Category Archives: Spirit-led Life, The

The Spirit of Elohim Energizes our Spirit to Keep the Torah

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John 14:16, Another helper/Comforter.

At the end of his ministry, Yeshua promised his disciples to send them his Holy Spirit or Comforter after he had left earth (John 14:16). He declares that his Holy Spirit would dwell in them (John 14:17), would testify of him (John 15:26), would convict the world of sin (or Torahlessess, John 16:8), would guide them into all truth (i.e. Torah, see Ps 119:142,151), would tell them things to come (John 16:13), and would glorify the Son and speak to them on behalf of the Son (John 16:14).

How, therefore, does the Spirit of Elohim interact with man? Man is a three-part being: body, soul and spirit (1 Thess 5:23). The body is the physical part of man, the soul is the personality or beingness of man (his mind, will and emotions), and his spirit is the part of man that points him God-ward, and that, once spiritually regenerated and enlightened by the Spirit of Elohim, connects us to Elohim. Man must come to the Father by way of his spirit (John 4:23–24). The Father reveals his spiritual mysteries to man by his Holy Spirit to the spiritually regenerated spirit in man (2 Cor 2:6–16).

There are numerous scriptures that attest to the fact that at the time of our spiritual rebirth (a.k.a. conversion, regeneration, redemption or salvation), YHVH activates our spirit with his Spirit, thus allowing us to enter into a spiritual relationship or communion with him. This is important to know, since man can’t properly obey Elohim out of his soul (the mind, the will and the emotions) alone without the leading of his spirit. Taken to the next step, man can’t have faith in or properly love Elohim without the leading of the Spirit of Elohim as it empowers and directs man. I will discuss this more later. Here are some scriptures that show how the spirit of man is activated by the Spirit of Elohim at the time of the new birth:

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:17)

But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. (Job 32:8)

The spirit of man is the candle of YHVH, searching all the inward parts of the belly. (Prov 20:27)

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of Elohim. (Rom 8:16)

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. (Eph 3:16)

But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.…But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:20, 27)

But Elohim hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of Elohim. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of Elohim knoweth no man, but the Spirit of Elohim. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of Elohim; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of Elohim. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of Elohim: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor 2:10-14, emphasis added on all)

We learned above that the Holy Spirit that Yeshua promised to send would guide his disciples into all truth (John 16:13), and that by biblical definition, the Torah of Elohim is truth (Ps 119:142,151). Yeshua, as the Living Word or Living Torah of Elohim made flesh is also the truth (John 14:6). The Written and Living Torah are indivisible and are two sides of the same coin. The Spirit of Elohim came to reveal to man the truth of both the Written and the Living Torah-Word of Elohim.

That same Holy Spirit is at the center of one of the greatest prophecies of the Bible. The writer of Hebrews quoting from the prophet Jeremiah declares,

Behold, the days come, saith YHVH, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith YHVH; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them an Elohim, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know YHVH: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. (see Heb 8:8–11 quoting Jer 31:31–34).

Here, we clearly see that the Holy Spirit will be an internal aid to the people of Elohim helping them to keep his Torah. This a beautiful picture of a tender-hearted Father aiding along his struggling children to walk in love and harmony with him in accordance with his instructions in righteousness—the Torah.

 

The 33 Benefits of Being Filled With the Spirit of Elohim

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Luke 24:49, Endued with power from on high. 

May the Force (of Elohim) Be With YOU in 33 Ways!

What is the most powerful Force in the Universe? It is Holy Spirit of YHVH Elohim—the Almighty Creator God of the Bible! 

By the force of Spirit and Word of Elohim, the universe and earth were created. With his hands, Elohim shaped man out of earth and by the Force of the breath of his Spirit, he breathed life into that lump of earth and man became a living being. That same spiritual Force impregnated the womb of the virgin Mary and Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of Elohim, was clothed in humanity and became the Elohim-Man and Savior and Redeemer of humanity. 

Yeshua the Messiah promised to send that same Force of the Spirit of Elohim to live inside of all those who seek him and put their trusting faith in him and choose to follow and obey him as he leads them on the path of righteous living leading to a life of immortality in Elohim’s kingdom of heaven on earth. This same Force has the power to resurrect the dead from their graves. So how can this Force help you? 

Here’s are 33 ways the Force, which is the of the Spirit of Elohim, can empower you:

  • The Force of Elohim is a free gift to those who ask for it (Luke 11:13).
  • The Force of Elohim will lead you where to go and what to do (Matt 4:1; Mark 13:11).
  • The Force of Elohim will speak through you, that is, put words in your mouth and tell you what to say when you’re in a difficult, potentially life-threatening, situation (Matt 10:20; Luke 12:12).
  • The Force of Elohim will give you power over the evil forces of Satan the devil (Matt 12:28). 
  • The Force of Elohim will reveal to you things that are to come in the future (Luke 2:25–27; John 16:13).
  • The Force of Elohim will give you supernatural and miraculous powers (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; Rom 15:19; Heb 2:4).
  • The Force of Elohim will bring spiritual and immortal life (John 6:63; Gal 6:8; 1 Pet 3:18).
  • The Force of Elohim will fill you up and make a river of life to flow from you (John 7:38–39).
  • The Force of Elohim will live inside of you (John 14:17; 1 Cor 3:16).
  • The Force of Elohim will teach you about all divine things and help you to remember things (John 14:26).
  • The Force of Elohim will point you to Yeshua the Messiah, the Savior of the world (Jon 15:26).
  • The Force of Elohim will convict you of sin and help bring you to righteousness (John 16:8).
  • The Force of Elohim will bring judgment against the world because of sin (John 16:8).
  • The Force of Elohim will bring judgment against Satan the devil who is the evil ruler of this world (John 16:11).
  • The Force of Elohim will guide you into all truth (John 16:13).
  • The Force of Elohim will reveal spiritual mysteries to you (John 16:14).
  • The Force of Elohim will give you boldness in difficult situations (Acts 4:31).
  • The Force of Elohim will bring comfort to your life (Acts 9:31).
  • The Force of Elohim will impart many supernatural gifts and abilities to you (1 Cor 12:3–11).
  • The Force of Elohim will fill you with joy (Acts 13:52; Rom 14:17).
  • The Force of Elohim will raise the righteous dead from their graves (Rom 8:11; 1 Pet 3:18).
  • The Force of Elohim in you confirms that you are a child of Elohim (Rom 8:14–17).
  • The Force of Elohim helps you in your times of weakness (Rom 8:26).
  • The Force of Elohim will give you hope (Rom 15:13).
  • The Force of Elohim will produce wonderful fruits of love in your life (Gal 5:22–25).
  • The Force of Elohim will give you wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Elohim (Eph 2:12–14).
  • The Force of Elohim will give you a great inner strength (Eph 3:16).
  • The Force of Elohim will protect you from your enemies (Isa 59:19).
  • The Force of Elohim will anoint you to preach the gospel (Isa 61:1; Luke 4:16–18).
  • The Force of Elohim will help you to walk in Elohim’s paths of righteousness (Ezek 36:27).
  • The Force of Elohim will cause you to have dreams, visions and to prophesy (Joel 2:28–29).
  • The Force of Elohim will help you to do mighty things for Elohim (Zech 4:6).
  • The Force of Elohim will write the Torah-laws of Elohim on your heart (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10; 10:15–16).
 

Let’s go up to the mountain of Elohim…

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Psalm 121:1, Lift my eyes to the hills. Hills is the Hebrew word har and also mean “mountain.” This psalm is a Song of Ascents. Ascents is the Hebrew word ma’alah meaning “elevation, that is, the act (literally a journey to a higher place, figuratively a thought arising), or (concretely) the condition (literally a step or grade mark, figuratively a superiority of station); specifically a climactic progression (in certain Psalms).” There are 15 ascent songs recorded in the psalms (from Psalm 120 through 134) that were song as the priests were climbing the steps to the temple; there was one song for each step. This first verse along with its title teaches us several things.

First, for the Israelites, coming into the set-apart or kadosh presence of Elohim was viewed as an upward, progressive movement, one step at a time like climbing a mountain. This was a slow, reverent, thoughtful and deliberate process accompanied by songs of worship and praise at each step. They literally “enter[ed] into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Ps 100:4).

Second, YHVH Elohim’s kadosh presence was metaphorically represented as being located on a mountain, which is the highest place on earth that represents heaven. This is why the temple was located in Jerusalem, which was the located on the highest geographical point in the land of Israel (with the exception of Mount Hermon in the extreme north). For this reason, when traveling to Jerusalem, Scripture almost always refers to it as “going up to Jerusalem,” for this is where the physical dwelling place of Elohim among his people was locate—at the highest point in the land of Israel. 

The laborious act of going up, like climbing a mountain, required physical exertion—especially since travel in ancient times was by foot. Whichever direction the Israelite pilgrim was traveling to Jerusalem from whether coming from the western coastal plains along the Mediterranean Sea or from Jordan Valley at the Dead Sea—the lowest point on earth, or from any other direction, the journey required hard work, perseverance, determination and endurance; all physical obstacles and gravity and fleshly limitations had to be overcome one step at a time. 

This journey to Jerusalem is an apt symbolic picture of the saints spiritual journey against the downward pulls of the world, the flesh and the devil that is required come into the heavenly presence of Elohim. Yeshua likens it to climbing a ladder—Jacob’s ladder (John 1:51).

The idea of Elohim’s presence being on a mountaintop was not lost on the heathens, who, in their perennial attempt to counterfeit the truth of Elohim and subvert humans to their own devilish religious systems, typically located the temples to their demon gods on mountains. 

This psalm, by contrast, enjoins YHVH’s people to lift their eyes up to him and view his presence as symbolically being on a mountain, rather than looking to demon gods, false religious systems and men’s governments and human institutions, which are often also located on hills or mountains. In this light, think of the Vatican located on its seven hills of Rome, or Mount Olympus, the Acropolis in Athens, the mountains of Tibet for those into Buddhism, the stereotypical guru is perched on some mountain top somewhere, Capital Hill in Washington D.C. as well as many churches and hospital complexes. These can all serve as false gods to which many people lift their eyes instead of the one true God of the Bible, YHVH Elohim.

 

The Dynamics of Divine Revelation

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Exodus 21–23, Basic principles of morality and righteousness. After having given the ten statements (or “ten commandments”), which forms the basic cornerstone of the whole Torah and out of which all the other Torah commands branch, Elohim now expands on these ten basic principles in chapters 21 to 23. This passage contains the basics of how to love YHVH Elohim and one’s neighbor as oneself (the golden rule). Exodus chapters 20 to 23 contain the basic laws and principles for a society to function smoothly at a high level spiritually. They form the foundation of societal governance, which the new nation of Israel needed in order to survive spiritually (in right relationship with Elohim) and to survive physically and morally as a holy or set-apart nation surrounded by heathen nations.

It is also interesting to note that YHVH didn’t give Israel all 613 Torah laws at once, but introduced them to Israel little-by-little on an as-need basis and so as not to overwhelm them all at once. It was like a parent teaching a child one step at a time on how to act like an adult. YHVH started with the ten statements of Exodus 20, then expanded these ten into the basic laws of chapters 21 through 23, and he then goes from there instructing the Israelites in ways of righteous living. This teaches us another truth about how YHVH operates with men: He reveals himself to those who seek him slowly, methodically over time. He and his ways are too transcendently great and expansive for the mind of man to encompass all at once.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith YHVH. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa 58:8–9)

This measured method of divine revelation is exactly how the apostles chose to reveal YHVH’s truth to the new Gentile converts in Acts 15—little by little. First they heard the gospel message and came to Messiah, then they were given basic rules to follow in order to enter into the fellowship of the saints, then they would learn the laws of Moses over time each Shabbat.

Learning the divinely revealed truths of Elohim and his ways of righteousness as found in the Bible is a step-by-step process that will last a lifetime.

 

NathanTalks #4—Surviving in the Toilet Bowl of This World

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I am considering live-streaming some of my NathanTalks and then taking questions and comments afterwards and live-stream that as well. I would do this at different times to facilitate various timezones of those around the world. I would announce ahead of time on this blog when the live-streaming would occur. Not sure which internet platform I would use yet, since there are several options available. If you’re interested in participating in this, please let me know in the comments section here. Thank you.— Nathan

 

How does Elohim lead his people?

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Exodus 13:18, 21, But Elohim led the people…and YHVH went before them…to lead the way. What are some other ways by which YHVH leads or speaks to his people?

  • Through his Word (Ps 119:105).
  • By his Set-Apart Spirit who leads us to into all truth (John 16:12).
  • Through his divinely appointed leaders (Eph 4:11–16).
  • By directing the steps (through life’s circumstances) of a righteous man (Ps 37:23–24; Prov 16:9).
  • By directing the hearts of men (Prov 21:1).
  • Through prophetic words (Num 12:6).
  • Through dreams and visions (Num 12:6).
  • Through wise counselors (Prov 24:6).
  • Through Divine Messengers from heaven (e.g. Judg 6:11–14; 13:3).
 

Turn on the light and pass the salt, please

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Luke 14:1, House of one of the rulers. Yeshua was invited to a Sabbath meal at the home of a Pharisee who was a ruler (likely a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin). Had Yeshua been a typical man, he would have engaged in the customary small talk of a polite and gracious dinner guest not wanting to offend his host. Yet Yeshua was not there to schmooze—to curry anyone’s favor in an effort to gain personal influence. As he required his own disciples to maintain a salty or spicy demeanor at all times (Matt 5:13; Luke 14:34–35), he was definitely up to the task to lead his disciples by example. The following discussion that Yeshua initiates is what some may consider to be a prime example of how to insult one’s host and the other guests. 

First Yeshua confronts a controversial issue head on by asking a question, and then by healing one of the other invited guests on the Sabbath, which was a Pharisaical taboo, though not contrary to the Scriptures (Luke 14:2–6). 

Next, Yeshua takes some of the guests to task who were prideful social elites and religious status-seekers. He challenges them to humbles themselves and let Elohim exalt them in the eyes of men (Luke 14:7–14). 

Yeshua then raises the discussion around the table to a higher level when he tells the Parable of the Great Supper (Luke 14:15–24). Doubtless, a few of the guests were made to feel awkward, since they likely resembled some of the characters in Yeshua’s story. 

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