Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Awe - Transitioning Into Spiritual Awakening - Part One
Matt Sorger Ministries
This is an important prophetic word recently given to Matt Sorger two weeks before Rosh Hashanah and the significant spiritual shifts that will be happening as we enter this New Year. We are sending this word out in two parts due to its length. Please prayerfully read this article as God prepares us for this next season.
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Rosh Hashanah is one of the highest holy days on the Jewish calendar. I have come to understand that God works in times and seasons and never does anything haphazardly. Over the last four years since God first launched us out into the healing ministry I always noticed that each year September would be a significant month spiritually for us. It was in September of 2002 that our ministry was birthed and each September following God has brought a significant change and transition. It was only this last year that I discovered that September marks the first month of the original Jewish calendar with Rosh Hashanah marking the first day of the New Year. I gained a revelation and understanding that the Jewish Feasts and Holy Days mark important times and seasons in the Spirit. God still works in line with His original calendar.
A TIME OF TRANSITION AND CHANGE - REALIGNMENTS ARE HAPPENING
Coming into September 2006 the Lord began to more seriously speak to me about the coming New Year. He showed me that it would indeed again be a time of transition and change. Often times when the Lord brings change there comes a realignment of things and there is a cutting away that happens. This brings a realignment of the Body so that we are in the right place at the right time for the purposes of the Kingdom. I believe for many in the Body of Christ they are entering into a new season in their lives where God is calling them to leave the old behind and step into the new. Things of the past that have hindered and impeded our forward motion must beleft behind if we are to move upward in God's purpose and call. It truly is a time where God is stripping and removing everything that would hinder our race in Him. As we transition into the new we must understand what He is doing and what things He is requiring of us to leave behind. This transition will be different for each one of us depending on God's unique plan and destiny for our lives. We must have an ear to hear Him in this season.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO CARBON COPY OLD PATTERNS
God is breaking out of the box. We must be very careful in this next season not to pattern ourselves after models of the past, even good models. We must not carbon copy ourselves after patterns of ministry that worked in the last season. God is doing a new thing. To move into the new wineskin we must remain very pliable and sensitive to what God is doing and how He is moving. This will require a keen sensitivity to His voice and a boldness not to blend in and go with the flow. It will require a heart of total obedience and death to self.
A QUICK SEASON OF SOWING AND REAPING
We are entering into a season of quick sowing and reaping. In Gen. 26:12 it says "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him."
Isaac sowed into his land of inheritance and reaped a hundredfold that very same year. It was a quick sowing and reaping leading to great prosperity and blessing. We are in a season now of quick sowing and reaping. We will sow and in the same year see the harvest. There will be a quick turn around of sowing and reaping, for good or for bad. What we plant will yield a quick harvest. We must be very careful what we sow with our mouths, attitudes, hidden thoughts and intents of the heart. Nothing is hidden from God. In this season we must be very careful what we are sowing. I'll explain more about this later.
OVERCOMING ENVY AND JEALOUSY
As Isaac prospered not everyone was happy with his blessing. He had to contend with the envy and jealousy of the Philistines (Gen. 26:15-18). We must stop here for a moment to learn an important spiritual truth we will need to know for this next season. As you begin to reap the harvest God has for you, not everyone will rejoice with you. Envy and jealousy can take on a very 'self righteous' face and even be hidden from the jealous person's own heart. When they see another person being blessed and prospering something inside of them says "Well who do they think they are?"
This is a good test to see if you have a pure heart or a heart of envy. When someone else shares about the goodness and blessing of God do you respond with a negative attitude wondering who that person thinks they are? Or do you rejoice in the blessing of God on that person's life? Your response reveals what is truly in your heart. We may even feel a sense of 'conviction' that our response is holy and godly, not realizing that the root is actually fleshly and demonic. Jealousy can take on a lot of outward masks, but God sees the heart. We must be prepared that not everyone will rejoice when God's blessing is released. We must not let man's rejection discourage us from possessing the full inheritance God has promised us. Rather than getting bitter at their rejection, Isaac continued on digging the wells of his father Abraham, even in the valley. Eventually those who rejected and pushed Isaac away saw that God was truly with him and decided they would be better off as friends than enemies (Gen.26:28). When you keep a pure heart God's justice and truth prevail in the end.
Lev. 23:23-32 share about the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.
There is both historical and prophetic significance in each feast. The first three feasts deal with the first coming of Christ while the last three look forward to His Second Coming. Each feast will be fulfilled historically through the life of Christ.
The Feasts still hold great significance for us today.
Jesus said in Mt.5:17 "Think not that I have come to destroy the Law, or the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
Col. 2:16-17 also indicates that these feasts are a "shadow of things to come."
Things that have been concealed in the Old Testament have now been revealed through the life of Christ.
THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS – BEGINNING A NEW YEAR SPIRITUALLY
Sept. 23, 2006 marks the day of Rosh Hashanah, beginning the spiritual New Year. This day begins the period known as the Ten Days of Awe and ends in Yom Kippur and the Day of Atonement.
Rash Hashanah is also known as the Feast of Trumpets. According to the World Book Encyclopedia during this festival the Jewish people pray for God's forgiveness, for a good new year and for long life. According to Jewish tradition this day is the beginning of God's annual judgment of humanity.
During this spiritual season the eyes of God are searching our hearts. It is a time to:
1. Humble ourselves before God and let Him search and judge our hearts. We must have a contrite attitude and repent of all sin.
2. Pray God's blessing over the New Year.
3. Pray God's blessing for a long and healthy life in Christ.
The World Book Encyclopedia indicates that Jewish services on Rash Hashanah emphasize judgment, penitence and forgiveness. A shofar is blown to call the people to a place of repentance of sin and to be awakened to holy service to God.
A MOVEMENT OF HOLINESS AND POWER
During this season there is a call going out to holiness and power!
As we transition into the new season we will see two very important streams running parallel to each other in the Church. There will be a stream of very deep holiness along with a stream of extraordinary power.
The days of mixture are over where people have operated in the anointing in public and lived in sin in private. God is calling us to a higher standard and to a place of spiritual maturity. God is bringing the Church into a place of true son-ship. For this to happen we must experience His holy, loving discipline so we can mature into the place of holiness and power He is calling us into.
God is dealing with all mixture in the heart of the Church, corporately and individually. There is a greater glory coming and in order to hold its weight we must have a firm, strong foundation. When you are building the foundation of a house, it must be strong in order to handle the weight. As the cement is mixed there can be no sand or stone mixed in with it or it will become weak and brittle. When the weight of the house is placed on top ofit, it will crack and break. As the power of God increases on the Church we must have an even more solid foundation. God is taking all the mixture out so we can handle the pure power of the Holy Spirit.
In this season of Awakening we will see two parallel streams: holiness and power.
We don't always know what is in our hearts. If there is something that must be purged, God will purge it.
This is a time and season where we need to humble ourselves and let God search and cleanse our hearts.
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