Here's an old Yiddish tale that we found.

Once upon a time, Truth went about the streets as naked as the day he was born. As a result, no one would let him into their homes. Whenever people caught sight of him, they turned away and fled. One day when Truth was sadly wandering about, he came upon Parable. Now, Parable was dressed in splendid clothes of beautiful colors. And Parable, seeing Truth, said, "Tell me, neighbor, what makes you look so sad?" Truth replied bitterly, "Ah, brother, things are bad — very bad. I'm old — very old, and no one wants to acknowledge me. No one wants anything to do with me."

Hearing that, Parable said, "People don't run away from you because you're old. I too am old — very old. But the older I get, the better people like me. I'll tell you a secret: Everyone likes things disguised and prettied up a bit. Let me lend you some splendid clothes like mine, and you'll see that the very people who pushed you aside will invite you into their homes and be glad of your company." Truth took Parable's advice and put on the borrowed clothes. And from that time on, Truth and Parable have gone hand in hand together and everyone loves them. They make a happy pair.'

Yeshua (Jesus) told many truths with parables. We can see that as we read through the gospels. Yeshua rarely (maybe even never) began with scripture when he was among commoners. It was only in the synagogue, among the scholars that he did so. Most of the time, Yeshua told stories about everyday things in order to bring His strong message in a way that would keep his listeners attention!

Perhaps you've been sharing Scripture with someone and the message is just not getting across the way you'd hoped. Each person is different. There is no exact universal recipe for how to share our faith. We must sense where a person is — ask the Lord to show us where to start — try different approaches! Maybe try something different today. Tell a story — maybe even your story!

Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

The word "midst", in the Greek, is 'meros' which literally means "the middle". In the 'meros' of the throne in heaven is the Lamb of God. The very focus of heaven — the center of attention — is the Lamb of God!

So often we receive emails asking specific doctrinal questions about this new "revelation" or that new "teaching", and the very first thing I must ask myself is — is Yeshua (Jesus) in the center? If all of heaven is centered on the Lamb of God, how much should every doctrine be centered on Him? And how much more should our lives be centered on the Lamb that was slain for us?

The Lord expects us to test all things (1 John 4:1), and see if they are of God. Let's not get distracted with doctrines in which He is not the center.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

D.L. Moody spent many hours praying for faith. He once said, "If all the time I have spent praying for faith was put together, it would be months. I thought that someday faith was going to come down and strike me like lightening. But faith did not come. Then one day I read in the 10th chapter of Romans, "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." I now opened my Bible and began to read God's Word and faith has been growing ever since."

Much of what believers describe as 'faith' has nothing to do with Biblical faith. Our faith must not be based on emotion, or want, and not on the latest Christian seminar. But it must be centered on God's Word, on Messiah, His death and resurrection, His salvation. The Living Word is the eternal, everlasting love of God which has been poured out upon our lives.

Read, hear, apply and live the Word, and you will grow strong in faith.

Isaiah 7:9b If you will not believe, surely you will not be established.

This passage in Isaiah contains a poetic play on words which is lost to any reader but one who understands Hebrew. A word for word translation runs something like this: “If not you will believe (lo ta-aminoo), surely not you will be established (lo te-amenoo).” The three letter Hebrew root – "aleph"- "mem"- "nun", is the same in both words, and the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah is clearly playing on this root to emphasize His point. The same root letters are also used in the spelling for the familiar word "Amen" which literally means "truthfully".

A study of the root of the Hebrew word for "Amen" reveals numerous related meanings: "le-heet-amen", "to practice or exercise" and "le-ha-amin", "to believe". And finally the same root is found in the Hebrew word for "faith", "emunah". Simply through the inter-relationships of these similarly rooted words it's not hard to see that real faith is intimately connected to real practice or exercise. James put it simply, "Faith without works is dead". True faith is active faith, practicing faith, faith that is exercised– and finally, faith that is truthful.

This passage speaks of being established. How are you established in your walk? By practicing and exercising your faith truthfully…simple as that. Can you say "Amen" to that?

Nature provides us with an illustration that closely parallels the insidious tactics employed by our adversary. According to scientists, Arctic polar bears feed almost entirely on seals. To enjoy such a meal, they sometimes resort to a cunning bit of trickery. If the hole through which the seal gets his food is near the edge of the ice, the polar bear will take a deep breath and swim under water to its exact location. Remaining below the surface, he will then make a tiny scratching sound, imitating a fish. When the charmed seal hears this, he dives in for a quick supper, only to find himself suddenly entrapped in the huge, hungry embrace of his predator.

God has sent us forth as sheep among the wolves. There are so many theories disguising themselves as Godly. We're hungry for that meal — but we must be wise enough to make sure it's not a trap! Keep reading and studying the Word of God! Pray and ask Him to reveal His truth.

The enemy loves to tempt us with a 'treat' so he can devour us! Don't take anyone's word but God's!

by George Whitten, Worthy Devotions

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give to you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the authority of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

The legendary preacher, Charles Spurgeon once said, “Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right.”

Often the question is whether something is "right" or "wrong”, and may be answered quickly and easily. But sometimes we are faced with a much more difficult discernment: the difference between “right" and "almost right”. I love to take the kids to the zoo, and whenever we go we always go into the snake house to look at all those beautiful slithering reptiles– but more often than not they are so well camouflaged that they aren't easy to find. Once you've spotted one, however, and recognized its markings, it becomes much easier. So George, why are you telling me about your trips to the zoo?

The Bible identifies our enemy as a serpent, and just like the ones at the zoo he camouflages himself extremely well. Satan knows that the Lord has given us authority over him, so he has to seek ways in which we fail to recognize him. He knows that defending ourselves would be much easier if he came out and said, "I'm here and I hate you!" So he lurks in the background, in unsuspected places waiting for an opportunity to steal, kill or destroy— and much of the time we don't realize he's there until we find ourselves in the thick of an attack. And what is his "camouflage" ? Looking as much like a good guy as he can, so we would never suspect his true nature and intentions. That's why Spurgeon gives us the advice about discernment between "right" and "almost right"; and why the Lord Himself told us to be "wise as serpents"!

Pray to become skilled in discerning your enemy's camouflage, remembering he comes as a "minister of righteousness" or an "angel of light" who knows how to blend into your world, and to look and talk like a friend. Don't go by feelings alone, be careful about flattery, know your Lord through prayer and let God's Word dwell richly in you being filled with His spirit. You want to be well defended against the subtlety of the Serpent, especially these days!

Failure is never a pleasant feeling. It isn’t enjoyable to lose a job, see a relationship falter, or fail a test. But the disappointment we feel when we face defeat can be turned to joy if we look at it the right way!

Thomas Edison was busy working in his laboratory at 2 o’clock one morning when an assistant came into the room and noticed that the inventor was smiling broadly.

“Have you solved the problem?” he asked. “No,” replied Edison, “that experiment didn’t work at all. Now I can start over again.” Edison could have such a confident attitude because he knew that the road to success is often paved with disappointments that serve to extend the road — not to block it. Each failure brought him a little closer to success.

Living a life of victory is not about being perfect — because we are human — and will always make mistakes. The key is learning how to get up after we have fallen. It’s natural to make mistakes — but it’s supernatural to learn from those mistakes and move forward!

The two symbols shown are the ancient letters of Dalet and Tav. The Tav is the symbol to the left represented as a cross. Dalet is the symbol to the left and means door. Dalet can be used to illustrate entrance and opening as well. The Modern Hebrew word for Door is comprised of the same letters as the spelling of the letter Dalet.

We continue looking at the ancient Hebrew alphabet: the modern word for "religion" is the word – "dat" – spelled in Hebrew, "dalet"- "tav". The ancient Hebrew letter "dalet" pictures a door. And as we have previously shown, the "tav" is a covenant sign which is pictured as a simple cross. So the word "religion" in ancient Hebrew, could also be expressed as "the door of the covenant sign (a cross)”.

There are many religions around the world today – but only one is a "doorway to a cross". That is the true faith of the One true God, YHVH, revealed in the Hebrew scriptures and especially in the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant). Apart from this pathway and this cross, all religion is simply man’s own vain attempt to strive for righteousness, spirituality and relationship with God. It is interesting that, using the ancient Hebrew letters, it's impossible to write the word "religion" without this "covenant sign" and the "door" leading to it.

When the antichrist arrives on the scene, he will wear out the saints of the most High and change times, (perhaps establishing a new "era"), and "laws", "dat" or "religion", i.e. the path to Truth or to God. The enemy, Satan, who inspires this end-time figure, has worked hard to persuade humanity that there have been many "doors" to God or Truth. In fact, they all led to his darkness, deception and ultimate condemnation. But in the end, Satan's Antichrist will actually claim that he is the one true door and pathway to God. This will be the ultimate blasphemy and the last deception. For Yeshua (Jesus) said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved"; [John 10:9]. This "Door" to salvation, the Lord Jesus, is still OPEN to everyone.

If you have entered the true "Door", that is, Yeshua, then you may be worn out, but you cannot be deceived or condemned. He is the one "Door" to salvation. And the ancient Hebrew alphabet, only one of many testimonies, points to this simple truth: that the one authentic "religion" is the "door to the cross", where there is forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Last week, the United States experienced an earthquake — the most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years. For many, it was the first time they had ever experienced one. This reminded me of when we first moved to Israel, in 2003.

I was in my Hebrew class downtown, and my wife and one month old baby were alone in our Jerusalem apartment. My wife called me immediately and this is what she told me, I'll never forget it.

She was sitting in our bedroom with our 1-month old in her arms, when out of nowhere came a sudden loud roaring sound, followed by a shaking of all four walls, and all the contents within banging back and forth against them rapidly and with great force. So many things were going through her mind that moment as she tried to remember what you're supposed to do in a scenario like this. Are you supposed to get under the bed? Or maybe get outside? Yeah, outside! But it would be three flights of steps to get outside and with a newborn baby in her arms — how?! She just froze in fright, thinking about what could happen next. But in the midst of it all, Riv looked down at Elianna in her arms. Would you believe, she was perfectly content — happy, smiling, even drifting off to sleep as the whole earth shook all around her. Wow.

Each of us can take a lesson from Elianna. Even in the midst of all the chaos, distress or crises beyond our control, we must rest, trusting that we're safe in the loving arms of the Father. We shouldn't have a care in the world.

Is your world being shaken right now? Know that God is holding you today. No matter what you're facing, you can trust Him to cover you. Just lay back and enjoy the ride!

Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Tonight begins Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar year. Some of you may know that a lot of bad things have happened to the Jewish people on this date, the first of which was when the spies returned with an evil report of Israel, written about in Numbers 13 and 14. Both the first and the second Temple were destroyed on this exact day, hundreds of years apart. The Crusades began on this day in 1095. The Jews were expelled out of England on this day in 1290. They were expelled out of Spain and Portugal on this day in 1492. And these are just to name a few!

Although these may be days of mourning, we who know our Messiah shall not mourn for long. Joy awaits us in our Father's arms for eternity. And while we should all be looking forward to that, we need to be crying out for Israel at this time — especially with war on the horizon — that her eyes would be opened to the truth and the everlasting joy we can have in Him!

Read more Christian devotions on: Intercession, Israel, Joy, Prayer, Truth

Maybe it's because we live in the desert and our bodies crave salt to maintain a certain level of hydration or something, but lately we've become big fans of salt around here. Not a day goes by that our daughter, Elianna doesn't ask for "salt in my hand please", lol. "What in the world does salt have to do with grace and truth?", you ask. Well, I'll tell you.

As you may remember from chemistry class, salt is a combination of sodium and chlorine. While sodium is a harmless active element, chlorine is a poisonous gas — it's actually what gives bleach that yucky smell. Interestingly, when the two elements are combined, they produce salt — a substance, which we all know, is used to preserve and bring out the flavor in food.

In the same way, if we present the truth of the Gospel without grace, it often produces a very offensive and sometimes poisonous effect on those with whom we share it. However, if we combine the two, we'll be be able to preserve and bring out the delicious flavor of our faith!

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, the scripture says. How much more should we approach the world around us with these two important components?

Have you been struggling to convey the Gospel in an effective way? Perhaps you need more grace… or maybe more truth? Let's give our efforts to the Lord and ask Him to help us spice it up the way He likes! There's so much work to be done!

by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions.

Leonardo da Vinci, who excelled at many things — as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner, scientist, inventor, anatomist, military genius, and philosopher said a wise thing:

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment…Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen."

Have you found this to be the truth? We have! Any time we step back from a situation or project and take some time away, we undoubtedly gain new perspective and insight about it. Now, I know not all of us can take a week-long vacation at a luxurious resort to take time away from our difficulties, but we can, and must take a retreat with the Lord (which by the way, can be much more restful)! The Word says He makes me to lie down and green pastures — It doesn't say He'd like us to, if we could try to take some time from our busy schedules — it says He makes us!

It's time to take a rest from all the things that make us weary today — ministry work included. Let's take some time out with the Lord and get quiet before Him. He has so many things He wants to reveal, if we would only give Him a chance to show us! He's has so many ways He wants to refresh us and refill our empty places, if we would only be obedient to His call!

by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions.

After our very small wedding in Jerusalem, my wife and I planned to have the big ceremony she'd always dreamed of, in Havre De Grace, Maryland. Rivka had it planned it to the tee. It was an outdoor wedding next to the longest standing lighthouse on the east coast. We were going to wow our guests with an entrance by way of sailboat. Ten dancers with candles in glasses were to proceed my beautiful bride as I awaited her under our hand-crafted chuppa, lit by the sunset on the bay.

Unfortunately, things didn't flow quite the way we had planned. Nothing went right — and when I say nothing — I really mean nothing. We got started terribly late because some important wedding party guests were late, so the sunset entrance didn't happen. It rained and rained and the cold wind blew. We had no indoor option. We did end up coming in on a sailboat, but we were both soaking wet! The electricity kept flickering on and off, along with the sound, during the ceremony because the generators we rented were not working well. The wrong song was played as I was coming down the isle. There were ducks quacking and meandering around in search for food in the tent beside us,and I tell you, that was only the beginning! The whole event seemed like it was written by the Marx brothers!

Despite the circumstances however, we laughed throughout the whole thing. We decided to trust that the Lord was in control, and just enjoy each other. Just before our pastor closed out the ceremony, he said something along these lines: "Marriage is not about sunny skies and perfect weather — what it's really about is being joined together to weather the storms!" Surprisingly, many of our cold, wet guests shared with us that they were incredibly touched and blessed. Both believers and non-believers alike remarked that they could see the joy of the Lord in our lives.

The Lord has joined himself to us, not just through the sunny days, but through every storm of life. God never promised us perfect weather, but He does promise that He will walk beside us even in the most difficult of times.

Keep your mind set on Him and you will be at perfect peace through every storm!

Yesterday, I shared from this same passage. But today, something even more powerful touched my heart about it — and it was so humbling, I had to share it with you too.

Yes, it's true that we as humans tend to compare ourselves with one another and think highly of our good works. And it is true that not one of us is good by God's standards and that our good works are like filthy rags according to Isaiah. However, seeing all this — Jesus beheld this man…. and loved him. "Jesus loved him," it says. And then, only then did he tell him the hard-to-swallow truth.

The Gospel is not just truth — it is much more than that. It is the truth told in love.

When we share this Good News, must behold, and truly love the person with whom we're sharing it!

Even to those who hated Jesus, He told it in love. How much more should we be sharing that way with our friends and family?? Jesus told the truth in love and that's the way we should strive do it too.

Lord, help us! We want to love one another as You have commanded! Give us hearts of flesh for our hearts of stone and help us to truly love one another, that your Name may be glorified when we speak your truth! We want to do great things for You! There's so much work to be done!

I can't begin to tell you. So many people I've shared the Gospel with have answered, "Well — I don't need that, I'm a good person." No, we're not. We have a tendency to compare ourselves with our neighbor, thinking how nice or how giving we are compared to him or her. But none of us are good by God's standards. Our good works are like filthy rags, according to Isaiah.

This guy thought he was a great guy. "Yeah Jesus, really, I've done all this stuff you say, even from my youth!" One thing he lacked, though. He needed to take up his cross and follow Him.

We can do lots of good things. But have we truly taken up our taken up our cross today and followed Him today? It's time. Today is the day to take up our cross! Today is the day to give our lives for God's purposes and follow Him! There's so much work to be done!

The word verily, in this verse, is the Hebrew word “emunah” (em-oo-nah). It also means faith or faithfully. When we trust in the Lord, He declares that He will faithfully feed us. How will we be fed?

The Hebrew word for fed is “roeh” (roh-eh), which also means shepherd. Messiah came to become our chief shepherd. A shepherd not only feeds his sheep, he guides them in the way that they should go. They know his voice, trust him, and follow his direction.

Are you hungry to be closer to Him? Seek Him and He will feed you! But it all begins with us – having a deeper desire to be more intimate with Him. He is faithful to feed and shepherd all those who put their trust in Him!

In the famous Louvre Museum in France, there is a painting by Bartolome Murillo called, "The Miracle of San Diego". In the painting, two noblemen and a priest enter a kitchen and watch the kitchen maids at work. One handles a pot, another a cut of meat, another a basket of vegetables, and one tends the fire. The men look surprised to find that the maids are not people but actually angels.

I like this. These weren't just kitchen help — they were angels! All of us have a job to do, be it in our warehouses, our offices or our kitchens. Even the Lord Jesus was a carpenter by trade!

Not every one is called to go abroad into the mission field but I can tell you this. We are all called to be a missionaries! We are all called to spread the wonderful truth of God's great mercy toward us everywhere we go!

God has each of us placed where we are for a specific reason — to fulfill the great commission! Let's pray and ask the Lord how we can best fulfill the great commission where we are and allow the Lord to show us how we can impact our world for the Kingdom today! There's so much work to be done!

Although it is fictional, it is meaningful, nonetheless.

There once was a girl who hated herself. You see, she had become blind in her early teens from a rare disease. Not only did she hate herself but she hated everyone else too. She was angry at the world, angry at God, angry at everyone.

There was one person, however, who had known her for years and stood by her side through all this. It was her childhood friend, who loved her ever since grade school. Now in their 20’s, he wanted to marry her.

One day he worked up the nerve to ask her for her hand in marriage. Her reply was that if she could only see the world, she would marry him.

Soon after, someone donated a pair of eyes and she went to surgery to have her malfunctioning ones replaced. It was a miracle. After a few weeks, she took off her bandages and she could see once again. And who was standing by her side, as always? Of course, it was the man who loved her.

"Now that you can see the world, he said, “Will you marry me?" The girl was shocked to discover that he too was blind, and sadly, still refused his hand in marriage. Undeniably, he was devastated.

Sometime later, she received a letter from him, sharing his undying love for her. He signed it, "Please, my love, just take care of my eyes."

Hmmm. A sweet story. But few of us remember what life was like when we were yet blind to the truth of our salvation in Jesus — and who to thank for their labor in love and prayer and boldness in sharing that truth with us, no?

Let’s never forget where we came from and those who gave of themselves so willingly for the opening of our eyes. And let’s also strive to be the kind of people who are willing to lay down our life for a friend. There’s so much work to be done!

We mentioned recently how we've been really going through some stuff this past month and we're just exhausted. Well, when I read this story, it got me thinking.

When a power plant in a tiny village in Alaska caught fire one evening, a local fire truck stood, unused, in perfectly working condition as the plant burnt to the ground. Damage to the plant was great. And why did this state of the art firetruck go unused? So sad… simply nobody in the town knew how to operate it.

This is what I realized. Amidst the everyday fires we face in our lives, God has given us precious, perfectly good working, state of the art promises. Unfortunately, it seems that either we are ignorant of them or fail to know how to operate them!

D.L. Moody says that many of the promises God has given to His people, to us, "seem to be pretty pictures of an ideal peace and rest, but are not appropriated as practical helps in daily life. And not one of these promises is more neglected that the assurance of salvation. An open Bible places them within reach of all, and we may appropriate the blessing which such a knowledge brings.”

Are you burning to put God's promises to work in your life today?? I know I am! Let's get into God's Word, get to know the depth of His commitment to us, and put His wonderful promises to action! The fires are raging and there's so much work to be done!

One of the more neglected commandments of the Lord among us is to test all things to see if they are of Him. In Revelation, John spoke of a number of churches that were influenced by the enemy. It's no mystery that satan loves to infiltrate the body and spread confusion!

Many of us don't realize that in this age, where spiritual deception is running rampant, we have actually been given the Spirit of Truth! But here's a question. Do we ask the Spirit of Truth to guide us?

We need to be on guard! We need to test everything fervently! Let's ask our Friend, the Spirit of Truth, to guide us and keep us on the straight and narrow path. There's so much work to be done!