“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”Psalm 119:9-11

Experienced musicians, eager to advance in their craft, can find themselves concentrating on more difficult music, feeling that the basics are just for beginners. But, as many masters can testify, focusing on fundamentals is a vital key to advancement. One legendary trumpeter strongly emphasized the importance of warming up and practicing “long tones in all registers and volumes.” A master trombonist said that aspiring musicians must practice “slow scales every day.” The point was not just to play faster but more clearly and with better tone, never overlooking the basics. It’s important to realize that the way to advance is often to slow down and concentrate on musical fundamentals. These same principles applied in our spiritual lives. How easily we can take for granted basics like living according to the Bible. In fact, the Word is foundational for success in life. Its principles always are true, in our personal lives and business…whether we are young or old. In fact, we cannot grow spiritually and stay on track unless we remain committed to know and live by the Word. This can keep us pure and prevent us from wandering off course. God has not made the Christian life complicated. You simply need to trust in Him with all your heart and “not lean on your own understanding.” As you do these things and acknowledge Him in everything you do, He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Brothers & Sisters, have you forgotten about the basics? Remember that these are the key to avoiding mistakes, staying on the right path, and moving toward maturity. Stay humble before God, and foster an intimate relationship with Him. Never tire of studying and obeying His Word.

"For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-- He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."Hebrews 9:24-28

Yom Kippur, which literally means Day of Coverings, can be a day of deep reflection on what the Lord has done for us. As Jesus died on the cross 2000 years ago, the Gospel describes how the veil in the Temple was torn in two. This profound spiritual event reveals that the Lord gave all whose sins are covered by His blood access to the Holy of Holies, as He had become our High Priest in addition to being, Himself, the perfect sacrifice for sin. Although the Temple was not finally destroyed until 70 AD, Orthodox Judiasm recounts in the Talmud that, beginning in 30 AD, God no longer accepted the animal sacrifices commanded in the Torah for the Day of Atonement. Throughout the ages, while the Temple stood, the High Priest would cast lots for the two goats which were to be offered as sacrifices on Yom Kippur. One lot was for the goat to be sacrificed on the altar, for God -- and the other, goat cast out into the wilderness for the removal of sins [Leviticus 16:7-10]. Traditionally, as the Priest cast the lot, finding it in his right hand was a good omen, indicating that God had accepted the sacrifice. However, if the High Priest drew it in his left hand, this indicated the Lord's displeasure and even rejection of the sacrifice. For the 40 years after the sacrifice of Jesus, the Talmud records that the lot was taken in the left hand of the High Priest. The same result for 40 years, a lot cast into the left hand, carries a statistical probability of 1 in 1,099,511,627,776 -- or one in a trillion chance! There were also other significant miraculous signs described in this tract, that something of major significance had taken place related to the most critical sacrifice in the Temple order. It is clear to both Jews and Messianic believers that God was saying something important to the Jewish people in 30AD; something important enough to be recorded in the Talmud and something which demanded an explanation. Brothers & Sisters, we believe that the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, 40 years after the sacrifice of Jesus, followed a period of testimony and testing for the Jewish people concerning the fact that the sacrificial system had been consummated by Jesus' death on the cross. 40 is a typical number of testing throughout the Bible. While animal sacrifices continued to be offered in the Temple while it stood, and many believing Jews continued to participate in them, it was clear that something new and definitive had opened the way for all people to enter the Holiest place and to know the Lord intimately and personally. Without intending to, the Talmud offers historical support for the significance and reality of the events in 30 AD which consummated the sacrificial system given in the Torah; i.e. the death and resurrection of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, who died for the sins of the whole world. ENTER HIS PRESENCE, YOU ARE COMPLETELY COVERED!

“As we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us…She kept crying out, saying, ‘These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.’ She continued doing this for many days.”Acts 16:16-18

It didn’t take long for Paul to be attacked after he arrived in Philippi, bringing the Gospel to Europe for the first time. Soon after his arrival, a woman named Lydia became the first convert. Everything seemed hopeful. But then Paul and his companions were met by a demon-possessed girl who “kept crying out.” She was on a mission from the enemy to create confusion and steal God’s glory. The girl’s cries implied there was some link between her and the Paul’s message of salvation, between Satan’s demonic kingdom and the Kingdom of God. Finally, after listening to this girl for many days, Paul had enough, and he commanded the evil spirit to leave her. He knew the origin of the girl’s problem wasn’t with her, but with the spirit that possessed her. The root was not a psychological problem but rather a spiritual battle that had to be fought in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul exercised the authority Believers have been given to defeat the enemy…and stop the lies. Satan still prowls around the world. Using lies, he seeks to fool us into believing his ways will lead to success and pleasure, riches and glory. Just as he did with Paul, the devil often follows after Believers, seeking to spread deception and take credit for what belongs to God. He seeks to confuse us about the truth. Brothers & Sisters today, be on the alert and ready! You will be attacked! Make sure you know God’s Word. Remember that you have authority in Jesus’ name over every demonic power. Be bold. Don’t be silent about the Truth. Fight in the Spirit.

"Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion on us, and He will subdue our iniquities. Yes, You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."Micah 7:18-19

We as believers in Jesus, know that true forgiveness doesn't come by doing works, keeping traditions and taking part in beautiful ceremonies. Reconciliation with God comes by truly giving up our lives for His purposes and receiving atonement for our sin through Jesus the Messiah, as the Hebrew scriptures clearly show. We all struggle with sin. Let's take this opportunity to cast it today! Cast it away! The Scripture says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us, cleanse us from all unrighteousness and remove those sins as far as the east is from the west! Brothers & Sisters, let's not be burdened any longer with sin -- confess it and be cleansed! The Lord is in the business of restoration -- let's give Him our lives once again. And let’s pray for God to do a work among the Jewish people. That they would see the truth of their blessed Messiah! CAST YOUR BREAD UPON THE WATERS!

"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips…The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, and each is tested by the praise accorded him.”Proverbs 27:2, 21

It’s natural to want to receive praise. Praise gives us confidence and helps us know if others are pleased with us or disappointed. Praise can encourage us and give us a sense of fulfillment and purpose. But praise also can be a kind of poison. The Bible warns us not to praise ourselves but to let our work speak for itself. We should focus on doing everything as unto the Lord, making sure He is pleased with our attitude, our work, and every other area of our lives. The Bible also warns that we will be tested by the praise we receive. When people compliment us or praise our work, we are tested in the same way metals are heated and tested in a crucible. Unless we are grounded in humility, receiving praise can cause us to lose perspective, becoming proud and overconfident. Yet receiving praise provides us with an opportunity to see our real character and motivation. It shows us whether our goal is to get attention or to serve God. We see Jesus’ attitude toward praise when He came to Jerusalem during the Passover. Intrigued by the signs He had done, “many believed in His name.” But Jesus understood the real nature of this praise. He “was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men.” And He “knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25). He had another opportunity riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9). But within days, the crowds would cry out for Him to be crucified. Brothers & Sisters in your life, remember that people can be fickle. Don’t live for their praise but focus on serving God, doing everything with excellence unto Him. Be His servant, seeking to please Him in everything you do.

“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another.”Galatians 5:16-17

The Bible makes it clear that we have two natures: flesh and spirit. These two natures express themselves in different ways. First, the deeds of the flesh are “evident.” The Greek word here suggests that they can be seen openly. They are so “bright” that they seem to shine. They are “obvious”. We see this nature expressed through our “deeds.” This means anything that results from our labors. Controlled by the flesh, we think about the flesh and things that can be seen—the pleasures and rewards of the world. But, Paul warned, if we focus on doing these things, we “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Why? Because His Kingdom cannot be earned. It is not a business where results are measured in human effort. This Kingdom can be only inherited. The Bible tells us that everything about the Holy Spirit is different. In God’s Kingdom, our focus is not on human effort but on allowing the Spirit to flow through our lives. To realize that His fruit is a natural byproduct of His presence. And His presence cannot be forced or regulated. Our flesh may want to focus on doing “good things.” But God wants us to walk and be led by the Spirit. This means not focusing on what we do, but on the Holy Spirit’s presence. This also means recognizing that we “belong to Christ Jesus,” recognizing that we have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Brothers & Sisters in your life, remember that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50). Seek to live by the Spirit. Allow Him to change you, and let His fruit be expressed through you.

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."1 Corinthians 15:55-58

Every day roughly 150,000 around the world die. Death has a way of raising our spiritual temperature and quickening us to re-evaluate life...especially to ask, "Am I doing all that I can do?" Have you ever heard of how the Nobel Peace Prize originated? Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, awoke one morning in 1888, shocked to discover his own obituary in the morning news. The newspaper had mistakenly printed the story about Alfred, instead of his brother, who had just passed away. As he read his own epitaph, the story of the "Dynamite King", the great industrialist who made an immense fortune from explosives -- Alfred Nobel was rudely awakened to the fact that the world viewed him as a merchant of death! The mistake was not wasted on him. Rather, it served as his wake up call! As he read his obituary with horror, Alfred resolved to make clear to the world his understanding of the true meaning and purpose of his life. So he used his immense fortune to create a foundation which would promote and embody his ideal for world peace...and he is now remembered, not as the "Dynamite King", but the creator of what we know now as the "Nobel Peace Prize." Brothers & Sisters, let's allow this little message to be our wake up call. Let's re-evaluate our lives, look within...and ask ourselves, "Are we truly doing all that we can be doing for the Lord?" Because when this life is finally past, and our deeds are all recorded in the "Books", only what was done with and for the Lord, will last...forever! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE IT!