WALKING THE WILDERNESS WITH HAMACHIACH

Matthew chapter 4




Today we are walking in: Walking the Wilderness With Hamachiach








Exodus 5:1


And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. H4057








WILDERNESS






Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS-H4057 midbar--wilderness pasture; uninhabited land; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven)--an uninhabited plain fit for feeding flocks, not a desert--a pasture









The Torah testifies...............


Numbers 9:1


And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness H4057 of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,







The prophets proclaim..................




Jeremiah 31:2


Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; H4057 even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.








The writings bear witness...........................




Joshua 1:4


From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.




Walking the Wilderness With Hamachiach


It's OK to lend a helping hand-the challenge is getting people to let go of it.


Yah spoke His promise to you and me before we were born into life. His Word is eternal, and His promise is surely giving health and prosperity to those who choose life. But we must do the choosing-we must be willing to work. I'm not talking about "works" in the context of earning our way into Yah's favor. This, as I have mentioned, is absolutely impossible. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares:


For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of Yah-not by works, so that no one can boast.


I'm talking about reporting for duty, being led and used as Yah's mouth, legs and arms. In Egypt you were oppressed; in the wilderness you were miraculously blessed; but once you get to Canaan, it's time to grow up and serve. Egypt is forced labor; Canaan is self-initiated work by choice. Egypt is punishment; Canaan is discipline. Egypt is pressure; Canaan is responsibility.


LIFE BETWEEN THE WATERS


When the children of Israel came from Egypt, the first body of water they encountered was the Red Sea. They crossed it and entered the wilderness. Then they wandered the Sinai Desert until every Hebrew with a slave mentality was dead and gone. Ahead of them was a second body of water-the Jordan River. Preparation for freedom must take place between these two bodies of water.


I believe with my whole heart that the church today is living on the banks of the second body of water, the Jordan. We have been walking back and forth on its SinaiDesert banks, skipping rocks off its surface, but we haven't yet placed our foot in its waters. So we haven't entered yet.


There is no salvation in the literal story of the Israelites, but the Israelites do serve us as a type. Salvation comes through another wilderness wanderer, Yah's Son, Yahusha Hamachiach . Yahusha also went into the wilderness to be tempted and tested, passing every test. And He did it in the forty short days that Israel would have been in the desert if they could only have passed their tests. The life of Yahusha serves as a prototype for the journey of all human experience from oppression to freedom.


In this chapter we will learn from the life of Yahusha, who crossed through the Jordan in baptism, went out to the wilderness for testing, then returned in the power of Yah's Spirit to lead you and me into the promised land.


Yahusha: FREEDOM'S SHINING EXAMPLE


Yahusha is mankind's ultimate example of responsible freedom in living. As a man, He walked the earth with the same needs of any human being. He was born in bondage to human subjection. He was born under Caesar's domination and oppressed by the Romans. He grew up under that oppression in wisdom and favor with Yah. As our example, Yahusha developed Himself intellectually in the local synagogue. Then, at the age of thirty Yahusha was ready to enter His ministry. To enter it, He went to the first river, the river Jordan, to be baptized by John.


Then Yahusha came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Yahusha replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
-MATTHEW 3:13-15


Yahusha knew He had to go through water like everyone else. So He went to the place where John was. When He arrived, John asked to be baptized by Him-but Yahusha directed the prophet to fulfill all righteousness. When Yahusha came out of the water, He received the Holy Spirit as Yah thundered overhead, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (v. 17).


I want you to notice where Yahusha went next. When the Holy Spirit filled Him, He wasn't led directly into the work of His ministry. The Spirit didn't take Him directly to the Promised Land. Instead, the Spirit took Him into the wilderness, to pass His own set of tests.


Then Yahusha was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
-MATTHEW 4:1


Yahusha was led into the wilderness to be tempted, or tested, by the devil. Just as Israel's deliverer, Moses, led the Israelites to the wilderness for testing and training, Yahusha confronted the devil in the hot desert sands. And Yahusha won the contest-to show us how to win. If you are facing your wilderness of challenge, remember it is preparation for freedom. If the Holy Spirit led our living example, Yahusha, into a confrontation with Satan in the wilderness, Yah will lead you there.


Every individual, community, nation or organization must go through the wilderness of life just as Yahusha did. Just thank Yah that everything you go through is right on schedule. Don't feel that the devil is winning or that Yah forgot you. Remember, you are in class. And if Yahusha enrolled and graduated, you must enroll and complete your course also.


So many want to go directly to ministry or into a successful business. They want to buy those business cards with that title on them without learning the truths of responsibility, training and tests. They're not ready to live up to Joshua's Promised Land words exhorting us to meditate in the Word and act accordingly. They don't want to learn how to discipline themselves or to develop character. They would rather call a prayer meeting or a corporate fast so they can be seen up front as the "leader." Then when the tempter comes to destroy what they're doing and humiliate their efforts (and he will always come), they run back into the wilderness because they weren't prepared for the test of responsibility.


Three Tests


To develop maturity, character, self-discipline and integrity, everyone must pass three tests that are common to all mankind.

Because Yah wants us to be controlled internally, He calls us while in the wilderness to pass these three responsibility tests. The testing is not forever. Yahusha spent forty days, and when He was finished He had passed all three tests perfectly to serve as our example. These three tests include the areas of physical discipline, motivation and greed. These are the areas Yah tests in the wilderness to prepare you to cross the Jordan. Once you pass all three, you are ready to get your feet wet.


The categories of these tests fall under three headings:


1. Test for appetite


2. Test for motive, pride and fame


3. Test for greed and power


These tests are necessary because people who aren't used to power are dangerous. The same is true of people who are full of pride or can't possess their own bodies through bringing their appetites under control. These are irresponsible and dangerous people who cannot be trusted.


Let us take a look at each of the tests given to Yahusha.
1. Test for appetite


The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of Yah, tell these stones to become bread."
-MATTHEW 4:3


This first test was a temptation to self-gratification, and it dealt with our three basic appetites: food, drink and sex. No one is truly free until he has disciplined all of these areas. Let me point out that this was also the first area of testing for Israel in the wilderness. They began to cry out for food-self- gratification. They quickly forgot about the miracle of the plagues and the Red Sea and concentrated on their own self- fulfillment.


The whole Israelite community set out from Elimand came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "Ifonly we had died by the LORD'S hand in Egypt!There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."
-EXODUS 16:1-4


The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?" But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"
-EXODUS 17:1-3


One of the heaviest burdens of freedom is the self-imposed discipline you must have in the area of your appetites-food, drink and sex. Freedom demands self-control.


2. Test for motive, pride and fame


Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of Yah," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: `He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."'
-MATTHEW 4:5-6


This test was a temptation for instant fame and sudden success. If Yahusha had done this, He would have become famous instantly, and thousands of people in the temple courtyard would have seen this miracle and believed in Him.


However, it would have canceled and bypassed the process of character formation and growth necessary to become responsible for the freedom He possessed to free others. The nation of Israel wanted to go instantly into their Promised Land of Canaan and freedom, but Yah required the process of training and development for mental transformation.


When Pharaoh let the people go, Yah did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For Yah said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So Yah led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.
-EXODUS 13:17-18


To be truly free, you-and the nation-must go through the process of character development. True success is never instant.


3. Test for greed and power


Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Yahusha said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your Yah, and serve him only."'
-MATTHEW 4:8-10


When a man is free from the need for power, he is qualified for authority. So this test was a temptation of power and greed. Its trap demanded the sacrifice of Yahusha' integrity and character for power. The Israelite community failed this test in the wilderness, because they could not submit to authority or understand it. They rebelled against authority and therefore were not qualified to possess it. Whatever you compromise to gain, you will lose.


Yahusha passed all three tests in forty short days, one for each year Israel spent failing their wilderness tests. And when He had passed all three exams, angels ministered to Him. Remember, when you are free from the need for power, you are qualified for it.


Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
-MATTHEW 4:11


When Yahusha came out of the desert, He was anointed in the power of the Holy Spirit. He had fulfilled Yah's will in His wilderness tempting and successfully passed Yah's tests. Yahusha overcame the devil to give you and me the power to overcome him, too. This was the crossing of the second river that the Holy Spirit said shall "flow out of your belly like a river." (See John 7:38.)


Yahusha returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
-LUKE 4:14


If you haven't had angels involved in your life for a long time, perhaps it is because you haven't passed any tests lately. Angels are sent to minister to those who have gone successfully through a wilderness test. They accompanied Joshua and Israel's armies into Jericho, and they accompanied the ministry of Yahusha everywhere He went. Yah's anointing also went with them, working miracles as they served.


You may note that the full release of the Spirit took place after the wilderness experience. This river of anointing was the second river that ushers us into the land of freedom. Individuals, communities and nations must pass the wilderness test that leads first to independence,then ultimately to freedom.


According to Yah's process, you receive the anointing after you qualify for that level of ministry. But most Christians want Yah's angels and His anointing without going through the test.


An anointing is deposited within you as a talent with whatever you were born to do. (See Matthew 25:14-30.) But it won't develop into Yah's purpose for giving it until you've qualified by passing the test that builds trustworthy character in your life. Anointing is divine ability or enablement to accomplish a task or assignment. Every human possesses an anointing for his or her unique purpose and assignment.


Anointing doesn't come because you ask for it. No matter how great your dream is, you will never fulfill it until you pass the test that qualifies you to manage the dream. Remember, management is the key. Yah hands out no management degrees to those who flunk His tests. True freedom is the liberty to dominate and release your true work gift. But your full ability or anointing cannot be released or maximized until you have completed the wilderness school of self-discipline and pure motivation. The wilderness of wonders prepares you for your work.


After Yahusha was anointed, He went directly to the synagogue, opened the scroll and read Isaiah's prophecy concerning Himself.


The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
-LUKE 4:18-19


It was then, after the wilderness, that Yahusha crossed back over the Jordan to begin His ministry in the anointing of Yah's power. He cast out demons, healed the sick, raised the dead and cleansed the lepers. Then He died for our sins and redeemed us. And when we come to Him, He takes us through the same kind of wilderness testing to release our anointing for Canaan's responsibilities. Remember, Canaan is where we roll up our sleeves and get to the work of our life's calling in the power of Yah's Holy Spirit. It is in Canaan that we not only watch miracles happen, but we become a part of the miracle, not just the immature recipient of it. But before we are ready to enter in, we must all possess our bodies, pride and foolish desires for power. This is the purpose of the wilderness- preparation for possession.


THE CHURCH


Now that we have taken the time to discuss some of these truths, I invite you to notice how the disciples' wilderness and ministry experiences parallel the teachings in this book. Their wilderness ministry time began when Yahusha sovereignly gave them Yah's Spirit as an unqualified wilderness gift. "He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness" (Matt. 10:1). These men didn't fast for it. They didn't pray or tarry for it, because the redemptive work of the cross had not yet been fulfilled. They were not yet born again, but Yahusha gave them authority to minister His miraculous works and promised to meet their daily needs miraculously.


These twelve Yahusha sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: `The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."
-MATTHEW 10:5-8


This was the disciple's "unqualified" wilderness experience. He met their needs supernaturally and empowered them to win everywhere they went. He gave them each their talents and sent them out to trade.


I want you also to recognize in this passage that Yahusha told His disciples to go where it was safe. This was part of their babyhood protection. He did this in principle because in the beginning of a follower's wilderness days, Yah will protect us from enemies. He won't give or allow any difficult tasks that might discourage our immature, irresponsible spirits. Yahusha sent the disciples to their own people because He knew they would accept them. The Hebrews knew them, so they would be easy to manage. They understood one another and shared the same culture. Sending them out to the Samaritans or Gentiles at this point in time would have been too traumatic. So He sent them only to the "lost sheep of Israel." He wanted them to start out easy to grow in faith.


Yahusha will also make it easy during the first part of your walk with Him. Yah will anoint you in the wilderness without qualification. During their early months in the wilderness, the Israelite community was cared for in every way. They were provided food, clothing, drink, guidance and leadership.


Yahusha continued His instructions to His disciples by saying:


Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.
-MATTHEW 10:9-10


When you have a need in those early days, Yah will meet it. "Don't take any money or clothing, men. I will manage your affairs; you just enter in." Yahusha pays the bills those first times He sends you out. "Here is my blessing," He lovingly tells us. "Here, have some money. I'll give you a job, here's a house, I'll give you some land. I'll give you everything free, as an unqualified gift. I will bless you because you are My children, and because I want you to manage this earth." This is necessary because in oppression, the oppressor provided all of these needs. And that produced a spirit of comfort, lack of industry and laziness. So in deliverance, provisions are made so we can learn how to work and provide for ourselves.


It is when you are ready to pass on into Canaan that your tempting and tests will increase. Some are ready sooner than others because of a mental maturity and the condition of their heart. But too many others stay in the desert and wander aimlessly, simply playing church.


Not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.
-NUMBERS 14:23-24


Note this passage of Scripture says that this Israelite Caleb had a different spirit. The word different in this passage is not referring to the Spirit of Yah, but rather to Caleb's attitude and mind-set.


This wilderness principle teaches us that when the Lord sends us out the first time, He shows His power through our lives and miraculously meets our every need. There was no need for any Bible education or training. John 3:16 and your testimony is all you need.


But there comes a time when Yah starts pulling all this back, and we begin to wonder, Yah, are You still with us? Yes, He is, but He is working in another way. Now it is time to put on our management caps.


The time came when Yahusha instructed His disciples differently than He had on the earlier occasion of sending them out:


But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
-LUKE 22:36


This was the same Yahusha who told His men in Luke 10, "Take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep." Now in Luke 22, He was near the end of His earthly ministry. Now He told them to take a bag, a purse, a cloak and even a sword. Thedisciples had been maturing, because in verse 38 they said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." To this Yahusha replied, "That is enough."


What does this mean? When the time comes for us to reach maturity in the Canaan land of our lives, Yah expects us to join in the fight as His earthly representatives. This time comes for every individual, community and nation who crosses the Jordan. We will be held accountable for taking our own purse, buying a new cloak and sharpening our battle swords.


The danger of this kind of authority and freedom is that there is no more free lunch. No more free clothes. No more free shoes. It's dangerous to be free, because you have to be responsible. The excitement of it all is the satisfaction of growing and acting in faith as you witness Yah change the world around you through your obedience. Freedom demands responsibility.


Do you recall when you witnessed as a new believer and people received Yahusha every day? Now when you talk to nonbelievers, perhaps they say that you're crazy. "Yahusha who?" they mock. All of a sudden you become intimidated and stop witnessing because it isn't familiar any more. There were some rough Samaritans out there who started challenging your faith. You encountered other religions, such as Muslims, Buddhists, Humanists and Scientologists. They asked you how you knew your faith was true and asked you to prove Yahusha is the Son of Yah. "Prove to me that He was raised from the dead," they started to taunt. "How do you know the Bible is true?"


The easy days of John 3:16 and your testimony were over, and you couldn't show them from Genesis through Revelation why Yahusha is Lord. You couldn't open a door to lay hands on them to release a miracle into their body. You couldn't show them how the Bible's miraculous writing and compilation could get an honest seeker saved. So you became frustrated and spurted out, "If you don't want to get saved, you can go to hell!"


When you were first born again, it came naturally. People wanted to listen, and the unqualified anointing of Yah in your life was fresh, exciting and bold. But a year or so later it started getting harder because Yah wanted to use you at another, higher level.


Believers have been blessed by the Lord over the last forty years. When we said, "Oh, yes, bless me with a Cadillac," He gave us the Cadillac. When we said, "Please, bless me with a house," He gave us a house. "Bless me with food," and He gave us food. "Bless me with a spouse," and He gave us husbands and wives. We have been members of the "Bless- Me " club for four decades now while the prosperity and confession message worked, and Yah answered our prayers.


But have you noticed lately that Yah seems to be pulling all the stuff back? Our wilderness days since the 1947 to 1958 healing revivals have come to an end. Our forty years have passed since Yah introduced the church to His miraculous provision and power. Now it's time to cross over Jordan. Yah gave us time to mature; now He's going to see how mature we've become with our Cadillacs. Can we live without one for three months? Can we handle catching a bus?


Yah wants to know today if we are responsible enough to say, "Lord, I'll still serve You if I don't have a car. If You take my house, I'll still love You." Yah is seeking mature believers today who aren't interested in following Him because of what He can give, but because we love and want to serve Him. Are we willing to work for and manage the payments of our mortgage, car, business and real estate?


When we are in the wilderness, miracles are wrought beyond our understanding. But on the other side of the Jordan in Canaan we must learn how to serve, study and pray. There comes a time when Yah says, "Time to go to school." I know, because He did that with me. The twenty first century is the season of Canaan, the age of responsibility, the era of work.


MANNA IS NEVER FOREVER
Many people mistake Yah's anointing for skill, and they confuse Yah's power with training. But Yah will use both to mature His children, because an anointed and skillful individual, community or nation can honor Him best. When I was young in the ministry, everything was going our way. I would just breathe, a song came out and people would buy it. Hundreds of thousands of dollars came into my music group's hands. This was my wilderness experience. We just showed up, and folks showed up. Then, all of a sudden, at the peak of the ministry Yah told me to goto college to further my academic preparation. I said, "Are You crazy, Yah? I'm a hit in town."


So He told me again, "Go to school. That's enough. The anointing for this phase of your life is finished."
"Wait a minute," I said, "Yah, everyone likes me." "Don't worry," He replied, "soon they are going to hate you. Go to school."


Don't ride the early wilderness miracle days until they leave you. Prepare yourself for when they will sovereignly leave. And they will, so get your training. The wilderness is training for Canaan. Manna is never forever.


Yah will bless the business you started, but don't let that business run down without getting some training on how to keep your business running. Go to seminars. Buy books. Learn accounting. Learn organization. Learn management.Get the training. Why? Because during the first part of your enterprise, Yah will bless you and make the business work with His anointing in spite of your mistakes. But when that anointing leaves, you had better have some training to keep that thing going because Yah is going to work differently then. He's going to demand responsibility. The anointing for miracles in the wilderness will turn to anointing for responsibility.


Let's look one last time at how Yahusha' perspective changed between the first and last time He sent the disciples out to minister His Word. As we do, I invite you to put what He said in perspective with what He is saying today to the twenty first century church.


Then Yahusha asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."
-LUKE 22:35-36


Yahusha is telling those of us who have been around for years that the time of our Bless-Me club days are coming to an end. As He instructed the disciples, He is also instructing us: "I've given you food, clothes, money, shelter-every resource you needed. But now you are mature, and it is time to start feeding and dressing yourselves. Now I want you to pray as I have and to recognize and obey My voice." Yahusha knew persecution was on the way, and He wanted His men to be ready for it. He also wanted them to learn how to believe for Yah's best when the worst was happening around them. And they did, because they crossed over Jordan, received His Spirit and turned the world upside down before they were martyred.


In the twenty first century, Yah is calling you and I to pass over the Jordan of the wilderness that separates us from freedom in Canaan. If you have been living between the Red Sea and the river Jordan and your manna has run out, be of good cheer, because Yah still wants to bless you. Today Yah is saying, "There were times when you asked in prayer, and I provided. But now I want you to seek, and when you find it, knock." Why? The door's locked now. He isn't opening your doors as He once did. Now you have to push them open. Sometimes you have to pound hard and irritate them open, because now you are an adult.


Yah is going to make sure that those moving with Him In the twenty first century are soldiers, not malingerers. We will have to be strong and courageous fighters, because what is coming in the last days will take some powerful people to overcome. The twenty first century will be one of responsibility-a century of maturity.


LIVE OR DIE


Now let me challenge your mind. In the days that are coming, you must be tough enough to handle the giants on the other side of Jordan. Yah will make sure that you either develop in the coming testings or that you die under the pressures of them. Don't tell Peter, James, John or any of the other first- century apostles any of this twentieth century Bless-Me club stuff. Don't try to tell them thatYah wants His children tribulation free and that persecution only comes to those who are too weak to deal with the devil. Listen to Peter's words on the subject:


Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Hamachiach , so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
-1 PETER 4:12-13


Yah will refine you in the fires of the twenty first century because the next move of Yah is going to demand an adult ministry. The world is ready for a people whose appetite for manna has been exchanged for milk and honey, whose desire for wonders has been replaced with a desire to work.


The church is two thousand years old, yet we're still bickering, divided, jealous, pouting and bouncing around from ministry to ministry. Yahusha isn't coming back to marry an adolescent bride. We have laws in many nations of the world that forbid the marrying of a minor. So do you think Yahusha is going to marry a kid? Yah wants us to settle down, grow up and realize that we are here to change the world. When we do, that's when we'll start hearing wedding bells.


I saw a study in Charisma magazine some years ago. They discovered that 20 percent of the people were giving during Feast Days and Appointed Times and carrying the ministry while the other 80 percent weren't giving. Today Yah is still saying, "When are you all going to grow up and stop coming before me empty? When are you going to stop trusting in the world and simply believe My Word? Eighty percent of you are robbing Me every time a Feast Day comes, and you're wondering why the manna dried up seven years ago? Wake up!"


The church was conceived by people who were selfishly living in sin before they became Yah's "called-out ones." That's what the word church, or ecclesia in biblical Greek, means-"called-out ones." Yah called His church out just as He called out the children of Israel. So if you are a part of His church, He has called you out personally.


Yah didn't call His church to go to heaven. We have been called out of darkness to proclaim the excellencies of our Yah. And when you start doing that wherever and whenever He calls you to do it, all persecution will break out upon you. You may want to break out of the desert and cross into Canaan. But with Yah's Canaan blessing, you will need to know how to fight. So He has had you in the desert to change your mind. Canaan is a symbol of your true freedom, destiny and purpose.


Are you having tough times? Good, you are right on target. Just be aware of the test. If it's tough for you, you are in the right classroom. Yah is making sure that you get Egypt out of your mind before you enter Canaan. Yah wants to get the taste of Egypt out of you. He wants to try your faith. He wants to work on you so that you become so abandoned to Him there isn't anywhere else but Canaan for you to go. He doesn't want you arriving at Kadesh-Barnea and cowering before the giants who roam the Promised Land. He wants Joshuas and Calebs who know that Yah will fight with them in taking the Promised Land. Read their words:


The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.
-NUMBERS 14:7-9


The route to freedom is through the wilderness. I've been in the wilderness myself a number of times over the course of my life, and I thank Yah for every trial and test. Why? Because they build stamina, character, maturity, stick-to-itiveness, faithfulness and trustworthiness in me. They have helped me grow into my different eras of responsibility. One era could not have happened if the previous one hadn't taken place. And as I look into the next few years ahead, I know more layers of responsibility will be added, because there is so much more to be done.


Every nation, individual and church has to go through the phases discussed in this chapter: Egypt, Sinai, Canaan-that's the process. So take some time to think as we close out this teaching on exactly where you are.


WHERE ARE YOU?


You may be standing right in the middle of the Red Sea, watching miracles happen all around that you have nothing to do with. If so, Yah is doing everything because you are new in the faith. You are at the shallow shores of independence.


Or you may have just entered the wilderness. You've seen the sea crash down behind you, drowning the enemy's army, and you are having a wonderful time. You just got saved, just opened a business, just got married. You're like Miriam dancing in joy for the sea's miraculous parting.Soon you may be complaining because there isn't any food. But don't worry, Yah is going to provide for you, because your wilderness days are ahead.


Maybe you've been in the wilderness for some time. You may have been going through tribulations and tests, but at the same time Yah has been working miracles everywhere. While you have been growing and even complaining, Yah has been bringing miracle water out of the rock. His manna has been meeting your needs.


Have you reached Jordan? You must put your foot in to cross it. Do you wonder if Yah left you because His miraculous power doesn't work in your life as it once did?
Are you standing on Jordan's bank, aware that your season is changing? As you read this teaching, do you have your purse and sword in hand?


You may have just arrived in Canaan, and have recently endured Yah's circumcision. You thought this was going to be great, but you're in pain. A few years ago you were bragging on how much of a man or woman of Yah you were, and how you were going to change the world. But you didn't transition out of the "free manna" days, and your house fell apart. You lost your job, your dog died, you broke your toe, your uncle died with cancer. "Where is Yah?" your heart cried. But you finally got it together, and now you're back.


For many of us, it used to be easy to believe for something, and it happened. Now we fast, and nothing happens. We pray, and nothing happens. We confess until our tongues get tired, and nothing happens. We hold on, but nothing happens. So we want to give up.


Yah is saying, "Don't give up. Take out your sword now. Gird up your loins now. Stand steady and listen now. Get ready to fight. Jericho is the next stop, and you are destined to win. Once you make the decision to circumcise your Egyptian thinking and make yourself available to fight, everything you've been holding on for will soon be at your fingertips. But the enemy is holding it, so you must dispossess his many strongholds in the land. Remember, I will do it with you."


Let's move on to see how Yah will help you "do it."
Freedom is moving from survival to stability, from stability to success, from success to significance.
-Zig Ziglar




WALKING THE WILDERNESS WITH HAMACHIACH


1. No matter how great your dream is, you will never fulfill it until you pass the test that qualifies you to manage the dream.


2. The wilderness of wonders prepares you for your work.


3. The twenty first century will be one of responsibility-a century of maturity.


4. The route to freedom is through the wilderness.
Matthew 4


Then was Yahusha led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.


2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.


3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of Yah, command that these stones be made bread.


4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Yah.


5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,


6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of Yah, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.


7 Yahusha said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Most High thy Yah.


8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;


9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.


10 Then saith Yahusha unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Most High thy Yah, and him only shalt thou serve.


11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.


12 Now when Yahusha had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;


13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:


14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,


15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;


16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.


17 From that time Yahusha began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.


18 And Yahusha, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.


19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.


20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.


21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.


22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.


23 And Yahusha went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.


24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.


25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.