faith. Only then will you be completely free and know real peace and lasting peace in your life.

2. You know Yahoshua ha Mashiach as your personal Master and Savior and you are living in a state of unconfessed and unrepented sin. If this is the case, then you need to confess and repent of not releasing every offense to the Cross, not trusting your wounded heart to Elohim and blaspheming the promises of the Scriptures, the blood of Yahoshua and the comfort of the Set-apart Spirit. By exercising this kind of mountain-moving faith in true humility, you will be set free and know real shalom (peace / wellness).

MattithYahu (Matthew) 18:21-35 contains the teaching of the Master Yahoshua where He explains what will happen to everyone who chooses not to release every offense to the Cross as a continual way of life, until His return:

“Then came Kepha to Him, and said, Master, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Yahoshua saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of Heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, master, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their master all that was done. Then his master, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his master was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.�

Yahoshua plainly taught through this parable that everyone who refuses to forgive another person will never be at peace with themselves. Instead, the person who refuses to forgive will be tormented mentally, emotionally; and therefore, spiritually. You cannot know abiding shalom inside, which will calm the raging 42

sea of your mind and emotions, until you experience the power of deliverance through forgiveness! You have the Word of the Master Yahoshua on it!

Author’s note: I am fully aware there are some events which happen in life that leave a wounded and broken spirit which are beyond all human control. There are many wounds not caused by any individual’s words or actions toward us personally. I will be addressing these spirit- wounding events caused by a deep and abiding sorrow of the heart, specifically, in the epilogue.

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DOT FIVE – THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE THROUGH BLESSING OUR ENEMIES Now that we have discovered the power of scripturally-defined true forgiveness, the healing process has begun. Your wounded spirit is healing even now.

However, Elohim has something else that He requires of us for His healing power to finish its powerful work in us. It is found in MattithYahu (Matthew) 5:44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” These words were spoken by Yahoshua almost 2,000 years ago.

The maxim I referred to earlier applies here, again. Remember? Exhortation, without explanation, only leads to frustration! Just like we discussed previously concerning forgiveness, how the Scriptures defines the blessing of our enemies is rarely explained by those who encourage us to do so. Once more, we are told what we should do. However, we are left frustrated because we do not know exactly how to do it and why we should by the full counsel and authority of the Scriptures.

In just a moment, we will look at the specific Scripturally-based blessings that our Elohim requires us to bless others with. First, let’s take a moment to be reminded who our enemies are. Our enemy is anyone who has made themselves the enemy of our heart by their words and actions to wound our spirit. Our enemy could be a close or distant relative, a spouse, a friend, a significant other, an employer, a fellow employee, etc…

It is very rare, indeed, for the enemy of our heart and spirit to be a total stranger.

Why do we, as people, hurt other people? Why do we wound one another – even those we profess to love so much? It is absolutely vital to understand that people who are hurting hurt other people! This truth is wellworth repeating to make sure you got it. So, I’ll say it again…

HURTING PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE! There was a point in the life history of our enemy that he or she was deeply hurt, wounded and / or betrayed.

Over the course of time, the rotten seeds of destruction were sown into their unhealed wounds.

The seeds of guilt, shame, fear, condemnation, anger, frustration, hate, etc., were sown into the breach in their spirit. Over the years, they took root and up sprang the tree of destruction bearing its fruit of addiction(s), destructive behavior(s) and / or many bodily sicknesses.

They have never experienced the power of Scripturally-defined forgiveness to deliver and heal their wounds, either. The cycle always perpetuates itself until somebody breaks free! That is why they continue to hurt those closest to them relationally and proximately. It is most unfortunate that those who are usually wounded the deepest in their spirit are the children.

GENERATIONAL CURSES Often, these deep wounds are inflicted by their wounded and hurting parents. They are powerless to stop wounding their children’s spirit, until they find the power of deliverance for themselves.

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This principle is exactly why so many children grow up repeating their parents’ negative extremes. They have witnessed the fruit of destruction in their parent’s lives first-hand. Inside themselves, they deeply resolve they will never grow up to be like their parents. They promise themselves they will never become… an alcoholic, for example. What they do not realize is that…

LIKE GIVES BIRTH TO LIKE Science is finding more and more each day that there is much more encoded in our DNA than previously thought. Genetically, we are predisposed to carry on what we inherited through our genes for good or for evil.

This is sometimes known as a generational curse. Just like alcoholism and drug addictions tend to run in family trees, so do certain types of cancers and tumors. In addition, relational and sexual behaviors / addictions also tend to run in the family.

Generational curses or sicknesses, by themselves, are not inherently the problem. By now you probably realize for yourself the real problem is the wounded spirit. The breached / broken / wounded spirit which we need to be delivered from is the real culprit!

When parents find the power of deliverance and freedom for their lives by the power of Scripturally-defined forgiveness, they can pass on this legacy to their children. Parents cannot pass on to their children something they do not possess themselves.

Many children absolutely despise alcohol and drugs, for example, because they have witnessed its destructive power in their parents’ lives. However, even though they despise it, they do not realize they are genetically predisposed to it and their broken spirit demands to be fed.

It is this cause and effect relationship the Scriptures teach which is the curse that follows from one generation to the next. There is nothing mystical or magical about this whatsoever. It is simply the Scriptures’ way of defining and explaining what happens in the home which does not know and trust in Elohim with all their heart, soul, and strength, to make them whole.

The home which has not experienced Elohim as Savior, Master, Deliverer and Healer will ultimately suffer for it. The generational curse the whole household is suffering under is the root; and the fruit with all of its ugly and evil consequences.

“By sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” (Mishle’ (Proverbs) 15:13b)

IN SUMMARY: The catalyst which gives birth to the behavior of any generational curse is the bitterness of our hearts which is caused by our unwillingness to release any and every offense to the finished work of the Cross of Yahoshua. Unwillingness to completely release every offense and any right to recompense will eventually result in losing absolutely everything we love and hold dear. (Matt. 18:21-35)

GENERATIONAL BLESSINGS The opposite of the generational curse is the generational blessing. The home that is most blessed indeed acknowledges Elohim as Savior, Master, Deliverer, Healer and the source of all their needs. They actively seek Him and put their trust In Him! His blessing is the root and fruit of all the wonderful and Heaven45

bequeathed benefits of acknowledging Him by applying His Word(s) of Truth in every area of our lives.

Before we journey any further, I want you to fully understand. The problem is never the symptom! Never!

For example, alcoholism is just the symptom. The disease is a wounded spirit which has not been delivered

by Scripturally-defined forgiveness. The symptom will completely disappear when the disease is cured.

The cure is fully trusting with all your heart in the work that Elohim finished on the Cross of Yahoshua ha Mashiach!

Hopefully by now, you are beginning to see as Elohim sees. All of those who have made themselves our enemies are themselves prisoners of their own undelivered souls. They are just wounded and broken people who do not know how to escape. They are prisoners of their unwillingness to forgive, shame, guilt, etc, etc, etc… The deep roots of destruction and all its consequences are the result.

EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF DELIVERANE THROUGH YOUR ENEMIES… WITH ELOHIM’S HEART OF COMPASSION TOWARD THEM How can we continue to be angry with our persecutors who have hurt us, once we understand their true condition? We have been set free through forgiveness, and they are still in the chains of slavery. Shouldn’t our hearts well-up in compassion for them, when we know first-hand the pain and imprisonment they are still experiencing?

By now, maybe you have figured out the blessing Heaven desires for our enemies is for them to know this great salvation, deliverance, healing and freedom we have found! Yahweh wants our enemies and those who persecute us to fully experience the power of the Cross, too! He desires them to know the power of true forgiveness and the abiding shalom / peace which follows. He wants them to find what we have found: the power of deliverance… from the inside-out!

Our Father wants all of us to be a part of His family forever and to dwell together in unity! It is His heart that everyone knows what we know and that not one should perish! As it says in 2 Kepha (Peter) 3:9: “Yahweh is not slack concerning His promise… but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” … and also in Yahonan (John) 3:16-17 “For Elohim so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For Elohim sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Now you know Elohim’s heart for your worst enemy(s). Will you adopt Elohim’s heart for them? Do you desire for your most cruel and vile enemy to be your brother or sister in the family of Elohim? Is it your desire for them to be set free from the prison(s) they have made for themselves because of their wounded and broken spirit?

One of the best accounts I have heard illustrating Heaven’s desire for us to bless our enemies, is the true life testimony of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand and his wife Sabina. Richard is best known as the founder of the Voice of the Martyrs, or VOM for short.

VOM is a Christian ministry that spotlights those who are suffering persecution for Jesus’ name sake.

Richard and Sabina both know of what they speak from personal, firsthand experience. They both suffered unspeakable horrors in the cruel Romanian prisons under communist’s rule for the crime of professing the 46

name of Jesus.

Listen carefully with your heart to just one of many accounts of how Elohim used the Wurmbrands to turn their vilest enemies into their beloved family of Yahweh. Richard was outside walking the streets of Romania one day, when he heard a brash German soldier bragging about how many dog Yahudim (Jews) he had ruthlessly slaughtered.

He laughed arrogantly as he recounted how he had mowed down countless Jews with his machine gun while working in the death camps of Nazism. He even told of mothers holding their babies in their arms to their breasts while he killed them both.

It is hard to imagine what our response would be if we heard such atrocities being bragged about. Richard’s response was to introduce himself in a friendly manner and invite this man to come into his home and be his honored guest at a dinner party he was hosting.

The night of the dinner party, Richard’s wife Sabina was bedridden with fever; and so Richard ended up hosting the party alone. After the dinner was over, Richard, who was a master musician, played the piano for his guests. During a time when the radio was still fairly new and television was unheard of, this was much-appreciated entertainment. The German soldier especially liked the music and was very grateful.

Late in the evening, as most of the guests were leaving, Richard asked the young soldier to please remain behind. Richard then asked the soldier to please listen to him carefully without interrupting him for the next ten minutes, because he had something very important he wanted to talk to him about.

At this time the soldier realized he had been set up. However, with a knowing smile, he agreed to Richard’s request. In fact, he told Richard to feel free to take all the time he wanted. He had enjoyed himself so much that he didn’t mind Richard’s ploy at all. Thus, Richard began to explain to the soldier he was a Jew and that his wife Sabina was also a Jew. Furthermore, Sabina’s family (and thus, Richard’s family, too) were all taken captive in the concentration camp where the soldier had previously worked. “You are more than likely the murderer of our family”, Richard explained. Richard continued, “The reason I asked you here was I wanted to propose to you an experiment.”

“I propose that we wake up my wife and I will introduce you to her. I will tell her who you are and all that you have done to us. Next, I promise you she will go to the kitchen and prepare us a plate of cookies and a pot of fresh, hot coffee and treat you the same as any other honored guest who comes into our home.”

Richard paused and then added, “Now, if my wife can treat you like that despite of what you have done and still love you and forgive you, how much more can God so love you that He gave His only Son to die for you so you can be forgiven for what you have done?” At this, the soldier began to tear at his clothes; and then looking at his hands, he cried out, “The blood! The innocent blood! What have I done? What have I done?”

Next, Richard lovingly put his arms around the contrite soldier and led him to kneel beside the living room couch to pray. The German soldier confessed his sin and put his trust in Heaven for his forgiveness and salvation unto eternal life. When they arose from off their knees, Richard embraced his brother in Yahoshua warmly and welcomed him to the family of Elohim. Then he exclaimed, “I promised you an experiment”!

Richard led the soldier down the hall to the bedroom. He woke up Sabina gently and told her she must get dressed so he could introduce their honored guest. Richard introduced the soldier and told his wife all he 47

had done to their family. Then he said, “Just now we have knelt to pray in the living room and he has put his trust in the Lord Jesus. What would you like to say to this man who is now our brother in Christ?”

Sabina looked with love into this young soldier’s eyes, and then she embraced him warmly and they wept upon one another’s necks.

Wow! Pastor Richard and Sabina truly understood the total freedom that belongs to every child of Elohim.

In the same way, Elohim wants to use our hearts, our hands, our feet, our arms, our voice, our finances, our everything to be His instruments of His forgiveness and His blessings. Will we let Him use us to bless those who have hurt us the most?

Remember, we were once the enemies of Heaven because of our sin. He reached out to us in forgiveness, mercy and favour while we were still sinners and enemies of the Cross of the Messiah! Listen to this Truth as revealed by the Pharisee Shaul, (Acts 23:6), in Romans 5:8: “But Elohim commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, the Messiah died for us.”

Blessing our enemies is not optional! We are commanded to bless every man with the desire of Heaven to bless them in Yahoshua’s name. Elohim wants more for you than to just be free from the bondage of sinful behavior and addictions. He wants you to be perfect by His Set-Apart Spirit! He calls the willingness to open our hearts and hands in prayer and action toward our enemies, perfection here on earth!

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (MattithYahu (Matthew) 5:48) “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36) We will never be more like Elohim or His Son Yahoshua while here on this earth than when we forgive and bless with His heart and a cheerful willingness to do so!

Once again, I realize for some readers this command to bless those who have deeply hurt us, wounded us, cursed us, betrayed us and proven themselves to be our worst enemies seems absolutely impossible! Do you know something? It really is! You and I could never do this in our own strength and might!

The good news is, according to Luke 18:27, we are promised that nothing is impossible with Elohim that is impossible for us!

“And He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with Elohim.”

For our impossibility to become Heaven’s possibility all we need is the faith of a mustard seed.

“And Yahoshua said unto them… for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (MattithYahu (Matthew) 17:20) I have experienced this desire of the Master in quite the dramatic fashion for myself. While I was awaiting trial in the Charlotte County Jail, the Master used me mightily every day to witness the Good News of Yahoshua and to make disciples. One day, I was leading a one-on-two study through the Scriptures about “The Power of Deliverance”.

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I was at this very part about blessing our enemies with Heaven’s desire, when I was violently accosted by one of the biggest, baddest men in the whole dormitory (called a pod by the jail). A man I’ll call “J. J.” came flying out of his private cell and ran directly up to me with fire in his eyes and foam coming out of his mouth. With his fist cocked and his arm tensed, he began to yell at me right in my face. He was so close, I could literally taste his breath and his spit.

In his own very colorful and hate-filled way, “J. J.” told me he couldn’t stand it that I taught from the Scriptures every day. He also said he could hear me talking even with his cell door closed and that it was driving him crazy. (The pod was very loud sometimes; and therefore you, in turn, had to talk loudly just to have a conversation with the guy across the table from you.)

Next, “J. J.” told me how easily he could kill me and how he just wanted to punch his hand through my skull and rip my head from my neck. While all this was going on, the pod went dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop literally. (Usually, when something like this happens, it ends up in a fight; and all participating parties are disciplined with solitary confinement for 30 days.)

The pod officer on duty ran over to the end of the pod where we both were and had his pepper spray drawn and ready to fire. Through all of this, the power of the Set-Apart Spirit was with me and I could remain 100% calm. With the broken humility of the Messiah, in all sincerity, I could look “J. J.” in the eye and tell him that I loved him and that Elohim loved him. This served to only further enrage “J. J.”.

“J. J.” picked up my open copy of the Scriptures and tried to rip it in two. However, he could only get his hands on the page that I had it opened to, Romans chapter 6. He ripped that page out and threw it and the Scriptures on the floor and then walked away. The pod officer then returned to his work desk area and my fellow detainees went back to whatever they were previously doing.

I picked up the Scriptures and I looked at the two men I was sharing this very study with and said, “Gentlemen, this is exactly what I have been talking to you about! Heaven wants to use us to reach that man for Him. Let’s pray in agreement right now that He will save that man and draw him into His kingdom.”

We bowed our heads and prayed and asked the Master to please save “J. J.” and bless him with the blessings we had been blessed with and every good thing we desired for ourselves. One of these two men repented and turned back to Elohim after our study – most surprisingly, the other man did not.

Amazingly, “J. J.” came to my cell later that same day. He apologized for his words and his actions earlier in the day. He also explained to me he did not even know why he attacked me the way he did. “J. J.” might not have understood what was happening, but I sure did!

The Scriptures clearly teach us our battles in this lifetime are not with our fellow man! Our true enemy is the Devil, the fallen host and the demons of hell itself! (Ephesians 6:12) “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”

I readily accepted this genuine apology and I let “J. J.” know all is forgiven and well as far as I was concerned.

The very next day, I was leading the evening study from the Scriptures and worship service with about 20 men participating. Toward the end, a man with a Roman Catholic background asked me what it meant to be saved and “born again” – as these expressions of Messianic faith were completely foreign to him. As I began to explain Heaven’s plan of salvation, I noticed “J. J.” was listening very closely and carefully from 49

across the room.

Afterward, I gave the invitation to know Elohim by personally receiving Yahoshua ha Mashiach as Master and Savior. “J. J.” was the first to respond. He literally yelled out, “Yes, I do! I want to be born again!”

His previous companions in crime yelled from across the room, mocking and jeering him. He responded that he was very serious and they had better shut up or he would come over and hurt them good and make them shut up.

The guys from our study group were also leery of “J. J.” and questioned his motives. After all, he was persecuting us just the day before, wasn’t he? “J. J.” assured us he was sincere and that he desired to follow the Messiah with all his heart. The Roman Catholic also confessed he wanted to be born again, too.

All of us believers gathered around these two men as they prayed to receive the Messiah through Scripturally-defined repentance. Next, we all laid hands on them in blessing, according to the Scriptures.

Afterward, we all spontaneously erupted in applause and praising the Master for what He had done in our very midst!

Every single man amongst us embraced both men and welcomed them warmly to the family of Yahweh! It was truly amazing to witness Heaven’s favour at work in this man’s life. It seemed just like Shaul in the book of Acts! You can read all about Shaul and his radical conversion in Acts 8:1-4 and 9:1-30. Shaul went from being a hater and hurter of Messianic believers to becoming a Messianic believer himself!

“J.J.” asked me what he should do next now that he was a believer. I told him to start reading the Scriptures.

He told me he did not have one and asked if he could borrow one. I told him that he was welcome to borrow mine – the very same copy of the Scriptures he had tried to destroy previously! I gave him some suggestions of where to start reading and then headed off to my cell for the nightly lock-down.

I couldn’t help but smile from ear-to-ear as I went to sleep that night as I marveled at all that had transpired in less than 36 hours. I can only imagine what the world would be like, if every time we Messianic believers were wronged in any way; we would bless those who wronged us first, as our Messiah intended.

ALWAYS REMEMBER, NEVER FORGET! Always remember (and never forget) the promise of the power that is yours from MattithYahu (Matthew) 5:3. It is possible you have already forgotten the unsearchable riches which are yours through spiritual impoverishment and bankruptcy. May I encourage you to look back to part three of Dot four and review this all-important lesson before you read any further.

Tell our Heavenly Father of your struggle to obey Him in regards to genuinely blessing your enemies. (He already knows, by the way!) Ask Him to give you the strength to obey His voice right where you are. If you truly desire to be whole and to be perfect, Elohim knows it; and He will answer your prayer. This is another one of His promises to us.

(Mismore (Psalm) 37:4) “Delight thyself also in Yahweh; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Questions to consider: Is there anyone I do not want to bless with the experience of Heaven’s power unto salvation, deliverance, complete healing, peace, power wholeness and perfection? Why isn’t it my desire to know Elohim’s love for them as I have / am discovering it for myself?

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Once again, it is of utmost importance you know in your head, and in your heart, that there are only two reasons why you do not desire Yahweh’s blessings upon your enemies: You do not know the Messiah, Yahoshua, as your personal Master and Savior and therefore you cannot truly bless your enemies according to the command of “The Scriptures”. If this is the case for you, you need to repent and trust in Yahoshua ha Mashiach for your soul’s salvation through true humility, confession and Scripturally-defined repentance. Only then will you be able to truly bless your enemies from your heart, by faith, with Heaven’s desire for them.

You know Yahoshua ha Mashiach as your personal Master and Savior and you are living in a state of unconfessed and unrepented sin because of your refusal to obey the Scriptures and bless your enemies from the heart. If this is the case, then you need to confess and repent of the sin of not blessing your enemies from your heart with the desire of Heaven for their soul and life.

Blessing our enemies Heaven’s way accelerates the healing process of becoming completely free and knowing real and lasting peace in our lives. In addition, you will gain new family in the Messiah and friendships you never dreamed possible! (Mark 10:29-30) Abraham Lincoln, famously, once asked rhetorically: “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

REMEMBER IYOB (JOB) Iyob (Job) is one of the primary characters found in the Scriptures. You can find out all about him in the book of Iyob (Job) which was also named for him. Iyob (Job) was a very successful man in almost every measurable way success is measured by this present world. Due to providential events beyond Iyob’s (Job’s) knowledge or understanding, he lost almost everything he possessed in a very short period of time.

His material wealth, his children and his health were all taken from him very quickly and dramatically. The only thing Iyob had left was his wife and his three closest friends. Most of the book of Iyob (chapters 4-31) is about how these three friends turned on Iyob and falsely accused him and Iyob’s defense of himself.

Yes, it is true. According to the Scriptures, Iyob’s three friends and even his wife became his worst enemies.

These three friends believed that Iyob was guilty of sinning against Elohim and therefore was deserving of all the evil that had befallen him. They testified falsely against Iyob; and even more wickedly, they testified falsely against Yahweh Elohim and His kind nature.

At the end of the book of Iyob, in Chapter 42, Elohim commands Iyob to pray on behalf of his three closest friends. These men were in big-time trouble with the almighty of the Universe. He was very angry with their many lies and false witness against Iyob. By faith, in obedience to Elohim’s Word, Iyob prayed for his enemies and blessed them with Heaven’s desire.

At this point in the narrative, we learn that because of this, Yahweh Elohim showed favor to Iyob once again and established him with twice the success and blessings he had enjoyed previously in his life.

“And Yahweh turned the captivity of Iyob, when he prayed for his friends: also Yahweh gave Iyob twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that Yahweh had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece 51

of money, and every one an earring of gold. So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Iyob more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters.” (Iyob (Job) 42:10-13) Please note: It was only after Iyob (Job) had forgiven and blessed his enemies with Heaven’s desire from his heart that the favor of Heaven poured itself out into Iyob’s (Job’s) life once again. Elohim is no respecter of persons. He will pour out His favor on you, too, if you will only obey Him. Let Heaven love and bless your enemies through you, and you will experience the power of deliverance!

Your Prayer of Deliverance - Loving, Blessing and Doing Good To Your Enemies Heavenly Father, You have blessed me with every blessing in Yahoshua ha Mashiach! (Ephesians 1:3) I now understand it is your desire to bless my enemies through me. You desire for them to know the freedom, forgiveness and healing I have found and am finding in You. It is Your desire for them to be set free, too, from all their addictive and destructive behavior(s)! By faith, I open my heart and my life to be your instrument of blessing to bless my enemies with.

Please reveal to them Your plan of salvation, deliverance, healing and freedom so they can be at peace and be Your child / children. Before this time in my life, I was a tree that only bore the fruit of destruction and pain. Through forgiveness, You have rooted out that wicked tree and destroyed it! Now I am asking You to plant a new tree in my life. Make me a (Mismore) / Psalm 1 tree that blesses all people everywhere with the fruit of Your Set-Apart Spirit.

Thank You, Father, for blessing me and for blessing my enemies through me. You are perfecting Your love in me. You are making me whole and have made me set-apart by the blood of Yahoshua. It is in His name I pray, A-mein!

Praise Elohim my friend! You have successfully connected the first five dots by His favour. You are well on your way to discovering Yahweh’s plan for you to be complete in Him! Now, let’s connect to Dot 6. The Power of Deliverance… …Through the Offering of the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving, from our hearts and from our lips.

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DOT SIX – THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE THROUGH THE OFFERING OF THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING: ALL THE TIME, EVERY TIME – FOR EVERYTHING Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He is not content to just deliver us, heal us and make us whole.

It is His desire for us to be healthy and strong in Him and His power!

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in Yahweh, and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10) Listen to words of Shaul the Pharisee (Acts 23:6) as He compares the physical strength versus spiritual: “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but set-apart reverence is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” (1Timothy 4:8) Physical fitness profits very little in comparison to spiritual fitness.

Question: How do you develop your physical muscles?

Answer: By repetitive motion in disciplined sets and intervals. If I only did one push-up how much would that benefit me? Nothing! I should discipline myself to continue to strive to increase my reps on a regular basis.

By way of comparison, how do we develop our spiritual muscles to be strong believers? By exercising our faith!

Question: How do we exercise our faith?

Answer: By disciplining ourselves in repetition and frequent intervals to apply the Truth of Elohim’s Word to every area of our lives.

Those who exercise their bodies only when they feel like doing so, very rarely do so. That is why it is a discipline! So, it is with exercising our faith in the things of Heaven! We should exercise our faith consistently day and night, everyday – whether we feel like it or not. If we do not do this, we will not become the strong and mighty warriors whom Yahweh desires us to be.

Inevitably, people who do not exercise their faith regularly become spiritual yo-yos! They are up one day, week and / or month and down the next! They let their emotions dictate how they feel and live their lives accordingly. They do not rest their faith in the eternal precious promises of Elohim’s Set-apart Word.

Before we are done with this journey together, we will discuss the most practical and powerful daily faith disciplines you can apply to your daily routine.

By faith, we have trusted in Heaven’s forgiveness and the payment Elohim has made for all our sins by the shed blood of Yahoshua. By faith, we have begun to trust in Yahweh’s plan to bless our enemies through us.

Now we have come to the greatest test of our faith. This is the test of thanking Elohim for everything, all the time!

Just like forgiving those who would hurt / harm us and blessing our enemies, the test of thanking Yahweh 53

Elohim and Praising Him for everything at all times is a command of the Scriptures!

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of Elohim in Mashiach Yahoshua concerning you.”

(1Thessalonians 5:18) “Giving thanks always for all things unto Elohim and the Father in the name of our Master Yahoshua ha Mashiach” (Ephesians 5:20) Wow! Did you get that?! Our Heavenly Father wants us to give thanks for everything all the time. Why? This command doesn’t even begin to make sense to the natural mind.

You might reasonably ask yourself, “Does Elohim want me to give thanks for all the evil things that have happened to me and that I have done? Does Elohim want me to give thanks for the pain I have known and the pain I have caused others? Does Elohim want me to give thanks for all the bad and seeming unfortunate things that have happened to me in my life?”

Why in the world would our Heavenly Father want us to give thanks for tragedy? Why would He demand of us that we be thankful for our times of loss? Why do we need to be thankful for the very wickedness that broke, breached and wounded our spirit? These are all very reasonable questions that need to be answered.

Once more, we will turn to the Truth of the Scriptures and find our answers there.

Our first answer is found in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Elohim, to them who are the called according to [His] purpose.”

Notice this promise of Elohim does not say all things are good. No, that would be a lie! Elohim’s promise is that He is working everything for the good!

The truth of this Scripture is simply understood in the following illustration. Suppose a hungry man knocked on my door to beg for food. Now suppose in response to this man’s apparent hunger, I gave him individual raw ingredients like uncooked eggs, butter milk, flour, salt, shortening, yeast and baking soda.

These ingredients taste pretty terrible and are pretty much worthless by themselves.

However, in the hands of a skilled baker, these ingredients properly mixed together make for delicious butter-milk biscuits. When we eat these biscuits fresh out of the oven with some butter and honey or jelly, they are umm-umm good and will satisfy our hunger!

In much the same way, our Heavenly Father can take every single ingredient of our life and make them all work out for the good! He can use the most bitter of circumstances and life disappointments and make us into His very own image and esteem! He can take your biggest mess and transform it into your message for His esteem. He can take your biggest test and make it your testimony of His goodness toward you personally.

This is cause for great rejoicing!

Giving thanks for everything at all times is without a doubt the greatest test of our faith. To give thanks to Elohim in the face of crises, persecution, tragedy, pain, hurt, loss and testing shows that we believe Elohim and are fully trusting in His promises! Giving thanks in every circumstance testifies that we believe in His promises, His love and His faithfulness toward us.

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Our hour of trial is our greatest opportunity to experience Yahweh’s power in our lives. He wants us to know His benevolent heart toward us. He wants us to see His willingness to move on our behalf when we are in the midst of the storms and fiery trials of our lives.

Our Father wants to show Himself strong on our behalf; however, He will not force Himself on us and into our circumstance. He is patiently waiting for us to cry out to Him in faith! Listen to the exhortation of our Master through the Pharisee Shaul in Philippians 4:6: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto Elohim.”

Did you know that all our prayers and all our requests are to be prayers of thanksgiving? The very next verse shows us what happens when we are obedient to do so: v.7 “And the shalom of Elohim, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Mashiach Yahoshua.”

Heaven promises a supernatural shalom (peace, wellbeing) to every one of us! This shalom is greater than whatever it is we will ever go through!

A PORTRAIT OF SHALOM A long time ago, I heard a story of an artist who was commissioned to “paint peace” by a very wealthy benefactor. For the first attempt, the artist painted a beautiful serene beach scene by the ocean. Gentle waves lapped the shore while seagulls flew, children played and lovers embraced.

However, the supposed generous benefactor was not pleased at all with the artist’s effort.

For the second attempt, the artist painted a lazy river winding its way through the meadow in the spring time. Majestic deer pranced and grazed, all manner of birds were present as well as fluffy bunnies, multiple other forest creatures and an array of colorful butterflies.

Once again, the artist’s benefactor was displeased.

For his final attempt, the artist painted a mother eagle sheltering her young in their nest perched high upon a perilous cliff. The eaglets were huddled safely, snuggling closely to their mother as ferocious lightning, hail and rain stormed and raged all around them.

When the benefactor saw this portrait, he smiled and enthusiastically exclaimed, “You have succeeded beyond measure. This is peace!” For this attempt, the artist was rewarded handsomely.

This is the exact peace promised us in the portrait of Mismore (Psalm) 91:4: “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.”

The Scriptures are filled with example after example of Elohim showing up in very dramatic fashion on behalf of those who thank Him and praise Him no matter what the circumstance. Elohim’s people thank Elohim and praise Elohim while in the midst of facing crises and trials of every variety.

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THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING It is easy to proclaim the goodness of Yahweh Elohim and His faithfulness when everything seems to be going our way. Anyone can do that. (Sadly, most people don’t.) Our greatest challenge to praise Him in all things ultimately begins when we are struck down by evil or faced with seeming impending doom.

Mismore (Psalm) 22 was written by David the great king of Yisrael whom I referred to earlier in the chapter on forgiveness. Even though David penned this Mismore, the author was actually the Master Yahoshua ha Mashiach! He wrote down His own thoughts, while hanging on the cross, almost one thousand years before He died.

As Elohim, He knew He would be too weak to speak of all the words of Mismore (Psalm) 22 while He was dying as a man. It is for this very reason He spoke them prophetically through David. Mismore (Psalm) 22 is one of my all-time favorite passages in the Scriptures. It is definitely my favorite of all the Tehillim (Psalms) too. I encourage you to be blessed by taking the time to read Mismore (Psalm) 22 right now!

For our purposes in this study, for right now I want us to consider (verses 22-25).

“I will declare Thy name unto My brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee. Ye that fear Yahweh, praise Him; all ye the seed of Ya‘acob, esteem Him; and fear Him, all ye the seed of Yisrael.

For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath He hid His face from Him; but when He cried unto Him, He heard. My praise [shall be] of Thee in the great congregation: I will pay My vows before them that fear Him.” While these words were being spoken, we find Yahoshua hanging on the stake. He is severely wounded in His body. He is even more wounded and broken in His spirit! He is suffering in His spirit and soul more than any man ever who came before Him or since! His greatest suffering was not in His body. By far, it was from the weight of the sin of the whole world that He carried by Himself upon the stake!

It is here, during His suffering on the stake, we find Yahoshua praising Elohim with a thankful heart! Not only is He praising Yahweh with all His might, He is calling on all of us to do the same! How incredibly awesome!

Yahoshua has set the example for all of us! He has called and is calling each one of us to set the same example for others. By the way of the cross of shame and suffering, Elohim has won the greatest victory in the history of the human race. Death, hell, sin, haSatan and all the powers of darkness were all defeated on that day! This is the divine and powerful reality of Romans 8:28!

THE CURSE OF INGRATITUDE The Scriptures also reveal to us what happens when people do not thank Elohim and worship from their hearts in every circumstance. One of the best examples of this is found in Ibrim (Hebrews) 3:15-19 in Brit ha Dashah (the New Testament) of the Scriptures: “While it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Mitsrayim / Egypt by Mosheh (Moses). But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

The author is referring to the children of Yisrael. They were Elohim’s chosen people all throughout most of 56

the TaNaKh (the Old Testament) of the Scriptures. Elohim had supernaturally delivered the Yisraelites out of slavery in the land of Mitsrayim by 10 great plagues. You can read all about it in the first 13 chapters of the book of Shemoth (Exodus) in the TaNaKh. Elohim began to test His people directly after He delivered them from slavery. He did this ten different times by allowing them to face one crises or present danger after another over the next years of their lives.

By the way, Heaven is going to test you, too! It is through the test that Yahweh exposes what we are really made of. He does this for our sanctification because He loves us. He does not want us to rest content in our incomplete state. How could we ever repent of our unrighteousness if we didn’t know about it?

It is wise to always remember Elohim isn’t so much interested in our happiness as He is our set-apartness!

Like precious metal that must pass through the refiner’s fire to remove the dross impurities, so we must also pass through the fiery tests. It is all for our perfection. (Ya‘acob (James) 1:2-4) Every time the nation of Yisrael was tested, they chose to murmur and complain against Elohim almighty.

When we complain against Elohim, we automatically fail the test! Elohim so loves us that His perfect Fatherly heart toward us demands that He will have to test us again. The same / similar test will come again and again until we pass it!

For the entire year that Elohim tested His people, they kept going in circles around the Mountain of Sinai.

Does it seem to you that you keep going around in circles in your life? Not one time did Yisrael stop and thank Heaven for the opportunity they were given to experience His power, love and faithfulness to deliver them.

Whenever they finally did thank Him and praise Him it was always after He delivered them from their crises. They were temporarily thankful for the immediate relief and momentary provision only. They weren’t truly thankful for the one who provided it! The Elohim of the universe calls this unbelief! Ibrim (Hebrews) 3:19 Many of you are already familiar with the tragic outcome of this generation of Yisraelites. Their final test came when twelve spies were sent to preliminarily explore the land that Elohim was leading them to give them as an inheritance. Ten of these twelve men returned with an evil report that the land was beautiful, but unconquerable; and that it would be futile to attempt to do so.

Only two of the spies (Yahoshua and Caleb) returned with a positive and glowing report. These two faithful witnesses believed in Elohim’s promises and faithfulness toward His people.

The people of Yisrael chose to believe the evil report of the ten instead of the good report of the two! As punishment for not believing and trusting Elohim, He condemned everyone to die who was already over the age of twenty in the desert. The only exceptions were Yahoshua and Caleb and their families. All of the rest of Yisrael died in the wilderness over the next 40 years while they wandered in futility.

Yisrael’s heart of unbelief was manifested in their refusal to worship by faith. We are either offering the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving from our hearts or we are murmuring. There is no middle ground!

We each must make the choice to rejoice in Elohim for His faithfulness in the hour of our deepest sorrow and darkest night. By doing so, we show we believe Him and the promises of His Word no matter what!

When we grumble, murmur, complain, and gripe we show our disbelief in Elohim and the Scriptures. We become no different than the Yisraelites of 3,500 years ago. The path of belief is sure victory for every child 57

of Elohim! The path of unbelief is sure defeat! Which path will you choose to walk? Will you worship by faith or are you going to continue to murmur?

Either way, please turn to Dot 6 – part 2 as you are making up your mind what you are going to do next.

Yahoshua is still asking each of us, “Do you want to be made whole?”

DOT SIX – PART 2 58

MODERN-DAY EXAMPLES OF “THE POWER OF DLEIVERANCE” – THROUGH THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING There are many people alive today who can testify to the power and validity of what I have shared with you about this Truth. These people have found the strength of resolve and the favour of Elohim to worship Him in praise and thanksgiving continually – even in the face of adversity and chaos.

These men, women and whole families have suffered much pain, much loss, betrayal, physical agony and handicaps. They know firsthand what it is to have a breached/broken/wounded spirit. Yet, they have faithfully worshipped, thanked Elohim and praised Him in the midst of their respective storms of life. The following is the true-Life account of two of these modern-day heroes: Joni Eareckson Tada and Pastor Joel Sonnenberg.

Both Joni and Joel have experienced the fullness of the “Power of Deliverance”. I share both testimonies with you for your encouragement and the Father’s glory!

EXHIBIT A: The following account is taken from www.joniearecksontadastory.com As a teenager, Joni loved life. She enjoyed riding horses and loved to swim. One summer in 1967, however, that all changed. While swimming with some friends, Joni dove into a lake, not knowing how shallow it really was. She broke her neck, paralyzing her body from the neck down. For the next two years during her rehabilitation, Joni struggled. She struggled with life, she struggled with YHWH, and she struggled with her paralysis. Since then, Joni has written fourteen books, has recorded several music albums; and she’s actively involved as an advocate for disabled people. Listen carefully to how Joni (now an internationally-known mouth artist) learned to accept her disability. And Joni will tell you how a personal relationship with YHWH has helped her overcome the obstacles in her life and how you can experience the love of YHWH – despite pain and suffering.

Now with her life story, here’s Mrs. Joni Eareckson Tada: Thanks for the wonderful introduction. Do I really do all those things? My goodness! But I don’t tap dance.

One of these days, yes.

It hardly seems 26 years ago, that I was lying on a hospital bed in suicidal despair depressed and discouraged after the hot July afternoon when I took that dive into shallow water – a dive which resulted in a severe spinal cord injury, which left me paralyzed from the shoulders down without use of my hands and my legs. Before that time, I didn’t even know what you called people like me. Who are we? The physically challenged, the mobility impaired, the differently abled, handicapped. I knew we weren’t crippled or invalid.

But I just didn’t have any contact with people who were hurting or in pain. That spinal cord injury changed all that. There I was, lying in the hospital bed in the summer of 1967 desperately trying to make ends meet, desperately trying to turn my right side down emotions, right side up. In my pain and despair, I had begged many of my friends to assist me in suicide. That seems to be a common topic these days; and many disabled people that I know (even in the nineties) have a tough time finding life worth living. I sought to find a final escape, a final solution through assisted suicide – begging my friends to slit my wrists, dump pills down my throat – anything to end my misery. The source of my depression is understandable. I could not face the prospect of sitting down for the rest of my life without use of my hands and without use of my legs. All my hopes seem dashed. My faith was shipwrecked.

I was sick and tired of pious platitudes that well-meaning friends often gave me at my bedside. Patting me on the head, trivializing my plight with the 16 good biblical reasons as to why all this has happened. I was 59

tired of advice and didn’t want any more counsel. I was numb emotionally, desperately alone; and so very, very frightened. Most of the questions I asked in the early days of my paralysis were questions voiced out of a clenched fist, an emotional release, an outburst of anger. I don’t know how sincere my questions really were. I was just angry. But after many months, those clench-fist questions became questions of a searching heart. I sincerely and honestly wanted to find answers.

Now I knew in a vague sort of way, that answers to my questions about my paralysis were probably hidden somewhere between the pages of the Bible; but I had no idea where. I needed a friend who would help me sort through my emotions, who would help bring me out of the social isolation, who would help me deal with the anger. I needed a friend who would point me somewhere – anywhere – in God’s Word to help me find answers. I found a friend (a young man named Steve) who knew absolutely nothing about emptying leg bags or pushing wheel chairs and he had no idea what to call people like me – whether we were physically challenged, differently abled or mobility impaired. Don’t you get tired of all those fancy, schmancy euphemisms?

I remember my friend Steve – just a young teenager – who had a caring, compassionate heart, a love for God; and a halfway-decent working knowledge of the Bible., I cornered him one day at my bedside and I said to Steve, “I just don’t get it! I trusted God before my accident. I wasn’t a bad person. This couldn’t possibly be a punishment for any sin that I’ve done. At least, I hope not. I don’t get it, Steve? If God is supposed to be all- loving and all-powerful; then how (what has happened to me) be a demonstration of His love and power? Because Steve, if He’s all-powerful – then surely, He should have been powerful enough to stop my accident from happening? If He’s all loving, then how in the world can permanent and lifelong paralysis be a part of His loving plan for my life? I just don’t get it! Unless I find some answers, I don’t see how this all-loving and all-powerful God is worthy of my trust and confidence. Who is in control? Who’s will is this anyway?” I said to him.

My friend Steve took a deep sigh; and he was wise enough to discern that my question, again, was not voiced out of a clenched fist; but out of a searching heart. He knew I sincerely wanted to find an answer.

And so he said, “Joni, those are tough questions and theologians have been trying to answer them for hundreds of years. I can’t pretend to sit at your bedside and know why and how. I can’t pretend to explain the loving nature of God and how your accident is a demonstration of His power. But when it comes to the question about who is control and whose will is this anyway, I think I can show you some answers.” Huh, well! I wanted to see this! So I waited to see what he would say. I thought he might quote to me the sixteen good biblical reasons as to why all this has happened.

I thought surely he might lay out before me the blueprint of my life. I thought for sure he’d give me a lot of advice and a lot of his counsel; but no, Steve didn’t do that. Then he opened up his Bible and he pointed me to the example of Jesus Christ. He told me that in the life of Christ I could find the answers about God’s will.

But he went even more specifically: he showed me Christ on the cross and he challenged me with a couple of hard-hitting questions himself. Saying, “Joni, whose will do you think the cross was?” Well, I obediently remembered all those good Sunday school lessons I had learned growing up and I easily voiced in response, “God’s will, of course; it’s God’s will. Everybody knows that. But then Steve said, “Joni, think it through – because you better believe that it was the devil who entered the heart of Judas Iscariot who handed over Jesus for a mere 30 pieces of silver. And you got to know that it was Satan who instigated that mob on the streets to clamor for Christ’s crucifixion! And for sure, Joni, it had to be the devil who prodded those Roman soldiers to spit on Jesus and slap Him and mock Him! Even the devil inspired Pontius Pilate to hand down mock justice in order to gain political popularity. How can any of these things be God’s will? Treason, injustice, murder, torture?”

Well, I nodded and agreed. None of it seemed to be God’s will. But what about all those Sunday school lessons I had learned as a little girl? That the cross was God’s plan and purpose for all of mankind? My 60

friend Steve turned to a verse in the Bible which helped answer that question about God’s will. He turned to Acts chapter 4:28 and it says there that these men; that is, Pontius Pilate, Judas Iscariot, the mob in the streets, the cruel Roman soldiers – these men did what God’s power and will had decided beforehand should happen. In other words, the cross was no mistake.

Somehow, some way, God was in control. Heaven and Hell participated in the exact same event when Christ died on that cross. Heaven and Hell participated in the exact same event but for different reasons. Now, no doubt, Satan had his reasons. The devil wanted to put an end to this ridiculous talk about redemption. Stop God’s son dead in his tracks. No more talk about reconciliation, no more talk about atonement. Kill Christ.

That was Satan’s motive. But you see, the wonderful thing about God is that He’s a miracle worker and God is in the business of reaching down and, with otherwise seeming to be awful horrid evil, He wrenches out of it positive good for us and glory for Himself. God can do that because He’s God. God always aborts devilish schemes to accomplish His own ends and His own purposes. That’s what he did at the Cross. The world’s worst murder became the world’s only salvation. In Satan’s most daring attempt to frustrate the plan of God, he ended up slitting his own throat because God aborted those devilish schemes at the Cross. What was God’s motive in the Crucifixion? What was His purpose and will? That through the cross, the floodgates of heaven would be open wide. That whosoever will, might come in. Heaven and Hell participated in the exact same event but for different reasons.

Steve closed his Bible at my bedside and didn’t say much after that. He let the message sink in. It didn’t take long for me to understand the parallel between what happened at the cross of Christ and my own disability. I began to see that in the accident in which I became paralyzed, Heaven and Hell were participating in the exact same event, but for different reasons. When I took that reckless dive into shallow water that caused me to be a quadriplegic, no doubt the devil absolutely wrung his hands in delight – thinking to himself, “Aha, I have now shipwrecked this girl’s faith. I have dashed her hopes. I have ruined her family. I have destroyed her dreams and I am going to make a mockery of all her beliefs in God. That, I’m certain, was the devil’s motive. Remember we have an all- wise, all-powerful, all-loving God who reaches down; and when otherwise would be horrible evil, and wrenches out of it positive good for us and glory for Himself. I am convinced that God’s motive, God’s purpose, His plan in the accident in which I became paralyzed – His purpose was to turn a head–strong, stubborn, rebellious kid into a young woman who would reflect something of patience, something of endurance, something of longsuffering. Who would get her life values turned from wrong side down to right side up and would have a buoyant and lively optimistic hope of heavenly glories above.

I wouldn’t dare list 16 good biblical reasons as to why this accident happened to me. No, I wouldn’t dare do that because suffering is still a mystery… I can’t explain it all and my friend Steve couldn’t explain it all by my bedside, either. It’s a mystery, but not a mystery without direction. We know for one thing in this mystery, nobody is glorifying suffering. God does not think a spinal cord injury is a great idea. There is no inherent goodness in cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, brain injury, stroke, heart disease, manic depression, No, No, No! There is no inherent goodness in disease or disability; but like I said, God can reach down to an otherwise terrible difficulty and wrench out of it positive good for us and glory for Himself. There is no inherent goodness in disability, disease, or deformity; but we are promised in the book of Romans the 8th chapter the 28th verse that all things can fit together into a pattern, a plan for good – our good and His Glory.

I remember when my friend Steve shared that verse with me as well, and I challenged him saying,”That sounds to me that you’re saying, there, that all things are good.” He said, “No, Joni, that’s not what the verse says. It doesn’t say that all things are good. It just says that all things can fit together into a pattern for good, a plan for good.

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What is that good? I can’t speak for you. I really can’t, and I would never take my experience and lay it like a template over your life and say this is the way God ought to work in your life. No, no, no, it doesn’t work that way. We’re all individuals, we’re all significant, we’re all unique; and God’s plan for each one of us is so personal, so highly personal.

I would like to share with you the good that I believe has come out of my disability. I would like to tell you God’s motive in having permitted my accident to happen. For one thing, my life values have gotten turned from wrong side down to right side up. There was a time when I used to think that man’s cheap end for happiness was to have a date on Friday night and to be a slim trim 135 lbs, a size 12 dress, a college degree, a nice little home in suburbia with a white picket fence with Ethan Allen furniture, and 2.5 children. That’s what I used to think was important in life. After my accident, those life values, which were so wrong side down, got turned right side up and I began to see that what really mattered in life was friendships. What really mattered in life was love – warm and deep and real and personal, between a husband and a wife, or a sister, or a brother, or an aunt, or a niece, or a nephew, or a neighbor, or a nurse, or an attendant. I began to see that it was people who counted. And smiles and tears and embraces – these things began to count so much in my life.

I remember that my hospital bed was situated near a window in the ward that I shared with 6 other women and I used to thank God that I could see the moon at night and that my room was situated near a tree so I could watch the leaves blow in the wind. Little things, small things, began to matter. Looking straight on into the eyes of another person in a wheelchair and sensing their pain, being moved by their tears, feeling the rhythm of their heart, sharing oneness in the spirit and similar experiences. These are the things that began to matter to me.

But other things began to matter to me as well. God used this injury to develop in me patience, endurance, tolerance, self-control, steadfastness, sensitivity, love, and joy. Those things didn’t matter much when I was on my feet; but, boy, they began to matter after I began living life in a wheelchair. I began to see that this is what made me a truly peaceful person. This is what real beauty was all about. This is what purpose in life involved. Being made somebody special, somebody significant, way down deep on the inside and beginning to share that with smiles and encouragement towards others.

Also, I began to have a buoyant, lively hope of heavenly glories above. In other words, this wheel chair helped me see that the good things in this life aren’t the best things. There are better things yet to come. The good things in this life are only omens and foreshadowing of more glorious, grand, great things to burst on the scene when we walk into the other side of eternity. For one thing, the Bible assures us that we’re going to have new bodies. First Corinthians, chapter 15 – read it sometime for some encouragement. We learn there that one day we will have new hands, new legs that will walk; and new hearts and minds.

I can’t wait for the day when I’m given my brand new glorified body. I’m going to stand up, stretch, dance, kick, do aerobics, comb my own hair, blow my own nose – and what is so poignant is that I’ll finally be able to wipe my own tears (but I won’t need to, because the Bible tells us in the book of Revelation that God will personally wipe away every tear). There will be no more need to cry. How ironic that finally on the day when I have my hands so I can blow my own nose and wipe own tears, I won’t have to! I look forward to that day. I never used to when I was on my feet. I thought heaven was pie in the sky by and by. I used to think that it was an escape from reality, a psychological crutch; but no, no, no – heaven is the reality; and when you have your heart fixed on heaven, it helps you live life better down here on earth. You’re able to develop relationships from an even keel. You’re better able to discern how to more wisely use your time and how to invest your talents and your gifts. You begin to see that people are what really count in life. Heavenly glories above, patience, peace, perseverance, life values turned right side up – these are just a few of the things God has shown me in the 26 years I’ve been in this wheelchair.

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I can’t pretend to know all the answers, honestly. But I know what has worked for me from God’s Word. I know that God’s Word can come alive and active in your life as well. You see, the choice is yours. Heaven and Hell are participating in the events in your life. You know that without me having to tell you. You know that because of the loneliness you feel; the pain, the hurt, the heartache, the tears, the pressure, the discouragement, and Monday-morning blues. I don’t have to remind you that sometimes Heaven and Hell are participating in the exact same events in your life but what happens, and who gets the glory and whose motive is brought to fulfillment in your life, is entirely your choice. The grace is God’s and the choice is yours; but, oh, what wonderful things happen when you trust in God and make a choice to go for His plan, to believe in His purpose, and to hold on to His motives for your life.

I want to hearken back to the cross just for a moment. Remember, I talked about that earlier on. It’s odd to me that Christians wear crosses around their necks. I don’t know if it’s curious to you, but it sure seems odd to me. I mean a cross is an instrument of torture. It’s like wearing a little execution machine around your neck. Wearing a cross is like wearing a little guillotine of gold and pearls or a little electric chair of silver or a little hangman’s noose made out of gold. What makes the cross different from other execution machines?

The fact is that Jesus exchanged its meaning. Once, it was formally a symbol of death and destruction and pain but has become a symbol of hope and victory; and that is why we wear crosses around our necks.

Crosses symbolize hope and victory; and it was the choice that Christ made at the cross to go all the way to secure our salvation.

That’s what’s given it new meaning, new hope, new victory. The same is true in your life as well. This wheelchair to me used to symbolize alienation and confinement, but God has exchanged its meaning because I trusted in Him. Now this wheelchair to me is a symbol of independence and freedom and mobility.

It’s a choice I made and it’s a choice you can make, too. You won’t be able to make it overnight, some of you. It will be a long, hard haul for a few of you. There will be dark days when you will ask questions – not out of a searching heart but you’ll voice them out of a clenched fist – but that’s ok. God is big enough to handle our biggest doubts and He’s not held hostage by our handicaps. Oh, no, He cares and He welcomes all the doubts, the fears, the questions, and the frustrations. The grace is His, the choice is yours. Would you let Him reach down into an otherwise, seemingly awful pain in your life and wrench out of it positive good for yourself and glory for Him? You’ve heard me talk about heaven thus far and I want to share with you a song that means a lot to me and a poem I wrote which expresses my joy and my enthusiasm about working and waiting on heavenly glories above. Poem: Our risen heart sent free will be pure passion poured purely. Adore He who will give us this heart free to love for the first time again. Our risen bodies, light, bright, clothed in righteousness lest with glowing flesh that feels, really feels, for the first time again. But now we wait, wait, wait for our risen Lord who will reward; we who weep yet still seek Him above all. So stand we tall together for the first time ever and then fall, please, on grateful knees, eternity is ours Song: For though I spend my mortal lifetime in this chair, I refuse to waste it living in despair.

And though others may receive gifts of healing, I believe that He has given me a gift beyond compare. For heaven is nearer to me and at times it is all I can see. Sweet music I hear coming down to my ear and I know that it’s playing for me. For I am Christ the Savior’s own bride and redeemed I shall stand by His side. He will say shall we dance and our endless romance will be worth all the tears I have cried. I rejoice with him whose pain my Savior heals and I weep with him who still his anguish feels. But earthly joys and earthly tears are confined to earthly years and greater good the Word of God reveals. In this life we have a cross that we must bear. It’s just a tiny part of Jesus’ death that we can share. And one day, we’ll lay it down because He’s promised us a crown to which our suffering can never be compared. That’s why heaven is nearer to me, and at times it is all I can see. Sweet music I hear coming down to my ear and I know that it’s playing for me. For I am Christ the Savior’s own bride and redeemed I shall stand by His side. He will say shall we dance and our endless romance will be worth all the tears I have cried.

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And it’s worth all the tears that you’ve cried, too.

Thank you for listening to my life story. You may have heard me mention a special verse from God’s Word – Romans 8:28, where it says that all things fit together into a pattern of good to them who love God and are called according to His purpose. It’s a wonderful promise, isn’t it? It is a special promise – a conditional promise, in fact; and it’s for those who love God. All things fit together into a pattern for good, but only to those who love God. I suppose the question I put to you now is, what is your relationship with God? Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior? If you do, then you can be guaranteed for certain that all things can be used of God to fit into some marvelous plan, some pattern for good in your life.

Now I know you’d like to see that happen and I know that you’d like to have the assurance that one day you will find that home in heaven where it says according to Isaiah 35, “The eyes of the blind will one day be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the tongue of those who can’t speak will one day shout for joy, and the lame shall leap like deer.” That’s going to happen one day in heaven; and if you want to be certain that you’ll be there, then you’ll need to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. That will insure your relationship with God the Father. All it takes is a simple prayer and prayer of repentance, a decision to turn away from bitterness and resentment and to grab hold of all the hope and help that God offers. So if you would like to embark on a new adventure and journey with God that assures that all things will fit together into a pattern for good, then will you please pray this prayer with me?

Father, thank you so much for the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for me. I confess my rebellion, pride, stubbornness. I lay it all at the foot of the cross. Father, I thank you that Jesus has paid the penalty.

You have no more anger left for me, only love and mercy. I receive that love and mercy now as I confess my sin. Thank you that Jesus is my Savior and I bless you for the difference He will make in my life. Help me to follow you in the power of His Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I face a lot of limitations; what – with living in a wheelchair for over 26 years, but I have found limitless joy and peace in knowing the Lord Jesus and knowing that I’m heading for heaven. My first priority is always my relationship with him. The things I talked about today are important. I want you to know I really care for you and your spiritual walk. God bless you on your spiritual journey.

EXHIBIT B: From Today’s Christian Magazine November/December 1998 As told by Randy Bishop A relaxing weekend getaway in Maine – that's what Mike and Janet Sonnenberg, 32 and 29, were looking forward to as they traveled I-95 north from Nyack, New York, on September 15, 1979. Their son, 22-monthold Joel; and their daughter, 3-year old Jami; would exhaust themselves at the beach running and playing, Janet thought. Little did the family know that before the day ended, their lives would be permanently changed.

Their nightmare began without warning as they stopped at a tollbooth just over the New Hampshire border.

A 36-ton tractor trailer slammed into a line of five cars, two of which carried the Sonnenbergs. The driver of the 18-wheeler claimed his brakes failed, but police, after questioning those involved, speculated that he was trying to hit a female acquaintance in the car in front of him.

Joel, Mike, and Mike's brother-in-law Doug Rupp, 27, were in the Sonnenbergs' green Chevy. Jami, Janet, and Doug's wife Kathy, 26, were in the car behind them. The women fled their car uninjured. But the Chevy instantly exploded into flames. Mike and Doug rushed out; their clothing and hair on fire, each thinking the other had grabbed Joel. Neither had.

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As his flesh burned, Joel cried. In the midst of the confusion, motorist Michael Saraceni, 20, ran to the flaming car with a fire extinguisher. He heard the toddler and heroically pulled Joel still secured in his car seat out of the vehicle. Janet frantically screamed for her baby in the chaos. Kathy was the first one to notice the charred car seat on the ground behind them.

Janet, a nurse, could not believe what she saw. In her book, Race for Life, she recounts the scene: "[Joel's] face was black. The hair was gone, and the top of the head was white. The eyelids were burned shut, charred and beginning to swell. The lips were burned off ‌ The blackened arms, crisp with carbon, were outstretched and quivering." Joel had third degree burns over 85 percent of his body; only the skin covered by his wet diaper was untouched.

Janet sat in shock. Michael Saraceni squeezed her arm and said, "I saved your baby. He's going to be all right." His prognosis seemed doubtful.

Emergency personnel arrived within minutes, throwing water on the car seat to cool Joel's body. Rushed by ambulance to a southern New Hampshire hospital, he was then transported by another ambulance to Harvard Medical Complex in Boston.

At the hearing of the news of the needed emergency transfer, the Sonnenbergs stopped to pray and thank God. In faith they held on to the promise of Romans 8:28 right in front of all the ER personnel. By faith they resolved to worship God, no matter what the outcome with Joel.

The outlook was grim; Joel was given a 10 percent chance of survival. A few days later, Joel was transferred across town to Shriners Burn Institute for the best treatment available; namely, painful skin grafts.

For more than four months, the family was in turmoil; separated, living with strangers, torn apart by Joel's suffering. Mike, a college science professor, spent time hospitalized with a severely burned hand. The generosity of local Christians; as well as prayers, cards, and financial support from believers around the world, kept them going.

On February 2, 1980, Joel was discharged from the Shriner's hospital and returned home. He was badly disfigured without any toes, without any fingers, and without one hand. But Joel was very much alive.

A new struggle for the Sonnenbergs began that day: to do everything possible for Joel to live a normal life in a world that would see him as "different."

What hasn't Joel done?

Today, Joel is a pastor on staff at the Cavary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Over the years, Joel's list of accomplishments has grown with him. He's an Eagle Scout. He captained his high school soccer team, was voted prince at the junior prom, carried the 1996 Summer Olympics' torch through his community, and was named the Western North Carolina Citizen of the Year in 1996. He received a $17,500 college scholarship from Discover Card for his high school performance, extracurricular activities, and inspiring attitude toward life.

He has traveled to Bolivia and Savannah, Georgia, on mission trips with his church, Montreat Presbyterian.

At Taylor, he was sophomore class president.

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Joel lets his parents rattle off the achievements. He says awards are great, but they don't allow people to see inside him. People can't get to know him by hearing what he's done. Rather than stand on his achievements, he wants to stand on who he is.

The Man Inside Who is Joel Sonnenberg? How has he been shaped by the inexpressible pain (both physical and emotional), the torture of more than 45 surgeries, the continual stares from strangers; and the occasional cruel comments like, "Take off your mask"?

"I've never enjoyed the way I look, and I don't like to look at myself in the mirror all that much", Joel says.

Yet, somehow, he's at peace with himself, with the man who lives inside a scarred body.

"As I've gotten older, I was shown by the Lord that it's a true gift to be different", Joel says. He sees himself as a magnifying glass highlighting the power of God's love. "That's my purpose, to show God is good. God is so great in my life and he loves [others] just as much as he loves me."

This is the real miracle a young man and his family who can recognize in this situation –the grace of God. "Everything happens for a reason. The greatest times in my life are when I reflect and see what God has done and all the provisions he's had for me," Joel says. "I say, 'Wow, there's gotta be a higher hand in this'; I'm confident Jesus is the only answer."

Tears and Justice This past July 1998, Joel and his family had to put their faith into action in a New Hampshire courtroom during the sentencing of Reginald Dort, the truck driver who caused the accident that forever changed the Sonnenbergs' lives.

After the 1979 accident, Dort jumped bail and fled to his native Nova Scotia, Canada, where he continued driving his semi. He made numerous trips across the border until he was tripped up in the summer of 1997.

At a weigh station in Moline, Illinois, the attendant noticed Dort's truck was 1,300 pounds overweight. She reported him to the state police, whose records showed an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Justice finally caught up with Dort.

Dort was sent to the Rockingham County House of Corrections in New Hampshire, where he was locked up for almost a year. In May 1998, as part of a plea bargain agreement, Dort pled guilty to bail-jumping and one count of second-degree assault.

On July 17, 1998, at his sentencing, the Sonnenbergs faced Dort for the first time. Mike, Janet, and their four children filled the front row in the courtroom. Everyone but Kyle spoke to the court. After recounting the pain and suffering caused by the accident, each family member spoke of Jesus Christ's power to transform lives and offer forgiveness.

As part of her statement, Janet said: "The beauty of what we have experienced is that evil has turned into good.—God has turned the worst devastation into beauty, into a powerful story that he is using for his own purposes. Today, I give him all the praise for accomplishing so very much in Joel's life and ours.

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"I forgive Mr. Dort of his negligence and his destructive act. The Lord can make him whole with a new and purposeful life."

Then, after describing the pain Joel and the family suffered during the years of surgeries and dressing changes, Mike added: "I have come to hear you (Mr. Dort) say you are sorry. When you ask for my forgiveness I will forgive, but I cannot forget. When you ask Jesus for forgiveness, he will forgive and forget."

The last person to address the truck driver was Joel.

"This is my prayer for you (Mr. Dort) that you may know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ's grace has no limits and the world does not make sense without him."

Tears flowed freely.

Dort, 51, received a sentence of two to seven years in New Hampshire state prison for assault, with the maximum sentence suspended. He will likely serve two years, according to Assistant County Attorney Charles Benson. Dort was also sentenced to one year in jail for bail-jumping, but he has already served that time. During the proceedings, Dort didn't address the court. But, at the request of Judge Douglas Gray, Dort turned to the Sonnenbergs and said, "I'm sorry".

Attending the sentencing was cathartic and helped close a chapter in their lives, Janet says. Both she and Mike agree that Dort, a man of little means and education, seemed to be a deeply wounded person. Mike felt that Dort, despite his lack of words, was truly penitent.

"I think [the sentencing] was a tough time for all of us, but it was something we had to do", Joel says. He did not speak with Dort personally, though he has not ruled out future contact. "Maybe I'd like to contact him again, but it'll take some time. It will definitely be a private matter."

The Sonnenbergs hardly ever spoke of Dort before his arrest in 1997. Joel heard his name only two or three times growing up. Though in some ways the sentencing gave the family closure, they had moved on with their lives years before.

A Lot More To Do There's plenty Joel can't do, like tie his shoes, but he's not afraid to push the limits. He rides his bike, plays ping-pong and volleyball, and is a leading member of the student body at Taylor. His favorite verse is Philippians 4:13, "I can do everything through him (Christ) who gives me strength."

Joel, baptized four years ago, is determined to experience life to its fullest. "I want to die saying I've tried it all," he says.

In addition to his student responsibilities, Joel is in demand as a speaker. It's his calling, he says, to share how God's unconditional love has made all the difference in his life.

Many people have told Joel he's their hero. He loves it when people tell him how his testimony has changed them, but he wants everyone to know he's only human.

"I'm not a storybook character. I'm a real person. I have emotions. I sin just like everybody else," Joel says.

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When people stare or treat him insensitively, he sometimes gets angry, sometimes ignores them, sometimes leaves, and sometimes smiles. It's always a struggle.

"I'm still learning to smile at people's curiosity," he says. "All our Christian walks are a process."

Joel tries not to think about the future too much. He's more concerned about doing as much as he can right now.

Joel plans to continue with his speaking ministry and hopes to explore writing options. He wants to tell his story to as many as possible.

Joel, who has dated a few young women, hopes one day to marry a woman with that "Sonnenberg spark".

He also would like to have children, which "would be the miracle of all miracles, icing on the cake – God's cake", he says.

Ultimately, Joel's hope rests in heaven. He'll have hands and a new body, and he'll be in Love's presence forever.

"Death's gonna be a cinch compared to all I've gone through", he says. "Heaven means freedom from everything of the world, the bonds of all our scars. I look forward to it."

CHOOSING DELIVERANCE IS CHOOSING LIFE Both Joni and Joel could have easily chosen to live the rest of their lives in a state of constant bitterness and unforgiveness. They could have chosen to curse others instead of blessing them. They could have chosen to murmur, complain and gripe about their life circumstances instead of choosing to be grateful to Elohim and to rejoice in the Master in all things. They could have chosen death instead of life.

Both Joni and Joel chose the power of deliverance! In doing so, they both continue to testify to the transforming power of Yahoshua ha Mashiach, the abundant life He promised us and a wondrous future.

Today the road is set before you, too. You can choose life or you can choose death. The decision is completely yours.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Debarim (Deuteronomy) 30:19)

DOT SIX – PART 3 68

A MODER-DAY EXAMPLE OF MURMURING – A HEART OF UNBELIEF AND THE CURSE OF DEATH THAT WILL FOLLOW Just as there are examples of tremendous faith in the midst of adversity, there are also countless examples of those who practice unbelief. Most people – even Messianic – simply refuse to esteem Yahweh Elohim of heaven and earth when times are hard. They do not even begin to realize they are denying their faith and the very Elohim who bought them with a price.

For your edification, I want to share with you one such account that I came to know about personally. I remember meeting “Robert” (not his real name) very vividly – not all that long ago in the winter of 2006.

His is the story of untold countless multitudes of people. I came to know “Robert” and his story through my offer to pray with him if he had any concerns he would like prayer for.

“Robert” asked for prayer for the healing of benign tumors in his brain. He went on to explain that he had been diagnosed 20 years previously with malignant tumors. He had gone through successful surgery and the doctors were able to remove all the cancer from his brain.

However, the benign tumors kept reemerging and he had to undergo multiple surgeries to remove them whenever they got too big. In addition, they caused him disabling seizures and he was on a plethora of medications. He was no longer able to fully function from day to day.

I prayed for “Robert” that day and on several subsequent occasions. It was during this time of ministry when the Master put it on my heart to go over to “Robert’s” house and ask him a question. I asked “Robert” if he could recall with certainty any traumatic event or great loss in his life within the relatively short period of time prior to his diagnosis.

What happened next truly astounded me. This great big hulk of a man who was all of 6’2” 200 + lbs. broke down and began to sob and cry. He couldn’t even speak. He looked at me with disbelief that I had even voiced the question. He was overcome with strong, sorrowful emotion all at once. It was several long moments before “Robert” was able to find his composure to begin to share his story with me.

He began to relate how, as a younger man he was stationed with the U.S. Marine Corp, overseas. At that time, dh was still newly married with two young children. He had 3 very close friends on base. The four of them were always hanging out together. They were the modern-day musketeers of that base. Wherever you saw one you were sure to see the other three close behind. They were all for one and one for all very good friends.

One night, “Robert’s” three friends went out to light up the town, party and get drunk. “Robert’s” wife had very persuasively convinced him with all her womanly wiles to stay at home that night to be with her and the children.

The next day, “Robert” got the news that all three of his friends were dead. They had been in a single vehicle drunken driving accident. The driver had lost control at the wheel and ran into a tree. The car caught fire and exploded into a fiery inferno that took the lives of all three men.

“Robert” was completely devastated upon hearing the news. His world was shattered! In a very real sense, it had come to an end. Life as he knew it, would never be the same again.

Even though “Robert” wasn’t in the car that night, he might as well have been because his spirit died with his friends. “Robert’s” spirit was severely wounded, breached, and broken. In his mind, he just wanted to die and go be with his friends.

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Every thought he had was one of self-condemnation and accusation. He was tormented day and night and could not find a moment’s peace from his self-accusing thoughts. He blamed himself for his friends’ deaths and the accident. He reasoned that if he had only gone out that night, then he would have probably been the driver per their usual habit.

He hated himself for not going with his friends. He hated his wife for talking him out of going. He hated Elohim… and he hated life itself. As far as he was concerned, there was no point in going on with life and living. “Robert’s” torment was only amplified when posters were posted all over the base with pictures of the burned-out wreckage with the caption, “Don’t Drink and Drive”.

“Robert” could not bring himself to accept the reality that this tragedy was not his fault. “Even if I couldn’t have prevented the outcome, at least I would have died with my friends”, was one of his all-consuming thoughts of misplaced guilt and condemnation “Robert” did not have any kind of personal relationship with the Messiah of “The Scriptures” at this time in his life. It never once occurred to him that maybe he should be thankful to Elohim that his life was spared.

He never thought to be glad that his wife was not a widow or his children were not fatherless. He only thought of himself and his deep, abiding and seeming perpetual sorrow of the heart. At the time, his was a grief from which there seemed there could never be any relief.

In less than a year, “Robert” was diagnosed with life-threatening cancerous tumors on his brain. Even though “Robert’s” initial surgery was a success, the benign tumors kept coming back. He had been suffering the effects of them for more than two decades when I first met him and prayed with / for him.

I know the Set-Apart Spirit led me to ask “Robert” the question I did that day. He wanted to reveal to Him and to me that the tumors were merely the symptom. The sickness was “Robert’s” deeply wounded and broken spirit that had been breached at the time his friends met their untimely and tragic death.

Listen to “The Scripture’s astounding insight into this matter as found in (Ya‘acob (James) 5:13-16.)

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the assembly; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of Yahweh: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and Yahweh shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

I have come to the conclusion and realization that there is a reason healing is so profoundly promised in v.14-15. It is most likely because it is directly connected to the wounded spirit of the man. This is why this promised healing we will receive is so intimately connected to the forgiveness of our sins.

I have come to realize the dynamic of what is happening in verses 13-16 as follows.

1) A sick person is physically sick enough that he has come to the end of himself. This usually occurs when all the available known remedies conceived by man do not work, for whatever unknown reason. b) In summoning the elders of the assembly to come and pray for the person who is sick is exercising both humility and faith that Elohim will honor, simultaneously.

2) The elders of the assembly should be able to determine what the root of the sickness is. This is done through wisdom, knowledge and the gift of the discerning of the spirits.

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b) When a person confesses their fault (bitterness toward Elohim and / or unforgiveness toward another person, for example), the person praying will be able to discern the sickness is in the spirit first – and the body, secondarily.

SICKNESS DOES NOT NECESSARILY EQUAL SIN I want to make it perfectly clear I am not teaching that just because a person is sick, they have unconfessed and unrepented sin in their life. Both the Scriptures and Yahoshua are very clear on this matter. Yahoshua answered, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of Elohim should be made manifest in him.” (Yahonan / John 9:3) However, the Scriptures do teach a definite correlation between a breached spirit and our poor health.

Mishle’ (Proverbs) 17:22 ~ “A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

Mishle’ (Proverbs) 18:14 ~

“The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit

who can bear?”

On the other hand, I also want to make it just as clear there is no scriptural guarantee of perfect health for Messianic believers on this side of eternity. The fact that everyone dies should be ample evidence to the most ardent believer of all such teaching that it is a false teaching. The curse of sin and death will prevail, no matter how strong your gift, calling and anointing. No one is immune from death!

One of the very best and most comprehensive books I have ever had the privilege to read is God’s Prescription For Healing, by Dr. James P. Gill. Heaven is in the healing business. The Scriptures teach us that Elohim heals us in 5 different ways. James P. Gill does a masterful job of covering all 5 ways that Elohim is healing us.

In the order he teaches them, they are as follows: 1.) The natural healing processes are programmed into your cells and DNA. 2.) Healing happens through the assistance of the scientific medical community.

3.) Healing happens through supernatural intervention, usually by and through our prayers.

4.) Healing happens through the inner healing of the breached/broken/wounded spirit. 5.) Finally, the ultimate healing all the elect will experience who have put our trust in Yahoshua upon His return when we put on our celestial bodies. (Italicized Emphasis Added) Everyone needs to possess this comprehensive knowledge about Elohim’s healing ways and His desire to heal us. With this correct and full scriptural counsel, you will pray with supreme confidence that you are being heard. You will come into a new Scriptural understanding that by His stripes we have been healed, we are being healed and we will be healed! By His stripes, we have already been healed body, mind and spirit! (1Kepha (Peter) 2:24) For the believer, it does not promise we will be healed. It promises we have been healed, completely and totally healed in our body, mind and spirit! For all time and eternity, we have been healed because of the shed blood of Yahoshua. From Yahweh’s eternal perspective, we are already esteemed in His presence forever! (Romans 8:30) 71

Brit ha Dashah (The New Testament) is filled with examples of devout, spirit-filled, born again believers who became sick due to no fault of their own. This list would most notably include Pastor Timothy and Epaphraditus – two of Rav Shaul’s very good friends. (1Timothy 5:23 & Philippians 2:25-27) The bottom line is actually very simple to understand. Universal sin is the cause of all the sickness in the world and all the wounded and broken spirits, too. Sin is the cause of all the suffering of all mankind throughout the whole world and its history. This has been true ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. It will continue to be true until Yahoshua returns and makes all things new. Maranatha! Come Master Yahoshua, come!

CONNECTING THE DOTS Now that you are beginning to see how all the dots connect, which path will you choose?

Will you choose the path of wholeness or will you continue down the path of brokenness?

No matter what choice(s) you ultimately make from this day forward, your choice(s) will not exempt you from having potentially spirit-breaking moments in your life.

The Scriptures do not promise you this kind of protection. I have become aware of at least 22 specific promises that Elohim will fulfill in the midst of our pain and suffering. I have written about these promises on my blog site. (www.revelation1910.com – keyword search – suffering) Elohim is constantly working out our perfection through our various trials and suffering in this life.

The following was written by Ya‘acob, the half-brother of our Master. He became the head of the assembly at Yahrushalayim after Shavuot (Pentecost). (Acts 15) “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (Ya‘acob (James) 1:2-4) The difference between the two cycles, however, is day and night. Some people are going to choose to go right on being an instrument in the hand of the Devil. They are not ready and willing to commit to the wholeness Elohim desires for each one of us. They will go on speaking destruction and causing sorrow in the lives of the people around them. The destructive cycle will continue to perpetuate until they choose to break free.

On the other hand, you might choose to be an instrument in the hand of Elohim. You can be a minister of His healing power, especially to those closest to you! Elohim wants you to be whole – not just healed. He wants you, (Yes you!) to be a faithful minister of His goodness and power to deliver and heal others. The more we will help others find deliverance by applying the truth of Elohim’s Word to their lives, the faster we will heal and become whole ourselves.

If you will let Him, Elohim will raise you up and make you a repairer of the breaches in the lives of those who are broken around you.

“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” (YeshaYahu (Isaiah) 58:12) 72

If you recognize yourself in “Robert’s” story earlier in this Dot’s teaching, I encourage you to confess and repent of your sin right now so that you may be healed. Remember MattithYahu (Matt.) 5:3: \ “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess it as sin that I have not trusted in You with all my mind, will and emotions when my spirit was breached by (Insert your particular curse(s) / crises). I confess and repent of as sin against You that I did not forgive (as defined by the Scriptures) (Insert Name(s)). I did not bless those who cursed me and love those who wounded me. I have not worshipped You as You deserve in all of my circumstances. I have not praised You and thanked You for all these evils that have befallen me and breached my spirit as Your Word commands me to. All of this I confess as the sin of unbelief and I repent!

Right now, by faith in You, in Your Word, and the finished work of the tav (cross), I thank You for every evil that has come into my life and every wicked thing that has happened to me. Through the eyes of faith, I am beginning to see that You can take this mess and make it my message. You can take this test and make it my testimony. You can turn every curse into my blessing. Every loss/crises/tragedy you can work out for my good.

For all this I thank You and I rejoice! You alone are Elohim! You alone deserve my praise, worship and gratitude. I thank You that You are the Elohim of my salvation, deliverance, healing and wholeness by the power of the blood of Yahoshua. I ask you to heal my body right now from the affliction of (Insert Name of Your Disease).

I thank You, Your Word promises by the stripes of Yahoshua I am healed both now and forevermore! Thank You for healing me in the exact way and in the exact time You know is best!

It is in the matchless name of Yahoshua, I pray, A-mein!

DOT SEVEN – THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE FOR LIFE 73

DELIVERANCE IS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT Failure is not an option! Knowledge endued from Heaven above is real power. Unused power is absolutely worthless! You are called and you are chosen by Yahweh to apply the Truth of His Word to every part of your life and your relationships. No one (not even the Devil) can take from you your freedom, your hope, your faith, your love, your joy, your peace, that the rest of the fruits and gifts of the Set-Apart Spirit of Yahweh has given to you.

You own them. They belong to you. They are your inheritance as a child of the King of the Universe. You can only foolishly give them away. They can never be taken from you. Every day you will have to fight by the choices you make to remain free and keep your deliverance. The Scriptures call this working out your salvation.

Philippians 2:12 ~ “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Emphasis added) Do not be confused. Salvation remains a free gift. No one can work for their salvation. If you and I could earn our salvation by either a system of not being wicked enough or by doing enough good works, then why would Yahoshua have to suffer and die for our sins? It just doesn’t make any sense at all, does it?

Maybe you did not know before today the amazing truth that pain is a teacher and can be a valuable ally.

For example: when your hand touches a hot stove or a fire, you experience pain. The pain instructs you of the danger of the intense heat to your hand’s welfare. If you heed the pain, your hand will be safe.

There is a very rare disorder which is frequently diagnosed as congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP – also known as congenital analgesia), where a person cannot feel (and has never felt) physical pain. People who are diagnosed with this condition are in constant physical peril and others must watch them very closely.

Otherwise, they could possibly die from something as simple as a slight cut – which they were completely unaware of.

The problem is never the pain. The problem usually stems from how we respond to the pain. A simple example of this is the common headache. Most of the western world has access to aspirin or an ibuprofen.

Most of us will drug the pain of our headache without ever giving it a second thought.

A good doctor will tell you that the headache medication only deals with the symptom of the pain. It doesn’t actually heal the headache. It is akin to shutting off an alarm clock by hitting the 10-minute snooze button.

The source of the headache is still there, you just can’t feel the painful symptom for a season.

There are a variety of truly valid reasons you may be suffering from the pain in your head. Do you see how taking the aspirin does not solve any of the original problems related to the headache? It just turns off the alarm for a little while.

GUARD YOUR HEART In much the same way that physical pain is our teacher and ally, so too is our emotional pain. The pain of our heart is talking to us and telling us we need to listen to what it is trying to teach us. Until now, most of us have attempted to medicate the pain to shut off the alarm with the snooze button of our destructive behavior(s).

We did not want to listen to the warning the pain was trying to communicate to us that our mind and emotional well-being were in danger. Now we know that pain is actually a good friend. The Scripture 74

teaches us in Mishle (Proverbs) 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”

In other words, a friend will tell you the truth – even when you do not want to hear it, and even if it hurts to hear it.

From now on, you will know and remember that your painful memories and emotions are telling you at least three things. Maybe more! If you will receive it, pain can be a very invaluable gauge of your heart’s wellbeing. Just like the temperature gauge on your automobile tells you when your car is in danger, so will the gauge of your heart.

The first thing the pain of our hearts is communicating to us is to make sure every offense has been released in full to the finished work of the Messiah. We must allow the Master to carefully examine us and see if we are carrying any accusation against another in our heart, speech or actions.

“Search me, O Elohim, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.” (Mismore (Psalm) 139:23) The second communication of our heart’s pain is asking us if we truly desire the fullness of Heaven’s richest blessing for those who have wronged us. In other words, “Do I desire my enemies to be blessed by Yahweh Elohim even more than I myself am blessed?”

Finally, our hearts are telling us to rejoice and give thanks! When we make the choice to rejoice in the pain, our burden will be lifted by our faithful friend, Yahoshua. When we praise and worship Him by faith and give thanks for everything, He will give us true peace (shalom) for our pain. Remember Phil. 4:6-7: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden light.” (MattithYahu (Matthew) 11:29) Listen to your heart when it cries out in pain and then respond in (and by) faith alone. This is the only way you will ever be free. It is very, very rare for someone to experience complete and total freedom from all emotional pain, addiction and destructive behavior in an instantaneous experience. However, it does miraculously happen sometimes!

For most of us, though, it is a process of day by day mercy-filled resolves. Each day we must resolve that

by His favour, His Word will be our only source of authority and Truth. No matter what (by His favour), we will release every offense to the cross. No matter what (by His favour), we will bless in return for every curse and love in return for each wound. No matter what (by His favour), our first, last and only response to every circumstance will be the offering up of the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving from our hearts and from our lips.

This (at least in part) is how we obey the Proverb to: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Mishle’ 4:23) I have no doubt that by this point in our journey together, many of you have experienced miraculous healing in a variety of ways. Elohim will always bless obedience to His Word and the leading of His Set-Apart Spirit. I am also just as certain there are many readers who have not felt or seen any difference in their lives yet.

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May I encourage you to obey the command of Ya‘acob (James) 5:14-16. Find born-again, Spirit-filled elders in your local assembly. Tell them you have been reading this book and that I sent you. Next, tell them everything… Use discretion! Tell them how and when your spirit was wounded. Confess to them your sin of not trusting in Elohim with all of your mind, will and emotions. Try to be as specific as possible without esteeming the sin.

Do not let any well-meaning person convince you to do anything less than obey the Word of Elohim and the leading of the Set-Apart Spirit. Do not delay. Go do it right now!

WALK OUT YOUR DELIVERANCE UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE OR UNTIL THE DAY YAHOSHUA RETURNS One of the primary lessons throughout the Scriptures is that it is just as vital to finish well as it is to begin. A contrast in examples of beginning well, enduring for a life-time and yet not finishing well is found in the life of David, the greatest king in the history of Yisrael. Like most of us, King David’s life was filled with contradiction.

David wrote most of the Psalms (Tehillim) in the Scriptures. Early on in his young life and career, David showed amazing character and restraint toward the man who preceded him as king. His name was Shaul (Saul). King Shaul was demonically-influenced to hunt David as his enemy for many years. David was fiercely loyal to Shaul who loved him and his family. David was one of Shaul’s best men.

All the people loved David, however; and it wasn’t very long when Shaul became insanely jealous of him.

He perceived David as his enemy and a threat; and he wanted David dead at all costs. On two different occasions, Shaul’s life was delivered into David’s hand; and David would not extract vengeance or take revenge for himself. You can read all about this part of David’s life in 1Shemuel (Samuel) chapters 18-26.

Listen to what David tells his men on both occasions, and via the Scriptural record to us today: “And he said unto his men, Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, Yahweh's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he [is] the anointed of Yahweh… who can stretch forth his hand against the Yahweh's anointed, and be guiltless?” (1Shemuel (Samuel) 24:6 & 26:9) It is worth the detour to meditate on this Scripture before we continue any further. According to the Scriptures, every born-again follower of Yahoshua ha Mashiach is anointed by the blood of Yahoshua, the water of the Word of Elohim and the Set-Apart Spirit.

We need to seriously consider this before we ever think, speak or act adversely against another believing brother or sister. They are anointed of the Master just like Mosheh (Moses), Shaul, David and you! Have you ever spoken or acted foolishly against the Master’s anointed? I encourage you to study Bemidbar (Numbers) chapter 12 very carefully. Pray to Yahweh and confess and repent of this, most serious sin right now!

Now we are going to fast-forward through David’s life to his death bed. During David’s last years here on earth, he was very sick. (1Melakim (Kings) 1:1-4) It is my belief that it is quite possible that he suffered this unrecoverable sickness in his final years because of the unforgiveness and bitterness he carried with him to his grave. We read about the grudges which David carried in his heart till the day he died in 1 Melakim (Kings) 2:5-6 & 8-9.

“Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he 76

slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace… And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by Yahweh, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou [art] a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.”

Of course, I cannot prove inconclusively this connection between David’s sickness and the grudges he confessed to. However, we do know that David experienced great mercy and forgiveness from Yahweh during his life-time for the things he had done. Yet, here in his dying breath, he was unwilling to forgive and show the same mercy he himself had received.

In light of the full counsel of Elohim’s Word, I believe the connection between David’s sickness and his breached spirit are a reasonable conclusion. Heaven only knows how many seniors are suffering unnecessarily today because of years wasted in harboring bitterness and unforgiveness toward others.

The choice is yours and mine, my friend. Heaven has given us the freedom to accept the Truth or reject it every single day. Our deliverance and freedom will only continue as long as we are willing to stand in Truth uncompromised.

Do not end the race of your life like David did. Make the choice to end your life’s race like Shaul the Pharisee who was the last of the apostles of Yahoshua. When Shaul came to the end of his life, he wrote a letter to his friend Timothy. Listen to his goodbye: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which Yahweh, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” (2Timothy 4:6-8) It is our desire to say the same when we are in view of the finish-line. Now, I say to you: go live your life in the power of the deliverance which Yahweh has delivered you with. You are a mighty warrior and Yahweh is with you! (Shophetim (Judges) 6:12) “The Spirit of Yahweh [is] upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of Yahweh.” (Luke 4:1819) (Emphasis Mine) Most sincerely and in love, His servant and yours, Robert-Arthur: McDuffie ~ Gal 6:14

THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE - EPILOGUE I have had the privilege of walking out my deliverance in the power of the Set-Apart Spirit for more than 10 years now. I have not done it perfectly. As a matter of fact, I have been consistently inconsistent. However, Elohim is faithful! He had preserved me when I lacked all strength to persevere. Mine is truly a testimony 77

of His faithfulness to His Word, not my faithfulness to Him! Throughout the years, he has molded me and shaped me into the image of His Son according to His sovereign favour toward me. This is true of every man’s deliverance. None of us have the power to deliver ourselves! Only Yahweh can deliver us by His Word.

Before we finish this journey together, I want to address one more vital spirit-breaching sorrow.

THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE, WHEN – SEEMINGLY SENSELESS SORROW STRIKES I fully realize that many will say quite truthfully, “But I have had sorrow of heart due to tragedy that was not anyone’s fault. It was just something that happened. There is no personal offense to release. There is no blessing to render toward an enemy of my heart. It was just one of those things that happen quite often in the course of the human experience. How do I experience deliverance?”

This is a valid question that deserves to be answered truthfully and intellectually. Why is evil, suffering and death in such abundance in this world? Is all of mankind’s suffering Heaven’s fault? Is it Heaven’s will for us to suffer all manner of evil in this life-time and then to die? Once again, let us put aside all human opinion. To know deliverance, we must find our answer in the Scriptures. The Scriptures alone must be our only source of all Truth!

In Bereshith (Genesis) 1 we find the original creation account. Elohim made everything free from sin, suffering and death. Elohim said all of His creation was very good!

“And Elohim saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Bereshith (Genesis) 1:31) (Emphasis mine) Elohim did not create evil! It was never His original intent for man to suffer. It is foolish to say that sin, suffering and death are His intended will for your life and mine.

It is a lie of the Devil and hell itself to blame Elohim for the present evil of this age. This lie is readily accepted by all those who believe in evolutionary theories. Evolution by necessity is a belief system that suffering was necessary from the beginning for the evolving of the superior species.

Maybe it will help to meditate on the following anecdote. Once there was a good father who gave his son a brand-new car for his 16th birthday out of the love in his heart. It was a manufactured, defect free, sports car.

Later, the son irresponsibly tries to take a dangerous curve at a far too aggressive rate of speed. Now the car is wrapped around a light pole and is completely wrecked and the son is suffering with severe lifethreatening injuries.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: 1.) Is it the manufacturer’s fault the father’s son was irresponsible with the car he was given stewardship of? No, of course not! 2.) Will the wrecked sports car ever resemble or perform like the brand-new defect-free car off the show room floor? No, of course not!

You and I are living in the sin-wrecked version of the world. Almost 6,000 years ago, mankind fell (failed) in the Garden of Eden. Sin, suffering and death are the end result of that moment in time. Our father Adam rebelled against Elohim, and we have all paid the price ever since. The world that you and I are currently living in does not even begin to compare in appearance or performance to the original defect-free world of splendor that our Heavenly Father created for us in the beginning.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: If you have believed in the lie of evolution in any of its perverse parts or adaptations, 78

I highly recommend you check out www.freehovind.com or www.answersingensis.com. The science of creation, the age of the earth and the question of the dinosaurs are much simpler to explain from the Scriptures than from Darwinian evolutionary theory (or any other fairy tale) for that matter. You will be amazed to find out that all true science agrees with the Scriptures without contradiction.

There have been many alleged and presumed contradictions between the Scriptures and science throughout history. Invariably, every single time, the scientific community simply hasn’t caught up with the Scriptures yet. For example, the scientific community infamously published the 50 scientific reasons you could not believe the Scriptures to be true around the turn of the 20th century. In less than 50 years, every single supposed scientific proof was proven false and the Scriptures were proven true! Amazing!

The ultimate reality for the believer who has suffered (or is presently suffering) is that all our human disappointment has been transformed into Elohim’s appointment. Remember Romans 8:28! It is only those who know true eternal hope who can receive this promise. All those who have died in Messiah (or who will die in Messiah) know the promise of Mismore (Psalm) 16:11.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Outside of the hope that is found in Messiah alone, there is no hope! Listen to what the talmid (taught one / disciple) Shaul says about this hope we that we alone know as believers.

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:24-25) Finally, listen to this hope-filled faith come alive by the voice of Habakkuk the prophet in the face of suffering, evil, tragedy and death.

“When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in Yahweh, I will joy in the Elohim of my salvation. Yahweh Elohim is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:16-19) True followers of Yahoshua ha Mashiach know and serve the Elohim of all real hope!

“Now the Elohim of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Set-apart Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) It is for this reason our spirit is healed and will be made whole in rejoicing in who Elohim is and the hope set before us. It is for this reason that we can give thanks in all things and for all things! It is for this reason we rejoice in all our trials, suffering and death itself! This is the power of deliverance when it is no one’s fault in particular.

THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE IS FOUND IN WORSHIPPING THROUGH OUR TRIALS, EVIL AND DEATH This is the power of Elohim in the face of all evil, suffering and death! There is power in praise! There is 79

power in worship! Elohim Himself dwells in the presence of our praises! (Mismore (Psalm) 22:3) There are countless examples all throughout the scriptures of Elohim delivering His people in the face of every impossible trial when they worshipped Him. This exact same power is yours and it will set you free… from the inside out!

Yahoshua ha Mashiach Is Our Answer! He Is Our Deliverer!

Yahoshua ha Mashiach Is Our Answer! He Is Our Deliverer!

Yahoshua ha Mashiach Is Our Answer! He Is Our Deliverer!

“For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that Elohim may be all in all.” (1Corinthians 15:24-28)

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