The Love of the Truth
The Sea of Galilee by Ron Cantor of Messiah's Mandate
The Love
of the Truth
by Donna Diorio
This morning I was wondering if we lived in a time where the truth was more threatened than any other time in history. I know there were dark times in the dark ages, when people where grossly ignorant but that was because of ignorance — they were kept in darkness. The Word of God was kept away from the common people, so how could they dwell in anything but darkness? They couldn't.
In the beginning God created Light. It was a Light that was different from the light of the sun, moon and stars. I believe it was the Light that is also the Truth, that brings the ability of mankind to see and choose the truth. In darkness men cannot make informed decisions because they are locked in the ignorance of darkness. John 1:1 tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." So we see Yeshua, who is the Truth, the Light and the Word intertwined and inseparable.
In this day and age the Word of God is everywhere, yet there is a real battle for the truth around the world. Truth-believers appear to be in the minority. I am not just talking about the Gospel-truth —the capital T— but all truth is battling to be believed in the face of lying deceptions and false narratives. Truth is being overwhelmed in everyday life by those dedicated to propagandizing with lies. There is a battle for the truth on every level of life.
Why are so many people sucked into false narratives? I'm talking about Bible-believers. Why is deception having its way with people who should be able to discern the truth?
We live in a time that even the elect are being deceived, unable to tell the difference between facts and false narratives. They are getting swept up in the abundance of false narratives and are choosing that because they don't want to be bothered with the facts. They like the ground they've already staked out too much to let facts get in the way.
We live in a time spoken of by the prophet Daniel (12:4) "But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Our knowledge is through the roof! It is everywhere, but ironically there are much fewer who love the truth.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 the apostle Paul wrote, "The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them." So "every wicked deception" is "directed against those who are perishing". Why? Because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.
I have pondered this for many years now as I have been so disturbed over how many believers are so attached to conspiracy theories. It is vexing because lying deceptions are much more than just a difference of opinion. Facts do not care about opinions. We must be dedicated to a love of the truth - to the facts - not in placing our stake in the ground of opinions, of which many opinions are just false narratives.
I have followed news about Israel for near three decades. There is no greater victim of false narratives threatening the facts, the truth than Israel. No amount of countering the false narratives which are endless and relentless, has ever moved anyone who has chosen to believe the deception instead of searching for the facts and the truth. If they don't have a love of the truth, if God does not break through with a revelation of His thoughts about Israel, then they remain addicted to the lies they have been told about Israel.
In those three decades, I have seen this deep spiritual sickness spill out of the realm of Israel's existential battle, into the whole world. Truth is being battled on the streets and in the headlines on every continent at this point.
Even though we represent a minority of the people, we must choose a love of the truth and pursue it at every turn. This means not just in the big choices ('Do I believe in Jesus?') but also the little choices, do I believe prevailing narratives, or do I love the truth enough to search beyond the talking heads to learn the truth? Am I a fact-seeker?
Revive Israel's Asher Intrater, spoke a few years ago about a vision he had in 2009 about a cloud of deception that covered the earth which Yeshua was battling to get through. When he said this was the basis for Yeshua's question in Luke 18:8 ("... when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”) it was the first time that question made real sense to me.
As Asher explained it the cloud cover was formed by the demonic strongholds in the thinking of the people in that location. Where there was a heavenly mindset, there was an opening in the heavens (an "open heavens"); but where there was a demonic mindset in the people in that location, the clouds of deception were so thick it was as a deep spiritual smog.
This is what Daniel was praying through in Daniel 10 as he was trying to understand the spiritual warfare of the last days. Asher also pointed to Isaiah 25:7 "And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations."
We are battling through a spiritual smog to reach people with the Truth. I have seen how it is a worthy thing to be a fact and truth teller in battles where false narratives have been promulgated. Those who love the truth will come to the facts, but those who are "in danger of perishing" are those who will not come. Not without something more. The only way to reach them is in the same way Daniel approached it: praying for the Light to break through the heavy smog of deception creating a veil over all the nations. This is our charge.
John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
by Donna Diorio
This morning I was wondering if we lived in a time where the truth was more threatened than any other time in history. I know there were dark times in the dark ages, when people where grossly ignorant but that was because of ignorance — they were kept in darkness. The Word of God was kept away from the common people, so how could they dwell in anything but darkness? They couldn't.
In the beginning God created Light. It was a Light that was different from the light of the sun, moon and stars. I believe it was the Light that is also the Truth, that brings the ability of mankind to see and choose the truth. In darkness men cannot make informed decisions because they are locked in the ignorance of darkness. John 1:1 tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." So we see Yeshua, who is the Truth, the Light and the Word intertwined and inseparable.
In this day and age the Word of God is everywhere, yet there is a real battle for the truth around the world. Truth-believers appear to be in the minority. I am not just talking about the Gospel-truth —the capital T— but all truth is battling to be believed in the face of lying deceptions and false narratives. Truth is being overwhelmed in everyday life by those dedicated to propagandizing with lies. There is a battle for the truth on every level of life.
Why are so many people sucked into false narratives? I'm talking about Bible-believers. Why is deception having its way with people who should be able to discern the truth?
We live in a time that even the elect are being deceived, unable to tell the difference between facts and false narratives. They are getting swept up in the abundance of false narratives and are choosing that because they don't want to be bothered with the facts. They like the ground they've already staked out too much to let facts get in the way.
We live in a time spoken of by the prophet Daniel (12:4) "But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Our knowledge is through the roof! It is everywhere, but ironically there are much fewer who love the truth.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 the apostle Paul wrote, "The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them." So "every wicked deception" is "directed against those who are perishing". Why? Because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.
I have pondered this for many years now as I have been so disturbed over how many believers are so attached to conspiracy theories. It is vexing because lying deceptions are much more than just a difference of opinion. Facts do not care about opinions. We must be dedicated to a love of the truth - to the facts - not in placing our stake in the ground of opinions, of which many opinions are just false narratives.
I have followed news about Israel for near three decades. There is no greater victim of false narratives threatening the facts, the truth than Israel. No amount of countering the false narratives which are endless and relentless, has ever moved anyone who has chosen to believe the deception instead of searching for the facts and the truth. If they don't have a love of the truth, if God does not break through with a revelation of His thoughts about Israel, then they remain addicted to the lies they have been told about Israel.
In those three decades, I have seen this deep spiritual sickness spill out of the realm of Israel's existential battle, into the whole world. Truth is being battled on the streets and in the headlines on every continent at this point.
Even though we represent a minority of the people, we must choose a love of the truth and pursue it at every turn. This means not just in the big choices ('Do I believe in Jesus?') but also the little choices, do I believe prevailing narratives, or do I love the truth enough to search beyond the talking heads to learn the truth? Am I a fact-seeker?
Revive Israel's Asher Intrater, spoke a few years ago about a vision he had in 2009 about a cloud of deception that covered the earth which Yeshua was battling to get through. When he said this was the basis for Yeshua's question in Luke 18:8 ("... when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”) it was the first time that question made real sense to me.
As Asher explained it the cloud cover was formed by the demonic strongholds in the thinking of the people in that location. Where there was a heavenly mindset, there was an opening in the heavens (an "open heavens"); but where there was a demonic mindset in the people in that location, the clouds of deception were so thick it was as a deep spiritual smog.
This is what Daniel was praying through in Daniel 10 as he was trying to understand the spiritual warfare of the last days. Asher also pointed to Isaiah 25:7 "And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations."
We are battling through a spiritual smog to reach people with the Truth. I have seen how it is a worthy thing to be a fact and truth teller in battles where false narratives have been promulgated. Those who love the truth will come to the facts, but those who are "in danger of perishing" are those who will not come. Not without something more. The only way to reach them is in the same way Daniel approached it: praying for the Light to break through the heavy smog of deception creating a veil over all the nations. This is our charge.
John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
Now this is what we call a result! Israel
Pochtar writes that on the past weekend they took two full busloads of new
believers (100 people!) up to the Jordan River to be baptized. He writes, "To
gather so many people at once to get baptized is not a given, it was definitely
the work of the Holy Spirit, because we never expected such an overwhelming
response from people who kept signing up to get baptized in the Jordan River. These are very special times we're living in!
Despite the challenges and the work required to cultivate the fields, we can
definitely see they are white for harvest, as Yeshua said. Without a doubt,
this is the time to send in more workers into the fields, because the harvest
is ready!" Hallelujah!
Also, Israel gives a short report on the gathering of pastors and leaders from all over the country to pray together for revival which they participated in, with Tom Hess in speaking, leading prayer and worship times. There is also a good report on the same event from Howard Bass in Beer Sheva on the Kehila News site called One in Messiah. Pochtar has prayer requests in the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests from Israeli Ministries including stepping out in faith to plant a new congregation in Ashkelon. Please Pray for & Financially Support as we reach out to our community in the name of Yeshua Food Project | Church Building | Children's Benevolence Project | Security Gates for New Church Building | Planting Congregation in Ashkelon ALSO learn more about their Voice of Judah Tours
From Tikkun Global's Israel's Restoration newsletter Asher Intrater writes about a
modern plague of how we are inundated with "pornography, abortion, sexual
harassment, homo-les-bi-trans, divorce, adultery, pedophilia, carnal
entertainment, seductive advertising and so on" in his article Me Too.
Also Dan Juster's Let Us Go
With You about balance in Christians joining Messianic congregations
and his book Passion for Israel which explores what
distortions are blinding people from seeing the Jews as God sees them. From Ron Cantor in the same newsletter: HOW? …
“All Israel will be saved”
KehilaNews.com has a very
important article on a precedent setting judicial ruling that impacts Israeli
Messianic congregations in a good way - including them in a tax break for
prayer houses: Haifa Messianic congregation wins appeal against
city decision to tax. Every penny counts when pennies aren't
aplenty! Also an article by Chava
Stein, [Israeli Politics 101] Understanding Israel’s
outpost and settlement phenomenon and from One for Israel, Changing attitudes in Israel: A new era
The "Team Edition" of
Revive Israel includes a review of 2018 showing growth and how their supporters
helped them in so many ways to fulfill the ministry. Also there is this report
on how Revive sends out its team members to over 10 nations a year in Team Work. There are also 2 videos, Cody Archer and Roni Rejwan in How to Share Your Faith with Israelis and
Dan Juster's The Return of Yeshua. Plus the must read
book by Asher Intrater Alignment
Norma Sarvis writes this week about the
upcoming time of ministry and fellowship for the women believers in Israel at the
Bat Tzion—Daughter of Zion gathering at Kiryat Yearim. We have been sharing
with you how you can help to sponsor this gathering - maybe not unusual for
women's conferences where you are from, but very unusual for Israel - and they
(the organizers Norma Sarvis and Chaya Mizrachi) are subsidizing the costs for
all the participants! Please read more in the Weekly Summary and pray about donating to the event Donations
Sally Shiff sends a short update on some of the spiritual warfare that has been going on in the HaMaayan congregation and closely related supporters. It certainly seems like an assignment of the enemy that is happening in the form of accidents and injuries. (We have seen the same among Facebook friends of Israel - including myself with a weird back injury from a move that shouldn't have caused all that!). Please pray: No weapon formed against us shall prosper!
Arni and Yonit Klein write from Tiberias about
another type of spiritual warfare against the people of God and that is coming
in the arena of generational conflicts between the young and the old both in
spiritual relationships and familial relationships. They write, "Perhaps the most common
means by which division occurs is by one generation passing judgment on the
other. This phenomenon is often the result of misunderstanding the other’s
actions and/or motives. As the realties and conditions of the generations
differ, so do their perspectives and points of view. Adding to that, with how
parents are often driven to make their children be like them, and children are
driven to not be like their parents, we end up with a field ripe for the
planting of the enemy. In the end, communications get twisted, hearts grow
hard, and walls go up." It is good to take stock to see if we are
contributing to the breakdown and move to heal, not hurt.
The Intercessors for Israel in Jerusalem send
these Updates from their annual conference Intro | Video 1 | Video 2
Yeshua Israel, Kobi & Shani Sorko-Ram
Ferguson send Shira's article, Jerusalem’s
Orthodox Jews vs. Eliezer Ben Yehuda and write, "Perhaps the only
thing more beautiful than God restoring the Hebrew language just before He
restored His people back to their homeland, is our ability now to bring God’s
message of forgiveness and eternal life in the very language He originally
spoke it. Click
here to support the spreading of the Gospel in Hebrew.
Here is the Jerusalem Institute of Justice 2018
Annual Report from JIJ - how you are helping impact
Israel through your support
Ron Cantor sends a special prayer request
along with the weekly news report you can get from him by subscribing to his
mailings. The request is this: "Can I encourage you to take five minutes
each day and focus your prayers on Israel's awakening? Cry out to God!
According to Romans 11:12, Israel's acceptance will lead to a "greater
riches" revival in the nations! Hallelujah!" The lead story in his latest news mailing is
regarding reports that the Trump peace plan seeks to divide Jerusalem and
create a Palestinian state.
"However, the American administration says the report is
inaccurate. “While I respect Barak Ravid, his report on Israel’s Ch. 13 is not
accurate,” Jason Greenblatt, the White House special envoy for Mideast peace." What will it be? Ron also shared this video on his Facebook Page: Yariv Goldman
shares at Nes v'Cafe on Repentance.
More news from Maoz Ministries: A terrorist
sniper shot an IDF officer in the head on the border with Gaza. - but thanks to
his protective helmet, the officer only sustained minor injuries! A real
miracle. Also, while skiers enjoyed the great snow on Mt Hermon, the Syrians
thought it would be a good day to fire a missile at the ski resort. The
Israelis intercepted it but it certainly ratchets up the regional
tensions. Read more by connecting
directly with the ministry, or by subscribing to the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests from Israeli Ministries
A good report from Elisheva Damkani for Jacob
with exact answers to prayer for her last two major prayer requests for Jacob
just last week! She is excited and thankful for the prayers and God's immediate
answers to them for (1) an unexpected meeting with the rehab doctor she had
received a recommendation for as the best in his field; and (2) the canula that
doctors did not want removed (just in case) but Elisheva wanted removed so
Jacob could talk, she has found a home doctor who will remove it. These are
steps forward for Jacob's recovery...they may seem like little steps, but these
are great strides for Jacob's path to recovery.
________________
Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is in the power of the
tongue
Please keep in prayer the Israeli
believers who are fighting for their lives or other urgent health needs:
CONTINUED URGENT PRAYER for EDDIE SANTORO - a healing miracle is what we are asking God for in both Eddie's and Jacob Damkani's lives | Ronit Bender is hospitalized & awaiting surgery (maybe next week) for a more serious heart situation that first thought: she has Left Ventricle Disease, for which major open heart surgery is required. Please pray that no weapon formed against her shall prosper. | Sally Shiff had to go to ER with sudden leg soreness & found she had an unexplained strained ligament under her knee - she is confined to bed rest. She also reported an outbreak of serious health issues in the Kfar Saba congregation, from Orna Sperandeo with double pneumonia, to accidents resulting in broken bones, back injuries...one friend of the ministry dying sudden of brain cancer. Please pray for this sudden rise in injuries and accidents. (I also am still recovering from a back injury after making a movement that should not have caused this much problem!) | Martin Sarvis has suffered an injury to his shoulder & is/was scheduled to see doctors, asks prayer for recovery & wholeness | Ruth Nessim has several health issues, one of the most critical is her EYES which has sent her to the hospital many times. Please pray for Ruth in Nahariya| Olga Bikas’s health condition that seems to have become chronic, with no hope from the doctors for any improvement in the future. This, no doubt, puts an additional emotional and physical burden on our family. Please pray for her acute back pain. | Albert a Messianic leader from southern Israel, has had a successful surgery and an amazing recovery but keep praying for total restoration | Rania Sayegh asks for prayer of restoration of strength, energy, and complete healing. In the Acco congregation: Prayer for 5 year old Leon is still very much needed. The head wound is not yet healed and the effects of trauma are increasing. Pray for his mother and siblings as the past months are taking their toll.
CONTINUED URGENT PRAYER for EDDIE SANTORO - a healing miracle is what we are asking God for in both Eddie's and Jacob Damkani's lives | Ronit Bender is hospitalized & awaiting surgery (maybe next week) for a more serious heart situation that first thought: she has Left Ventricle Disease, for which major open heart surgery is required. Please pray that no weapon formed against her shall prosper. | Sally Shiff had to go to ER with sudden leg soreness & found she had an unexplained strained ligament under her knee - she is confined to bed rest. She also reported an outbreak of serious health issues in the Kfar Saba congregation, from Orna Sperandeo with double pneumonia, to accidents resulting in broken bones, back injuries...one friend of the ministry dying sudden of brain cancer. Please pray for this sudden rise in injuries and accidents. (I also am still recovering from a back injury after making a movement that should not have caused this much problem!) | Martin Sarvis has suffered an injury to his shoulder & is/was scheduled to see doctors, asks prayer for recovery & wholeness | Ruth Nessim has several health issues, one of the most critical is her EYES which has sent her to the hospital many times. Please pray for Ruth in Nahariya| Olga Bikas’s health condition that seems to have become chronic, with no hope from the doctors for any improvement in the future. This, no doubt, puts an additional emotional and physical burden on our family. Please pray for her acute back pain. | Albert a Messianic leader from southern Israel, has had a successful surgery and an amazing recovery but keep praying for total restoration | Rania Sayegh asks for prayer of restoration of strength, energy, and complete healing. In the Acco congregation: Prayer for 5 year old Leon is still very much needed. The head wound is not yet healed and the effects of trauma are increasing. Pray for his mother and siblings as the past months are taking their toll.
________________________________________
Feature of the Week
For those who doubt that all Scripture matters this is an astounding visualization of the textual cross references found in the Bible.
For those who doubt that all Scripture matters this is an astounding visualization of the textual cross references found in the Bible.
It is the collaborative work of Christoph
Römhild who the defined more than 63,000 cross references in total, and
Chris Harrison who designed the interactive visualization - click to explore so you can get the
full impact of what you are seeing here.
Chris Harrison writes, "we wanted something that honored and revealed the complexity of the data at every level –- as one leans in, smaller details should become visible. This ultimately led us to the multi-colored arc diagram....The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Books alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect.
Donna
Diorio donna@israelprayer.com or donna@d10r10.com
Please note change in PayPal donations:
paypal.me/DonnaDiorio
Or by postal mail make donations payable to the order of Donna Diorio
P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006
I do not have tax exempt status.
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