A Secret Place

It has been a really long time since I have posted on my blog. Today the sun is shining, the air is crisp ... and the milo is hot!! Today is a good day for an update... today is a good day to thank all of the people that have walked this part of the journey with me ....
I have been posting snippets of my heart and my journey on my Face Book wall .. this seemed to be the most I could do for a while :-)  ... but today I feel as though lightness of heart is returning and the ability to express my heart in words and share it ... is once again something that I can do. Firstly I want to thank all of my beautiful friends and family and sisters in YAH who have encouraged me with their words and supported me with their prayers and love ... you will never know just how much your friendship means to me ... I have seen the heart of my Father in each one of you and I appreciate each one of you so very very much! Your willingness to lay down your lives for me in prayer has astounded me and encouraged me to grow in this area too ... you are truly beautiful each and every one of you! I love you guys and even though some of us may be seperated by many miles ... your fiendship is no less real than if you were right next door! To each and every one of you  I say THANK YOU!!
The last 5 mnths have been the most challenging of the journey so far ... even though YAH does prepare your heart in advance, you never feel quite prepared for the curve balls that seem to take you by surprise when you least expect them to! But even in these ... you realise HE is always in control and always teaching and leading, guiding ... and turning everything to the good! My divorce is almost final ... Matt and I realised a while back already that our paths would be seperating and that YAH has different plans for the both of us, the beauty in all of this has been to see the anointing of YAH all over this process of seperation ... there is a deep sense of Shalom and friendship. Only YAH's gentle hands could mould this so beautifully! I must admit that YHVH has stepped out of the box I had Him in and into my life in a very real and determined way in these last couple of months. I did not realise that I had Him in a box ... I did not realise that YAH would in fact work all of these things into my life to move me to where it is that He has purposed that I should be ... that yes ... even divorce would be part of His plan. I believe that YAH will work with Matt in a very real way ... and He has told me not to worry that HE has Matt safely in His hands :-) .... so I trust.
As I take the next steps on this journey ... I have such conflicting emotions, on the one hand I have joy like I have never known ... hope ... I feel excited and a deep sense of Shalom, but on the other hand ... I am afraid and have deep grieving  that I am still working through. I know that I am standing on the precipice of the rest of my life, and YAH is telling me to take the step ... HE will not let me fall!! He has been so faithful!! He has given me word upon word and confirmation upon confirmation, word that has been confirmed almost word for word from people on different continents ... to those who have been obedient in sharing YAH's word and encouragement  with me I say THANK YOU!!
To YHVH my King and Elohim I thank you above all ... for your great love, tenderness and mercy toward me, for taking me and making me into a daughter of Israel, into a daughter of the most High Elohim ... for giving me life and creating for me newness of life!! For loosening the bonds of slavery and leading me to freedom!! For stepping into my life and allowing me to 'see' You ... for allowing me to get to know You more intimately ... and to fall in love with you my King and HERO all over again!! Wherever the path ahead may lead ... perhaps new places ... new people ... new experiences .... may they all be for your Glory and service my Abba. You are the only one that can make me smile the way that you do ... and I love the way that you love me!!
It has been in these last months that YHVH has shown me the most beautiful place inside of Him ... a secret place ... where His beauty radiates, His strength surrounds me and His Shalom reigns ... and even though the crashing waves surround me .... I know that I am anchored and will not be overwhelmed!
Each and every one of you YHVH used as a guiding light to this place ... I pray that by His grace I will be able to remind you where it is when you are in need too!

I love you soooo much ..... The list of names would be too many to put here ... but you know who you are!

Blessings and Shalom
Your sister

My Hero

My Hero

'My Hero came for me .... He is faithful to His promises .... and faithful to me
My Hero came for me .... even before I had any knowledge of who He is
That I need Him or that He even exists
His life-giving promises were made to me before I was born
He remembered me .... He has known me for all time
My Hero came for me .... now for the first time I am loved with an everlasting love and held
tenderly in the arms of a Warrior .... of a King.

The day my Hero came for me .... the heavens opened, the earth shook and trembled ....
The very foundations of the hills were troubled and moved
Thick darkness was under His feet, He rode on the wings of the wind
The heavens thundered and roared
The very foundations of the earth were revealed from His rebuke
Coals were kindled by the fire from His mouth .... He gave forth His voice
His arrows skillfully finding their mark.

He reached down and took me
He drew me out of many waters
He delivered me from my strong enemy and from those hating me
For they were stronger than I
He brought me forth to a large place, a watered place of safety and deep Shalom
My Hero delights in me .... He delighted in me before I even knew to give Him my heart.

And now .... He teaches me of His ways
He has given me His heart with the promise that He will never leave me
Nor forsake me and that I will never walk alone
He has enlightened my darkness and is the light I now live by

Daily His strength upholds me and instructs me in the battle against
The enemy of my soul
He teaches my hands to war
He is my shield .... He is my rock
He makes my feet like hinds feet and on my high places He causes me to stand
He enlarges my step under me .... my feet stand sure
With His strong right hand He supports me.

I am now ready .... and we move out to the battle
His words assure my heart that the battle is really His
He encourages me to stay close
I pursue my enemies and overtake them
Not one is left standing
One by one they fall under my feet and are beaten as dust before the wind
He girds me with strength for the battle
His faithfulness brings me the victory
Once again I am quieted .... and find rest in His arms.

My Hero is the King of Kings and Elohim of Glory

The Praised One .... I call Him YHVH ....

And from all my enemies I am saved.

Runner's Kick

Runner's Kick



I read this article with tears in my eyes ... and then I found the biggest grin spreading across my face!
Thank you YAH .. Praise you Almighty Elohim ... Creator of Heaven and Earth!!

I hope you will take the time to read this article .. it might just be the inspiration you need for today!
It was for me!!


Blessings!!

Kosher and Halal foods Not the Same

This is the second video report that I have watched today regarding this issue.


I find it extremely interesting ... and am wondering what you think? When YHVH first revealed His eating laws to us as a family, this issue of halaal meat was really a concern for me, as we do live in an area where most of the supermarkets and meat markets cater for the muslim population. Being very new to the ways of YHVH and his Torah I had still not learned about the seriousness of eating anything offered up or sacrificed to Idols. I did inquire of various people for their advice and was told that it really was not a concern and I should not worry ... well, I think I am now inclined to disagree with them. I think that this is something that as the people of YHVH we should look into and gain an understanding of so that we can once again allow His Name to be sanctified within us. Are His people not ‘destroyed for a lack of knowledge’?

The thing is there are so very many products that are halaal on the supermarket shelves and it is not an issue only concerning the meat we eat. How does one work around this?

I would really love to hear your thoughts on this subject .. so please don’t be shy!! Leave a comment!



With much Blessing

Shalom

 

Those Inoculations!

I really needed to be reminded of this today  ... How about you?

What Do You Think...?

I found this video very interesting.
I guess along with the debate of whether or not we should even say the Name  is the other of  the correct pronunciation of the Name YHVH.
I am currently reading the book 'His Hallowed Name Revealed Again' by Keith E. Johnson. I plan on doing a book review when I am done - YHVH willing  :o)
I am still learning (as we all are!) .... and have not come to a conclusion on the correct pronunciation as yet ...
What I do know is that YHVH does want us to know His name and to call on His name.
I would love to know what you  my readers think and would appreciate any insight you may have   :o)

Until then ....

Blessings and Shalom in the name of YHVH!!

Feeling Uncomfortable??

Christmas Carols

With the world gearing up to celebrate christmas ... this video was such a lovely reminder for me ... this place is not home ...

I guess we all need to be reminded at times that the danger lies in becoming too comfortable ...
I love the perspective of Mrs Palatnik and I thank YHVH that He is speaking to us all the time ... reminding us, we just need to learn to listen :o)
So this christmas let all the carols and tinsel serve to remind us that this is not home ... let us be on guard to becoming too comfortable!!


Blessings and Shalom

Will the Men of YHVH Please Take Their Place?

What makes a man a real man?

Is he prince charming riding gallantly on his steed to rescue his princess in distress? (The Proverbs 31 woman certainly doesn't need rescuing but I guess somebody forgot to tell Disney this).

Is he perhaps the image that Hollywood has spent years and billions of dollars selling to us ( Picture any of the silver screen heroes we are all so familiar with).

Maybe it is not only we women who are confused by what makes a man a real man .... perhaps our men are just as confused. Perhaps they too have bought into the lie that is sold to us on every magazine rack and billboard advertisement? The world has packaged them in all different shapes and sizes. We have the metro -sexual (don't worry ladies I am also still trying to figure out exactly what this means), so far I think ... he's the man that isn't ashamed to be in touch with his female psyche, and will give any woman a run for her money when it comes to salon treatments, moisturiser and eye cream. Then we have the more 'manly man', he is made a better man  by the brand of jeans he wears, the beer he drinks or the brand of cigarette he smokes. Unfortunately... just as women are sold the' perfect' female image by the media, so too are men. Perhaps though, in order to understand things a little better,  we should take a couple of steps back. 

1 Corinthians 11 v 3 - 'and I wish you to know that of every man the head is Christ, and the head of a woman is the husband, and the head of Christ is God'. How many times does our focus fall on 'the head of a woman is the husband,' which is absolutely and unequivocally true ... but ... who exactly is the head of the man?? Should and does this govern the way a man lives his life?? Why does Rav Shaul state firstly that the head of every man is Christ?? How many men forget this. How many men forget that not only will they have to give an account for themselves .. but .. for their families as well. Many men want to be treated and respected as the head of the home but fail to fill that exact position. They fail to be the provider (which is not only physical), protector and nurturer that Yah has ordained them to be. They fail to take their place as the spiritual head and sadly are content in allowing their wives to function as such in their place. Some are abusive... physically, verbally or emotionally and don't realise that this does indeed hinder their prayers and ... mould their children. The worst part of all this though, is that these men are not unbelievers but professing men of YHVH.

These men do not realise that not only are they in the process of shaping the next generation but their walk very much shapes a large part of their wives walk too. Maybe there's a much deeper level to Yah's words 'The sins of the fathers are visited upon the children even up to the third and fourth generation'.

Yes, by Yah's grace He uses each one of these situations to strengthen and sculpt the prayer life and heart of His daughters .... and when a man fails to rise up to the task Yah will and has used women (think of Deborah in the book of judges) but I often wonder just how much His heart aches each time one of His sons chooses not to be a man and step out into the life and strength that His heart and death secured for  them  or  for every tear that falls from His precious daughters eyes. By no means do I intend to sound as though I am lumping all of YHVH'S sons into one basket. I am very well aware that there are true men of YHVH who are not perfect but on the journey ... who love Him with all of their heart, soul and strength and whose lives are governed by His heart ... His Torah. Men who love their wives and are showing and training their children to know what a real man looks like and how and by what a true mans  life is governed. Yes real men make mistakes, yes real men fall ...but... real men do not take Yah's name in vain and are very well aware of the  consequences of doing so.

So .... what makes a man a real man?

The same thing that makes a woman real woman.

The heart and Torah of YHVH.

I have often wondered why we have such a clear cut description of a woman of Yah in Proverbs 31 and nothing similar for a man. But then I realised the entire word of Yah is filled with the  description of the men of Yah, from Abraham and Moses, Joshua and Caleb and of course the entire account of the life of King David himself who is called a man after Yah's own heart. These men's lives were governed by the Torah of Yah and even though they fell by Yah's grace they always got up again.

Whether they have bought the lie the world has sold or are sitting in passivity the men of YHVH need to realise that only they can make the choice ... the choice to rise up and to take their rightful place.

It's been empty for far too long.

A Make-Over!!

My daughter Rachel has designed this beautiful new blog page for me!! I am REALLY pleased with the end result!
I have decided to re-name my blog ... I have chosen 'BatYah', which is not too far off from the original as the meaning is the same 'Daughter of YHVH'.
The new look has inspired the writer in me and caused some of my creative juices to start flowing once again. So I hope to be posting more often ... if time allows, that is :o)

The days are flying by under the African sun ... and although sunset is much later now, there still does not seem to be enough hours in the day for all that needs doing. I guess time management (which is not my forte) and prioritizing are two character traits that still need some (alot) of work. But praise Yah for his patience with me!! I guess perfection is still something I expect from myself, and I tend to feel quite down when I fail to be all that I so wish to be to please Avinu :o) Once again ... I thank Yah, that He knows that I cannot live up to the expectations that I have of myself, and... that is OK. I am still on this journey (even when there are days that I feel I am sitting on the side of the road watching many others walking with a stronger step and broader stride). At times like this, I find Yah's hand confidently stretching over mine and once again I am lifted to my feet by His strong arms and great love .... the path stretches on before me, my feet are moving and the sun is shining!!

'Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms ...'   Deuteronomy 33 v 25,26.

Teenage Affluenza

Is there any-thing to praise YHVH for today???

Against the Grain

The past couple of weeks have really been busy....not only have we been physically on the go, but it seems that spiritually too.....there is much that I am learning. Sometimes I get afraid that all these beautiful treasures will be forgotten before they can become a permanent part of who I am. Maybe we keep going around and visiting the same place more than once, so that our perspective and depth can deepen on the various sides of the diamond that is Torah.
The one thing that is becoming more and more evident to me is that this wonder that is the Torah life, Life in YHVH..... is definately 'going' and 'growing' against the grain. The world is no longer a place that I feel at 'home' in. I have been walking and growing in Torah for the last two years, and every-thing has changed.....and will never be the same. The way I 'see' and 'understand' things is a universe apart from where I used to be, and I give praise and thanks to YHVH for showing me and giving me His heart (Torah), and for awakening inside of me the desire to know Him, to understand His ways, and to love Him with all of my heart. This new life, has given me new patterns and train of thought....about every-thing. My philosophy on education has changed (we have been home-schooling for 9 yrs), the way I see my marriage and my role as a wife and mother has changed, and the way I see my husband has changed. Abba is dailing working in me the things that are pleasing to Him, and out of me the things that are not.
This new life has also brought with it loneliness......something I have never really experienced before. Most of our friends are no longer around, and our once social weekends are now really, really quiet. I find myself questioning myself alot.....have I made the right decisions concerning school and keeping my children out of the system, have I really 'heard' Abba's voice concerning all the outward changes that He has and is making to this temple. I have stopped colouring my hair and started wearing a head-covering, the way I dress has changed and I now understand 'why' modesty, not only on the outward, but in the inward too. He has taken me back to my birth name (I changed my name without my parents consent at 18 yrs of age), and brought much healing to my family and myself :o)
Would I change this walk for any-thing that I have left behind?? Never, I have life.......for the first time.

As He calls us on,  a little higher up the mountain.....it will get more challenging, the way ever steeper and yes, the loneliness maybe a little more intense, but the sweetness of the reward...a relationship and intimacy with the Creator of the universe....and life.......far outweighs the cost. May He continue to strengthen and give each one of us the courage and strength to keep placing one foot in front of the other as we learn to love Him with all of our hearts.


Le Cheim, Le Cheim.....to Life!!

Welcome!!

Wow!! I decided to check in on my blog today.....and was pleasantly surprised by all the beautiful sisters that have joined with me on this incredible journey. Now that I have some new friends....I guess the idea of blogging and sharing becomes more exciting. I just want to say a really big 'Welcome' to all of you!! And a really big 'Thank-you', your personal journeys that I follow have encouraged and strengthened me on days when the loneliness seems to catch up with me a bit. Our family are the only Torah Observant within our social circle and community, and even though we have very dear friends, we often do not get to share our hearts because we are so misunderstood. Most of the time this is OK......but some days when one is learning something new and beautiful there is no-one to really share in the joy.....or maybe it has been a bit of a tough week, and you find yourself second guessing yourself in many different areas and there is no-one who understands the journey Yah has you on, and so cannot offer any words of encouragement. I think that there are many advantages and pitfalls to the technology that we are surrounded by on a daily basis.....but .....being able to 'meet' new sisters and make new friends is definately an advantage and a blessing. I look forward to walking a part of this journey with all of you :o)

About Time!!

I guess this Shabbat is a REALLY good day to get my blog christened with my first post. My beautiful daughter, Rachel Gavriella, helped me to set every-thing up and I am so very pleased with the results. Having said that.....I am not too sure if I am a 'blogger' :o)...mmmmm. There are a number of blogs that I love following, I find them stimulating and thought provoking and I think that my fellow sisters (whom I would never have even known to exist without the wonder of technology and blogging!) are wonderful, and beautiful and gems in our Father's crown :o). It has been two years since Yah revealed His heart to us as a family, and we have fallen in love with Him and His ways. His Torah has and is becoming the very air that we breathe. If you had told me 3 yrs ago that this would be where we would be standing today, I would never have been able to imagine it. He has truly brought us into a very broad and rich place. All Praise and Glory to Him alone, without His grace, where would we be? I am not the same person I was, both inside and out :o). So back to my ponderings......could I join the ranks of my beautiful sisters and put my thoughts and different stages of my journey down in writing? .....I guess blogging is the one medium that makes the most sense, not only to relieve my own pent up thoughts and ponderings, but it is also such a good way to meet other like-minded sisters. The one thing I am discovering on this journey is that friendship and encouragement are so very important. This can be a really lonely walk.......although we are surrounded by friends and family, we are the only Torah observant believers and most often we are really misunderstood and considered a little strange :o), but we would not have anything different because for the first time we truly do have a future and a hope, an inheritance and a destiny and our faith is practical and real. I do not have a friend to share the intimate growth of my heart with (all my beautiful friends love our Lord, but as mentioned earlier.....they believe the Torah to be done away with), this leaves me with so much in my heart to share and no real outlet. I guess this makes me the perfect blogging candidate!! :o) So I will take my beautiful daughter's advice ( love you Rachel!) and use this corner of cyber space to help ease my filing system :o)  ( information in, process, work through, share and file), we were created to be in community to be challenged and encouraged by one another. Sometimes I feel that if we don't have an outlet we could land up hiding everything in our hearts that eventually we don't know how to share any-more, that is what scares me sometimes. I have kept so much inside for quite sometime that I am afraid that eventually I might not know how to share my heart any-more. So this blogging will be REALLy therapeutic for me and I look forward to this next part of my journey!!