Av 5782

Av, The Father

We have entered into perhaps one of the most polarizing and crucial months of the year, the month of Av. Av lasts from July 29th to August 27th. The word Av translates to mean “Father”. As this month begins, it is traditionally during a period of mourning, ending on the 9th of Av, known as the 3 weeks of sorrow, the date when both the first and second temples were destroyed. Av is therefore seen as the most calamitous month of the year. As Believers however, although we are aware of these divinely timed disasters, we must look to why Adonai let this happen in the first place.

As temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) it is the time to look inwardly tand recognize whether or not we ourselves are repeating the mistakes of the past which led to the destruction of the temples, and be certain we are running according to the heart and times of Elohim. This month we must remember who the real enemy is (Ephesian 6:12), and who really fights our battles (Exodus 14:14). Don’t give the enemy an open door of un-forgiveness or let him prod and poke at the self-destruct button in your life. Are you ready for a Holy Spirit roller coaster ride of trust and faith in the Most High? If you have yet to jump aboard, now is the time. Take that leap of faith that your heart keeps begging you to take, and let Yeshua show you that He Is Who He Says He is. Welcome aboard the King Yeshua Express that takes you farther, faster, deeper and wider than your mind, body, and Spirit can comprehend made possible by the blood of Yeshua.

From Distress to Comfort

Besides being known as the end of the 3 weeks of sorrow and the day that both the first and second temples in Jerusalem were destroyed, the 9th of Av (August 6th) is also the day that Adonai told the generation rescued from Egypt that they would all die because of their lack of faith at the border of the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14). And it was on the first day of the month of Av that Aaron the High priest died (Numbers 33:38). Pretty depressing. However, few people remember that the 9th of Av also marks the beginning of the 7 weeks of comfort. This a a reminder that our lot as born again believers, the time of mourning has become a time of celebration, of joy, and cheerful feasts. This is not a time for our minds to focus on a destruction long past, but instead paving the way for the return of Yeshua, a construction project in which we are the living stones, living temples of the Holy Spirit who worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. The old man is dead and gone, that temple of the flesh, and the new man, born of the Spirit stands unshaken and unfazed by the current sifting and shifting of the world as our new foundation is in the True Cornerstone.

This 7 weeks of comfort ends on the day of Yom Kippur (The day of Atonement) which is the last day of the High Holy Days ending on October 5th. This 7 weeks of Comfort is a reminder to us as believers that the Holy Spirit “Our Comforter” is constantly telling us that we are in this world, but no longer of it. We are no longer the grapes of wrath. “For their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies themselves judge this. “For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, and from the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of poison, their clusters, bitter. “Their wine is the venom of serpents, and the deadly poison of vipers. ‘Is it not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up in My treasuries? (Deuteronomy 32:31). If you are feeling shaky, if you feel like you are wavering, or even in free fall, remember that even though we mightfeel moved by fear or uncertainty, our King is not. As we operate in the fear of the Lord, all fear of the world flees from our minds and our reality. He is with you and for you, He will never leave you nor forsake you. Here is an example in Scripture that is speaking directly to you. “After driving out the tax collectors and merchants from within the gates of the Temple with a whip of chords, the disciples remembered the Scripture that says, “Zeal (love, concern) for Your house [and its honor] will consume Me.”(John 2:16). He is equally as zealous for us, temples of the Holy Spirit, and all we need to do is ask and He will clean out everything in us that is not of YHWH as we approach His throne by the blood of the Lamb.

From Death to Life

“They asked Yeshua what sign he could show them that He had the authority to do these things. He replied, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was His body” (John 2:18-21). While this month of Av is the end of the three weeks of sorrow, we remember that Yeshua is our foundation that not even death can shake, and we too have died and rose again with Him. We are rebuilt, not destroyed. We live and breathe resurrection while the world preaches destruction. Yeshua is alive, and yet the devil lies and still tries to bring about destruction and demise because he knows his time is almost up.

This month we can expect attacks on the priesthood, the leadership in Kehilots (congregations) around the world, and it is vital that we stand strong in support and prayers for our our brothers and sisters in Yeshua, and to be in oneness as the Body of Messiah. Oneness is not possible with unforgiveness and taking up offense however, the very thing which has divided the global body of Yeshua since the death and resurrection of Yeshua. To truly be rebuilt, it is time that we as a kingdom family be intentional about restoration. We have no right to pride as everything we have is from the Father and going back to Him as well, therefore what possible reason should we have to take offense? As the world faces chaotic and calamitous times this month our focus must be from the throne room perspective, hearing what the Father is saying and and doing as we see Him do.

Stand up at the Temple Gates

The tribe of Av is Simeon, and his name gives us both a warning and a key about what we should pay close attention to during this month. Simeon means “to hear”, a clue for us to be attentive to our natural gates, our ears, that need to be guarded. In Acts 3 we hear about a man who had not been able to walk since birth, being dropped off at the gate of the temple which had been his routine for most of his life. When he asked Peter and John for coins as they walked by, he was expecting to “hear” a drop in the cup. It is what the lame man had become accustomed to hearing his whole life. Besides a coin being dropped in his cup, he had heard it all by that point from people walking by; pity, scorn, scoffing, and laughter, but he was not expecting to hear what came next. He heard for the first time a voice of hope and power and perfect love.

“But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, “Look at us!” And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have I give to you: In the name (authority, power) of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach the Nazarene—[begin now to] walk and go on walking!” Then he seized the man’s right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankles became strong and steady, and with a leap, he stood up and began to walk; and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.”

Our new reality after being born again from above, from heaven where the Father sits enthroned outside time and space, is the opposite of this world. In the third heaven there is no death, sickness, unhappiness, worry, hatred, fear, anxiety, etc. and we are being called to bring our new reality as citizens of heaven here to the earth. Just like John and Peter were in one accord telling the lame man to walk by the authority given to them through Yeshua, we too are being called in this generation to be the John 17 generation who are one with God and in one accord together in Him. Your kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). As famine, war, and economic collapse begin to ramp up this month, we are being called arise and shine into our full potential as mature sons and daughters of the Most High. Let’s get to work kingdom family!

Who are We Listening to?

How many people do you know that need to hear the Truth instead of what the world is preaching? While the world says take out your beggar’s cup and fall in line with the times of the world, Yeshua is saying “Get up and Walk!” Rejoice, and worship and dance as the healed man did into the gates of the temple which he had never entered before without being carried. If we are hearing the message of the world more than the message of the living Word, where should we expect our faith level to be? What message is going forth from the mouths of the beloved bride of Yeshua today? Is it a message of empathy that sympathizes with the terrible things that are happening to people, or is it a voice of restoration, healing, and identity into those who have fallen, or never even gotten up before? Is it silence? What do people hear you say? Is it the message of hope and a new life, or does it echo and mimic the lies of the enemy who aims to fill our ears with doubt, fear, dismay, anxiety, and confusion? These things are not from Adonai. In fact, these things are the polar opposite of the fruits of the Spirit. Satan is terrified of the bride of Yeshua raising up in the power and love of the Most High, so he does his best to instill his own fallen attributes into the world, especially into believers. We will not be silent however, and we are not afraid! We sing praise, we rejoice in the King of glory, the Name above all names, and from the ends of the earth back to Jerusalem we lift our hearts in worship declaring the victory is already won in Yeshua!

Replicate The Roar

The Constellation of Av is Arie (The Lion). That’s right, the Lion of Judah is roaring this month, but if you are not familiar with His roar, His voice, the enemy will try to fool you into thinking his roar is the real deal. Satan is a copy cat, literally. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.” The keyword here being, “LIKE” a roaring lion. Not many people have given as beautiful an explanation of the real difference between the Lion of Judah and the copy cat than the late Reinhard Bonnke. He said, “The devil is nothing but a kitty cat in a corner with a microphone”, and we couldn’t agree more! The issue is, that when we aren’t hearing the Word of God magnified by the Holy Spirit, that kitty cat with a microphone is the loudest thing out there. It tears up the furniture, makes a big mess, scratches hard, and brings chaos into a house that was once in order. It sounds very out of tune when we are hearing the roar of the King of glory, but if we are not, we should prepare to get bit. It has happened to all of us, but this month the roar of the Lion of Judah is being activated within you, and you are being fortified and renewed in your identity in Yeshua as a son or daughter of the Most High who has inherited the His roar that causes the enemy to flee. Let us roar together this month of Av, and put the enemies of the Most High in flight!

Conclusion

We do not run according to the times of the fallen kingdom of darkness, and what the enemy intends for evil, God uses for good (Genesis 50:20). This month of Av, although we remember the calamity of the past and see it replicated in the world this month, we live in the joy and victory of Yeshua in us. This month of the Father, it is time to open our ears (Simeon) to what He is saying now so that we can be like the sons of Issachar who knew the times and seasons and what to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). We refuse to repeat the mistakes of the past, but rather stand upon the shoulders of those who have come before us and paved the way so that we could continue paving the way for the return of the King of glory as the generation of the end times.

Our difficulties are simply an opportunity for the great I Am to be glorified through making the impossible look easy. The Lion of the tribe of Judah is roaring in your life, and the darkness is forced to flee as His light enters and transforms what looked like defeat into wondrous beauty. Let’s join together as Lions of the Kingdom of heaven and roar together, building one another up, encouraging and supporting each other in Yeshua. This is the month of new beginnings, and it is a fresh start when we prophecy over ourselves, to one another, and to the nations, declaring “VICTORY”! We speak life and not death. We come in faith like Abraham at 99, and remember how You, King of glory made even your own death a Hallelujah of victory forever, defeating sin and death. We cry out in Your Name Yeshua! Thank you for all that you have done, are doing, and are about to do in this month of Av.