Attractive Deception - Part 9

Sabbath Summoning

Sabbath Candle Lighting

Satan is a master of disguise. His success lies in his cunning; his evil genius to make darkness appear as light, and light as darkness. Satan understands that most men and women will not openly embrace evil, or declare their affinity to a being that comes only to kill, steal and destroy. The Aleister Crowley’s and Anton LaVey’s of the world (both open disciples of Satan) are few in comparison to those who want to appear good to others. Consequently, the number of people publicly embracing Satan worship are relatively small whereas those involved in Wicca, which portrays itself as “white witchcraft” and whose practitioners style themselves as “workers of light,” are much greater in number. These ones deny that they serve or worship Satan, and many are sincerely ignorant of Wicca’s Luciferian associations.

Similarly, Kabbalah and Freemasonry wear a thin disguise, hiding the fact that their god is in fact Lucifer, that fallen angel who rebelled against Yahweh and was cast out of heaven. Freemasonry intentionally lies to initiates at the lower levels of the Lodge, informing them that Masonry is a “Christian” organization that is not in any measure incompatible with the Lodge member’s church affiliation or beliefs. Similarly, Kabbalah pretends to be compatible with either Judaism or Christianity, depending on the adherent’s core set of beliefs. Only at the highest levels of Kabbalah and Freemasonry is the Luciferian nature of these occult teachings openly declared.

Cloaking themselves with an even more convincing costume, both Talmudic Judaism and Roman Catholicism have persuaded vast numbers that they are the true servants of God and of His Christ, respectively.  Yet if Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Judaism are to be credited with a masterful disguise, an even deeper cover shrouds the apostasy and idolatry of the Messianic and Hebrew Roots movement. They are several layers removed from any direct association with the worship and service of Satan, yet when one patiently peels away the layers of subterfuge they find the same Luciferian doctrines, rites, symbols, and practices present which exist in the more open and readily discoverable forms of Satan worship.

As I began to penetrate the layers of deception that mask the true nature of the rites, symbols and traditions being embraced by many in the Hebrew Roots movement, a surprising revelation unfolded before me. I began to observe that there is a significant attraction to the elements and practices of the Hebrew Roots movement for people who have formerly been engaged in the occult. Whether the individual was a Freemason, a Kabbalist, a practitioner of Wicca (modern witchcraft), or a student and disciple of some similar occult group, these individuals are often attracted to Hebrew Roots without realizing that they are falling into the same Luciferian deception that they now openly renounce and believe they have escaped.

William Schnoebelen, a former Satanist, Wiccan warlock, and high level Freemason has written numerous books on the occult since his conversion to Christianity. He professes to have been a 32nd degree Mason and a Shriner, and shares a photo of himself in his Shriner’s fez as evidence. His book Masonry: Beyond the Light reveals a deep understanding of the rites and doctrines of Freemasonry. He was a member of Anton LaVey’s Satanist church and taught Wicca for 16 years prior to his conversion. When he speaks of the occult he does so with a deep background of its Luciferian secrets.

In the book Masonry: Beyond the Light, Schnoebelen shares the following statements.

Few people, within the Craft of Masonry or otherwise, perceive that just because a Bible lies open on the altar and Bible verses and characters play an important part in the ritual of the Lodge, that this does not prevent the Lodge from being of the nature of the occult or Witchcraft.

This can be illustrated by a very simple illustration. Back in the 1970’s, when I first became a Witch, a very popular how-to book on magic was Raymond Buckland’s “Popular Candle-Burning.” In this book were "recipes" for spells for everything from healing, to love spells, to protection spells. On one set of pages of the book would be a spell for healing, complete with instructions on the burning and movement of certain colored candles. The spell would be a full-blown Witchcraft ritual, Pagan to the core!

On the following pages would be the same ritual, with the same candles, the same instructions. However, the text of the "spell" would be drawn from the Psalms or other Bible verses. These were provided for readers who were a little too squeamish to actually do a Witchcraft incantation, but still wanted results.

Now the question becomes: Even though those rituals were full of Psalms, were they still Witchcraft? Of course, the answer would have to be yes. In like manner, even though Bible phrases and characters abound in the Masonic ritual work, the presence of those elements cannot somehow "sanctify" what is essentially a Pagan ritual full of Witchcraft overtones.
[End Excerpt]

This is a very revealing statement, and it has much to do with our present study. If a person takes a candle-burning ritual from witchcraft and modifies it by replacing the words of the rite with verses of Scripture, or language that resembles Judaism or Christianity, is it still witchcraft? Of course it is.

Schnoebelen refers to a book by Raymond Buckland, but appears to have misquoted the title. It is not Popular Candle-Burning, but rather Practical Candleburning Rituals. A description of this book states “This trusted guidebook by trusted author Raymond Buckland has introduced candle magic to more than 300,000 readers. From winning love to conquering fear, obtaining money to improving relationships, Practical Candleburning Rituals is filled with simple candle rites that get real results. Newly updated and reorganized, this edition includes thirty-seven rituals adapted for Christians and Pagans that can be performed at home with readily available materials.”

Schnoebelen was speaking quite accurately when he stated that there are Wicca spells which have been modified to make them more palatable to Christians. No discerning Christian should be fooled into thinking that this gross admixture of the profane and the holy transforms candle-burning spells and candle magic into an acceptable practice in Yahweh’s eyes. I am reminded of the following passage of Scripture.

Haggai 2:11-14
Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Ask now the priests for a ruling: If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold, or cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?” And the priests answered and said,”No.” Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?” And the priests answered and said, “It will become unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “So is this people. And so is this nation before Me,” declares Yahweh, “and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.”

Adding the Holy Scriptures to a witch’s incantation does not impute holiness to the profane rite. Quite the contrary; By mixing the holy with a work of Satan, that which is holy is profaned. It becomes as that which is detestable and unclean in the sight of Yahweh. I do not doubt that this is an obvious truth to those who are regular readers of my writings. You would not be fooled by such a brazen and overt act of mixing together the works of Satan with the holy words of Yahweh. Yet there are those who do not have the mind of Christ who are ensnared with these deceitful acts of Satan. There are many books sold which are advocating gross uncleanness as they attempt to wed together the holy things of Yahweh with the profane works of Satan. One such book is titled Candle Burning Magic with the Psalms. The sub-title states, “Create life’s greatest blessings by combining the power of the holy Psalms with the magic of burning different colored candles.”

A similar book by the same author is Bible Spells, whose byline states, “Obtain your every desire by activating the secret meaning of hundreds of Biblical verses.” The book contains more information on candle burning, as well as crystal and incense spells “From the Holy Scriptures.”

Are you appalled at the blatant heresy of such practices? Can a Christian or non-Christian use the dark, occult practices of Satan to accomplish the will of God? What is being advocated here is no different than the final act of King Saul’s apostasy as he sought out a woman with a familiar spirit to conjure up the prophet Samuel. It was a detestable act in the sight of Yahweh, and was a tragic end to the rebellious career of a man rejected by God.

What is obviously evil to the sight of spiritual men and women and appropriately rejected as a vile work of darkness, is embraced by many when it wears a different garment. If one removes all language that refers to spells, incantations and magic, and instead uses the language of Judaism and of the Hebrew rabbis, the very same occult rituals are passed off as being acceptable and pleasing to the eyes of Yahweh. Yet, in fact, it is the same witchcraft hiding under a different dress. The Jewish Sabbath ritual of candle lighting, speaking forth ritualistic phrases, with its concomitant motions of the hands, body movements, and elements of wine and food is an act of witchcraft, a summoning of unclean spirits to achieve the desires of the one performing the rite. These practices are being adopted by many Christians who are fooled by the subtlety of Satan. They are enacting Satanic rites while believing they are acting in a manner pleasing and acceptable to Yahweh.

Over the years I have developed a sensitivity to rites, symbols, and traditions that have no clear Biblical precedent. There is no mention anywhere in the Scriptures of Yahweh instructing the Israelites, or of Yahshua commanding His disciples, to observe the Sabbath with candle lighting rituals, with incantations, and with the various traditions that are practiced by orthodox Judaism today. As the previous chapters of this book have revealed through the examination of the Hanukkah celebration, the origin of symbols such as the Star of David, and items such as the kippah, tallit and tefillin, these elements and rites which are extra-Biblical are all traceable back to pagan idolatry and the worship of false deities. They are Luciferian. Men and women who are allured into the false promise of a more authentic practice of Christianity as held forth by the Hebrew Roots movement are in fact falling into apostasy and embracing works of the devil. The Jewish Sabbath rituals are no different.

Young Women Performing Sabbath Candle Ritual

The Jewish Sabbath rituals are set forth in the Talmud and Midrashic texts of the rabbis. Like so much of what appears in these rabbinic writings, they lead the individual away from truth, turning the divine words of Scripture into an evil primer of dark Satanic works. The rabbinic explanations, like those presented to the men in the lower degrees of Freemasonry, are always disingenuous. They lead the participant to engage in profane actions while deceiving them with false explanations of the nature of the rites and symbols they are performing.

We can begin to see the true nature of the Sabbath rituals as we observe the explanations set forth by Kabbalistic and Talmudic Jews today. On the Chabad website, the following explanation is given for the Sabbath candle ritual.

Preparations For Lighting the Candles

Why?

Our Sages give several reasons for the lighting of Shabbat and holiday candles. The two primary reasons are:

1) A setting that encourages stumbling in the darkness is not conducive for the calm and peace that befits the holy Day of Rest.

2) The light of the candles adds to the peaceful ambiance. They demonstrate respect for the holy day, and sustain the atmosphere of oneg (pleasure) that is supposed to define Shabbat...

Who?

The mitzvah to light Shabbat and holiday candles applies to men and women equally. Yet our Sages instituted that the woman of the home should light the candles for the entire household. If she is not home that weekend or if a man lives alone, the man should kindle the candles. If there is an unmarried daughter at home, then the father should light two candles, and the daughter should light her customary one. If there's a married woman in the home, she can light the candles; the man need not do so.

The Sages give several reasons why ideally the woman of the house lights the candles:

1) The woman of the house is the one normally in charge of all that happens in her home - including ensuring that the house is properly lit.

2) The woman is the one who sets the foundation of every Jewish home. It is the woman's primary task to ensure that the home is a domicile where light, peace, and harmony prevail, suffusing it with an atmosphere conducive for spirituality and G-dlinesss.

3) "The candle of G-d is the soul of Man." Eve had a hand in bringing death – the extinguishing of the G-dly candle – into this world, when she convinced her husband, Adam, to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. To compensate for this, the responsibility of lighting the candles was handed to the woman.

The woman of the home lights candles and technically, the entire household – husband, sons, daughters – is covered. A woman's candle-lighting also covers guests who will be eating together with the family and are sleeping in the same home, such as in a guest bedroom. The custom, however, is for every woman and girl, household member and guest alike, to light her own candle (candles, if post-marriage), starting from the age when she can recite the blessing.
[Source: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/110392/jewish/Why-What-Who-and-Where.htm]

Let me remind the reader again that these explanations are for those who are deemed “profane,” unworthy to have disclosed to them the true Luciferian doctrine. Why are women given the primary role in the candle-lighting rituals? The true reason is that the entire Sabbath observance is one extended ritual for summoning the goddess spirit into the home of the participants. For this reason, it is the woman who is given the role of leading in this ritual. In truth, this fact of summoning the goddess into the home is not a hidden matter. It is plainly disclosed to any who take the time to study the origin and meanings of the Sabbath rituals. On another page of the Chabad website we find the following information.

Why Do Women Wave Their Hands Over the Shabbat Candles?

After lighting the Shabbat candles, women traditionally wave their hands three times in front of the candles, semi-circular inward-leading hand motions. The hand waving is a symbolic greeting for the "Shabbat Queen," ushering her holy presence into the home. After the third wave, the hands end up over the eyes, and the woman recites the blessings on the candles.
[Source: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/674406/jewish/Why-do-women-wave-their-hands-over-the-Shabbat-candles.htm]

Brothers and sisters, what is being described here is a summoning of unclean spirits into the home. The “Shabbat Queen” is known to the Orthodox Jews as Shabbat Hamalka. At the Encyclopedia Mythica website the following information is provided about this being which is invited into the home and souls of those who perform the Jewish Sabbath rituals.

Shabbat Hamalka

by Ilil Arbel, Ph.D.
Among the goddesses representing either the female side of Yahweh or his consorts, such as Asherah, Shekhina, Anath, and Lilith, Shabbat Hamalka has a unique personality and origin. Her myth strongly influenced Jewish thought, and contributed to the strength of home and family that had improved the odds for physical and spiritual Jewish survival.

The name means Queen of the Sabbath, and the entity is the personification of the Jewish day of rest, Saturday. She still possesses a prominent position in Judaic mythology. For example, Israeli children, even in completely nonreligious surroundings, still sing songs to her every Friday afternoon (in Hebrew "Erev Shabatt" meaning the Sabbath Eve) before the Queen "descends" from Heaven to grace the world for twenty-four hours. When the Jews started their return to Palestine, long before the state of Israel was declared, new mythology had to be created or recreated. Shabbat Hamalka, prominent and romantic, was one of the first candidates. The great National Poet Chaim Nachman Bialik, who was an expert on folklore and mythology, had a lot to do with preserving the image of the Queen in the renewed home of the Jewish People. He invented "Oneg Shabbat," meaning "Sabbath Joy," and combined the customs of group study, festive dinner, lectures, and singing of both old and new songs. The custom spread to the United States and is still observed by many.

Her origin is extremely ancient, and as the centuries rolled, Shabbat Hamalka acquired magical qualities, combining the character of Queen, Bride, and Goddess. In addition, she took on strong erotic/romantic and cosmic/spiritual significance. The usual Judaic connections to Akkadian myths exist in her image, because the word Shabbat resembles the name of the Akkadian feast of the full moon, Shabbatu. The romantic character of the two holidays also had much in common. For example, marital intercourse on Friday night was considered a sacred duty, exactly like the sacred sexual activity during Shabbatu. However, the Akkadians never had a weekly day of rest - the idea seems to start in the second chapter of Genesis.

In the thundering, dramatic first chapter of Genesis, God spends six days engaged in the creation of the world. In chapter 2, the story continues in a gentler fashion: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." (King James Version)...

Some Judaic ancient sects put a different interpretation on the Sabbath, but for traditional Judaism, it was a day of glowing joy from the very first. The general prohibition to work, mentioned in the Bible, was expanded in the Talmud, which listed all the forbidden activities with its usual thoroughness. It solidified the strong attachment between the Jews and the Sabbath by emphasizing that God forgave sinful, even wicked individuals if at least they loved and honored his Day of Rest.

It described the need for beauty and order in the home on the Eve of the Sabbath in almost poetic terms -- so different from the charmingly prosaic, matter-of-fact attitude the Talmud usually adopts. Most important, one passage in the Talmudic literature (describing events in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE) already shows the early personification of Shabbat Hamalka: "Rabbi Hanina used to wrap himself in festive clothes towards evening on Friday and say: 'Come, let us go to receive Shabbat the Queen.' Rabbi Yannai used to put on festive clothes on the eve of the Sabbath and say: 'Come, O bride, come, O bride!' "

In a Midrashic passage the image develops: "Rabbi Shimeon Ben Yohai said: The Sabbath said before God: 'Master of the worlds! Each day has its mate, but I have none! Why?' The Holy One, Blessed be He, answered her: 'The Community of Israel is your mate.' And when Israel stood before Mount Sinai, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: 'Remember what I told the Sabbath: 'The Community of Israel is your mate.' Therefore, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."

Up to this point, she already embodied both Bride and Queen. The Cabbalists, however, developed the myth to its full spiritual and romantic capacity and infused it with mystical, cosmic meaning...

During this time, the gender of the Sabbath was debated, based on two verbs used in two versions of the Fourth Commandment. In Exodus, the Commandment declares "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." In Deuteronomy, the Commandment declares "Observe (or Keep, in some versions) the Sabbath day to keep it holy." The Zohar equates "Observe" with the female side of the Sabbath, and "Remember" with the male side, thus giving the Sabbath both genders. This is not as paradoxical as it sounds, if one compares it to the description of Shekhina, who is at the same time the female aspect of Yahweh Himself -- and his wife. Duplicate divine personas happen often in Judaism, because it combines a strong patriarchal outlook with an equally powerful presence of the Goddess. So the male side of the Sabbath came to be associated with "Yesod," the male principle of God in the Kabbalah, and the female side associated with Shekhina, who is Queen, representative of the Community of Israel, and Bride of God. This allowed Shabbat Hamalka to become the Bride of Yesod, or simply put, the Bride of God. It also intensified the distinctiveness of a glorious female entity, ready to be worshiped.

She must be received in style. A paragraph in the Zohar starts: "One must prepare a comfortable seat with several cushions and embroidered covers, from all that is found in the house, like one who prepares a canopy for a bride. For the Sabbath is a queen and a bride. This is why the masters of the Mishna used to go out on the eve of Sabbath to receive her on the road, and used to say: 'Come, O bride, come, O bride!' And one must sing and rejoice at the table in her honor ... one must receive the Lady with many lighted candles, many enjoyments, beautiful clothes, and a house embellished with many fine appointments ..."

On Friday night, all the men, representing Yesod, went to receive the Bride in the open fields around town. The poetry they recited for the ritualistic greeting included many allusions to the "Sacred Apple Orchard," a mystical place where God and his consort Shekhina celebrated their union and conceived the Souls of the Just. The connection to Ashera, who was always worshiped in glades and groves, is obvious.

Each man returned home to be received by his wife, who represented the Shekhina/Shabbat. All other females of the household were also honored on Friday evening. The husband picked up branches of myrtle, the symbol of marriage which was always prepared for weddings as well. He then recited Chapter 31, Verses 10-31 of the Book of Proverbs, describing the "Woman of Valor," and relating the verse mystically to both his wife and Shabbat Hamalka, thus merging their images for the evening in a cosmic/spiritual context. The ritual and festive meal continued well into the night, leading to the hour of midnight, when it was considered a spiritual duty to retire and have a sacred sexual union between husband and wife. Midnight was chosen because according to Kabbalistic tradition, this was the exact time when the highest aspects of the male and the female sides of the godhead performed their own union...

At the end of the day, the men assembled again, usually at the rabbi's house, for the "Melaveh Malka" ritual, meaning "Farewell to the Queen." The ceremony included singing songs in her honor, eating and drinking, and a lecture or discussion. The Queen then departed and the work week, full of hardship and sometimes suffering, was about to begin again. The entire community, however, was always keenly aware that Shabbat Hamalka would never be away from them for more than six days.
[Source: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/shabbat_hamalka.html]

Sabbath Queen Being Worshiped by the Jews

Does it surprise you that the Jews today worship the goddess just as they did in the Old Testament when they embraced the idolatrous worship of Asherah? It should not. The Roman Catholics give profound attention to “the Queen of Heaven” under the guise of venerating Mary, the mother of Christ. Why should not the Jews worship this same goddess under a different guise, pretending that she is a manifestation of the female attributes of Yahweh? Even the Protestant Christians give unwitting homage to the Queen of Heaven as they annually account Easter as their most holy day. Easter is an Anglicization of the name Ishtar which itself is a transliteration of the Akkadian/Babylonian/Chaldean name of the goddess which the Bible identifies as Astarte and Ashtoreth.

Judges 2:11-13
 The People of Israel did evil in God's sight: they served Baal-gods; they deserted God, the God of their parents who had led them out of Egypt; they took up with other gods, gods of the peoples around them. They actually worshiped them! And oh, how they angered God  as they worshiped god Baal and goddess Astarte!
[THE MESSAGE Bible]

I Kings 11:5-6
For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and did not follow Yahweh fully, as David his father had done.

Jeremiah 7:18
“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out libations to other gods in order to spite Me.”

Present on the table, or altar where the Sabbath candles are located, one will also find these same symbols mentioned by Jeremiah. There is the cup of wine corresponding to the libations offered to the Queen of Heaven, and there is the Challah bread which accords with the dough which was kneaded and baked into cakes for the queen of heaven.

Sabbath Table

If one takes the time to inquire where these traditions arose, and they examine the Scriptures to verify that they contain no precedent for these Sabbath rituals, then one must look elsewhere. Although it is well known that practitioners of witchcraft place candles and a chalice on their sacred altars, few Christians or Jews today can see through the cloak of deception that lies upon these rabbinic practices to recognize the telltale signs of their occult origins.

A website devoted to the promotion of the modern practice of Wicca describes the following items which are commonly found on the witch’s altar.

Chalice
The Wiccan chalice is one of the most important altar tools. It signifies the Mother Goddess. As such, it is a "yin" altar tool...

Silver is always nice for Goddess tools - a silver chalice is a perfect Wiccan chalice...

The Wiccan chalice is used for ceremonial drink, offering libations to the Divine...

Libation Dish
A small dish, bowl, or cup can go in the centre, ready to receive offerings for the gods and goddesses.
You can also use your altar chalice or cauldron for this purpose...

Offerings
When you would honour the Divine with a gift of thanks or prayer, you can bring them to the Altar as an offering. Often flowers are kept on the altar as an offering. Anything that is beautiful or special to you, or symbolic of the purpose for the offering, can be offered.

Scent or Feather
Some representation of air, commonly something scented like incense, essential oils, or smudges, or else a flying bird's feather goes in the East, to represent Air. Sacred scents are used to cleanse an area energetically, call in certain powers, or help witches shift consciousness.
[Source: http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/altar-tools.html]

The image above of a Jewish Sabbath table could easily be that of a Wiccan altar. The chalice, the candles, the flowers are all present. At the close of the Sabbath the Jews conduct what is called a Havdalah ritual. Part of this ritual includes a small libation dish containing spice. It is explained that this ritual is to involve all five senses of the human body, but once again we find that the presence of scent/spice on the altar/table perfectly aligns with the practice of witchcraft. During the Havdalah rite the Jews pour any leftover wine which is in the kiddush cup into a small dish as they hold their hands up extended toward the flame of the candle. Many do not know they are reenacting the pouring out of a libation to the Queen of Heaven.

Havdalah Elements

As the article on Shabbat Hamalka stated, the goddess is associated with sex and fertility. The rabbis admonished men to perform their sexual duty to their wives at midnight on the Sabbath, an hour that is sacred to witches and Satanists. One dominant form of Satanism is called Sex Magick. The act of sexual intercourse is believed to raise the spiritual powers of the practitioners and invite the spirits being conjured to manifest more powerfully. Thus we see that the entire Sabbath becomes one extended act of ritual magic. The fact is not overlooked that the rabbis in the Talmud state that the Sabbath candles should be lit 18 minutes before sunset, the number 18 being 6+6+6.

There is a direct relationship between the presence of the candles and the sex act. William Schnoebelen draws out the relationship as he comments on the relationship between Freemasonry and Witchcraft.

9. Both [Freemasonry and Witchcraft] have a ceremonial un-hoodwinking of the candidate, following the oath, before lighted candles which is intended to bring "illumination..."

A. Both Witches and Masons revere the powers of human reproduction (albeit most Masons do so unknowingly). The most obvious example of this is the use of the ceremonial Masonic apron, which covers the "Holy of Holies" of Freemasonry, the male groin area...

B. The authorities of Freemasonry, most notably Albert Pike, 33° and Manly P. Hall, 33° (both occultists par excellance) write that the essential, underlying philosophy of Freemasonry is Kabbalism and Gnosticism. Kabbalism is a system of Jewish mysticism and magic and is the foundational element in modern Witchcraft.

Virtually all of the great Witches and sorcerers of this century were Kabbalists. Gnosticism is an ancient, anti-Christian heresy best summarized by the statement: "One is saved by acquiring secret, unknown knowledge (Greek: gnosis)." Thus, all mystery religions, including Witchcraft and Masonry are, per force, Gnostic in character.

C. Both Witches and Freemasons seek salvation through "illumination" or receiving "The Light."
[Ibid]

Illumination and reproduction are significant themes of Freemasonry, Kabbalah, Wicca, and other occult practices. The candle represents the illumination that Lucifer, the Light Bringer, bequeaths to mankind. He is the Greek god Prometheus bringing the fire of divine knowledge to mankind. He seeks to be worshiped as a great benefactor to humanity who has been unjustly and cruelly punished by the God of heaven and earth.

The letter G at the center of the Masonic symbol stands for both the Generative act of reproduction, and for Gnosis, or the impartation of knowledge. Not surprisingly, the rabbis laid emphasis on both sex and illumination as they set forth the rituals to be observed on the Jewish Sabbath, for Freemasonry is merely another manifestation of Hebrew Kabbalah. One of the most revered of the Jewish rabbis (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria) is referred to as “The Ari.” He is known as “the father of contemporary Kabbalah.” Following is the meaning of the candle as attributed to him. Although the article mentions the Hanukkah candles, it applies equally to the Sabbath candles.

The power of the candle
The Ari explains that when we light the Hanukkah candles, we draw spiritual light into our material world which can help us to live a better life and to nourish us with this power to help overcome obstacles of routine. The Hannukiya is lit not to commemorate the historical miracles and events, but rather to help us make a spiritual connection to the light that is revealed...

Kabbalah teaches us to use a candle to bridge the gap between the spiritual and material world. When we want to connect to a spiritual force that we cannot perceive with our five senses, lighting a candle helps us to do this. The candles of Shabbat and Holidays connect us to the spiritual light of that moment. A Yahrzeit (Memorial) candle connects us to the soul of the deceased which no longer is manifested in the material world. A candle is used also during meditation as a connection to spiritual frequencies that we may not be able to connect to otherwise.
[Source: http://www.livekabbalah.org/index.php/home/gates-in-time/holidays/hanukkah/]

Brothers and sisters, this understanding of the ritual use of the candle is identical to that embraced by practitioners of witchcraft and Satanism. The candle is used to invoke spirits, to create a bridge between the spiritual and material world. Understand that the rabbis who set forth the rites to be observed on the Jewish Sabbath had rejected Yahshua as the Messiah and as the Son of God. They manifested an anti-Christ spirit. They called darkness light, and called the light darkness. That which they esteemed as “light” was in fact the gross darkness of Lucifer. As the Jews perform the Sabbath rituals weekly they are inviting the wisdom of Lucifer under the guise of the feminine Queen of Heaven into their homes.

One tradition of the rabbis is to leave the doors of the home open, or to turn and face the door, as one is reciting the Sabbath prayer and inviting the Sabbath Queen to enter the home. Brothers and sisters, let it be recognized that this is a summoning. It matters not whether the summoning employs some phrase recognized as ritual magic, or whether it is quoting a passage from the Scriptures. Witchcraft is being performed.

In closing this chapter I mention with some regret that William Schnoebelen, after having been converted to Christianity and repenting of his former associations as a Druid priest, a Wiccan Warlock, a Freemason, a Satanist, and a Mormon elder, fell into the subtle trap of the Hebrew Roots movement back in the late 1980s. He began wearing the kippah in 2001 and now is recognized as a rabbi under the authority of Ed Nydle of B’nai Avraham, a Two-House Hebrew Roots congregation. Following is a statement on the website of B’nai Avraham.

Our community seeks to engage in open interactive dialogue and stay on the cutting edge of traditional teachings of the sages of ancient Yisrael and Yahshua HaMashiach. We incorporate the TaNaK, Brit Chadashah, Talmud, Midrash, Zohar, and Kabbalah in all our discussions. We encourage questions and free thinking in our studies.
[Source: http://www.bnaiavraham.net/index2.html]

The TaNaK is the Old Testament of the Bible. The Brit Chadashah is the New Testament. If the statement had stopped there, there would be far less reason for concern. However, they add to their sources of inspiration the Talmud and Midrash of the apostate rabbis, and the Zohar which is the primary document of Kabbalah. Having climbed out of the ditch on one side of the road, Mr. Schnoebelen fell headlong into the ditch on the other side. He is right back where he started, observing Luciferian practices such as Hanukkah and wearing the kippah while being led into error by apostate Jews who denied the deity of the Son of God. Such is the cunning of Satan. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Heart4God Updates

Although it has been ten days since my last blog post, much has been going on behind the scenes. About 3 months ago I made it a priority to expand the Parables Bookshelf Newsletters. These newsletters were created as a means to distribute my books and other writings to men in prison. When I first created the newsletters in 2010 there were 88 editions which comprised 14 of my early books and some shorter writings. I usually send the newsletters out in a certain order to each person who requests to be added to the mailing list. Each man in prison receives one newsletter per week.

Because it takes less than 2 years to receive the entire series, and I had been sending them out for 4 years, I had a growing number of men in prison who were writing to request more writings. Some of these men are in for life terms, and many have lengthy sentences of one to three decades.

Back in December I converted the book Dragon Flood to newsletter format. This being a relatively long book, it required 10 newsletters to contain it all. I immediately began sending out these newsletters to men who had exhausted all the newsletters I had previously created. This effectually doubled the number of men I send newsletters out to each week. Ten weeks have now passed, and the book Dragon Flood has been distributed to these men in prison. It tended to be a very popular series of writings, getting passed around widely by the men who were receiving the newsletters. Consequently, I have had more than a dozen additional men in prison write to me in the past 3 months asking to be added to the Parables Bookshelf mailing list.

I do all of my own printing on a Brother HL4150-CDN color laser printer. I have gone through a prodigious amount of consumables in the past ten weeks as I have had to refill or replace toner cartridges repeatedly (the printer has 4 separate cartridges). I have gone through dozens of reams of printing paper. I had replaced my printer at the start of this ten week period, and last week the image drum gave out. It is rated at 25,000 pages before needing replacement, and I had surpassed that number of pages printed in this ten week period.

I received a replacement this morning, loaded up all my toner cartridges, restocked on paper, and am now ready to begin the cycle all over again. I spent a couple of days in marathon sessions at the computer as I converted the book Foundations to newsletter format. This is the longest book I have written. It is 346 pages in my wordprocessing program. It required 15 newsletters to contain all 19 chapters of the book. That gives me nearly four more months of material to send to men in prison. I will be printing the first newsletter in the series later today.

If you have ever considered sharing the writings on the Heart4God and Parables websites with others, the newsletters are an ideal format to use for those who do not have Internet access or who find reading online difficult. There are now 16 books in newsletter format (I have 4 more books to convert to this format). You can find all 113 newsletters, including Dragon Flood and Foundations, available online as PDF files at the following link:

http://heart4god.ws/newsletters.htm

I believe Yahweh and Yahshua see this ministry to men in prison as one of the most important works they have called me to labor at. I generally set aside one day a week for printing newsletters and prepping them for mailing. I receive mail from men in prison on a weekly basis and correspond with a number of them. I have been impressed with the deep spiritual hunger of many of these men. Prisons in America are wretched places full of spiritual darkness. Men in prison who have been quickened to the reality of Yahshua and the light and life He brings are often desperate to receive sound spiritual teaching that will nourish their spirit man and supply them with some needed understanding, encouragement, peace, and hope. Numerous exhortations are found in the Bible admonishing the saints to remember those who are in prison.

Hebrews 13:3
Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

Yahweh graciously granted me the opportunity to twice be held behind prison bars that I might know the plight of the prisoner. It was these experiences that led to the creation of these newsletters which have been a source of great encouragement for many men. I am deeply grateful for my brothers and sisters in the Lord who make it possible for me to carry forth this work as they send financial gifts. I would encourage such ones by reminding them of the following words of Scripture.

Matthew 25:36, 40
"I was in prison, and you came to Me... Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."

Matthew 10:42
"And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward."

For blog subscribers who have not visited the Heart4God website, I would inform you that there is also a Book page on the website. You can read, download, or print out all of my books there. They are available in PDF format. They are offered free of charge with no registration required.

I also added 5 more writings to the Articles page of the Heart4God website. Two of these writings were posted as a series on the Parables blog and can now be downloaded or accessed in a single file on the Articles page. These serial writings are Double Jeopardy and Deception, both of which were very popular with readers.

The three other writings which have been added to the site are:

What's the Big Deal About Christmas

Interracial Relationships

The Orderly Procession of the Spirit and the Gift of Tongues

There is an Audio page as well where nearly 100 messages can be listened to. And if you want to simply view some photos I have taken along the way as I have journeyed across the land, you can find them at the Photos page of the website.

I have additionally taken some time of late to make some progress toward getting my solar panels mounted atop my bus. I had a local man stop by who welded the solar tracker to the roof deck of my bus. This solar tracker that Jeff Higdon, a brother in Christ, fabricated for me, will hold my four solar panels and allow for them to rotate with the movement of the sun throughout the day.

Getting the Solar Tracker Base Welded to the Roof

Solar Tracker Assembled and Painted

I still have to purchase a couple of linear actuators to control the motion of the tracker and install the electronics which will keep the panels aligned with the Sun. Then I have to finish the wiring on the roof and mount the solar panels. It is coming along and before too long I hope to be reporting that it is fully functional.

The grass is growing again here in Georgia and I have already had to mow the lawn. I need to get out a while this evening and cut some more. I also need to complete the book I have begun on the Hebrew Roots movement. It is good to have plenty to do.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days,

Joseph Herrin

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Home Improvements and Faith Works

Joseph Herrin (03-14-2015)

Kristin Delivering Solar Tracking Mount

Back in September of 2014 I wrote about the Lord giving me much grace to revamp and upgrade the solar auxiliary power system in my bus/motorhome. I did a complete redesign of my first rudimentary efforts for solar power in The Dreamer. I kept the four original solar panels I had purchased a couple years previously, each panel being rated at 140 watts per hour for a total of 560 watts per hour. I upgraded my battery bank so that I now have 459 amp hours of storage. The redesign included a much more capable inverter to convert the 12 volt DC power from my battery bank to 110 volt AC power to run various appliances as needed. It also included an upgraded solar charge controller which takes the incoming power from the four panels and charges up the battery bank, insuring the batteries are charged efficiently while protecting them from being overcharged. New wiring, connectors, and a Tri-Metric battery monitor rounded out the new system. The details can be found in the following posts which comprise the series I titled Solar Ruminations.

Solar Ruminations
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/solar-ruminations.html

If At First You Don’t Succeed
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/solar-ruminations-if-at-first-you-dont.html

In Defense of Austerity
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/solar-ruminations-in-defense-of.html

Alternative Living
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/solar-ruminations-alternative-living.html

More Methods of Alternative Living
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/solar-ruminations-more-methods-of.html

Some Assembly Required
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/solar-ruminations-some-assembly-required.html

This last writing which was posted on October 14, 2014, exactly five months ago, left off with all of the internal preparations completed on my solar power system. The final task, and a major one, which was left, was to design and fabricate a mount for my four solar panels which will be installed on the roof of my bus where a rear deck is located. The mount would allow the panels to track with the sun so they would produce the maximum amount of electricity each day. It would include both horizontal and vertical tracking. This job proved to be beyond my personal skill set and tools, as it would require metal working and welding. I was blessed when a brother in Idaho (Jeff Higdon) heard of my plans and graciously volunteered to fabricate what I needed.

As many such jobs turn out, there was much more time, material, and labor involved than Jeff and I initially envisioned, but Jeff persevered, taking every available moment of free-time he had to work on the project, and yesterday it arrived by truck-line at my daughter’s place of business. (The plywood crate with the tracker inside weighed 210 lbs., and was much more economical to ship to a business location with a loading dock than it would have been to deliver it to the location where I have my bus parked.) Kristin was able to borrow her employer’s company truck and fulfill the last leg of this relay.

During the five months of waiting for the tracking mount to be fabricated I researched the electronics which I would need to control the tracker. I wrote about acquiring this necessary component back in January of this year.

News From the Homefront
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/news-from-homefront.html

Solar Stalker STA-1000

This nifty package is manufactured by a man in North Carolina. It includes a light sensor which can detect whether the panels are aligned directly with the sun. It has a control box which is programmable. It also includes an anemometer (wind speed sensor) and can be programmed to position the panels in a flat position when the wind reaches a certain threshold speed. This will minimize exposure to wind forces and prevent damage to the system.

All that is left to purchase are two linear actuators which are the motorized components which will accomplish the actual vertical and horizontal movement of the system. I needed to wait until the tracking mount arrived in order to take precise measurements to know what size linear actuators I would need. The actuator has an arm that extends and retracts, accomplishing the necessary movement of the solar tracking system.

A Linear Actuator

My daughter informed me of a young man who lives only 3 miles from my location who does welding and fabrication. He has agreed to come by Monday and weld a steel plate to my roof deck to insure that I have a solid foundation for the solar tracker. Hopefully, he will also be able to weld the base of the tracker to the steel plate. The rest of the work of assembly and wiring I should be able to accomplish myself.

This past week Jonathan, a brother in Christ, came to visit me. I was blessed to have him stay for four days. I had thought his visit might coincide with the arrival of my solar tracker, as Jonathan is very eager to help me with any projects I am working on. The last time he was here, Jonathan helped me with the expansion of the mailing list for men in prisons, assisting in the printing, and preparation for mailing of hundreds of newsletters. I did take advantage of Jonathan’s presence as he was once again eager to help out.

My tankless hot water heater (which I have had mounted outside the bus because it runs on propane and was not made for indoor use) had frozen up during a cold snap we had here in Georgia. The freeze burst some of the internal plumbing, destroying the unit. This was the second, or third time this had occurred, so I looked for a better solution this time. I found a very similar tankless hot water heater which was advertised as “ventless.” It was safe to mount inside and did not require a vent to the outside. However, it did require placement in a well ventilated room.

I mounted the tankless hot water heater inside the shower which is convenient as it allows access to the controls for water volume and temperature. My bathroom is quite small, and very tight. It had no ventilation, and moisture build-up when taking hot showers has been a problem as it would leave the walls damp with condensation and the medicine cabinet mirror fogged up. It would not be good to run a propane heater in the bathroom without ventilation.

Tankless Water Heater in the Shower

To provide ventilation in the bathroom, I purchased a pair of louvered vent covers to mount on my bathroom door. Jonathan took the door down for me and cut a hole in the lower portion which we covered with the louvers.

Bathroom Door (lower half)

I found a through-the-wall vent with a 12 volt fan to mount in the bathroom. It is sold for vans as a roof mounted vent and fan combo. However, I could not mount anything through the bathroom roof as the deck where my solar panels will be mounted is located over the bathroom. Consequently, I chose to go through the wall over the bus’ back door.

Outside View of Vent (Rear of Bus)

The vent has a rain cap outside that can be raised and lowered, or, when wall mounted, extended and retracted. You simply push a handle which opens the vent outside and then push a button which starts the 12 volt fan.

Jonathan Modeling the New Fan/Vent

I am very pleased with how the new vent has worked out. I have tested it by taking a hot shower with the bathroom door shut. There was no moisture on the walls, and the mirror was not fogged in the least. This should cut down on moisture in the bus considerably.

Close-up of Exhaust Vent

Of course, Jonathan’s stay wasn’t all work. We had some wonderful times of fellowship. I had introduced him to the local Mennonite restaurant on his previous visit, and we were able to enjoy some good food there together once more. Jonathan is also a regular runner. On two occasions he took Champ with him on his daily runs. Champ is now his friend forever.

Recently, I have been hearing of numerous testimonies of Yahweh’s faithfulness in the lives of His children who place their trust in Him. The manner in which Yahweh provides for my life is certainly remarkable, but it is typical of that remnant of believers who follow Yahshua wherever He leads and who place their lives in His hands. I received the following remarkable testimony from Randy and Kathy Furman who reside in the Arizona desert on 40 acres.

Dear Joseph,

Just wanted to share a little of what has been going on with us lately.

We were able to pass along part of the blessing that you sent to us. Last Tuesday on our way to town we saw a man near the entrance to the Love's truck stop. It looked like he might have been wanting a ride to town so we stopped to offer him one. He said that he was headed in the opposite direction and was just trying to get a little money for some food for himself and his son. He motioned to a small tent just off the road and said that he and his son were traveling and heading home to Texas. We didn't have any money on us. We were actually on our way to withdraw some from the PayPal donation you sent. We also needed to run some errands and do some grocery shopping.

One of the things we had to do in town was pick up a mattress and drop it off at Goodwill. This was in exchange for several bookcases that were given to us. We didn't know that all of the second hand stores had a new health regulation that prevented them from accepting donations of mattresses. So we were stuck with a mattress in the bed of our truck. We didn't have a need for it but it was a nice twin size mattress so we figured that we would take it home.

We did our grocery shopping and picked up a large bag of trail mix, some granola bars and bottled water for the man at the truck stop. Trying to think of things that would have a high nutritional value and be easy to pack along. When we got back to the truck stop the man had been joined by a second. We assumed it was the son. We gave them the food and some cash. And they said they were trying to get to US93 to head south to Wickenburg. Well, that is the exit that we get off on when we head home, so we offered to take them there. As we drove, they shared that they were trying to get back home to El Paso. Since they were walking and hitchhiking they had to stay off the main interstates because they are not allowed to walk along the shoulder of an interstate. They had to stick with state or county roads and avoid large metropolitan areas like Phoenix.

It was a cold, cloudy day and just as we approached the turn out to drop them off, it started to rain and sleet. The place where they would have been standing to try to get a ride had no shelter and it was 30 miles to the next town. We couldn't leave them there. We asked if they would like to come home with us and stay the night since it was getting late and the weather was bad. We live just 2 miles from that location. They said yes. Just as we turned the truck around and started toward home, the rain stopped.

When we got home they helped unload the mattress. They had been on the road for over 2 weeks and had not had showers. They only had the clothes on their backs. They took showers and Richard, 51, said he felt human again. Robert (about 25 years old) was not actually Richard's son, but he had taken him under his wing when his real parents kicked him out. I think Robert might have had a bit of autism. Both men were very polite and very appreciative.

A month or so ago we had a little extra money so I bought a 12 pack of socks for Randy, knowing that he would need them soon. The day before we picked up Richard and Robert, I had opened the pack and taken them to the Laundromat to wash. So we had clean, brand new socks to give them. They threw their old ones away because they were in such bad shape.

We fixed supper and afterwards they got on their computer (they had a laptop with them) to try and figure out the best route to El Paso. As Randy and I heard the challenges that would be involved in their getting around Phoenix we wondered how we could help. So, while they were in the other room discussing their options, we checked Greyhound to see if maybe we could help with tickets, but they were way out of our reach. Even if they stayed for a week to get the lowest faire it would still have been over $120 each. We placed it back in the Father's hands and asked Him to show us what we could do.

After that the four of us visited for a while. They shared a bit about themselves and we were able to share some spiritual things with them. After that Randy was on line for a little while looking on Craigslist. He was looking for additional water containers to catch rainwater for the garden and fruit trees. Right now we have 2 that hold 300 gallons each, one that holds about 100 and several 55 gallon drums. When the rain comes they fill up quickly and it is so sad to see the overflow running out on the ground. There were several different size containers listed, but the prices were pretty high. Randy explained to Richard the reason for wanting a holding tank for more water. (Randy and Kathy do not have public water lines available at their location, and drilling a well is prohibitively expensive (I think around $30,000). So they truck in water for home use and catch rainwater for their gardens and outdoor needs.)

Then we let the men relax while we drove down to check the mail. The mailbox is about a mile down the road. As we drove, the Father showed us that we could drive the men down to Florence Junction. That would get them through the last major city, Phoenix, between here and El Paso. It is about 240 miles south, so we would be traveling close to 500 miles. But the Father provided a Toyota van for us over a year ago that gets pretty good gas mileage and there was enough left from what you sent to cover the fuel. So we knew that this was what He would have us do.

When we got back home we told Richard and Robert the plan, but they would have to stay an additional day because we had several things that we had to do the next day. It sounded like a good idea to them so they decided to stay an additional day. The mattress that we brought home came in handy. We put it on the living room floor and Richard slept on it. Robert slept on the couch. Yahweh knew that we would need an extra bed and He provided.

The next morning Randy went to help a neighbor who was moving a double wide trailer. He brought Richard and Robert along to help. Another neighbor, Marvin, was also there helping. Marvin said to Randy, "Hey, I really appreciate all the things you have done to help me. I have a water tank that I'd like to give to you." It is a 1,700 gallon water tank that would cost about $1,000. It was an answer to prayer. But the neatest thing was that Richard knew that Randy was looking for a tank and he was able to see Yahweh provide it the very next day. After that, Randy took them in to town and went to the Goodwill store. He was able to get them both some pants and shoes. Robert had walked holes in the pair that he was wearing. That night we had a wonderful time of sharing the truth of the Gospel, the love of God and the miracles of how He provides for all of our needs. They were very open to listen because they had experienced it with us.

The next day we drove them down to Apache Junction. After dropping them off we stopped in Mesa where Randy's cousin lives. Mike has several citrus trees that were covered with fruit so we were able to pick about 200 lbs of grapefruit, oranges and lemons. We brought them home to share with neighbors. The excess we will take to the flea market to sell. It was around 2:30 P.M. when we finished picking the fruit and we were ready to head home, but Mike and his wife wanted to take us out to eat. That was a blessing. We didn't realize how hungry we were till we sat down to eat. We had left home early in the morning and had not eaten all day. It was a delicious meal. Once again we thanked the Father for His provision.

The next couple of days Randy was busy working on a neighbor's roof.  When he was done with that he went to start working on digging out the water container.  The tank was dry, but it was buried 5 feet down.  The dimensions of the tank were about 12 ft long x 5 1/2 ft wide x 5 ft tall.  He had to dig down 5 feet by hand all the way around the tank.  He had help from one neighbor on the digging - that was Ken who is about 72 years old.  Once the tank was free, Marvin was able to lift it up with his tractor and put it on a trailer for Randy to drive it home.

One of the covers was cracked and because it was at ground level many lizards, mice and other desert creatures had fallen into it and met their demise.  It was also home to many black widows.  So it needed to be cleaned out.  Randy lowered a step stool into the tank and I suited up with mask, gloves, scarf and long sleeves.  Ewwwww! 

But all went well. Sometimes a blessing requires a bit of co-laboring from us.  It was well worth the effort.  :-)

Be blessed and keep in touch.

Love, Randy and Kathy

I found this to be a remarkable testimony, and I wanted to share it for a couple of reasons. One is to encourage the faith of Yahweh’s sons and daughters who are either walking in dependence upon the Father’s provision and care for them now, or who are sensing the call to do so. The time is at hand when all will be required to either look to Yahweh for all of their provision, or turn to the Beast System of this world government to supply what they need to survive. Many Christians will choose the Beast System out of fear and a lack of faith in Yahweh. The consequences will be disastrous as the next testimony I will share demonstrates.

I also wanted to declare what the proper attitude is that Yahweh would have His people manifest in relation to money. I have known Randy and Kathy for many years. The first time I physically sat down with them was in 2003 and we have had much interaction since then. There have been many times when they sent financial gifts to me, oftentimes meeting some pressing need in my life which they were unaware of. Yahweh has at times allowed me to do the same for them. As this testimony they wrote demonstrates, when they receive a gift, they do not automatically assume that it is to be spent exclusively on their own needs. They look to the Father to show them how the money is to be spent. They take delight in ministering to the needs of others, and often do so even when they are spending the last dollar they have on hand. They trust that Yahweh will supply their needs as they present themselves as a willing channel of His blessing to care for the needs of others.

This is the same attitude the Spirit of Christ has directed me to have with the resources He sends my way. You will not find on my websites any merchandise page, nor any gimmicks where I am enlisting the help of “ministry partners,” binding people to make pledges of support monthly, or at various intervals. Yahweh has told me that as I go where He says go, and do what He directs me to do, He will be the guarantor of all my needs. He supplies above and beyond my personal needs. Consequently, I find myself routinely asking the Father how He wants me to use the money which the members of the body of Christ send to me as gifts of love and obedience to the Spirit.

I do not store up excess money in savings accounts for a rainy day. I believe if I did so I would soon find the flow of Yahweh’s provision to be extinguished. He desires that we live by faith, not to be driven by fear. Yahweh frequently shows me that I am to send money to various individuals whom He brings to my thoughts. I am very blessed to observe that these ones, such as Randy and Kathy, or Eliana, the young missionary from England I have written about who is now in Mexico, take the money that is sent to them and they use a significant portion of it to minister to the needs of others. Yahshua said:

Luke 6:38
“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

I have found that the less selfish I am with the money I am given stewardship of, and the more I surrender it to Yahweh to be disposed of as He directs, the more He gives to me. This is a principle of His kingdom. There was a time when I was employed in this world system and, although I made a good salary as a computer professional, I viewed the money as mine, to be spent on self and my family. Consequently, I found myself living paycheck to paycheck. I rarely sowed into the lives of others financially.

Since 1999 when I left the world of secular employment and began to yield myself to the leading of the Holy Spirit in such areas as the disposition of my finances, I have been enabled to give much more money away. This in the eyes of the world is inexplicable. How can a man with no job and no church supporting him, be giving financially to others? It all is made possible as we begin operating by the principles of Yahweh’s kingdom. Yahweh funds and supports those who yield themselves to go where He sends them. Those who give freely where He directs, He supplies with fresh resources. We need not lay aside a retirement account, or savings against a rainy day. There is no retirement in Yahweh’s kingdom. There is only promotion from this present life to the one to come. There is no need to worry about tomorrow, or to lay aside savings for it, as Yahshua has taught us to pray “Give us THIS DAY our DAILY bread.” Yahweh wants His sons and daughters to trust Him to supply them each day with what is required for life and godliness, even as He supplied the Israelites with a single day’s worth of manna each morning during their forty years of sojourning in the wilderness.

The last testimony I will share with you reveals the flip side of what will occur when mankind, including the children of Yahweh, seek sustenance and succor in the Beast System of this world. Jeff Higdon, the brother who so graciously spent days, even entire weeks, fabricating my solar tracker for me, was injured on the job back around the end of December. He received a serious concussion and has been on worker’s comp at the orders of a neurologist since that time. When he was first injured, he anticipated it would be some time before worker’s comp began sending him a paycheck which could have caused a hardship for his wife and his three daughters who remain at home. Consequently, Jeff applied for food stamps with the state of Idaho. Jeff did not pray about this. It was simply an act that people are conditioned to do as they live in this world which is becoming more and more accustomed to looking to the government for provision in a time of need.

I do not share this as a criticism of Jeff, and I am confident he would want me to share anything that may benefit the body of Christ that may be gleaned from his own experiences. Jeff wrote to me recently about the consequences of applying for food stamps.

Hello Brother Joseph,

I wanted to tell you of something else we have going on right now. Back in January we applied for food stamps while I was waiting to get paid from workman's comp. That took a really long time to go through. It was supposed to take no more than 15 days, but ended up taking well over 30 days. We got them a few days before the beginning of March. 

Just a few days ago they contacted us and Mary (Jeff’s wife) and Kim (Jeff’s 18 year old daughter) had to go in. Idaho now has a requirement that all adults 18 and over not in school are required to look for work and attend job training while doing so. It sounds good. However, they do not acknowledge homeschooling as valid. Therefore, Kim is required to attend this training. She has to spend 20 hours per week looking for a job with a librarian, or the people she is applying to, signing off on the amount of time she has spent searching for a job in their presence. She is also required to find employment of at least 30 hours per week.  Once per week she is required to go to Sandpoint and attend job training as well. The training is held at Goodwill, about 35 miles from us. Kim doesn't have her driver’s license yet as it adds too much cost to the insurance. The Suburban is getting tired as well, so that is an issue, and only having one vehicle to share amongst everyone. 

Mary is also required to look for work, though her requirements are less, she is only required to spend 5 hours per week and attend the weekly job training class. She is also required to find a job working 30 hours per week or more... If we were to do this it would be very disruptive to our house and the Honda is only running on two cylinders so the Suburban is our main transportation.  I don't think we will continue with the food stamps. There is no flexibility built into the program and I can see how many people are going to be sanctioned and taken off of food stamps due to not being able to fulfill the requirements. It will be touted as a great success as the people come off the rolls... 

In a way this is good though. With what is coming, this will wean many people from a dependence on a handout. In applying for the food stamps I kind of feel like Abraham "helping out the Lord." We can see how his decision turned out, I hope mine doesn't have such far reaching consequences. That all being said, I can look back and we did pretty good without help. A day or two after Christmas we bought groceries and we did not purchase a full bill of groceries again until the first week of March. Mary cooked from our food storage and we only purchased perishables such as milk, eggs and some meat. 

I am in Sandpoint now, I intend to cancel our food stamps this morning. Mary and Kim are at the job training again today. 

Jeff

With a desire to add clarity to this brother’s decision to cancel the food stamp assistance from the state, I wrote Jeff back and shared the following counsel.

Dear Brother Jeff,

I was immediately concerned when I read you had applied for Food Stamps. I sensed at once that this was NOT Yahweh's provision for you. Brother Jeff, we live in an hour when it is very important that we do not step out of the will of the Father. It is very easy to allow fear to influence our decisions. A concern that we might not have food to feed our family can lead people to look to the arm of the flesh to supply that which they need. This is not the Lord's will, however. Many will be driven into the arms of the Beast System in coming days as fear and desperation over a lack of food, shelter, medical care, or other needs exert influence upon them. Rather than waiting on Yahweh and manifesting faith in Him, they will turn to the arm of flesh and come under bondage.

This is precisely what the Lord is showing you through these new regulations in Idaho. If you receive their assistance for food, you become subject to their rule. They will tell you what your wife and daughters must do in order to partake of their benefits. Ultimately, every man, woman and child will either look to God for assistance and come under His rule, or they will look to the Beast System and come under its rule. I pray you would understand this principle very clearly that you might escape the trap of the adversary.

Brother, as you look at the ways the Father is going before you, you must see how He is providing for you. He has given you a free chicken house, a free storage building, free wood chips, financial assistance which has been timely and has come from unexpected sources. He will try your faith, but He will never fail you."The eyes of Yahweh roam to and fro throughout the earth that He might strongly support those whose hearts are wholly His." (II Chronicles 16:9)

I am glad to hear that you determined to cancel your food stamps and deliver your wife and daughters from the slavery of the Beast System. Let my own words serve as an affirmation on this. It is a very important matter. Seek Yahweh always BEFORE you turn to the system of this world for your subsistence.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days,

Joseph

This was not the end of the story, however. After Jeff had canceled his food assistance with the state of Idaho, he was immediately tested in regard to provision for he and his family. He wrote me back the following:

Today I have been hit with something. Workmans Comp sent a letter saying I will receive no further compensation until I submit a list of all the doctors I have visited in the last 10 years and they send off and receive my medical records. 

I have spoken to the lady this past week and she made no mention of needing this, though it shows March 6th on the letter. 

This comes right after canceling the food stamps. :)

This is a test, I repeat, this is a test. Ha ha. 

We do not lack in anything right at the moment. When the time comes that we do need something I'm sure the Lord will provide it.

Jeff 

After receiving this letter from Jeff, I sent him the testimony of Randy and Kathy Furman as encouragement, demonstrating how Yahweh has cared for this couple who have quite frequently been reduced to no money on hand and no gas in their vehicles, yet Yahweh has always seen them through. I reminded Jeff how Yahweh has provided for his family quite apart from employment and the state on numerous occasions lately, even as he just gave Randy and Kathy a 1,700 gallon water tank at no cost to them. Yahweh even provided the home Jeff and has family are living in at no charge. It was a park trailer with slide-outs which a man advertised on Craigslist for free if someone would come and move it.

Jeff’s Free Trailer

Jeff relocated the trailer to his property and built a roof over it. It is small, but adequate for his five family members. More recently, Yahweh gave Jeff a free storage building. It is ten feet by 24 feet with two rooms built in it. Again, all he had to do was arrange transport to get it home, so for $300 he received a building that would have cost far more just for the lumber from which it is constructed.

Jeff’s Storage Building

Jeff also recently received a free chicken house.

Aside from this Jeff has received free fiberglass pipe from a local company, some of which he has used for a well on his property. His employer also gave him free use of an excavator. With this loan, Jeff was able to perform thousands of dollars worth of work, saving him having to pay someone else.  And the ways Yahweh has provided goes on and on. I am not surprised that Yahweh has given these things to Jeff so graciously and freely, for even as Randy was given a water tank while freely assisting a neighbor with a project, Jeff has been given many things while freely assisting me with my need for a solar tracker, and helping out others in need. Yahweh gives freely to those who are giving freely to others.

Before Jeff received my letter of encouragement, he had sent me back a follow-up message.

Hello Brother Joseph,

Mary and I prayed about the Workman's Comp letter. We praised the Lord for receiving the letter and we both felt in a celebratory mood. 

A few minutes later Workman's Comp called and said to disregard the letter, everything was taken care of and that I will continue to receive benefits until I return to work. 

Praise the Lord!

Jeff 

That is the manner in which Yahweh wants us to respond to our trials and the needs in our lives. The apostle Paul admonished the body of Christ with the following words:

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Yahshua.

Brothers and sisters, trust in God. His eyes are searching the earth for those who will wholly trust in Him that He might strongly support them (II Chronicles 16:9). Our faith will be tested, for that is the only manner in which to perfect it. Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Won’t YOU please Him today?

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

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Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063