May 16th, 2020: Call To Holiness: COUNTING OF THE OMER

We are currently on the 38th day of the counting of the Omer. That means we are more than half the way, to the 50 day count, which will fall on May 28th, 2020 this year. "What is the counting of the Omer all about?", one might ask.

The counting of the Omer (Sefirat Ha'Omer, in Hebrew) marks the 50 days that the Israelites traveled the desert, from when they escaped captivity in Egypt, to Mount Sinai where Moses received the 10 commandments.

The Omer also marks the WAVE OFFERING of the Temple on the second day of Passover. The wave offering was a measure of flour made from the first sheaves of barley grain that had been reaped.

"The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you REAP ITS HARVEST, bring to the priest a sheaf of the FIRST GRAIN you harvest. He is to WAVE the SHEAF BEFORE the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf, you must SACRIFICE as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect," Leviticus 23:9‭-‬12 NIV So WHY is this a season in which we are called to COUNT these 50 DAYS? What is the SIGNIFICANCE for us in this season - especially since this is a time in which we are all counting down the days for when things can go "back to normal"? In many places throughout the Scriptures, ADONAI CALLS HIS PEOPLE TO HOLINESS.

"For I AM ADONAI Who brought you up OUT of the land of Egypt, to BE YOUR GOD. Therefore, you should BE HOLY, for I AM HOLY." Leviticus 11:45 TLV

What does Egypt REPRESENT? The OLD LIFE OF SIN which we all were born in to, when we were born in this world. NONE of us are righteous on our own. The Israelites were living among a pagan people, with pagan practices of worshipping idols and many abominable sins. Not only that, but the Israelites were ENSLAVED to that world on every level: They were SLAVES TO the Egyptians, AND they were ENSLAVED to the SINFUL PRACTICES of their culture! So ADONAI took them from OUT of that dark world, into HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT!

"But you are a CHOSEN PEOPLE, a royal priesthood, a HOLY NATION, a people for GOD'S OWN possession, so that you may PROCLAIM the PRAISES of the ONE who CALLED you OUT of darkness INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT." 1 Peter 2:9 TLV

THIS IS GOD'S CALL FOR US, HIS PEOPLE!! During the journey that the Israelites took, when they escaped Egypt, in those FIRST 50 DAYS in the desert, ADONAI began to TEACH them the RIGHT WAY of living. HE CHOSE them and SEPARATED them FROM the Egyptians, and the rest of the world, to be GOD'S OWN POSSESSION! In the same way, WE have been CHOSEN BY THE MOST HIGH GOD to be SET APART FOR HIM!! Therefore, we are to be IN the world, but NOT OF the world. THIS IS WHAT ADONAI IS CALLING YOU AND I TO, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME; TO BE SET APART FOR HIM, AND BE HOLY, JUST AS HE IS HOLY! We have been given this precious time of waiting in our homes FOR A REASON!! GOD NEVER WAISTS A MOMENT, IN ORDER TO TEACH US SOMETHING IMPORTANT. It's a time of PURIFICATION! A time of PURGING ALL EVIL FROM OUR LIVES! And yes, even the small little things that seemingly look "insignificant" to us, like little "white lies", being dishonest, gossip, etc... It's a time to REFLECT on HOW we have been living our lives, and begin putting our SPIRITUAL LIVES IN GODLY ORDER!!! We need to take this time to RECOMMIT OUR LIVES TO THE LORD, SEEKING HIS FACE.

ADONAI IS ALWAYS SPEAKING THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT (The RUACH HA'KODESH). We need to have EARS TO HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING.

ARE WE LISTENING FOR HIS VOICE???

"My sheep HEAR MY VOICE, and I know them, and they FOLLOW ME:" John 10:27 KJV So HOW do we do this? How do we set ourselves apart and listen for His Voice? Well, just as this is also a season in which we count the Omer and remember the WAVE OFFERING at the Temple, we too are called to OFFER UP OUR LIVES AS LIVING SACRIFICES TO GOD, and DEDICATE OUR LIVES OF HOLY LIVING, TO HIM!

"I URGE you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the MERCIES of GOD, to PRESENT YOUR BODIES as a LIVING SACRIFICE —HOLY, ACCEPTABLE to GOD —which is your spiritual service. DO NOT be CONFORMED to this world but BE TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your MIND, so that you may DISCERN what is the WILL OF GOD —what is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT." Romans 12:1‭-‬2 TLV

And how do we offer up our lives as living sacrifices to God? By SEPARATING ourselves FROM the ways of the world, and ATTACHING ourselves TO ADONAI, and HIS WAY OF LIVING.

WE NEED TO ABIDE IN YESHUA BY PRAYING AND READING HIS WORD EVERY DAY!!!

And in so doing, ALLOWING the WORD OF GOD to change us and TRANSFORM us from the inside out!

“I AM the VINE; you are the branches. The one who ABIDES IN ME, and I IN HIM, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; for apart from Me, you can do nothing." John 15:5 TLV

Therefore, let us be DETERMINED to DEVOTE ourselves to HOLY LIVING, spending time in PRAYER CONTINUALLY, reading GOD'S WORD DAILY , and taking up that leadership mantel like JOSHUA, who LEAD the children of Israel INTO the PROMISED LAND: "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then CHOOSE for yourselves THIS DAY WHOM you will SERVE, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSEHOLD, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD .” Joshua 24:15 NIV

AMEN AND AMEN!