Tsiyon News

From Eliyahu

To accomplish anything of value, there is always much work to do and the big roadblock to getting it done is often in the details. As they say, "the devil is in the details" and this often proves to be more truth than hyperbole.

Consider the excitement you feel as you envision some major objective or plan to accomplish something wonderful! Why, you are so excited you can hardly sleep! Even in your dreams you are working out the tasks you must do and how you will do them, and you are anxious for the new day to begin so you can get to work! At this early stage you are filled with life, drive and determined hope that you will accomplish the thing you have set your mind and heart upon - and it will be wonderful!

Now, fast-forward a week, a month, a year, a decade. Are you still just as excited about that same objective? If yes, great! If not so much, why not?

On the positive side, perhaps you succeeded in accomplishing your goal, and by now have moved well beyond the initial excitement you felt to a sense of quiet satisfaction in having overcome that past challenge. Now, with that accomplished goal in your rear view mirror, you are doing something even bigger and better.

That, of course, is how we all want this scenario to work out. Yet, we all know it doesn't always end like that. Why not? As we said before; "the devil is in the details" - and there are A LOT of details! Did I mention that to accomplish anything important there are A LOT of details? Well, there are A LOT of details. There are so many details, in fact, that if you laid them all end to end they would wrap around the earth a thousand times and then go off into infinity FOREVER!!! To get to the end of them you must live forever, but that is another story we all will hopefully get to later.

My point here is a simple one: that unending flood of details, assisted by a series of unfortunate events, compounded by a mounting avalanche of ridicule from a world that scoffs at your vision and undermines your chances of success - yes, even the unseen powers and principalities in heavenly places - all these have conspired against you to wear you down, to wear you out, to make you give up in despair, to make you FAIL! If you are like most people, in the end of it, you will give up. Then you will justify that by saying things like; "God must not have been in it after all, or it would not have been so hard."

Clearly, I'm now talking about something bigger than mere human plans. I'm talking about something that really matters. I'm talking about your Creator's plan for your life. I'm talking about your mission, if you have choosen to accept it. Now I'm talking about that stupid excuse; "God must not have been in it after all, or it would not have been so hard."

Newsflash! - If it were not that hard then it wouldn't be that important to Messiah or to His Kingdom! Have you been listening at all? This is a WAR with the world, the flesh, the devil, and all his hordes arrayed against YOU. Don't panic. You have everything you need to win, if only you are willing to use it all in the fight. Yes, Messiah, His Spirit, the heavenly host - all are available to help you ..BUT YOU MUST STAND AND FIGHT.

Faith - This is your shield, it needs to be a LARGE shield, but it is only as large as you make it! Is your faith sufficiently large to fend off all of the burning missiles being constantly fired at you that we have already considered above? Really, if you hope to overcome you have GOT to make your faith your priority. At the very least, I urge you to keep up with the Midrash each week, spend time in the Word, and most importantly, spend time with THE WORD, every day. Your faith is your defense. YOU are accountable for that. If your battle is too hard it is not God's fault. The problem is with your faith and you need to do something about that, right now.

Love - Are you afraid of the enemy? Fear makes you hunker down or quit. Only love can give you the strength, the vision and the motivation to engage the enemy and CUT HIM DOWN IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! David killed the giant, motivated by his great love for his Elohim. Love is what makes it PERSONAL. Only where there is love can there be the personal engagement against the enemy personified by David's great victory against the giant. Love can NEVER be beaten because Love NEVER gives up! Messiah called it the greatest commandment: "You must love the Lord with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength." If you've got that kind of love for your King you will cut down giants in His Name all day long!

The Word - you must know it, you must believe it, you must use it, you must obey it. It is your weapon, your sword, and without effectively putting it to use you cannot win! Once you become familiar with it, and skillful at applying it with lethal accuracy, then you will be a deadly warrior against all the forces of darkness that have arrayed themselves against you. Like Messiah and in His Name you will say "it is written" and all the satanic hordes will cringe at what's coming next! You are accountable to fight the battle to make that happen, so be an overcomer and get swinging!

Our Midrash this week is on Covenantal Accountability, and as you may be able to tell from the foregoing, its got me fired up to kick some demon butt! In any case, the things I've shared above have sustained me in my ministry for decades, and I pray that these reminders, based largely on Ephesians 6 (and a bunch of other places), will be uplifting to you as well.

Blessings and Shalom,

Eliyahu Ben David

PS - Some time ago I became aware of the challenge involved in succeeding in the Tsiyon mission. As I gave thought and prayer to who and what we at Tsiyon must be to accomplish our mission I adopted the passage below as our pledge to Messiah, and to all those to whom we minister. It seems like a good time to share it with you now.

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The Tsiyon Pledge:

Seeing we have this ministry,

even as we obtained mercy, we don�t faint.

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man�s conscience in the sight of God.

Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish; in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Messiah, who is the Image of God, should not dawn on them.

For we don�t proclaim ourselves, but Messiah Y'shua as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Y'shua�s sake; seeing it is God who said, �Light will shine out of darkness,� who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Y'shua the Messiah.

But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed; always carrying in our body the putting to death of the Lord Y'shua, that the life of Y'shua may also be revealed in our body. For we, though we live, are always delivered to death for Y'shua�s sake, that the life also of Y'shua may be revealed in our mortal flesh. So then, death works in us, so that life may flow to you.

But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, �I believed, and therefore I spoke.� We also believe, and therefore also we speak; knowing that he who raised the Lord Y'shua will raise us also with Y'shua, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

Therefore we don�t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; while we don�t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Tsiyon Ministry - Our Pledge - 2 Corinthians 4

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