This week Jews everywhere celebrate the Festival of Purim (Lots), which commemorates the rescue of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire from the evil plot of Haman to exterminate them, as recorded in the Biblical book of Esther.
“…the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time, that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants”.
Esther 9: 27-28
The Purim Parade in Mevaseret Zion 2018
Many people flock to the synagogues to hear the reading of Megillat Esther (the Biblical Book of Esther), and every time the name of Haman is mentioned they boo and make derisive noise with various rattling instruments. It is also customary for children and adults to wear fancy dress and to celebrate with great joy. Most municipalities hold a Parade, called in Hebrew Adloyada, which means “until you don’t know” derived from the practice of some to drink wine ‘until they don’t know who they are’. The Adloyada today however are not drunken affairs but rather a family-oriented parade of fancy dress and good, clean fun.
Adloyada at Mevaseret Zion 2018
It is also a time when gifts are exchanged or given to the poor, usually food baskets containing wine, chocolates and other festive foods. A traditional three-sided cookie, called in Yiddish Hamentaschen (Haman’s Pockets) or in Hebrew, Ozeni Haman (Haman’s Ears), which are stuffed with poppy seeds, chocolate, date spread or jam.
Of course amidst all this joy and fun the deeper meaning of the Festival is not lost on us. From time immemorial various people have plotted to destroy the People of Israel, God’s chosen people. Haman is described in the Book of Ester as an Agagite (Esther 3: 1), a descendant of Agag, who was the KIng of the Amalekites. The Amalekites were a people, descended from Amalek, the grandson of Esau, the disinherited elder brother of Isaac. The Amalekites occupied the desert and steppe regions of southern Israel and the Negev.
When the people of Israel came out of Egypt they journeyed through the Sinai and Negev and came to the region of Amalek. As the Israelites traveled the Amalekites attacked, in a cowardly and despicable way, the rear ranks, the weary and tired stragglers. Consequently God told Israel that once they had taken possession of the Promised Land they must ‘blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven‘ (Deuteronomy 17:19).
After Israel entered into the Promised Land, the Amalekites persistently attacked and plundered them. After Saul was annointed King over Israel, God spoke to him saying,
I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack[a] Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
I Samuel 15:1-2.
Saul therefore attacked the Amalekites and conquered them, but contrary to God’s instructions he spared the life of Agag and ‘all that was good’ (I Samuel 15:7-9).
For his disobedience, God rejected Saul as King, and the prophet Samuel was constrained to kill King Agag ( I Samuel 15). If Agag and all his people were destroyed at this time, how could it be that Haman was a descendant of Agag? It nowhere says that every single Amalekite was destroyed at the time of Saul, only those ‘from Havilah to Shur, east of Eygpt’. Is it not probabl there were Amalekites living outside of this area, or who managed to flee beyond this area, before Saul’s army attacked? Or possibly Saul kept some alive, as might be indicated in verse 9 ” But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed“. Whatever the case, Haman, a descendant of Agag, appears approximately 500 years later as the highest vizier in the courts of King Ahasuerus of Persia, and when Mordecai the Jew refused to bow down to him, Haman decided to destroy every Jew in the Persian Empire, which at the time stretched from India to Ethiopia.
In Rabbinical thought the Amalekites have come to represent all that is evil and they are considered the archetypal enemy of the Jews. Although there are no pure- blooded Amalekites living today, the Spirit of Amalek is nevertheless still alive and well. Throughout history many have tried to exterminate the Jews and, thanks to the supernatural protection of God, they all failed. Today, too, there are many who want to annihilate Israel.
I started writing this a few days ago, and then I had no idea how timely it would be. This morning (25/03/19) a missile struck a family home in the town of Mishmeret, about 10 km north of Tel Aviv, injuring the 7 family members inside. The house is totally destroyed but by some miracle, the injured are only moderately or lightly injured. The injured include a baby of 6 months, a child of 3 years, an older sister aged 12, the grandmother aged 60, the grandfather and the mother. The missile, probably a Fajr medium-range rocket supplied by Iran, was fired from the Gaza Strip, some 80 km distant.
The house destroyed by the attack https://images1-ynet-prod.azureedge.net/PicServer5/2019/03/25/9142704/914268901000100980653no.jpg
Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is currently in the USA at the AIPAC conference and is canceling his speech there and returning home. He made the statement that ” There was a criminal attack on the State of Israel, and we will respond forcefully.” This evening (Israel time) Netanyahu met with Trump to discuss the situation and also to witness the signing of Trump’s Presidential Proclamation to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. As I write the IDF is attacking Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip and Hamas has promised to respond. The communities around Gaza and Tel Aviv have been commanded to open the public shelters by the Rear Command. It is likely going to be a long and tense night. Please pray about the situation as it is serious and potentially could lead to large loss of life on both sides if the escalation continues.
There is a lot more I could write about but in the interests of getting this published tonight, I will restrain myself. Please pray about the situation and pray against the Spirit of Amalek. When the Amalekites came out and fought against Israel in Rephidim, during the Exodus, as long as Moses held his arms up Israel prevailed. When he tired and his hands dropped then Amalek prevailed. Fortunately Moses had Aaron and Hur to help him and they supported his hands until victory was gained . If you intercede for Israel, do not let your hands drop. Keep them raised in prayer at this time, and stand with us in intercession. Help us not to grow weary. In the Spirit hold up our hands. God will give us victory over our enemies, just as he did to Moses and the people of Israel, for He is stronger than the Spirit of Amalek .
Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24 :3-4
It is yet another wet rainy Shabbat here in Israel. Praise God for every drop of rain!! The weather pundits are saying this is probably the last winter storm before the Spring sets in. We’ve already had our first Spring sharav (hot dry East wind) and all the lovely spring flowers are adorning our beautiful Land.
MASSACRE IN NEW ZEALAND
Yesterday morning I rose and turned on the TV news and was stunned that the leading headline was about the massacre of 49 Muslim worshipers in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. More than 40 others were wounded. My condolences go out to the survivors and family members of those who were victims of this appalling act. As a New Zealand citizen, and a former resident of Christchurch, I am deeply shocked and saddened, though not surprised, that this has happened.
A few years ago I was boarding an internal flight in New Zealand and was horrified that there had been absolutely no security check of our hand luggage. When I remarked upon this to the man in the queue beside me, he said “Oh no, we don’t need that here. We don’t have any problems with security”. I was appalled. What sort of bubble was he living in? Just a few days earlier there had been a terrorist shooting attack in Sydney, Australia. I wondered just how close did it all have to get before New Zealanders woke up to the reality of the world in which we live?
As we landed in Wellington airport we were greeted by a large sign proclaiming ” Welcome to the Middle of Middle Earth”. I felt it was very appropriate, not just because the movie trilogy “Lord of the Rings” was filmed in NZ, but because in many ways New Zealand was truly like The Shire, the town of the Hobbits in that film. It was a beautiful, simple, innocent culture, concerned with their own everyday matters, blissfully unaware of the dark evil bearing down on them from every direction. I am truly heartbroken that that innocence has now been forever lost.
Sign on Airport Terminal, Wellington NZ
MISSILES OVER TEL AVIV
The reason I had turned on the TV that morning, was that the night before two Iranian supplied Fajr-type middle-range missiles had been fired from the Gaza Strip towards Tel Aviv. I knew that, during the night, Israel’s Defense Forces would be retaliating and was concerned that this incident would signal the beginning of a new Gaza war. Both the missiles fired appeared to explode before hitting the ground (see the video below) although the IDF say no anti-missile rockets were fired. There were no injuries nor damage in the Tel Aviv region, although some large pieces of metal from the rockets fell in built-up areas. Overnight the IDF bombed some 100 Hamas military targets in the Strip and on Friday morning another 9 rockets were fired at Israeli settlements near the border. Six of these were shot down by the Iron Dome antimissiles. Some of the shrapnel landed in a school yard but fortunately no students had yet arrived at the school.
Two rockets over Tel Aviv
In the following hours Hamas claimed that the missiles fired at Tel Avi were a ‘mistake’. They say some low-level group fired them off without proper authorization. This sounds unlikely to me and all the more so since in October last year Hamas claimed that similar missiles fired ‘accidentally’ at Beer Sheva had been set off by lightning. Hamas seems rather ‘accident prone’ and it does not explain why the missiles were all set up, and aimed at Tel Aviv in the first place. I also do not believe a ‘low-level’ Hamas group would be given access to such a missile. Firing a sophisticated missile of this kind requires rather more than a match and a fuse. I don’t think anyone really believes this version of events, but it is a convenient face-saving story, both for Israel and for Hamas. Hamas does not want a war right now and was in fact in the midst of cease-fire negotiations with Israel, brokered by an Egyptian delegation that was actually in the Strip at the time. Israel also wants to avoid an escalation so the story permits us to carry out only a limited attack in response.
Hamas is in a weak position right now, starved of funding by the Palestinian Authority and facing riots at home. Over the past few days, the citizens of Gaza have been rioting in the streets demanding economic relief, something that Hamas is not in a position to give. If indeed a ‘low-level’ unit of Hamas fighters did set off the missiles without authorization from the top, it indicates a fragmentation of Hamas forces and disintegrating control. Indeed Iran has been encouraging the more extreme Hamas fighters to attack Israel, even contrary to orders from Hamas leadership, in order to influence the upcoming Israeli elections.
Although the situation on the border is quiet at the moment it is very tense and any further accident or ‘mistake’ might cause a violent escalation which cannot be stopped. In view of this, Hamas called for a pause in the weekly border riots, which apparently was heeded, but as we come up to the first anniversary of the beginning of the so-called “March of Return” at the end of the month, and the Israeli elections on the 9th April, it is probable that the riots will continue to escalate. With the winter rains due to stop soon and the winter wheat ripening in the fields around the Strip, the risk of fires is again increasing. There have already been a number of incendiary balloons sent across the border into Israel in recent days.
THE GOLDEN GATE
The Golden Gate with the Dome of the Rock behind and the Muslim cemetery in front. https://www.tutorialathome.in/postimg/2018/05/jerusalem-golden-gate-01.jpg
In Jerusalem too there has been an increase in tensions recently, especially in the area of the Golden Gate. The Golden Gate has great significance for all three monotheistic religions. It is the eastern gate which faces the Mount of Olives and gives direct access to the Temple Mount, or would do so were it open. The existing gate was built in around 520 CE (AD) on the ruins of an earlier gate. In 810CE it was closed off by Muslims, and then reopened briefly by the Crusaders in 1102 only to be closed off again by Saladin after his conquest of Jerusalem in 1187. The Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, rebuilt it and walled it up in 1541 and it has remained closed ever since. The Ottomans also placed a Muslim cemetery in front of the gate to prevent the entry of any false Messiahs.
In Hebrew the Golden Gate is called Sha’ar HaRahamim, the Gate of Mercy, through which the shekinah glory, or the divine presence, would enter to rest on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies of the Temple, and it is expected that the shekinah would appear again at the coming of the Prince, the Messiah, who would reopen the Gate.
Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.
Ezekiel 44: 1-3
The Muslims call the Gate, Bab el-Zahabi, or Bab el-Dhahabi, meaning the Golden Gate or the Gate of Eternal Life. In addition they name the southern door of the Gate, the Gate of Mercy and the northern door the Gate of Repentance. They believe that the Gate will be the site of Allah’s final judgement and the future resurrection.
For Christians, the Gate also has deep significance. It was through this Gate that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey prior to his crucifixion (John 12: 12-15), thus fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.
The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!”Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
John 12: 12 -15
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
Christians also believe that it is through this Gate that Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) will return as is prophesied in the Ezekiel passage quoted above.
In recent days a battle for the Gate has been raging. For decades the hall of the Gate compound, accessible only from the Temple Mount, was used by Muslims as offices and a community center hall hosting religious and other activities. In 2003 Israel closed off the area claiming it was being used by Hamas for political purposes and it has remained closed until the 25th of February this year when the Waqf, the Muslim authority in charge of the Temple Mount, illegally broke down the Israeli-built barrier, saying they were intending to carry out repairs needed because of rain damage. They stayed to pray in the hall, ostensibly making it a de facto Mosque, calling for the faithful to pray there. An announcement by the new head of the Islamic Waqf Council of the intention to rebuild the Gate of Mercy compound and repurpose it into a prayer site is a clear provocation and it is deemed by Israel to be a violation of the ‘status quo’. Palestinian propaganda claims that Israel is planning to turn the area into a synagogue. With both sides accusing the other of violations of the ‘status quo’ this site has become yet another flashpoint in the city, and since last Monday there have been violent confrontations between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police. On Thursday an Israeli policewoman was seriously injured by a Molotov cocktail during the riots.
The Golden Gate complex from inside the Temple Mount compound
It is not surprising then that such a significant site would be a focus of the spiritual warfare in which we are all engaged. Please pray for the peace of Jerusalem and also for the people of the God of Israel, wherever we may live, that we will stand strong and unified in these evil times. Jesus warned us of a falling away from the faith in the end times and that many false prophets and teachers would arise. Please pray that we will not allow our love to grow cold because of the increase in wickedness in the world.
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6: 10-18
Ever since I came to live in Jerusalem so many people have told me how spiritually dark it is here and how strong the opposition of the Enemy (Satan) is against God’s people. They often say this with fear in their countenance and trembling in their voices. I lived for a while in one particularly dark part of the city, on the aptly-named Hill of Evil Counsel, and many terrorist attacks and murders took place in that neighborhood during the time I lived there. More than one well-meaning person told me that I should leave. While it is true that believers in Yeshua (Jesus) face fierce spiritual attacks in this city, where Satan’s energies are so strongly focussed, there is no need for us to walk in fear. Our God is greater than Satan and all his minions (I John 4:4), and the Word of God says that if we resist the Devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7).
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
I John 4: 4
So why is it that so many believers in this land experience such devastating attacks especially in the realm of health and finance? Of course we are in the very front line of the spiritual battle here and this is especially true at this time as world events are drawing us closer to the end times during which Evil grows and the spiritual battle comes to a climax. All the more reason that we who live here must know how to stand against the Enemy and know how to protect ourselves against the inevitable attacks that come our way. The Enemy is prowling around like a hungry lion seeking any prey he can catch (I Peter 5:8). We need to be watchful and we especially need to protect the young and the weak of the flock.
Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
I Peter 5:8
When the people of Israel entered the Promised Land, God gave them victory over the occupants of the land, the various tribes of the Canaanites, as long as they were obedient to Him. When they turned away from God however, they were unable to overcome the Canaanites and they permitted them to live in their midst. Consequently, the Israelites were corrupted and began to worship the Baals and the Asherahs, the gods of the Canaanites (Judges 1 and 2). In Judges 3 we can read that God allowed the Canaanites to remain in their midst to teach the Israelites the arts of warfare, and as a test of their obedience to God.
These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.
Judges 3: 1-4
I see a parallel in this account to the situation of the Body of Yeshua in the Land today, and indeed of the church in the world as a whole. We have been promised an inheritance through Yeshua’s death and resurrection, but we are still living in the fallen world, inhabited by unbelievers and pagans. In our midst are those who can lead us astray. God has allowed this in order to teach us spiritual warfare and also as a test of our faith. Troubles come our way to teach us, test us and to strengthen us.
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
I Peter 1: 3-7
However some of the trials we go through are not sanctioned by God. I believe we sometimes bring trials upon ourselves because we do not take up our spiritual armor and we allow the Enemy access into our lives. How can we protect ourselves from the attacks of the Enemy? The passage in Ephesians quoted above describes the armor and the weapons the LORD has given us.
The breastplate of righteousness
Although our sins are all forgiven in Yeshua (Jesus), we all from time to time fall into sin. Yeshua told his disciples that ” He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean” (John 13: 10). In Yeshua we have been bathed and made clean before God, but in this life we walk in a fallen world and from time to time we all fall into sin and ‘our feet get dirty’. If we ignore the sin, or allow it to continue, we give Satan license to attack. Fortunately, God has given us a way of ‘washing our feet’ and receiving forgiveness and purification. We can confess our sins before God and man, and receive forgiveness and purification.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1: 8-9
The belt of truth
Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), and the source of all spiritual deception. He is prowling around looking for the weak and unprotected. We need to put on the ‘helmet of salvation’, and protect our minds from Satan’s deceptions. In our midst are ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ (Matthew 7:15), those who appear to be believers but teach error and dangerous philosophies that can draw us away from God.
Jesus warned us about the tares.
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
Matthew 13:24-30
Tares are a weed that commonly grows in wheat fields. Tares look just like wheat but are actually poisonous. It takes an expert to discern the tares from the wheat.
The parable of Yeshua tells us that the Lord sowed good seed but the Enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat. In the church God has sowed good seed, true believers, but the Enemy has sneaked in and sown in our midst those who are poisonous tares. It takes spiritual discernment to know the wheat from the tares. Furthermore it is hard to pull up the tares without damaging also the wheat. For this reason, God allows them to grow together until the harvest. Only then will they be separated, the tares to be burned and the wheat to ‘be gathered into the barn’.
We need to pray for discernment in this matter. The tares may be individuals but they may also be destructive philosophies and teachings.
One such area of deception I want to focus on is the matter of alternative medicines and other new-age philosophies and practices. Many believers seek help from alternative medicines, such as acupuncture, shiatsu, homeopathy, yoga, meditation techniques, and so on. Very often this quest is fueled by frustration and a loss of faith in traditional Western medicine, and the attractiveness of what is presented as non-invasive treatments with no harmful side effects. Most of these alternative or complementary medicines however are based on occult or pagan beliefs in ‘life forces’ or ‘energies’, and do have serious ‘side effects’. Satan is quite capable of transforming himself into an ‘angel of light’ (2 Corinthians 11:14), appearing attractive and even beautiful. These alternative treatments and practices often appear attractive and even ‘work’ bringing relief of symptoms and sometimes healing . Some of this can be accounted for by the placebo effect, the healing effect of belief in itself, but I believe that Satan can also work miracles of healing. When Moses was confronting the Pharoah in Egypt the sorcerors of the Eygpt, by their occult powers, were able to copy many of God’s miracles (Exodus 7 ff). However Satan’s healing comes with a price. It is a lie that there are no side-effects. By opening ourselves to Satan in this way we also can give him license to come into our lives, bringing further attacks on our health, both physical, mental and spiritual. In the most extreme case they can also lead us to turn away from God altogether.
There is also a more subtle risk involved. Turning to these palliative medicines and practices can sometimes relieve the symptoms or disease for a time but they do not deal with the root causes. Only God can bring true healing and true inner peace.
They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace.
Jeremiah 6:14
The Bible offers us a much safer and surer path to health, physical, mental and spiritual, and that is by means of prayer and the confession of sins.
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 1Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5: 13-16.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not against medicine and doctors. I believe that if we are ill we should go to our doctors for help. Western medicine is based on God-given intelligence and God-given herbs and drugs. What I am saying is we should be wary and avoid opening ourselves to practices based on pagan or occult ‘energies’ or ‘life-forces.
However our FIRST and most important and effective action in the face of illness or injury, whether physical, mental or spiritual, should be prayer, both personal and by the annointing of the elders, as God has ordained. It is enough. We do not need to turn to Satanic means to find healing.
I recently sought counselling at a well-known Christian counselling center here in Jerusalem to deal with a grief issue stemming from my childhood family relationships. I was most distressed to find my well-meaning counsellor advocating the use of a visualization technique. Visualization is an occult practice which opens the practitioner to Satanic influence. There is no place for this in the Body of Yeshua. Nor is there any need. I refused to use the technique and just went to the LORD in prayer and received immediate and clear healing in this matter. Tragically my counsellor soon afterwards fell into depression and commited suicide.
The shield of faith
Of course, healing is not always complete nor immediate. Sometimes God chooses not heal us and sometimes believers die. That is His prerogative. He is God after all. This calls for great faith. At such a time, Satan will try to bring us down into doubt and despair. He will tell us that God is a liar, that he is unable to heal or that he just does not love us. This is when we must consciously exercise faith. God has told us that “ all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8: 28). Do we really believe this? It’s hard to do so when we are in the midst of suffering and pain, but that is the test. Do we really believe God? Do we really trust him?
God has a purpose in all he does in our lives. He is working to bring us into to perfection, making us better people. We do not always understand what He is doing but we do need to trust him, especially when we encounter trials.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1: 3-5
A friend of mine was the victim of a terror attack in which she sustained 13 stab wounds and her companion was killed. Miraculously she survived though she still suffers from physical problems and the effects of the trauma. It’s hard to understand why believers need to suffer such trials but my friend told me recently that she was glad she had been through this experience, because she said it had set her free from so many things and made her stronger as a person.
I personally have not had to go through such a terrible trial, yet anyway, but I have suffered from various illnesses and injuries at times, and I know that they have made me a better person, softer-hearted, more empathetic and less judgmental.
The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God
When Satan comes at us with his lies, sowing doubt and despair and tries to turn us from God, we are not defenseless. We have a sure weapon, the weapon which is the Word of God. When Satan tempted Yeshua in the desert, Yeshua deflected Satan’s temptations by means of quoting Scripture (Matthew 4). Satan knows the law of God. He knows he cannot withstand God nor his Law. We, like Yeshua, need to know Scripture well, study it and know how to use it to protect ourselves and fight against Satan.
Prayer
The passage quoted above from Ephesians closes with this advice:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Prayer is powerful and we need to pray on all occasions, bringing all our concerns and troubles before God, but note that it says, to ‘pray in the Spirit’. Not all prayer is ‘in the Spirit’. Often we pray in the mind and the flesh and our prayers are not effective. They merely bounce off the ceiling, having no power or result, except perhaps by deceiving us that we are performing some religious act which brings us merit. What does it mean to ‘pray in the Spirit’? This is hard to explain, but I know when I am praying in the Spirit. I sense the sweet and powerful presence of God, and I have a deep assurance that He is hearing me and will answer my prayer. This requires a quiet spirit, waiting upon Him, and listening for that sweet inner voice of God. It is often hard to achieve that in our busy and noisy world, but God has given us some tools to help. One of those tools is the practice of thanksgiving and worship, which will bring us into His presence, and another is the gift of tongues. Speaking in tongues, by by-passing my busy and distracted mind, can bring me quickly into the Presence and lead me into more effective prayer.
Finally we need to constantly pray for one another. I have found that when I am going through a difficult trial it is very hard to find the peace and concentration I need for effective prayer in the Spirit. It is at such times I need to humble myself to ask for the help of my brothers and sisters in the Lord. This too is ordained by God. This is what fellowship and the love of the brethren is all about. This is why He has put us in families and congregations.
So may we all remember to:
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
