Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
The word 'tzedakah' is often translated as righteousness. Another, and perhaps more significant, translation of this word is 'justice'. According to the Torah, the essence of charity is a combination of righteousness and justice. It is not difficult to give money to people and organizations to which we feel close. There is no greater joy than investing in something you deeply care about. According Hashem, we are commanded to give to the poor not just out of righteousness, but out of justice! In the eyes of Hashem, it is our responsibility and obligation to ensure that the poor receive their dues whether or not we feel personally connected to them. In gearing up for #GivingTuesday on November 28th, Israel365 is beginning its fundraising efforts early! Start giving to the Land, and the People of Israel now. Why wait for #GivingTuesday, when you can give today?
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Workers at an Israeli soup kitchen prepare to feed needy patrons.
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Shalom Tuly, I really do not remember life without Israel365. It helps to keep me up to date and takes me to places I would not necessarily think to go. There is always something different or new to learn. I so much appreciate the efforts you and your team make for us....not forgetting the support you have of your wonderful family. God bless you all. --Pauline Radford
Christians gather to pray for Houston pastors. ((Pray for the Pastors of Houston Facebook page))
Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Psalm 94:16
"...If the church doesn't wake up now and stand and fight there IS no church in America. This is the red line. It has been crossed. When I read about this I immediately thought THIS IS RIGHT OUT OF MY BONHOEFFER BOOK."
So wrote Eric Metaxas on October 18, 2014 in an email exchange that included me. He is the author of the NY Times bestselling biography, Bonhoeffer, which describes the heroic stand of one pastor against the rise of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. Eric was voicing his outrage over what he had just read concerning the subpoenas issued by the Houston mayor's office to five Houston pastors.
Mayor Parker has demanded that the pastors turn over to her office their private papers in 17 different categories, including sermons, "speeches," phone or private conversations that in any way touch on homosexuality, the mayor herself, and the city ordinance concerning transgender people using public restrooms.
The subpoenas were clearly issued to intimidate not just the five pastors on whom they were served, but every pastor and Christian leader in Houston and beyond. The message was clear. If you oppose the lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgender community or agenda in any way, you will pay.
Eric further urged every Christian leader to send the mayor a Bible. And Governor Mike Huckabee has urged every pastor to send her their own sermons. So...I have written a note to Mayor Annise Parker, City Hall, 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002, telling her that God loves her, that I am praying for her, and urging her to read the Bible I included with my note. Although I am not a pastor, I also sent her a copy of the "speech" I delivered at the Official Observance of the National Day of Prayer in Washington, DC. , calling on people to repent of their sin, cry out to the Lord...for the Day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Joel 1:14-15
I agree with Eric Metaxas. The red line has been crossed. Persecution of God's people has begun. In response to the question the Lord voices in Psalm 94:16, I want to answer clearly, I will!
Will you?
Anne Graham Lotz is the founder of AnGeL Ministries. She is also the author of several books.
In this season of spiritual darkness, are you having witchcraft dreams? (Flickr/Christine Zenino)
It started a little later than usual, but spiritual witchcraft is rising—and rising rapidly—in South Florida this October. My community is home to a large population of witches, pagans, Wiccans and other heathens who practice one form of witchcraft or another. Your community may not have palm trees and beaches, but it's likely got a few witches, pagans, Wiccans and heathens practicing witchcraft.
When I first moved to South Florida, I battled Jezebel and her witchcrafts (see 2 Kings 9:22) with limited success for at least a year before I learned to discern the attack of this spiritual enemy at its onset, submit myself to God's Word, resist the devil and command it to flee in the name of Jesus (see James 4:7, AMP). Now, I am much quicker to sense witchcraft operating in the spirit, but sometimes witchcraft attacks in your sleep.
Witchcraft Dreams
Earlier this year, I wrote an article called When Jezebel's Witchcraft Keeps You Up at Night. I wrote it in March, which, along with October, is a prime time for witchcraft manifestations. In March, it has more to do with the spiritual climate that stems from false Mary worship. In October, it's more about the witches, pagans, Wiccans and heathens practicing witchcraft.
As I explained in my article earlier this year, the enemy has used a different tactic in 2014. Since the spiritual forces of darkness could not slow me down by day, the attacks are coming at night. I've started having what I call witchcraft dreams. A more complete way of explaining it would be to say I've experienced dream activity inspired by witchcraft rumbling in the spiritual climate.
While we watch kids dress up as witches and knock on doors asking for candy, bona fide witches are celebrating their holy day and Witches' Sabbath. October 21 is also Samhain, a Gaelic festival that marks the finale of harvest season and the start of winter. One Paganism/Wiccan expert explained, "It's a good time to contact the spirit world with a séance, because it's the time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest."
Symptoms of Witchcraft
People who are especially sensitive to the spiritual realm can sense witchcraft in the atmosphere. As demonic activity increases, people report feelings of oppression, fatigue, strong spiritual warfare against the mind that makes you feel like quitting, and even physical manifestations for which doctors can't find a reason. Are you experiencing any of these things?
When witchcraft is particularly heavy in the spiritual climate, my eyes actually burn. Everything seems like a much bigger deal than it really is because witchcraft works to take your eyes off Jesus by magnifying the problem. The enemy can use people to release witchcraft against you through word curses, but this spiritual force seems to sometimes hang over your head like a dark cloud—unless you break it.
In my book, Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft, I write: "We need the gift of discernment to truly understand what we're battling. We can't effectively take authority over false authority in the name of Jesus if we can't discern what we're taking authority over. Sure, there are the generic 'I bind every spirit that is not of Christ, in the name of Jesus!' prayers but my experience tells me those will only take you so far in battle."
Combating Spiritual Witchcraft
Just because you are exhausted, feeling oppressed, are battling in your mind, or otherwise sense a struggle doesn't mean that you are necessarily battling witchcraft. You need the Holy Spirit to show you what is going on. That said, if it's October and you are consistently facing these symptoms—and specifically if you are having vivid nightmares suddenly—you should ask the Holy Spirit if witchcraft plays a role.
With nightmares and bad dreams, it could just be that you ate too much too late at night, that you are processing internal fears in your soul, that your subconscious mind is dredging up strong emotions from your past, or some other natural cause. However, it could also be spiritual witchcraft. If it is, what do you do?
I wrote more about this in a past article called Overcoming Witchcraft Attacks Against Your Mind and Body. If you are experiencing nightmares, I'd also suggest reading that and also remembering and confessing this: "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day (Psalm 91:5). And this: "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet" (Prov. 3:24).
Pray over yourself before you go to sleep—plead the blood of Jesus and command these spirits to cease their operations in the name of Jesus. And if you wake up with one of these bad dreams, do it again. The spiritual climate is intense for these next couple of weeks, but we are overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Amen.
Click here to download a free chapter of Jennifer's new book, Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft.
At first, I thought it was New Age culture. But I was wrong. It was occultism.
As I strolled through the streets of Key West on a 24-hour getaway with my daughter, I noticed something that I had never witnessed in Key West before: Occultism seems fully woven through the culture.
I’ve been going to Key West for more than 20 years and have spent weeks at a time on the tropical island. But something disturbing had happened in the 10 years since I last visited—and it’s merely a microcosm of what’s happening in the world today.
You can no longer walk down Duval Street—the famous drag of shops and restaurants—without running into the likes of Mahadeo Jerrybandhan, a renowned “peerless palmist” from Trinidad with a long white beard and an even longer white robe. But Jerrybandhan is not alone. He has plenty of peers in Key West, from psychics to mediums to channels to healers to tarot card readers to astrologers. The only group I didn’t find down there were the crystal readers.
Then there’s “Robert the Doll.” Key West profiteers have designed so-called ghost tours that explore the haunted history of Key West, including old wooden houses where spirits purportedly walk. Tour guides will tell you that Key West is one of the most haunted cities in the world with elevated paranormal activity. A local voodooistic icon, Robert the Doll will supposedly curse you if you take his picture without permission or forget to thank him for the privilege.
The Abomination of Occultism
As you can imagine, seeing all this grieved my spirit. But I should not have been so surprised. Occultism has been slowly creeping into American culture for decades as movie makers exalt witchcraft and vampires while the music industry pumps occult rock. Beloved, we are in the midst of a great spiritual crisis even now. Our literature, music, video games, comics, films and television shows are full of mysticism and the occult. Some of it is subtle. Some of it is blatant. All of it is wicked.
Again, this is nothing new. Occultism—which broadly includes magic, séances, channeling, hypnosis, necromancy, astrology, extra-sensory perception, alchemy, spiritualism and divination—is strongly condemned in the Bible.
“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire [which is an ancient occult practice], or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord” (Deut. 18:10-12).
The Lord rebuked Israel for practicing astrology (Is. 47:10-14). Jezebel practiced witchcraft (2 Kings 9:22) and we know how that ended. Ephesus was known for a population that practiced magic arts (Acts 19:19). And the book of Revelation makes it clear that “the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).
Kabbalah, Kundalini and Jezebel
And yet we see occult practices, like Kabbalah, gaining momentum in the church. We see "prophetic words" delivered in what appears to be Kundalini fashion, with violent shaking and demonic tongues against a backdrop of tribal bongos that set the congregation into hysteria. We see a Jezebel spirit working to seduce saints into idolatry and sexual immorality—and oftentimes succeeding. We see all sorts of strong delusion and strange fire with occultic ties in the modern church.
But we should not be surprised. The rise of occultism is a sign of the end times. Satan’s plan is to fascinate our hearts with occult power and deceive us. The Holy Spirit, meanwhile, wants to fascinate our spirits with a revelation of the Son of God. I believe God’s people are enticed by occultism when they begin seeking spiritual experiences above seeking God. It’s a subtle—and dangerous—shift. Many Christians are on fire for God, but that fire can suddenly turn strange if we are not rooted in the Word. If we seek supernatural experiences, we will find them—but they don’t always come from Jesus.
Beloved, we must not play with strange fire. Ultimately, the occult leads to murder and mayhem—immorality of all kinds. It’s not likely that you would ever willfully visit the likes of Mahadeo Jerrybandhan, the peerless palmist—or any of his peers. But could you ignorantly be engaged with occultic practices that are opening the door to deceptive dangers? Could it be coming from what appears to be godly influences—even within church culture?
Discernment or Deception?
Don’t brush the question off before praying about it. If you want the truth, the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you into all truth. Please hear me! Even a little occult is a deadly poison—a little leaven leavens the whole lump. The Bible warns about deceptive teachers, false apostles and deceitful workers. The Bible warns about self-deception. And it’s your responsibility to keep your heart pure. If you've stepped into this demonic ditch, repent now and warn others.
Friends, we’re in an end-times war with eternal consequences. Satan is using the occult to seduce people away from the kingdom of God to dance in the kingdom of darkness. I pray that the Lord gives you discernment and awakens your spirit, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming (Matt. 24:42).
Let me leave you with a warning from the apostle Paul: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). Amen.
