International Fellowship of Prophetic Watchmen

As I continue my thought & prayers regarding the 7th Day Rest:

We must even rest from shopping. Some of us may find that shopping "relaxes" us; however, Shopping, cooking, and the like, are 'no-no's' as well.

Nehemiah Chapter 13, talks about how Nehemiah protected the people from the lure of vendors on the Sabbath; barring the spirit of disobedience from the camp, for that 1 day.

Nehemiah 13:15-22

15 "In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner ofburdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17¶Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing isthis that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19¶And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.  20So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 21¶Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. 22And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.  Nehemiah threatened physical harm if they (these regular vendors) dared to breach the gates of Judah to enter into the sacredness of that 7th Day Sabbath. This reminds me of the time that Yeshua Himself went into a physical rage tossing the tables on the steps of the Sanctuary because the "vendors" had made the House of YAH, a den of thieves."

The Sabbath is a day to be protected. YAH cares so much about your ability to rest that 1 day, saying that that 1 day makes a lifetime of difference to you, the land, your children and theirs, that He went as far as punishment to His people (called by His name, Yahudah) for not upholding this day. It may seem that He was letting them slide, but eventually, His word (of warning) manifested and the Israelites had to take what was coming to them. And because they did not have an appropriate “ransom”, their repentance did not rebuke the curse of the law.

In my Teleconference podcasts I have spoken of how they repented of their rebellion yet still had to suffer the consequences.

Baruch 1:15-22 (Apocrypha)

“And you shall say: The Lord our God is in the right, but there is open shame on us today, on the people of Judah, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on our kings, our rulers, our priests, our prophets, and our ancestors, because we have sinned before the Lord.

We have disobeyed him, and have not heeded the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in the statues of the Lord that he set before us. From the time when the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today, we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, and we have been negligent, in not heeding his voice. So to this day there have clung to us the calamities and the curse that the Lord declared through his servant Moses at the time when he brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt to give to us a land flowing with milk and honey.  We did not listen to the voice of the Lord our God in all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us, but all of us followed the intent of our own wicked hearts by serving other gods and doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God.”

I am attempting to help you understand that because you may not think you have sinned does not nix the truth that "all have sinned and fallen short".  . If YAHUAH has called us out and pointed out where we have failed the covenant, we are to search ourselves, repent and get back into right standing according to his will.

This will help you to pray according to the word and not according to your own heart out of your emotion rather than lining that word up with the Word of God.

Repent like the Hebrews in Baruch 2:6-10 (Apocrypha)

“The Lord our God is in the right, but there is open shame on us and our ancestors this very day. All those calamities with which the Lord threatened us have come upon us. Yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord by turning away, each of us, from the thoughts of our wicked hearts. And the Lord has kept the calamities ready and the Lord has brought them upon us, for the Lord is just in all the works that he had commanded us to do. Yet we have not obeyed His voice, to walk in the statutes of the Lord that he set before us.”

More and more we must learn to die to self. Nobody can do this for you. It's personal, as I teach in my book, "Hindrances to Prayer". Somebody else can't stop eating for you and you expect to lose weight. You've got to do this for yourself.

His word itself tells us that we have sinned against YAH's ordinances (BEGINNING WITH OUR ANCESTORS) by not keeping his commandments (the 4th of which is to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy); and we've got to repent and make it right. TESHUVAH.

I am so glad that we live in a time that we no longer have to "suffer" the consequences, but can turn to the Father (YAH) and Teshuvah (repent and return to Him) because we have been Redeemed from the curse of the law. The laws still stand. Yet we are redeemed from the curse that was attached to them.

Prayer of Repentance Baruch 2:11-18 (Apocrypha)

"11 And now, O Lord God of Israel, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and with signs and wonders and with great power and outstretched arm, and made yourself a name that continues to this day, we have sinned, we have been ungodly, we have done wrong, O Lord our God, against all your ordinances.

Let your anger turn away from us, for we are left, few in number, among the nations where you have scattered us. Hear, O Lord our prayer and our supplication, and for your own sake deliver us, and grant us favor in the sight of those who have carried us into exile, so that all the earth may know that you are the Lord our God, for Israel and his descendants are called by your name.

16 O Lord, look down from your holy dwelling, and consider us. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see, for the dead who are in Hades, whose spirit has been taken from their bodies, will not ascribe glory or justice to the Lord, but the person who is deeply grieved, who walked bowed and feeble, with failing eyes and famished soul, will declare your glory and righteousness, O Lord."

Exodus 16:28-30

28And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

29See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

30So the people rested on the seventh day.

Isaiah 56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.