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tHIS IS MY GIFT TO YOU IN THE MIDST OF THESE DAYS OF CRISIS AND CHAOS.

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This year on the Jewish calendar is 5780.

In Hebrew the numerical system is deeply entwined in the function of the Hebrew alphabet; with each number being linked to a letter.

Hence, if we look at the number 5780, from a Hebrew perspective, this is the meaning we see: right hand power (of God) to reveal the covenant of consuming fire, breathing, speaking, bringing into reality words of life.

What we have been experiencing increasingly over recent years is the escalation of the "war of words". Media and especially social media have perpetuated this "war of words" which we now accept as the norm.

So, what does the year 5780 mean in the context of this ever increasing "war of words"?

In this year, nothing will be of greater importance than the words spoken by the Body of Christ here on earth. This year offers the opportunity for the words of life to take the ascendancy and ultimately the victory in this "war of words".

However, for this to occur our words must be an accurate, uncompromising reflection of He who is the right hand power of God: Yeshua.

Our words must be an accurate, uncompromising reflection of the covenantal nature of our LORD.
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​Psalm 91:1
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
​
If you are like me you have probably been in the habit of ignoring the headings, like the one above, "Psalm".


The word picture for psalm is "to cut off the bitterness of chaos".

Given that the word picture for thoughts is "silent balance of chaos" it would appear to me that a daily dose of the Psalms (to cut off the bitterness of chaos) is essential as we rise from chaos into the fullness of our God given purpose.

Psalm 91 might be a good place to start.

​

Blessings!!
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Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
​The word picture behind "dwells" is "the work of returning" or "to have a house".

This begs the question: The work of returning to what?

We find the answer in the word picture for "house" which is "inside the covenant".

There is no more important work for us than to keep returning, to keep positioning ourselves inside covenant relationship with God and with each other.

Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
The word picture behind "in the secret" is "turning aside to make covenant with the Highest".

Today, we as the Bride of Christ can choose to be captured by the amazing love of our Bridegroom Yeshua, wooed to live in covenant with Him our Highest.

Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
The word picture behind "shall abide" is "a tongue, becoming bound to life"

This is the process we refer to as "grafting in".

Quite simply, Christ is the rootstock and we are the scion.  (See picture)

With this picture in mind I invite you to read John 15 and note every reference to the word "abide".

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
The word picture for "under the shadow" is " desire the staff extended".

In essence, we desire to live under the shadow of the staff of the Good Shepherd.

The Shepherd's staff has the intent to guide us beside still waters, into green pastures and into all that Psalm 23 promises.

However, the Shepherd's staff is also there to protect us from ourselves and to guide us away from where our own selfish desires would take us.

Finally, the Shepherd's staff is there to rescue us and pull us out of the ditch we may have gotten ourselves into.

Whatever your circumstances, may you experience what it is to live under the shadow of His Shepherd's staff today.

​Blessings!!! ​
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​Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
​The word picture behind "of the Almighty" is "hand thresh".

In threshing the whole point is to separate the grain from the stalk.

Father's desire for us is that we would be pure grain fit to be planted for His purpose in the earth.

If your life feels like a "threshing" at the moment, can I encourage you to pause for just one moment and acknowledge that the loving hand of the Almighty may well be at work producing the grain of your unique God given purpose in the earth.

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:2
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
The word picture behind "I will say" is "mother of strength".

This may come as a surprise, but the fullness of motherhood exists in the Godhead.

In Hebrew the whole idea of motherhood is connected to faithfulness. When we speak of the faithfulness of God we are seeing the life of a mother.

You see, the word picture for "faithfulness" is "the life of a mother".

​It is also of interest that the word picture for fear is: where there is no mother or there is no faithfulness.


May what you say today be wrapped in the arms of the faithfulness of God.

​Blessings!!!
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Psalm 91:2
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
The word pictures behind "of the Lord" are "the Maker of all that is, in His hands is all that exists, the Self Existent One".

You have probably heard me talk about Life In The Row Boat and Get Your Butt In The Boat, hence the attached picture has special significance.

Why?

Because we are all invited to do life in this context; where our hopes, dreams, passions, struggles, disappointments, fears, failings and the chaos and tragedy of life are experienced against the pervading backdrop of "in His hands is all that exists".

Your life is in His hands.

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:2
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
The word picture behind"He is my refuge" is "the wall protects us from chaos".

Interestingly, the word picture for "grace" is "to fence or protect life".

Choose to live in Christ today, for it is there you will know the fullness of His grace protecting you from the chaos of the world around you.

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:2
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
The word picture behind "and my fortress" is "to pull towards (out of chaos) making secure a way of life".

No one would argue that we are living in a world of increasing chaos.

The pull of the media has ensured that we are constantly aware of the intensity of that chaos.

Today we can choose to respond to the pull of the Father's love, which has the power to deliver us from chaos and set us on a secure path of life.

Blessings!!!
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Psalm 91:3
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
The picture behind the word "snare" is "to speak, to separate".

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Do not let your words become a snare (prison) for yourself or for those around you.

Rather, speak life and protect yourself and those around you.

Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:3
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
The word picture behind "fowler" is "the hand working behind the scenes to secure destruction (lay a trap)"

Be careful that the words of your mouth do not become "the hand working behind the scenes to secure destruction (lay a trap)".

James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:3
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
The word pictures behind "noisome pestilence" bring us to the realisation that to breathe is to exist.

Did you realise you cannot breathe in and speak at the same time?

In order to speak you must breathe out.

The question is: 'Are my words breathing peace or a plague upon myself and those around me?'

Lord deliver us from the "noisome pestilence" of our words.

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
​The word picture behind "He shall cover" is "turning of the open hand to cover your path or way of life".

I pray that you will live everyday hearing the Father whispering these words to you:
​"I've got you covered".

Blessings!!!!
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​Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
The word picture behind "thee with His feathers" is "Father to reveal the highest: family".

There is a safe place for every human being inside the family of Our Father.

He longs for us to enter into this wonderful experience of rest in Him.

Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
The word picture behind "under His wings" is "to cover, to speak life".

Isaiah 51:15-16
But I am the LORD your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared--
The LORD of hosts is His name.
And I have put My words in your mouth;
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”

​Blessings!!!
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Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
The word picture behind "shalt thou trust" is "what comes from the fence of support".

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
The word picture behind "His truth" is "the mother of the covenant".

In Hebrew this word is made up of the first letter in their alphabet, the middle letter and the last letter.

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
The word picture behind "shall be thy shield" is "life desire revealed".

Often it is under the harshest of conditions that the rich beauty of our unique God given purpose is revealed.

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler
The word picture behind "and buckler" is "support, protect, the highest to reveal".

Regardless of the circumstances, the Father is always focussed on our growth towards bearing "much fruit".

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:5
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
The word picture behind "thou shalt not be afraid" is "the hand you see".

In every situation of life you can choose to see the hand of the Father covering, protecting and stopping your enemy in his tracks.

Or, you can see the hand of the enemy of your soul coming to steal, kill and destroy with his fist of destruction and death.

Which hand will you choose to see at work in your life today?

​Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:5
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
The word picture behind "for the terror" is "to speak, to cut off from the way of life".

Beware of the words that you hear spoken today, because they have the potential to plant the seed of terror that will cut you off from He who is the Way of life.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Blessings!!!
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​Psalm 91:5
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
The word picture behind "nor for the arrow" is "to cut off from harvest".

It is the enemies intent to destroy the harvest in our lives by peppering the harvest field with his fiery darts.

 Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The Lord of the harvest (our shield of faith) is intent on protecting His harvest in us.

​Blessings!!!
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Psalm 91:6
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
​
​Where are you positioning yourself today?


​The word picture behind "pestilence" is "to move out from the cover of the Highest".

Matthew 23:37 (MSG) "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God's news! How often I've ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn't let me.

​Where are you allowing the Father to locate you today?

Blessings!!!
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Psalm 91:7

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

​When I find myself under threat, or in a pressure situation, my base human tendency is to grit my teeth and dig my heels in. Basically I become obstinate and belligerent even towards those who want to help me.

Right now the whole world is in a pressure situation and the longer it persists the more obstinate and belligerent will human behaviour become. 

But the psalmist gives us a much more encouraging perspective. Basically he says; if you have been living in the reality of the first 6 verses of Psalm 91 you will experience the but it shall not come nigh.

The word picture behind this phrase is the life of self will and pride, acting like an obstinate camel that will not kneel, will be destroyed.
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​Job 38:1
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
The Hebrew word picture behind "whirlwind" is: "a twisting, to see, to experience, to understand the highest".

Here are the thoughts Papa shared with me as I meditated on this word:

Richard, when you accepted my invitation into living out My life in this world it was an invitation into the “whirlwind” of My purposes.

People look at the whirlwinds of life and only see their potentially destructive power. But I see everything through the lens of relationship Richard, even the whirlwinds.

My heart, within the whirlwinds of your life, is to bring a twisting, a turning that will reshape who you are and how you think.

The clay positioned on the potter’s wheel experiences a whirlwind and in that whirlwind the potter shapes, forms and instils life and character into the vessel he is creating.

This is how I view the whirlwinds, I am twisting and shaping you My son so that you can see, experience and understand My highest purpose for your life.

Elijah, Job, Paul, indeed all who have walked in relationship with me have experienced and learnt the true power of the “whirlwind”.

Like Job, you will discover that only I Am, truly understands the whirlwind you are living through, but I encourage you to not rely on the many interpretations of the media or even your “friends” but to seek one thing amid your whirlwind; My Voice.

Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Rest assured Richard I will answer you out of the midst of your whirlwind, because I am right there in the midst of it with you, loving you in it and through it, to reveal My glory in and through you.
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Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

​Isn't it strange how we have seasonalized some scriptures?

Isaiah 9:6 is one that we readily associate with Christmas. But for me, there has never been a time in my life when I have needed my Prince of Peace than in these days we are currently living through as a worldwide community. 

The word picture behind this amazing title of Yeshua is: the devouring Man, destroying the authority that establishes chaos.

Whilst I long for the day when the devouring man will destroy the authority that establishes chaos globally, for today I am thankful that the devouring Man has destroyed the authority that attempts to establish chaos in my own mind.

The foundation of peace is a relationship with He who is the Prince of Peace, Yeshua.
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John 10:10
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

​
​In these days we are experiencing what it looks and feels like when the enemy is stealing, killing and destroying, seemingly without restraint.

So, I was tempted to look at the word pictures behind steal, kill and destroy but I thought the better alternative is the one found in the verse: life abundantly.

Skip Moen, who is a great Hebrew and Greek scholar, wrote a blog looking at the meaning of the word abundantly. His conclusion was, I really can't.

However, Skip's other conclusion was that whatever the meaning of this word abundantly is, it has something to do with returning to the Garden of Eden and learning to walk with God there.

Genesis 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

The word picture behind walking is: the breath of Jehovah Elohim (divine revelation and light), gain knowledge with the heart of the way of life.

We have been told that the current virus sweeping the globe is predominantly transmitted by breathe. But over and above the threat of this health crisis is the viral fear that has swept the nations.

I sense that the antidote to this viral fear (hiding from God) is embracing the abundant life of walking in the garden with Jehovah Elohim and inhaling His breath of divine revelation and light.

​Remember, in the garden Adam and Eve found themselves fully resourced and so can we.
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Grace in the Pillar and the Wall
Having celebrated the first Passover in Egypt, the children of Israel fled into the wilderness and soon the Egyptian army was hot on their heels, threatening to overtake them.
Exodus 14:19-20 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So, it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus, it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
In the title Egyptians we find the following picture meaning: enemy of the right hand supporting the open womb.


Then if we look at the title Israel, we find the picture meaning of: Strong Controllers Prince/Warrior.


Between the Egyptians and the people of Israel we find the pillar of cloud as another expression of the theme of grace as a fence protecting life.


The word picture meaning for the word pillar provides us with this: to experience the womb of Yahweh making secure a way to life.


 The word picture meaning for the word cloud offers us the following further insight: to experience abundant life.


Exodus 14:21-22
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So, the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.


When we delve into the Hebrew word pictures, we discover that this “wall” is: to protect and secure, an open womb to reveal i.e. a birth canal.


Grace is experiencing what it is to be in the womb of Yahweh, where, just like a child in its mother’s womb, you can experience protection, nourishment and growth. Nevertheless, as you grow in grace it is always Yahweh’s intention to be birthing you into the next chapter of His abundant expression of life for you.


For the people of Israel this was the beginning of a new birth from being slaves to the Egyptians (enemy of the right hand supporting the open womb) to becoming the Strong Controllers Prince/Warrior. 


What we are currently experiencing is another expression of the "enemy of the right hand supporting the open womb. This gives new insight to the word "shutdown".


Yet in the midst of these circumstances Yahweh's desire is to birth us as His Prince/Warriors in the earth.

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