RESTORATION MAGAZINE Vol. 3 Issue 11

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WHO I S RTB? Restoring the Branches Ministry is an assembly of believers who are part of the body of Yahshuah HaMashiach, Jesus Christ. We acknowledge that we have been redeemed to serve our Elohim, and we exist to take YAH's healing, truth and light to the nations. We are disciples of Yahshuah (Jesus) who are striving to worship YAH in spirit and truth and serve Him in wholehearted obedience. We acknowledge that YAH's instructions are summarized by loving Him with everything and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Com e, an d l et u s r etu r n to the LORD; f or He has tor n , bu t He w i l l heal u s; He has str i cken , bu t He w i l l bi n d u s u p.

Hosea 6 :1 NKJV As it says in Hosea 11:7, ?M y people ar e bent on backsliding fr om M e. Though they call to the M ost High, none at all exalt Him ?. Retur ning to Him in tr uth is the choice betw een life and death. Joy is available to the r epentant. As sin has separ ated us fr om our Elohim (Isaiah 59:2), sincer e r epentance w ill lead us back . YAH has pr om ised to heal our backsliding, our per sistent unfaithfulness, and w icked behavior (Jer em iah 3:22 & Hosea 14:4).

We m ust r em em ber that w e as a people don?t joy in things w e dislike. Things w e dislike don?t pr oduce delight, gladness, or r ejoicing w ithin us. We engage in sin because w e ignor antly think it w ill br ing us joy. We m ust under stand that the r oot of sin is unbelief. Sin is a pr oduct of tem ptation, and tem ptation com es fr om desir e, w hich stem s fr om lack, and lack is bir thed fr om unbelief. It is im possible for sin and joy to coexist. ?I say then: Walk in the Spir it, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spir it, and the Spir it against the flesh; and these ar e contr ar y to one another , so that you do not do the things that you w ish?

(Galatians 5:16-17). Sin is law lessness (1 John 3:4).

Tr ue joy is a fr uit of the Spir it that is found in His pr esence. Accor ding to Psalm 51, it?s r estor ed to the r epentant. His joy is a tr um pet w ithin us that m ust be sounded for the w or ld to hear. ?And those w ho ar e Chr ist?s have cr ucified the flesh w ith its passions and desir es? (Galatians 5:24). To cr ucify our flesh is to ingest His life. Joy is available that choose Him over ever ything else.

To choose joy is the choose life and the Sustainer of life. To choose joy is to distance our selves fr om

the things of the w or ld--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pr ide of life (1 John 2:16). To choose joy is to desir e the fullness of YAH thr ough Yahshua. To choose joy is to believe and align our lives w ith the per fect w ill of YAH. To choose joy is to lack nothing because w e under stand the spir itual w ealth of w alking w ith the M aster. To choose joy is to over look offenses and for give. To choose joy is to com e into har m ony w ith ever ything that heals. To choose joy is to r ejoice in the seventh m onth because w e consider ed our w ays in the sixth.

Do not cast m e aw ay fr om Your pr esence, and do not take Your Holy Spir it fr om m e. Restor e to m e the joy of Your salvation, and uphold m e by Your gener ous Spir it. Then I w ill teach tr ansgr essor s Your w ays, and sinner s shall be conver ted to You (Psalm 51:11-13).

You show m e the path of life; in Your pr esence is fullness of joy; at Your r ight hand ar e pleasur es for ever m or e (Psalm 16:11).

And now my head w ill be lifted up above my enem ies ar ound m e, and I w ill offer in His tent sacr ifices w ith shouts of joy; I w ill sing, yes, I w ill sing pr aises to the LORD (Psalm 27:6).

Choosing joy is not for the w eak or fainthear ted, but for those w ho over com e and under stand that YAH is a r ew ar der of those w ho diligently seek Him (Hebr ew s 11:6). As w e enter this seventh m onth, I pr ay you have consider ed your w ays. I pr ay you have been sincer e in your r etur n to YAH thr ough Yahshua. I pr ay He has softened your hear t and planted seeds of r ighteousness w ithin. I pr ay your fr uit is undeniably r ighteousness and pleasing in His sight. I pr ay w e ar e str engthened to endur e to the end for the gr eat King is com ing w ith fir e to tests the hear ts of m en. Shalom .

Kelly Vonner is the wife of M oreh Jeremy Vonner and mom to three YAH-given sons--Jeremiah, Joshua, and Josiah. She is the author of A Boldness for Him and is a lover of the Word, graphics design, and all things righteousness. Kelly started RESTORATION M agazine in 2017.

The Tor ah teaches us that Yah, the M ost High God (El Elyon) is ver y m er ciful. ?..for I the Lor d thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the father s upon the childr en unto the thir d and four th gener ation of them that hate m e; and shew ing m er cy unto thousands of them that love m e, and keep my com m andm ents? (Exodus 20:5-6). In the r elationship betw een Yah and the childr en of Isr ael, the Father utter ed a sim ple r equest: ?Obey?. Obedience is a staple found not just in Tor ah but in the pr ophets, w r itings, and New Testam ent.

Yah desir es a r elationship w ith HIS cr eation! In the Ber esheet (beginning) Yah for m ed Adam (m an) fr om the dust of the gr ound and blew life into him . That should be a constant r em inder that the M ost High is invested in this r elationship, and has contr ibuted to ever y facet of m ankind's existence. W hat HE does not account for is sin, w hich cam e thr ough the disobedience of Adam and Eve. The desir e to be like, equal, or as Elohim destined all of m ankind to suffer the consequences. ?And Sam uel said, Hath the Lor d as gr eat delight in bur nt offer ings and sacr ifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lor d? Behold, to obey is better than sacr ifice...? (1 Sam uel 15:22). W hat show s our love for an om nipotent and pow er ful being that is the sour ce of all things w e see and do not see? Obedience to Yah?s w or d is the answ er , but in the scr iptur es, w e see a patter n of disobedience. W hen w e look in the m ir r or and r eflect on our lives w e w ill see those sam e patter ns of disobedience.

As w e aw ait our M essiah to fulfill the fall festivals in the 7th m onth, little is discussed in the Hebr aic com m unity com pr om ised of im m igr ants and descendants of the Tr ans-Atlantic slave tr ade about the 6th m onth. Her e is pr oof about the m er ciful God w e ser ve. The m onth of Elul is associated thr ough the sages and r abbis as a tim e w hen the King of Isr ael w ould leave his palace, and set his tent in the m idst of the field am ong the people. This m ade him available, and anybody could com e to the tent door of the King.

This is w hy Teshuva or ?tur ning? is so vital. Yah w ants his people to focus on HIM befor e the Rosh Chodesh (New M oon) of the 7th m onth. Obviously our Father can be r eached anytim e thr ough pr ayer , fasting, and r epentance.

As w e all know tim ing is ever ything! The Wor d of Yah uses far m ing, har vesting, her ding, and w or ship to com m unicate the code of Salvation! We know that you have to till the gr ound befor e you can sow and plant seeds. Then tim e eventually passes and w e ar e able to r eap our har vest. Religion and w ester nized thinking have tr ained us to be out of or der and ther efor e m iss the m essages and blessings fr om the King w hile HE is in the field.

Passover m ar ks the beginning of all of Isr ael's cer em onies, w or ship, feasts, and celebr ator y for m ats. ?For unto us a child is bor n, unto us a son is given: and t h e gover n m en t sh al l be u pon h i s sh ou l der : and his nam e shall be called Wonder ful, Counselor , The m ighty God, The ever lasting Father , The Pr ince of Peace. Of the i n cr ease of h i s gover n m en t and peace ther e shall be no end? (Isaiah 9:6-7). W hen w ill the civil author ity, r uler ship, kingship, and gover nance actually begin? M y subm ission to you all is that the 7th m onth m ar ks the civil gover nance of our M aster Yahushua HaM aschiach. This is w hy ther e is so little in Tor ah about Yom Ter uah except to m ake a Ter uah (loud noise) on the fir st day of the 7th m onth. If this m ar ks the beginning of a divine ?Law and Or der ? on ear th, then the 6th m onth w ould be a last call to the ones espoused to Chr ist. Sin has kept m ankind aw ay fr om the Father , even though HE w ants to be r econciled w ith HIS ow n cr eation. This places m or e cr edence on ?be ye holy for I am holy? (Leviticus 20:7). Ther e w ill be a day w hen Yahshua w ill com e dow n and establish the civil and eter nal r ule on the Ear th, and those w ho ar e for eign w om en, w hor es, or aliens w ill not be par t of the br ide!

The br ide w ill be the saints w ho chose to OBEY and those w ho sought after the kingdom of Elohim . ?But seek ye fir st the kingdom of God, and his r ighteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you?

(M atthew 6:33). Year after year , feast cycle after feast cycle, YAH has had an open door befor e the 7th m onth. Befor e he finalizes decisions about the upcom ing year he w as open for anyone w ith a r epentant hear t, but

the ancient tr aditions that ar e good for the r estor ation of our soul have no value in self-r ighteous and pr ideful ideologies. ?5 And the Lor d descended in the cloud, and stood w ith him ther e, and pr oclaim ed the nam e of the Lor d. 6 And the Lor d passed by befor e him , and pr oclaim ed, The Lor d, The Lor d God, m er ciful and gr acious, long-suffer ing, and abundant in goodness and tr uth, 7 keeping m er cy for thousands, for giving iniquity and tr ansgr ession and sin, and that w ill by no m eans clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the father s upon the childr en, and upon the childr en?s childr en, unto the thir d and to the four th gener ation. 8 And M oses m ade haste, and bow ed his head tow ar d the ear th, and w or shiped? (Exodus 34:5-8).

In this section of Tor ah YAH instr ucted M oshe (M oses) to car ve out tw o stones like ear lier , and ascend up the m ount w her e Yah w ould w r ite on the stones a SECOND TIM E. Rabbis and other sour ces believe that the ascension upon M t Sinai w ould have been on Elul 1 (6th m onth) and for ty days later w ould have m eant that he br ought the final w or d or judgm ent on 10th day of the 7th m onth aka Yom Kippur (Day of Atonem ent). Dur ing those for ty days the childr en of Isr ael w er e staying spotless w ith their m inds focused on M oshe w ho ascended up the m ountain (into heaven). As they w aited for his r etur n, ther e w as hum ility, obedience, and a people r eady to ser ve the One tr ue Living God. The Isr aelites r eflected on all the things that happened dur ing the golden calf incidence, all the sham e, and the fam ily and fr iends that died in the r evelr y. Our Father left us a love note in Song of Songs 6:3 ?I am my beloved?s, and my beloved is m ine: he feeds am ong the lilies.? The fir st letter of each of those four w or ds in Hebr ew spells Elul. The King is letting us know w her e he is and if w e ar e open to having him heal our hear t, HE w ants us to com e to his tent. ?Com e unto m e, all ye that labor and ar e heavy laden, and I w ill give you r est? (M atthew 11:28).

Shalom , M or eh of Restor ing the Br anches M inistr y

Bor n addicted to dr ugs; w ithdr aw al, seizur es, and w hat seem s a lifetim e of abandonm ent, neglect, physical, em otional, ver bal, and sexual abuse, m ost assur edly cr eates a m ind in need of r enew ing.

I say this not to discour age, but to pr epar e for the r eality of the situation. Don?t despise the pr ocess, but r ealize and know it can be and usually is ver y ugly and ver y dr aw n out, possibly (pr obably) taking year s! You have to be w illing to put in the w or k . No m atter how far you have tur ned fr om The M ost High, w hat evils you have done, it is never too late.

Until, it is TOO LATE! Genuinely r epent, tur n back (Shuv in Hebr ew ), HE is ther e w aiting, ar m s extended, w illing and able to for give. Do not be asham ed to speak to som eone about the situation(s). The enemy w ants you to continue to be isolated physically and m entally. You can?t talk to ever yone, but choose som eone that w ill keep your confidence, pr ay w ith you, and give Biblical counsel. Som eone to lend a listening ear and a shoulder to cr y on som etim es, to assist in your jour ney and have the m ind of Yeshua (Jesus).

Eph 4: 21 if indeed you have hear d Him and have been taught

by Him , as the tr uth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concer ning your for m er conduct, the old m an w hich gr ow s cor r upt accor ding to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be r enew ed in the spir it of your m ind, 24 and that you put on the new m an w hich w as cr eated accor ding to God, in tr ue r ighteousness and holiness.

Col 3:5 Ther efor e put to death your m em ber s w hich ar e on the ear th: for nication, uncleanness, passion, evil desir e, and covetousness, w hich is idolatr y. 6 Because of these things the w r ath of God is com ing upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in w hich you your selves once w alked w hen you lived in them . 8

But now you your selves ar e to put off all these: anger , w r ath, m alice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your m outh. 9 Do not lie to one another , since you have put off the old m an w ith his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man w ho is r enew ed in know ledge accor ding to the im age of Him w ho cr eated him , Rom 12: 2 And do not be confor m ed to this w or ld, but be tr ansfor m ed by the r enew ing of your m ind, that you m ay pr ove w hat is that good and acceptable and per fect w ill of God. 3 For I say, thr ough the gr ace given to m e, to ever yone w ho is am ong you, not to think of himself m or e highly than he ought to think, but to think sober ly, as God has dealt to each one a m easur e of faith.

Acts 24: 16 This being so, I myself alw ays str ive to have a conscience w ithout offense tow ar d God and m en.

Heb 10: 22 let us dr aw near w ith a tr ue hear t in full assur ance of faith, having our hear ts spr inkled fr om an evil conscience and our bodies w ashed w ith pur e w ater. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope w ithout w aver ing, for He w ho pr om ised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in or der to stir up love and good w or ks, 25 not for saking the assem bling of our selves together , as is the m anner of som e, but exhor ting one another, and so m uch the m or e as you see the Day appr oaching.

Heb 9: 4 how m uch m or e shall the blood of Chr ist, w ho thr ough the eter nal Spir it offer ed Him self w ithout [f]spot to God, cleanse your conscience fr om dead w or ks to ser ve the living God? We m ust desir e to please HIM m or e than our flesh. That m eans killing off our flesh daily, second by second, m inute by m inute, until day by day becom es natur al. Obedience to the Scr iptur es is key!! Losing focus is feeding the flesh and the enemy. It w ill cause you to sink and possibly dr ow n. Be pr epar ed for fier y dar ts in thoughts and dr eam s. Your

only w eapon is the sw or d of the WORD! Please take the tim e to look at the follow ing scr iptur es as w ell, they ar e only skim m ing the sur face, but the Wor d is full of tools against the flesh; Rom 8:1-2, Rom 8:12-14 and Rom 7:14-25.

Read it, w r ite it dow n, m em or ize it and speak out Scr iptur e to defeat the enemy and give your self the oppor tunity to cr oss the finish line victor ious. Realize and know ; all the enemy has br ought against you in your life is to detour you fr om your or iginal pur pose and design. ?I knew you befor e I for m ed you in your m other ?s w om b.? He also had plans to pr osper you as the Scr iptur e also states.

For ever y action ther e is an opposite and equal r eaction. (Science lesson for today, lol.)

The ser ious m atter is, the enemy knew your potential for Kingdom w or k . He thr ew ever y tr ick in the book at you, to thr ow you off tr ack . W hen you r epent and ar e w or king in the pr ocess of r enew ing your m ind, your pur pose becom es clear er. If you w or k as fer vently for The M ost High, as you did for the enemy in his w or ldly kingdom , the enemy quakes in his boots. He is alr eady defeated and under your feet. Don?t lose focus, keep your eyes on the Pr ize.

Isa 26:3 You keep him in per fect peace, w hose m ind is stayed on You, because he tr usts in You. The gr eatest joy is to allow your over com ing the w or ld?s m ess to becom e your M ESSAGE, to give som eone else hope and dir ect them to the feet of Yeshua (Jesus Chr ist).

Gen 50: 20 But as for you, you m eant evil against m e; but God m eant it for good, in or der to br ing it about as it is this day, to save m any people alive.

He can tur n it all for good! HALLELUYAH!

By Br it t a n y Wo o d y

It's m e...It's m e...

It's m e on bending knees, I bow to thee hum bly.

Oh Yah, my Cr eator and King, the author of my life stor y.

You ar e w or thy of ALL the honor and glor y.

I, your ser vant, have com e to you w ith anguish and gr ief.

All this guilt and sham e is causing my soul to w eep.

For I have sinned so m uch that I'm afr aid that you'd leave m e.

That You w ould no longer allow m e to br eathe, and take Your love and my soul aw ay fr om m e.

Pass m e not, my Loving Savior.

See my need, and not my sham e.

Chastise m e, if You m ust, but don't blot out my nam e.

The cor e of m e longs for you, but under a spell of another.

I danced w ith the deceiver for he claim ed to be my lover.

A toxic and abusive deceiver , but I liked the w ay he danced.

He had m e in a tr ance.

Slick tongue hissed lies of You not w anting m e.

That You w er e too holy for m e.

That I could never m easur e up to Your standar ds, even if You helped m e.

He told m e that You didn't car e.

That I had no fam ily her e.

That REGARDLESS of w hat I did or said, You still w ouldn't car e.

For I have sinned. Ther e's no excuse.

No hope for the dam aged hear t, and a m ind confused.

But that w asn't the tr uth.

The tr uth is...You sent Your Son to die for m e.

The tr uth is...You did this because You loved m e.

The tr uth is...His blood w as shed as atonem ent for m e.

His blood w ashes m e clean.

So now I am fr ee.

Quickened and r efr eshed.

Now my hear t seeks for thee.

In the field, I shall be.

In my effor t to r enew my m ind I discover ed that it takes the Ruach (Holy Spir it) to do the w or k . I had to br ing my thoughts into subm ission to the Wor d.

Those old im aginations fr om conver sations of old had to be br ought dow n. For my m ind to be r enew ed I had to lear n to think on those things that ar e tr ue and Righteous. I cam e to the know ledge and under standing that I need to think w ith the m ind of the M essiah in or der to please our Heavenly Father. I changed my m indset and thinking patter ns. M y desir e is to please Him and ther eby do good for myself and other s. At bir th, our m inds ar e not r egener ated due to being bor n w ith a sinful natur e. I sought to change by being bor n again, of the Spir it. M y par t in r enew ing my m ind w as fir st to com e into the r ealization that w e all do w ell to think differ ently; pur posing to be tr ansfor m ed fr om dar kness into light. So, as m an thinks, so is he.

It is an honor to pr ayer fully study the Wor d, m editating on it day and night. I focus on getting an under standing of the ver y intent of the Wor d. The Wor d is spir itual. Ther efor e, I pr ess to lend myself to the Spir it in all that I think, say and do. The r enew ing of one?s m ind is to think, to think in ter m s of being m ade a new cr eatur e by r ever ence to the Pow er and M ight of the Alm ighty. Rom ans chapter 12 gives us the for m ula, step by step for r enew ing our m inds: 1 I call upon you, ther efor e, br other s, thr ough the com passion of Elohim , to pr esent your bodies a living offer ing ? set-apar t, w ell-pleasing to Elohim ? your r easonable

w or ship. 2 And do not be confor m ed to this w or ld, but be tr ansfor m ed by the r enew ing of your m ind, so that you pr ove w hat is that good and w ell-pleasing and per fect desir e of Elohim (Rom ans 12:1-2).

This is a totally differ ent w ay of thinking. We ar e no longer just concer ned about our selves and our s. We ar e r enew ed to be m indful of m ankind for the w inning of souls. W ith a r enew ed m ind w e can w in souls for the Kingdom w or k of our Father.

3 For I say, thr ough the favour w hich has been given to m e, to ever yone w ho is am ong you, not to think of himself m or e highly than he should think, but to think sober ly, as Elohim has given to each a m easur e of belief.

4 For as w e have m any m em ber s in one body, but all m em ber s do not have the sam e function, 5 so w e, the m any, ar e one body in M essiah, and m em ber s each one of one another. (Rom ans 12:3-5).

As m em ber s of the Body of M essiah, our m inds ar e r enew ed to look out for one another. We now r ealize w e need the Body to fit jointly together in unity for the good of the w hole. We each have a job to do. By the r enew ing of my m ind unto the W ill of my Father , I under stand the need to r esist the devil and cause him to flee. Our m ind tells our bodies w hat to do. A m ind r enew ed in the M essiah w ill advise us, both for the good of the natur al m an and the m em ber s of the spir itual Body of M essiah. I pur pose to be r enew ed in my m ind to have a clean hear t, a r ight spir it, and a sound m ind oper ating fully in the Gifts of the Spir it effectively.

6 Now having differ ent gifts, accor ding to the favor w hich w as given to us, let us use them accordingly: if pr ophecy, accor ding to the pr opor tion of belief; 7 if ser ving, in the ser ving; or he w ho is teaching, in the teaching; 8 or he w ho encour ages, in the encour agem ent; or he w ho is shar ing, in sincer ity; he w ho is leading, in diligence; he w ho show s com passion, joyously. 9 Let love be w ithout hypocr isy. Shr ink fr om w hat is w icked, cling to w hat is good. 10 In br other ly love, tender ly loving tow ar ds one another , in appr eciation, giving pr efer ence to each other ; 11 not idle in duty, ar dent in spir it, ser ving

the M aster ; 12 r ejoicing in the expectancy, endur ing under pr essur e, continuing steadfastly in pr ayer ; 13 im par ting to the needs of the set-apar t ones, pur suing kindness tow ar ds str anger s. 14 Bless those w ho per secute you ? bless and do not cur se.

15 Rejoice w ith those w ho r ejoice, and w eep w ith those w ho w eep. 16 Be of the sam e m ind tow ar d one another. Do not be pr oud in m ind, but go along w ith the low ly. Do not be w ise in your ow n estim ation. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect w hat is r ight in the sight of all m en. 18 If possible, on your par t, be at peace w ith all m en. 19 Beloved, do not r evenge your selves, but give place to the w r ath, for it has been w r itten, ?Vengeance is M ine, I shall r epay,? says ????. 20 ?Instead, if your enemy hunger s, feed him ; if he thir sts, give him a dr ink, for in so doing you shall heap coals of fir e on his head.? 21 Do not be over com e by evil, but over com e evil w ith good (Rom ans 12:6-21) M y unr enew ed m ind said I w ill tr eat other s the w ay they tr eat m e. M y r enew ed m ind says I w ill not be influenced by the evil influencing other s. I now know to do evil for evil w ill cause m e to be evil also. I study to show myself appr oved to alw ays do the W ill of M y Father. M y r enew ed m ind r em inds m e to r em ind myself befor e I r em ind other s accor ding to II Tim othy 2:14-15 II Tim othy 2:14 Rem ind them of this, ear nestly w itnessing befor e the M aster , not to w age ver bal battles ? w hich is useless ? to the over thr ow ing of the hear er s. 15 Do your utm ost to pr esent your self appr oved to Elohim , a w or ker w ho does not need to be asham ed, r ightly handling the Wor d of Tr uth.

Be blessed.

M ost of us, w hen m aking the choice to w alk in the w ay of Yahshua, feel like w e?r e finally doing som ething r ight. We feel like life m akes m or e sense and, r ightfully so, w e feel closer to the Father now that w e ar e w alking in His Tr uth, w hich is found in Tor ah. All these feelings can tr ick us to think that w e?ve ar r ived at a cer tain place in Yah that w e haven?t r eally r eached. Once the excitem ent and the new ness of it all w ear off, w e have to face the facts: w e?r e still a m ess and w e need continual cleansing.

It?s so easy to fall in the tr ap of self-r ighteousness w hen w e star t follow ing in the steps of Yahshua by r etur ning to YAH?s law s, statutes and com m andm ents. We get puffed up w ith the lie that since w e w er e blessed to hear and r eceive Tr uth, w e som ehow get to condem n and cr iticize those w ho haven?t caught on yet. Well, guess w hat? Our Father in heaven is kind to alw ays r em ind us of w ho w e ar e and set us back on the r ight path if w e let him .

One thing that the Father is teaching m e is that I can?t skip steps to gr ow th, as m uch as I w ant to. If w e w ant to be like Noah, Job, and Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20) w e m ust get the basics r ight.

Those of us w ho year n to w or ship Him in spir it and tr uth, seek higher r evelation fr om His Ruach and tr y to access the ?secr et know ledge? of the Father , but w e have not yet m aster ed the basics of Tor ah. We w ant to be close to YAH, to hear fr om Him , and w alk on clouds in our YAH-given gifts, m eanw hile, w e ar e self-ser ving. Ther e is nothing w r ong w ith seeking closeness w ith the Father (m aybe m inus the w alking on clouds), but w e m ust r em em ber to w alk in a m anner that is w or thy of being in His pr esence. By this, I m ean that it is not enough to just seek him and say that w e love him . He has asked us to not only love Him w ith all our hear t, soul, and r esour ces (Deut 6:4), but w e ar e to love our neighbor as our selves (Lev 19:18). 1 John 4:20-21 says that w e can?t say w e love YAH w ho is in heaven and hate our br other. It is essentially in vain that w e seek deeper r evelation fr om the

Father , or deeper levels of intim acy w ith Him if w e can?t tr uly love our neighbor.

How do w e pr actice loving our neighbor ?

Philippians 2:3 says that w e ought to ?r egar d one another as m or e im por tant than our selves?. Now that?s counter -cultur al (speaking of the w ester n cultur e in w hich w e find our selves). M y fir st thought is ?and w ho is going to r egar d m e as m or e im por tant??.

That?s the self-seeker in m e. I?m so focused on self-pr eser vation that I can?t see past the m ir r or and love the neighbor that is r ight next to m e. That?s my fear of letting go of a deep-seated par t of my flesh that is not in line w ith the Tor ah. But just like the Gr inch w hose hear t gr ew bigger w ith each act of kindness, w e m ust begin to seek (as in pur sue, be intentional about) the good of other s, Isr aelite or not, in or der to nour ish the seed of r ighteousness in us.

The pr actical steps to exer cising this m uscle m ay look differ ent for each of us. For m e, that m eans com ing out of my pr otective bubble and offer ing myself to other s despite the fear of being taken advantage of. For som eone else, it m ay look like financially suppor ting (yes, suppor ting) som eone for a season, or gifting a tir ed m om w ith an extended Shabbat. These ar e som e pr actical w ays to love our neighbor beyond just pr aying for them . We see in Jam es 2:14-17 an exam ple of som eone w ho sees his br other in need and sim ply sends the clichĂŠ ?thoughts and pr ayer s? his w ay w hen he actually has the m eans to m eet that need. This per son?s faith is dead. DEAD. Let us consider how close w e think w e ar e to the Father and com par e it to the w ay w e tr eat our neighbor.

The tw o ar e closely r elated. I w on?t speak for you, so I?ll speak for myself w hen I say that I?ve fallen shor t in this.

Thankfully, YAH r eveals to us the ar eas in w hich w e fall shor t (Psalm 139:23-24) so w e have the oppor tunity to r epent and get back on the nar r ow path. Pr aise YAH w ho is faithful, loving, and kind enough to show us our m ess for the sake of r edem ption r ather than condem nation.

Shalom .

M or eh Jer em y Von n er Elder Jeremy Vonner is a husband, father of three, founder of Restoring the Branches Ministry and author of Lost and Without an Identity Until Now: God?s Restoration of the Slave Descendants. He is passionate about preaching the Word of YAH and the people of YAH returning to the ways of YAH in truth and obedience.

Pr oph et Bever ly Holiday Beverly Thomas Holiday is a wife, mom, ?meme?, sister, aunt, friend and mentor to many that she comes in contact with. She writes from experience and has overcome so much in her life. Currently, she lives in West Tennessee and specializes in womb and home health care. She has been married to her husband, James, for over twenty years. Together, they have two sons and five grandchildren.

Yah'el William s Yah'el Williams is the wife of "Jacob's Seed Podcast" host Yirmeyahu Dawid, and mother to three daughters. She is passionate about the holistic (mental, emotional, and spiritual) well-being of Israelite women. She enjoys quiet time and a good cup of coffee.

Dr . Sh ir ley M . M oor e Dr. Shirley M. Moore has a Doctorate in Ministry, Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling, and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is a retired Social Service Practitioner and Deputy Conservator for Children Services. Her greatest calling is to receive the Light of life from the Almighty and share with others what she hears from Him. She prayers that many may be blessed to be a blessing helping others become more than conquerors by the Mind of Messiah ruling in each of us.

M s. Br it t an y Woody Brittany Woody is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. She is a self-proclaimed artist and poet. She loves to sing and fellowship with the family of YAH. She enjoys various genres of music and seeks to strengthen her relationship with the Father through Yahshua.