Wendy Cohen’s new book, “FREEDOM: True Freedom Lasts Forever” has just been released.
An excerpt:
In Birkenau, which is the death camp associated with Auschwitz, I was sifting through the ashes with my hands, when a friend handed me the ash-covered, brittle, inner sole of a woman’s shoe. Did it belong to a Concentration Camp victim or survivor? It is one thing to read Ezekiel 36 and 37, it is another to put your hands into the dust of the chimneys and hold the shoe of somebody whose bones may have been burned to a crisp.
With my hands in the dust, I began to speak to the LORD.
“LORD, I’m going to split again from all the pain here, and I don’t want to split. What do I do to stay whole?”
“My Dear Child, you forgive. You forgive absolutely. You forgive everyone for everything. You forgive victimizers and victims. Hold nothing back. In My Name, forgive.”
Immediately, His Spirit poured through me, and I went wandering around, up and down every row of the camp, forgiving everyone for everything. I felt God’s blessing pour out from me over the death camp, over the Jewish people, over the nations. Comforting. Releasing. Healing. Nations. People groups. Individuals. Unlimited compassion and understanding. Reconciliation. It brought joy to my heart, a song to my lips. I did not want to leave the death camp. I felt like I was in heaven, resting in the joy of His peace, knowing His blessings. He was there.
John 20:23 says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they have been forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” God gave me the power, the right, to forgive nations, because nations had hurt my people, and they, through their pain, had hurt me. As I forgave, the habitation of God’s peace became mine.
Then I heard the LORD say, “Now I want you to write a book about your childhood, about the Holocaust, and about forgiveness; about what you have learned.”
Wendy Cohen writes in the foreword: This book is being published in the midst of the coronavirus of 2019-2020. Although I knew the book had lessons to teach for the future, showing us how to stand firmly with the Lord under massive demonic oppression, I was amazed at God’s timing. “Freedom” is being published at the exact moment a global onslaught of fear, disease and death is trapping many into a struggle for their survival. In the meantime, God’s Body is responding powerfully to the LORD’s Call to remain focused on Him, His Love, His Provision, His Purity; to rest in His Goodness in the midst of all circumstances.
Like pebbles thrown into a lake, our testimonies can expand outward to touch multitudes with God’s love. I pray this book brings its readers into such intimacy with their Lord and Savior that God’s Presence undoes all darkness around them. May His Light expand exponentially, through them, and through those they touch, to cover the globe. Like the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation, may God give the readers of “Freedom” the ability to command the forces of evil to bow eternally before Jesus. May we all rest so firmly in the hand of our LORD and Savior that we transform the world around us with his love. Amen
Thank you, Lord God, for guiding us so deeply into Your Love that we can fully respond with Your Weapons of Love and Glory in the times ahead. In Jesus’ Holy Name I pray.
“FREEDOM: True Freedom Lasts
Forever” is available through
Amazon: e-book and paperback
Arrows from Zion
Summarized
from the Weekly
Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
The HaMaayan, or Wellspring congregation in Kfar Saba wrote on the 13th about how they have been meeting the challenges of the many Coronavirus restrictions affecting Israel, with the highest per capita cases in the world last month. We could debate what that means, but what it has meant for the Messianic is two words: Hardships & Opportunities. Like their fellow Israeli Messianic believers, they have searched for ways to keep close to congregants, the needs of the people and to adapt new ways of doing just about everything. The write, "Miraculously, not one of our members has been tested positive with the virus! We hear almost weekly stories of those who have questioned God’s existence but have now turned their lives over to Yeshua and have come to know Him personally. In all this, we give glory to God!" To read the full prayer letter access it at their blog
Ron Cantor sends a couple of report on what is happening with Shelanu TV which is engaging Israelis in an online TV format of Israelis sharing Yeshua with other Israelis. They have been developing new TV programs, like "The Living Room," a testimony show, and even a travel show with a "very smart and on-fire Israeli believer and tour guide." ShelanuTV now has an Israeli evangelist who fields questions from unbeliever viewers in Hebrew on Facebook. What the enemy meant for evil in shutting down the airing of Shelanu on television, God is making a huge blessing online. Ron writes, "While we would love to parade before you hundreds of stories, it is very hard for Jewish people to deal with the issue of Jesus, much like Muslims. Even if someone receives the gospel online, they may be too scared to share it with anyone at first—particularly people they don’t even know. We are in this for the long haul. However, what we do know is this: some of our videos are being viewed almost 20,000 times!" That in itself is an amazing show of the spiritual hunger.
Cantor also writes, "One of our key supporters is Al Hayat, a ministry reaching into the entire Arabic-speaking world with the Gospel. God is using Shelanu to bring us together." And this is what God is looking for, isn't it? "Paul tells us that Jewish acceptance of Yeshua will release a 'greater riches' revival in the nations. This is why your prayers and support are so critical."
From Israel Pochtar, Voice of Judah Ministries and Beit Hallel congregation, this article Acts of Mercy - Reaching People in Unreachable Times. They have been receiving "an overwhelming amount of requests for help from people and families that have found themselves in a near impossible situation due to the current national lockdown here in Israel." Israel also sends a teaching video on the timeless and relevant the prophetic significance of The Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot. You can read all of their Prayer Requests here.
From Claude Ezagouri of the Morning Star Fellowship in Tiberias, they write, "These are certainly challenging times for all fellowships and we are not exempt." But they are thankful for one of our families who is gradually recovering from corona virus" and are praising "God for the provision of the technical equipment needed to film and record the meetings." Also, " We recognize the enemy’s goals to undermine some of our basic principles of faith (Heb. 10:25) but we pray that the fellowship may keep a vigilant attitude. Please stand with us prayerfully in the present crisis so that the Body of Messiah in Israel may pass the present test successfully and be a light in a dark world." Also "Please intercede for the challenge that we have to guide the teens and youth in the Lord.... We are trying our best to organize Zoom meetings with the youth but there is nothing like fellowshipping face to face. The challenge for them is tremendous as they have to live in a world whose values oppose their faith. By God’s grace they will win the battle but we need your fervent prayers."
Before sharing some of the new articles in Kehila News Israel about and from the congregations in Israel, I would like to remind you that they have launched a sister-site called All Israel News in partnership with Joel Rosenberg. Where Kehila brings the news from within the body of Messiah in Israel, All Israel News aggregates news and events about Israel and the Middle East that is important to believers. You could say it is like the Drudge Report, only geared toward Christians who want to see news vital to biblical interests. When we read Israeli newspapers as a Christian, most often we as Christians do not have the depth of understanding to know which individual reports to pay attention to, that's where All Israel News comes in. It will launch you to the news stories best to read.
In Kehila News Israel read two articles by Tuvia Pollack Arab Christians in Nazareth show love of Jesus to Jewish neighbors with aid following massive fire and Messianic pastor's home burned by wildfires around Nazareth. Plus on the day the Catholic pope is breaking news about civil marriages for same sex partners, Chava Stein reports that Judaism is traveling the same biblical off-ramp with Prominent Israeli Orthodox Rabbi Makes an Accommodation for LBGTQ+ Community
From Jerusalem, Norma Sarvis has a new blog called From this Mountain and her latest article is Taste Him | O Taste and See that the LORD is good from Psalm 34:8. What comes to mind when you read this verse?
Chuck Cohen of Intercessors for Israel in Jerusalem had 10 new points of prayer in the Friday Prayer Points 10/16/20. Just one is "Thank God for every Jewish person who has met Messiah Yeshua in exile, yet the Scriptures tell us that when "all Israel" gets saved – it happens on God's land. (Ezek. 36:24-27) Therefore, praying for aliyah and helping the Jews come home is one way to work with God for their salvation."
Part 2 of Fields of Wheat's Cody Archer's transparent, good and
enlightening thoughts on what he has learned and endured over the past year of
a sabbatical he was led by God to take. I found lots of wisdom in this open
speaking of many things God was touching in Cody's life, and I'll bet many of
you could related to those things too, like: " Transparency &
Vulnerability – Many leaders struggle with showing weakness. I'm guilty here.
To compensate we rise up in bravado, our own exaggerated strength. We don’t
fully share the depth of our struggles due to the fear of being disqualified in
the eyes of others. By 'sucking it up' and silently suffering we do a
disservice to those we are leading. We unintentionally communicate that
weakness is not welcome. We are not allowing the body of Christ to be the body
of Christ by bearing one another's burdens. With wisdom, the right timing, and
raw honesty about my past or how I am currently doing-- especially regarding my
struggles and failures—I will be far more effective in helping others through
their tough spots, instead of holding up the mask of 'all is well.' My
brokenness has developed a new level of empathy and openness and I know God
will use my experience to bring healing to others." If you want to learn
more you should email Cody and
ask to be put on their mailing list and to receive the last two letters.
To affirm what Cody is doing in being so transparent, I want to share an email
I received last week from a subscriber to the Weekly Summary: "Thanks
again for this compilation Donna! The longer I’m reading the letters, the more
openness and vulnerability I see in everyone’s sharing. I feel greater kinship
with my brothers and sisters because of it. I bless my brothers and sisters in
Israel. I remember how scared (or timid) believers seemed to be when we lived
there... maybe being afraid to share about their faith for fear of being kicked
out of the country. Now it seems like the Holy Spirit is bearing fruit of
braveness and a strong desire to share about the Messiah. It makes me marvel to
'get to know' some of them through your compilations."
From the Revive Israel ministry, see Revive Israel on Facebook for daily posts of teachings, videos articles and news. Also an article by Dan Juster on the 7th day of Sukkot called Hoshana Rabba. a video featuring Asher Intrater Arise & Shine and a ZOOM Re-play of their weekly Global Braodcast this edition was from their homes.
Chaim Malespin sends a lot of good information from the Aliyah Return Center: Sing Together a 1-hour, one voice professionally recorded music video. Their discipling program Shagririm Ambassador Academy and Volunteering to educate Christians throughout the world about their God ordained role to carry the Jewish people back to the blessed land of Israel with Return Ministries. Plus Vertical Galilee House of Prayer, The Prayer Valley, and book a stay with us in the land of Israel Hospitality.
Avi Mizrachi writes from Tel Aviv where he leads the Adonai Roi
congregation and the Dugit Messianic Outreach: " When the coronavirus
first hit Israel, it was sudden and drastic. Israel was one of the first
nations to close its borders and order a nationwide lockdown. Our local
Messianic Jewish congregation—Adonai Roi (“The Lord is my Shepherd”)—was one of
the first congregations in the world that was forced to suspend onsite
operations. Immediately we saw how critical it was to continue services
virtually. We borrowed a video camera and cobbled together a primitive studio
so we could begin live-streaming something right away. We hoped this virus
crisis would pass quickly."
They began to produce all sorts of programs to meet the needs of their
congregants, and then learned they were reaching unbelievers outside the
congregation as their people shared the links and "we have been flooded
with requests for more videos." Much of what they are doing is recorded
and edited on their cell phones! this is why it is critical now to move beyond
the "borrowed and improvised video equipment" into " quality video
cameras and lenses, tripods, a digital encoder, lighting, a computer for
editing, and several more items to assemble an effective studio that we can use
to proclaim the love of Yeshua to the people of Israel and beyond. The cost for
the equipment is almost exactly $30,000." Please, can you
give today?
One thing for certain this pandemic has done, it has awakened ALL of the Israeli ministries to the incredible outreach resource of video. That is why we are glad to see the report from the HaCarmel congregation that Dani and LuAnne Sayag lead in northern Israel. They have been able to re-start their Tuesday intercessory worship watch at 2pm Israel time which is live-streamed at the Kehilat HaCarmel YouTube Channel. That is the same place you can watch the replay of this and many other of the services and testimonies from the HaCarmel Congregation.
A new weekly prayer points letter from Maoz Ministries, with Shani Ferguson writing that Kobi & 3 of their children have already flown to the US, shani and the remaining two children leaving in days. Ari Sorko-Ram will be joining them in Dallas in November, as Maoz will have its final board meeting before Ari and Shiri transfer leadership of the ministry to Shani and Kobi Ferguson at the end of the year. Congratulations to all. I just want to say that I have been so mightily impressed over these many months watching the level of wisdom that Kobi and Shani exhibit. That has to make Shiri and Ari proud.
Because I'm running so long this week, I will refer you to the excellent prayer points letter this week to where it is now also being published on Facebook.
Also I wanted to share one of Shira's Facebook prayer posts for the election in the USA. Of course, Shira was born in the United States, but she has lived as an Israeli for decades. Which is why it is a little bit surprising at how intensely she sees the issues here and what is at stake. It is rare, I think. Here is her post from 10/21/20. And, by the way, Happy birthday to Shira who just celebrated her 80th birthday.
Sitting in Both Seats
by Donna DiorioI was very touched by the article by Tuvia Pollack in Kehila News this month, Wife of accused murderer tells of shock, dealing with mental illness and hopes of restoration. Having been raised since childhood by a paranoid schizophrenic mom, I could relate to everything this woman said from not suspecting her husband could be capable of such violence to the recognition that at its root, this mental illness is caused by demons. I urge you to read this compelling article from Israel because it has made a horrible impact as both the murderer and the murdered were members of the Israeli Messianic community. What people who have never been around someone they loved who was plagued with such demonic mental illness can even begin to relate to, this wife and mother expresses poignantly.
Just a couple of weeks
prior to this article, Tuvia Pollack sent out a tribute article, Remembering
Bob Knight – A man who exemplified sacrificial love in life and death.
Bob was someone I chatted with off and on for several years on Facebook. He was
an immigrant from Great Britain, a "Royalist" and we enjoyed talking
about the things that are particular to Englanders that I was discovering in a
favorite British TV series I was watching. A really nice person and from the
accounts of everyone who knew him in the Israeli Messianic body, Bob was truly
a nice person. There was shock all around at his murder just this past March.
The tribute article for Bob
came in just as a troubling experience with our neighbor was coming
to a head. Just as we were finally told by his family members that the strange
and somewhat threatening things he was saying to us stemmed from him being in
the midst of a Bi-polar episode. He has been working on our truck since July,
always saying he couldn't figure it out, or taking it to work on it for 24
hours at a time without any change whatsoever in the problem. He wouldn't
return our texts or calls when he was out with our only means of
transportation, but always came back with smooth talk about how he was working
to find out what was going on.
But right after the tribute article
about Bob came in, my neighbor came to my door early in the morning to tell me
that my husband owed a relative of his $3000 and we better come up with it
because the man was out to hurt us! I
lost it and yelled at him that I knew that was not true, loudly enough to draw
his mom, dad and sister out to see what was going on. That's when the sister
finally told me that he was Bi-polar, not taking his meds and had been like
this for a while. Now all the 'crazy' behavior and statements made sense.
This 40-ish young man
has been responsible over the years of doing many good deeds for husband and
me, working on our vehicles doing some repair work on our house. We paid him,
of course, but probably not nearly what others would have charged us. I think.
But after our experience with him over the last several months, I wonder. I
always had a sense that he had a shifty side, but wanted not to believe it
about him. Learning that he is Bi-polar helps me make sense of it all — but I
have to tell you, I took the arrival of the article about Bob Knight very
seriously too. You do not know what demons are driving people to do that are in
the grip of their torments.
This issue has developed
with a theme as they often do. Beginning with Wendy Cohen's book about the key
to freedom being forgiveness. Having grown up exposed to the mental illness of
my mother, the horrible deadening of a human being the antipsychotic drugs
cause, the mostly helplessness of the psychiatric professionals to really do
anything to help these people, I came to the conclusion it was because of
tormenting demons that gained entrance for a failure to forgive. If you don't
believe me study Matthew 18, Yeshua's parable about what causes tormenting
demons in people God has forgiven.
I forgive X for any and all times he took advantage when we trusted him. I do pray that he finds the
key to freedom from his torments, and for his family who are also believers and
worried sick for him. In the name of Yeshua I release him and ask God to reveal
to him what keeps him bound in torment.
Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is
in the power of the tongue
Please keep in prayer these Israeli ministry leaders
and believers with urgent health needs
Moti Cohen of Tiferet Yeshua congregation injured his knee and experiencing serious pain. Steroids and pain killers prescribed caused him unpleasant side-effects, so he quit using them. Moti regularly serving the poor and needy and preaching the gospel on the front lines in Tel Aviv and needs prayer covering for healing | Hadassah Nisim Lerner had surgery for a cancerous tumor. Latest: No remaining sign of cancer & it had not spread to the Lymph nodes! PTL! Please pray for rest & healing. | Carolyn and Richard Hyde's daughter Deborah 10/14 Today Deborah was moved from the Cardiac ICU. Upon arrival on the regular ward, the doctor who helped revive her after her heart stopped seven times just a few days ago asked, “So how does it feel to come back from death to life?” Carolyn writes 10/20: Todah rabah - thank you for your love and prayers for Deborah's healing but above all, for her salvation as she desperately needs Yeshua. She's back in ICU but awake and feisty as ever! But from years of being in a continual state of DKA, diabetic keto-acidosis, the doctors can't seem to get her blood sugar and electrolytes stable. So we watch and wait, hope and pray. Thank you all for standing with us. | Christian Arab Pastor Victor Bahbah who is now in a medically induced coma in treatment for Coronavirus! His life hangs in the balance, please pray | Olga Bikas had a successful back surgery and even though she still has pain from the surgery, she can already tell there is improvement. Continue to pray for her rehabilitation & recovery | Also Aleksey Raikhstadt's special needs son tested positive Covid and the whole family is now in extreme quarantine | A prayer request for Naomi, for a dear family that is a part of Israel Pochtar's pastoral team, who was diagnosed recently with colon cancer. "Despite what this battle entails, we are confident in God’s unfailing Word and promises." Read in her own words| Ronit Bender whose cardiologist told her that her irregular heartbeat is SEVERE | Please continue to pray for Jacob Damkani for the LORD's mercies over Jacob and his dear wife, Elisheva
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