EliYah:
- Blessed be the name of Yahweh. I believe we have Curtis on the line. He's not quite ready yet.
- At this time of the broadcast, we like to open the phone lines. I encourage you to call in. Our telephone number, if you'd like to join in and have a question, or a comment, or just sound the shofar and say shalom to the brethren, or any question you might have over any topic--it doesn't have to be today's topic--any old topic.
- Maybe you're a TV watcher and want to defend yourself. I don't care. Call in. Would love to talk over a few things with you.
- Okay, I know. There's some, I know. Okay, all right. I know there are probably just a few things on the television that are worthy to see. Okay, I know. I know that's what you're saying already. But then there's commercials, you know. By the time you find something that's almost worthy to see, you've got to sit through those disgusting, vile commercials.
- It's sort of like digging through a big dumpster. Maybe you find a ham--oh, excuse me--maybe you find a turkey ham sandwich. Sorry, my daughter is cracking up over here. Maybe you find a--I won't say it's a ham sandwich. Okay. It's a turkey ham sandwich. All right, all right.
- And you find something to eat. But, man, you get so dirty in the process, and the TV is that way. It thrusts scenes at you before you even know it's going to happen. You don't have a choice. It's going to throw it at you, like it or not.
- But the internet, you do have more of a choice. I like the internet a little bit better, except when it--it used to be a lot more prevalent, the pop-up windows. Thankfully, they're not as prevalent anymore.
- We are strongly encouraging the disposal of the world's programming. Yes, I'm going to come out and say it. Take that television and--well, I won't say that. There might be a good home video, but at least disconnect it. We don't need it. We don't need it.
- Chuck it, right? [laughs] All right. Well, I've got the TV in my house. I admit it. I have a TV. It hasn't been turned on in several months, but I have a TV, and we do watch home videos, and occasionally you might find a documentary. They've got some pretty good videos on creation and pretty good videos on different assemblies, where they're giving messages.
- There's nothing wrong with that. But guess what? We don't need the programming. We don't need to be programmed by the world. Say it like it is, Curtis. Are you there? I guess he's not there. He's on line one. Okay.
Curtis:
- Hello.
EliYah:
- What's the answer, Curtis?
Curtis:
- Shabbat Shalom. Well, I'm barely hearing. I'm listening to you through the phone there, but something about the TV. My thought is do you get everything done that you really would want to do, that you hear you're supposed to do personally with your family, professionally? None of it is separated from Yahweh.
- People ask us if we're a Christian organization with what we do, and we're like, the first and last of everything we do, from waking up to all the business we do--which that's all I'm going to really--well, maybe not talk about today--but we don't separate it.
- Can you get everything done that you're really supposed to do? Who has 15 minutes to sit there and look at a documentary about the lost city of Atlantis? Wow, this is so cool. Or, I don't know. What's worthy anything on TV?
- The commercials really kill. They covet a lot. They produce coveting and lusting. Whatever. My point is I don't have time. How does that benefit me? For 15 minutes I could be doing something I really need to do with my family. What, are we all going to sit there? Definitely, we don't.
- Occasionally, we have looked at the weather because of the hurricanes. There's something...
EliYah:
- Look on the internet for that.
Curtis:
- What?
EliYah:
- You can go on the internet for that or listen to the radio.
Curtis:
- Yeah, I know. Yeah. And even there, we--I'll use the collective we--look at the news headlines too much. We don't get everything done that we're supposed to do now. The time is short. Time is short.
- How can you sit around and say that anything there is worth what? Worth what? How is it benefiting--how is it bringing glory to Yahweh? How is it feeding with the Spirit and the Word of Yahweh? How is it any part of daily bread? How is it edifying the brethren?
- If you can check off that list on something that's, quote, "worth it" on TV or is good, please let me know how that's helping us do any of those things, because I don't see it.
EliYah:
- I have a hard time with imagining Yahushua sitting in His easy chair, and clicking the remote, and just sitting there for hours on end.
Curtis:
- Or even a little while.
EliYah:
- We really need to be about our Father's business. We're spending all our time getting entertained and reading, even internet. Surfing is downright addictive. There's no end to things that you can learn about, like you said, lost city of Atlantis, whatever, some interesting topic that really is not going to help you spiritually.
- It's just your own personal interest. We need to be sure that we are giving Yahweh the appropriate amount of time and giving our families the appropriate amount of time that we need to in doing the things we're supposed to be doing, that He's called us to do as individuals. Be productive.
Curtis:
- Do you know how powerful a handwritten letter is, snail mail, how powerful a handwritten letter is to your cousin that says what you're doing and in there has a little teeny itsy bitsy mustard seed of truth?
- And they get it in the mail, and they're like wow! Check it out, man! Who mails anymore? That's the response I've gotten lately from my sister and other people. I drop a letter in the mail. Wow, who does that anymore?
- It's powerful. Take 15 minutes to do that--15 minutes to sit down and watch what? I don't know. That's just me. There's so many things I feel like I'm falling short on getting all the work done in the six days.
EliYah:
- That's right. When we watched television in the evenings in the mid-90s, we'd sit down and watch the news, and then we avoided the sitcom thing, but there were other things sometimes you'd watch.
- When we were doing that, we decided at some point we were going to get rid of it.
- The question always was, what are we going to do with our time? We had to find something else. And once you get rid of it, then you start to wonder, when in the world did I have the time to sit down and watch TV?
Curtis:
- I know.
EliYah:
- So you get involved in other things that are more productive.
Curtis:
- Get your dwelling place in order, cleaned up and in order. We never feel like we get everything straightened out, and cleaned up, and organized. But just drop all that and sit down and look at the tube.
- The next day, the next morning, go, "Ah, man. I'm behind now on this," or whatever. That never gets done. I just don't have the time. There's not enough time in the day.
- Yeah, like you said, if you don't even watch that, the TV or anything like that, movies or whatever--and whatever time goes by, and you go, how in the world? I'm still not getting everything done, and I'm not even wasting 15 minutes looking at the weather report.
- That was the first thing He did to me, too. He told me to turn off the TV and get away from that. That's been almost 20 years now. I haven't really watched it.
EliYah:
- There's a couple of stories I've read about, 1950s or before my time, when the television started to come out. I heard a story of a boy growing up in the 1950s, and him and his friend next door, his childhood friend, used to go out and build forts, and play in the dirt, and play together, and do things that were a blessing to their relationship.
- And when that family got a television set, all of a sudden the boy, after school, coming home from school, he didn't want to come out and play. He wanted to be in there and watch this show, or that show, this show, that show, and be entertained.
- So it has a way of dividing relationships and breaking down society. Why do people not know their neighbors anymore? Because their neighbors are inside the house watching television. They used to have nothing better to do, and they'd go outside and converse and talk and communicate.
Curtis:
- Take a walk. Take a walk down the street.
EliYah:
- And the community was more cohesive and more accountable, too. But now you don't hardly know your neighbors, because they're in there watching the blue screen of death.
Curtis:
- Oh, Elohim, you are my El. I earnestly seek you. My being has thirsted for you. My flesh has longed for you in a dry and thirsty land without water. Therefore, I have had a vision of you in the set-apart place, to see your power and your esteem. Because your kindness is better than life, my lips do praise you. Therefore, I bless you while I live.
- In your name, I lift up my hands. My being is satisfied as with marrow and fat, and my mouth praises you with singing lips. When I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches, for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing.
- My being has closely followed you. Your right hand did uphold me, but those who seek to destroy my life go into the lower parts of the earth. They are handed over to the power of the sword. They become a portion for jackals.
- But let the sovereign rejoice in Elohim. Let everyone who swears by Him exalt, for the mouth of those speaking lies are stopped. HalleluYah.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah. Amein.
Curtis:
- Amein. HalleluYah.
Curtis Family:
- HalleluYah! Shabbat Shalom.
EliYah:
- Shabbat Shalom.
Curtis' Wife:
- We're going to sing a little song.
EliYah:
- Sounds good.
Curtis' Wife:
- Okay, here we go.
Curtis:
- This has been our theme song for our workshop here for three weeks.
Curtis Family:
- [Music Ministry: "Walking in the Light"]
Curtis:
- HalleluYah.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Curtis:
- Shabbat Shalom.
Curtis Family:
- Shabbat Shalom!
EliYah:
- Shabbat Shalom.
Curtis:
- So we're gonna keep on walking. We love you all.
EliYah:
- Love you all, too.
Curtis:
- And Yahweh willing, we will see you all soon.
EliYah:
- Sounds good.
Curtis:
- And Yahweh bless everyone here with us online. I think we just got booted offline, but everyone that's here studying and fellowshipping, and encouraging, and sharpening each other. HalleluYah.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Curtis:
- Shabbat Shalom.
EliYah:
- Yahweh bless you all.
Curtis:
- Yahweh bless you.
EliYah:
- You, too. HalleluYah. Brother Curtis, always a good phone call, usually the first one. Words of admonishment about wasting time. No shortage of time wasters available to us.
- I don't know if I mentioned it. The Coover [phonetic] family is coming for the Feast. Remember the Coovers last year? They emailed me this week and said they're coming to the Feast this year. I hope to see the Tuckers, as well. I'm not sure what their plans are.
- In the meantime, I believe we have Brother Gabe on line two. Shabbat Shalom, brother.
Gabe:
- Shabbat Shalom from line two in Iowa.
EliYah:
- [laughs] How are you doing, brother?
Gabe:
- Very good. Just got to come home this weekend for Shabbat.
EliYah:
- Good.
Gabe:
- It's really good, because it's been about 2 1/2 weeks since I've been home with Sadie, and Shiloh, and Vicky. Just been resting. Put in a lot of hours in the hot, but no different than anybody else, I'm sure.
EliYah:
- How much time do you have available to visit with your family?
Gabe:
- Oh, I think we're going back to Oklahoma tomorrow.
EliYah:
- Okay. How's the job coming along? Pretty busy? Or is it almost finished? How much longer do you have?
Gabe:
- We've got a long way to go.
EliYah:
- A long way.
Gabe:
- We've got a long way to go. Actually, there's two fellowships down there that we've found within five miles of each other, and they didn't even know the other one existed.
EliYah:
- That's great.
Gabe:
- They've come out of pagan stuff, and started keeping Shabbat, and it's really, really a blessing to find that within 10-15 minutes of where we're working. It's really cool. They're probably about ten people each.
EliYah:
- Wow.
Gabe:
- Just encouraging to find people Yahweh is bringing out of Babylon.
EliYah:
- Amein. That's fantastic. How is the baby doing?
Gabe:
- The baby is doing wonderful. He's four months old today, and he's pushing himself around on his back quite a bit now. We leave him on the floor for a little while, and come back, and he's moved several feet. He's about 16 pounds, I think, and laughing a lot, and making a lot of noise, and it's exciting.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Gabe:
- Everyone with children knows. Everyone that doesn't, I can't even explain it. That's about all I can say.
EliYah:
- It's pretty incredible to see just how they can grow and learn, and it's just a miracle every day. It really is.
Gabe:
- Yes, it is. We're very excited that you guys got the final paperwork for your daughters.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah. Yeah, that has been just indescribable. I don't know, indescribable, just like you said. It's indescribable, but it is wonderful. It's kind of--I don't know how you'd say--just kind of our children are older. They're 15 and 16. You bring youngsters into the house, it's just like that age just brings so much life.
- They're so happy and excited about even the simplest things. It gets you back to basics. It's been a blessing spiritually for us and everyone. We've all benefited greatly, and we praise Yahweh for what He's done for us and also somberly remember the responsibility He's given, as well.
Gabe:
- HalleluYah.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Gabe:
- They have a song, maybe more--I don't know. Zach is actually up here, too. They're going to praise Yahweh and let us all join in.
EliYah:
- Who's singing?
Gabe:
- Sadie, and Zach, and Neil.
EliYah:
- Okay, very good. Sounds good.
Gabe:
- Hold on one second.
EliYah:
- All right. This is AbiYah_Family on the chat room, for those who don't know. AbiYah plays the harmonica. Sadie and Zach sing. I think Zach plays the guitar.
Gabe:
- All right, they're ready.
EliYah:
- All right. Brother Gabe is going to join, too.
Sadie:
- Shabbat Shalom.
EliYah:
- Shabbat Shalom. We're ready when you are.
Sadie:
- All right, here we go.
AbiYah_Family:
- [Music Ministry: "Yahweh, You Offer More to Me"]
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Sadie:
- HalleluYah. We've got one more for you real quick.
EliYah:
- All right, thank you. That was very good.
Sadie:
- HalleluYah.
AbiYah_Family:
- [Music Ministry: "Every Day I'm Going to Praise Him"]
EliYah:
- HalleluYah! That was great.
Gabe:
- Thank you very much.
Sadie:
- We love you guys!
EliYah:
- That was great. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. You have to do that more often.
Gabe:
- Yes, we should do it more often.
Sadie:
- We will.
EliYah:
- All right. Well, Yahweh bless you and everyone there. Good to hear from all of you and hopefully we'll see you soon.
Gabe:
- All right. Shabbat Shalom and blessings to you all from everyone here.
EliYah:
- All right. Shabbat Shalom, blessings to you all, as well. Good call there from Brother Gabe, and AbiYah, and Sadie, and Zach. What a blessing to see Zach praising Yahweh. HalleluYah! Joining with the family. Hopefully, we'll get to see him for the feast again this coming Tabernacles. A very talented couple of folks there.
- Actually, AbiYah is getting very good on that harmonica. He joins the trio, and the whole family is actually a great blessing for us. HalleluYah.
- I believe we have Finella from Miami on line one. Shabbat Shalom.
Finella:
- Hi, Shabbat Shalom again.
EliYah:
- Good to hear from you again.
Finella:
- I just wanted you to know that I have been following the messages. I stopped going to the Sunday churches.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah!
Finella:
- I'm listening to your messages now at home. I got the Scriptures, so I do my own little study at home. I really do agree with you on the wasting of the time in front of the television.
EliYah:
- Yes.
Finella:
- I have been really trying to apply myself, like putting my Father first, spending that quality time with Him.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Finella:
- In doing my studies, there are some questions I have for you with regard to back in Genesis with Noah's son, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. I don't know if I'm pronouncing it right. Could you shed some light on it?
EliYah:
- What was the verse?
Finella:
- It's Genesis 9:18.
EliYah:
- Okay.
Finella:
- Where it said the whole earth was overspread by these three sons. I was wondering, if that is so, technically we are all inter-related. Is that right?
EliYah:
- Absolutely. We're all sons and daughters of Noah.
Finella:
- Right. I'm also trying to understand the tribes. Why would they say Ham, he's cursed. Which line does Ham fall? Which line is His people?
EliYah:
- Yeah, that's been a very controversial question. I can't say that we know for 100% sure who went where, as far as me, personally, which one of those three I'm descended from. I don't know too many people that can say 100% sure.
- We are all descended from Shem, Ham, and Japheth, as they're pronounced in the regular King James Bible. Shem, Ham and Yepheth, if you look in the Scriptures version.
- There's one generation that was cursed by Noah, as a result of what was done to him. Even that's controversial, as to what was exactly done. My take on it is no matter where you're from, we are all now Israel.
- We are now descended from our heavenly Father. It's no longer we who live. It's Messiah who lives in us. We're all sons of Shem or Israelites through him.
Finella:
- Yes. I was also wondering, back with Adam and Eve--they have it as Hawwah. I'm not sure if that's the pronunciation.
EliYah:
- Hawwah.
Finella:
- Yeah. So, Eve, after eating the fruit, the forbidden fruit, were their eyes open and they knew they were naked? What does nakedness have to do with sin? You know what I'm saying? They said their eyes were open, and they knew they were naked.
- There's something else, when we go back to Ham, and he saw his father's nakedness, he gave those curses. You know what I mean?
- What does the fact--is there some similarity with nakedness and sin? I don't know if you can explain that to me.
EliYah:
- Originally in the Garden of Eden, obviously, the nakedness was not an evil thing, but because of the corrupt mind of man and the stumbling block that nakedness can be, then it becomes something that was being provoked.
- For instance, Ham, the nakedness of his father, possibly provoked by lust or whatever, those kinds of things, that's where a problem becomes presented.
- In the case of Adam and Eve, they never had any shame in nakedness, but Yahweh apparently changed the nature in them, even though they were husband and wife, in such a way that they felt ashamed.
- Probably to prevent men from this unbridled, total lust toward whoever, wherever, Yahweh put that kind of shame inside Adam and Eve, so that they would want to keep themselves covered.
- Again, we're talking extra-biblically here as reasons, and those are just some ideas. I'm not teaching it as doctrine.
- But we do know that nakedness, what it does today in society, and with the immodest clothing brings forth moral depravity, fornication, uncleanness, adulteries, and all kinds of evil things.
- We, as people of Yahweh, we want to be covered. People always wonder what the standard of modesty is that we're supposed to abide by. We see Yahweh actually clothed them with robes, skins.
- It seems our private parts ought to be private and not public. We don't want to be a stumbling block or hindrance to anyone.
- Part of our walk with Yahweh is being edifying, being a blessing toward others, not causing others to stumble.
- There's certain principles in scripture, clearly given, where we do want to cover. We don't want to be like some cultures where it's not even shameful to be uncovered.
- It's gotten so bad. We do want to be the kind of holy people who keep ourselves covered and desire everyone to be covered.
Finella:
- We don't want to look like the world, because we want to be different. You want a woman look good, right? You still want to see a woman still look attractive, but within reason. Is there a certain dress code you have for the woman or just reasonably covered and that type of thing? Is there a dress code or something you specify?
EliYah:
- I'm hesitant to institute dress codes. There's all kinds of--there can be--I could say, okay, we should wear dresses. But then if a woman doesn't know how to properly handle her dress, she can be very immodest, or if a dress is too tight and form-fitting, that can be terribly immodest, as well.
- As far as some basic scriptural principles, I think our goal is that the private parts of our body are not revealed, so as not to create temptations for others. That goes for men and women.
- I think the shape of the private parts of our body should not be known to everyone. That would basically eliminate most of the clothing you buy out there today.
- We really need to get back to--I think what was considered modest was clothes that hung down and did not wrap around or reveal the shape of the private parts.
- That would include, for men, I think, if you're going to wear pants, you need to have some kind of long shirt, and that goes for women, as well.
- In the case of women, I think it's more feminine and more appropriate--this is my own opinion--to be in some kind of a dress. But that's not appropriate if you're sitting down and don't know how to handle it properly.
- The overall goal is that the private parts remain private, so as not to cause anyone occasion for stumbling. Things which would draw attention to the private parts of the body--low necklines and things like that are inappropriate, as well.
- Anything that's a distraction from what's supposed to be the beauty, which is our personality and the spirit within us--that's what should be the attractive part about everyone.
- As far as physical attraction, our face and the joy that's on our face, the glow from Yahweh's presence in our life and His countenance shining upon us ought to be what's attractive about us.
- As far as decorating with makeup and trying to change the way we look, I don't feel is necessarily Yahweh's plan either. If He wanted us to look that way, He would have made us that way.
- I think just a purity, and that includes our mind, our attitudes. There's a certain modesty that needs to be here. As a sister said on the chat room, a gentle, quiet spirit.
- That's very precious in the eyes of Yahweh. I don't think immodesty just includes a physical lust issue. Immodesty can be in the kind of clothing that we choose to wear. If it's flashy and look how rich I am kind of clothing, I think it's wrong-headed.
- Peter talks about--and Paul both talk about the modesty, not wearing flashy gold costly array or any things like that, that are too focused on the things of this age.
Finella:
- Why did Yahweh put all these things in the earth like diamonds and all that type of thing? If I have a diamond ring, that's a nice big diamond ring on my finger, is that wrong? Am I flashing to someone else, who I might draw into the kingdom? Am I supposed to keep it really subtle and be humble and modest in every area?
EliYah:
- I think in every area we ought to be modest. The parable you're talking about there in Ezekiel, I think, was a parable. If what we are wearing, and what we're attracting people about what we're wearing is how fine and expensive our clothing is, I feel that can be a distraction from what's really important, and that is our life of Yahushua living within us.
Finella:
- Yeah, but I thought it's what's inside, not the outside.
EliYah:
- That's where if what we're wearing is a distraction from us being able to display what's inside, I think that's where we're crossing the line. I'm not going to make rules up and say you can't wear this ring, you can't do that.
- The question is, for instance, if somebody has a wedding ring, obviously, there's a purpose there for it. I'm not going to tell them not to wear a wedding ring. I wear a wedding ring. That way, nobody thinks I'm available.
- So I don't create rules, but as a general guideline, I think we want to make sure that we're not wearing anything that is a stumbling block for anybody else or for ourselves.
- If we're focused on the quality of our clothing, and that's where our mind is most of the time, then it indicates something wrong in the heart that ought not be.
- If we're just wearing something decent, modest, not too flashy, a blessing and not a distraction from what's really important for us or for anyone else, I think that's the overall thing we want to look to.
Finella:
- One other thing. I had told the pastor at the church I used to go to, I told him--we were supposed to meet, because I was going to try and show him my new direction and where my Father was leading me.
- So we had made this appointment to meet. I showed up; he never did. I guess he forgot or whatever. I was making all these excuses, but he--I guess there's no excuse for that, because if you think your sheep is going astray, you should really be concerned and try to see what it is they're--you should be concerned.
- They never really showed up. They apologized so much, but my thing is it's just a sign [inaudible] interested in the well being of your members. You know what I mean?
EliYah:
- Right.
Finella:
- Because this is something crucial. It has to do with the sheep, this person's salvation. It's our life. You know what I mean?
EliYah:
- Mm-hm.
Finella:
- But thanks again. I'm really enjoying your messages. I'm not going to take up too much more time, because I want the other brothers and sisters to call in.
- The other thing, the music. I'm enjoying the music. I'd like to get access to some of that music. Is there somewhere I can go to get some of the music you play?
EliYah:
- There's a few websites you can go to. SongsforYahweh.com has some good music. You can go to my website, EliYah.com/songs.html. Just click the songs link there on the left side.
- There's some other music at YAIY.org. That's the John Fisher songs you can download from there. I've picked up a lot of these off the internet.
- Sister Sadie's songs, she has a CD. I think you can get in touch with AbiYah_Family there in the chat room. They can probably get you a CD or two.
Finella:
- Okay. Well, thanks again.
EliYah:
- All right, thanks for calling in.
Finella:
- Okay, okay, no problem.
EliYah:
- Yahweh bless.
Finella:
- Bye-bye.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah. Good questions, tough questions for this age is the modesty issue. You're going to offend somebody, no matter what.
- That's where I stand on it. I do want to encourage everyone, though, to not be a stumbling block. And I don't mean to say that--obviously, the one who's having the problem with lust is the one who is in sin, but we are also in sin if we are being a stumbling block for someone else.
- We're called to edify the body, not tear down and cause the body to stumble. It's the enemy of Yahweh, Satan, who wants to cause people to stumble all the time, so that they will sin. He's not innocent for that.
- Our guide in scripture is that we don't want to create temptation, and we don't want to fall into temptation.
- I believe we have Sister Shacar on the line. Shabbat Shalom, Sister Shacar from Oregon.
Shacar:
- Can you hear me?
EliYah:
- I hear you just find.
Shacar:
- Oh, good, because I didn't hear you at first. I just wanted to make a few comments and maybe some testimony about the television issue.
EliYah:
- Okay.
Shacar:
- First of all, your study was great, I just wanted to say.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Shacar:
- Timely, too. One of the things that I noticed, and I've already started not watching a whole lot of TV, is because I've experienced anxiety from it, actually panic attacks.
- I'm just bombarded with not only the negativity or the different sexual, creepy, evil things that are on TV, but I'm kind of a science-based person. I do a lot of reading about neurobiology and things like that.
- The electromagnetic radiation and things that come out of TV, computers, and all that actually affect our bodies and the way we process in our nerves and everything.
- It's something I've been praying about. Panic attacks can be really debilitating. I've noticed that when I don't watch TV that I have less of them or I'm able to control them better.
- There's other things, too, of course, my prayer and things I'm doing in my life, changes that I'm making that are helping that.
- That is a big factor. I used to prepare my meal, and bring it out on the TV tray, and watch the news, and just within half an hour, I'd have heartburn, indigestion, things happening.
- And then I'd just fall to my knees and pray about it, and then it was just like so obvious. Don't watch TV while you eat.
- So I stopped doing that, and now I'm digesting my food. It's kind of one the things, besides it being spiritually draining, and teaching us things we don't need to learn, also it can have a very real physical effect that people might not be noticing. So I just kind of wanted to touch on that.
EliYah:
- Very good point. Even without even listening to the words, just the noise of that box constantly all the time, one scene after another, one extreme thing after another, one attempt to vie for your attention after another, millions of dollars, constantly trying...
Shacar:
- Yeah, it's overwhelming, and it's not something I want to be overwhelmed with. I'd rather be overwhelmed with the Spirit, and that's just anti-Spirit. It's not there.
EliYah:
- Early in our walk, I want to say about '91, '92, we started keeping Shabbat. I think it was 1990. In '91, '92, we turned off the TV for 30 days, just to try it out. We were starting to wonder about the television.
- It was amazing. I'd come home from work, and there was peace. There was not this constant noise all the time. And even half the time, it wasn't even being watched, but it was on.
- Now, when I go into a home where the television is blaring all the time, it really irritates me.
Shacar:
- Right.
EliYah:
- It's like, okay, do I have to compete with this box of wires over here with Hollywood.
Shacar:
- I think you have to be comfortable with yourself to have that silence be comforting. I've learned a lot from living alone. It's been a year for me. I'm separated from my husband. It's been hard, but at the same time I've learned so much and have grown so much spiritually.
- My two sisters, in the last two years, have lost their husbands, and so they're widows, and they're alone. People that are alone and don't have that family with them in the home tend to take on TV as a companion.
- It almost becomes their family--at least it has for my sisters, though they're steering a little away from that, because I'm trying to influence them to read and things, so they're going to the library and getting books, which is a good thing.
- I think it's harder when you're so blessed to have your family. I don't mean I've got it worse or anything. We all have our roads to travel. I just think anybody that has a family out there, that's able to worship together, just thank Yahweh so much for that. It's such a blessing.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah. I do.
Shacar:
- It's making me stronger. The whole situation is supposed to be.
EliYah:
- Amein.
Shacar:
- And it's just a matter of me finding that strength way deep down inside. And if I can keep these other influences from affecting me, day-to-day, I grow that much stronger.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah. I understand that plight. There are so many people who are, without the TV, they're absolutely, totally bored out of their mind. There's nothing else in their life, because that's what they've done.
- That's why a lot of old people, they're retired, and they sit at the television, and that's where they sit the next 15 years.
Shacar:
- Yeah, I have a neighbor--I live in apartments, and she's a sweet, sweet older lady, and every day at 4:00 the TV is blaring. I can hear it without even having the door open or anything, and got Oprah on.
- I don't watch Oprah anymore. I used to. And I can still hear some of the messages that she's spinning, and some of the magic she's spinning on her shows, and it's just blasphemy almost.
- This poor woman is sitting there thinking this is great, and she's being bombarded with these horrible messages. I feel for her.
EliYah:
- So what ought someone do in place of that? I think there's all kinds of needs out there, whether in the body of Messiah. There are a tremendous amount of needs, to get involved in ministry, to support ministries.
- The ladies, the women in the body of Messiah, if they would like to be like the ones who followed Yahushua, and give of their substance, and bless, and encourage. We read about the widows washing the saint's feet, and the ladies who were making garments for others.
- There's just so many things that a person can do with their time to minister to the body, and it's so much more fulfilling when you know the time you're spending is blessing someone.
- It pulls you out of depression, because you know that what you're doing is a blessing for someone else, and that you're a useful part of the body.
- But when you're just sitting there staring at the walls, or watching television, then you start to get depressed. So it really is a fulfilling thing to serve.
- It's really something I highly encourage, especially as you're getting into retirement age. It's an important time. The body of Messiah needs elders. My goodness, do we ever need elders.
- A lot of us young people are coming up, and we need some guidance, and some direction, and some counsel. It's hard to find an elder. I just think that there are things that everyone can do to be more active.
- Turn that television off and start fulfilling the role; that is to edify the body of Messiah.
- Even if you get involved in some kind of volunteer work somewhere, visit people in nursing homes or whatever, there's all kinds of organizations that are doing things, and we can put Yahweh into those organizations by participating and leading people to the truth.
- I look at this situation, and I do see sometimes the TV is our pacifier. We cry until we have it in our mouth.
Shacar:
- You're saying the time at night is an opportunity to do something different.
EliYah:
- Ah, man, when we have free time, there's so much we can do. Listen, if you don't know what you can do, email me. I've got things you can do.
Shacar:
- Well, I thought, I can make a set of tassels.
EliYah:
- Yeah.
Shacar:
- I crochet, so I could make blankets. When the winter comes again, there'll be people needing blankets.
EliYah:
- There you go. People request tassels all the time. The requests are backing up more and more. It overwhelms Kara. She can't possibly do them all. So it really blesses us a lot when ladies take the time and make these tassels.
- What they're doing is they're helping someone to keep a commandment. They're doing more than just putting threads together. They're helping someone be obedient to Yahweh. That's a great blessing.
- There's all kinds of things that can be done, even in the prayer closet. Lots of people need prayer. I really am encouraged by your phone call and just hope that everyone will take these things to heart.
- I agree with you. The television has a way of affecting us physically.
Shacar:
- When I talk about it to some people, whenever I mention electromagnetic, they think I'm wearing a tinfoil hat. No, I'm wearing a cotton covering on my head. It's not tinfoil.
- These things are real. Our bodies are electromagnetic. Yahweh has given us this incredible miracle of a body, and it is affected by cell phone towers. There's more and more of them now. There's just microwaves. I don't have a microwave oven.
- There's just all these things that are bombarding us, and it not only affects us spiritually--I think that's the number one thing it does--but physically, there's so many people that have cancers and tumors growing in their brain, because they have a cell phone in their ear and that kind of thing. It's not hocus pocus. It's real.
EliYah:
- I went to the chiropractor this week, because my back was really, really out pretty bad. He had to do an x-ray. I said, "Well, how many x-rays are you supposed to allow yourself? Is it like one every five years or something?"
- And he said, "These x-rays aren't as bad as the old ones." He said, "You get more just talking on the cell phone than you would sitting in front of this thing."
Shacar:
- Wow!
EliYah:
- I said, "Really?" He said, "There's so much pouring out of that thing going into your brain, you'd be amazed." So it wouldn't surprise me to see here in about ten years more people, through repetitive, constant use, getting these different kinds of cancers.
- We all need Yahweh's protection, no matter what. I don't want to put that on the back burner. Obviously, Yahweh is able to protect us. We praise Him for His protection every day. We probably do stupid things all the time and not realize it.
Shacar:
- Right, but through prayer, He leads us to the truth. He's the truth I've found, and they're blessings to me, because my anxiety is such that I can manage it now, and it fades away.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Shacar:
- Whenever I'm in doubt, I actually have a journal that I'll write letters to Yahweh.
EliYah:
- Ah, that's nice.
Shacar:
- When I'm really at that brink where I feel like I'm going to lose it, I'll just start writing, and it magically just slips away. All that anxiety just goes.
EliYah:
- HalleluYah.
Shacar:
- It's such a blessing.
EliYah:
- Well, I think David may have done that, too, when we read some of his journals.
Shacar:
- Who may have? I'm sorry.
EliYah:
- King David.
Shacar:
- Oh, okay.
EliYah:
- We're reading his journals sometimes in the Psalms.
Shacar:
- Mm-hm, yes, that's true, isn't it? I didn't think about that.
EliYah:
- So it's good.
Shacar:
- Yeah, it's wonderful. Well, thank you for letting me share. Thank you for all you do.
EliYah:
- Thanks for calling. Thank you for calling and your prayers and support. We appreciate all you've done for us. We'll continue to keep you in our prayers, as well.
Shacar:
- Thank you so much.
EliYah:
- Shabbat Shalom.
Shacar:
- Thank you. Yahweh bless you.
EliYah:
- You, as well.
Shacar:
- Shabbat Shalom.
EliYah:
- Bye. HalleluYah. A question came in the chat room.
Q. Brother EliYah, I would like to volunteer in a soup kitchen, but they sometimes cook pork, serve ham. Should I wear rubber gloves or don't even handle it?
EliYah:
- Well, I would have to eliminate that, myself, I think, from the possibilities of things I would be participating in. I could not, in good conscience, participate in something that would help somebody to sin, and I think that's what that would be doing, as Yosef mentioned there, serving abominations to people.
- But we can offer an alternative. Come over here. There's some pork free soup my wife made for dinner. You want to join us? Sit down, talk about Yahweh. There you go.
- But you could invite people. Didn't some scripture say somewhere about inviting those who are poor and those who cannot pay you back? If you don't feel like it's safe for them to be at your home, then find a place, a neutral place to gather, and have a meal together.
- Otherwise, we're called to be salt and light. We don't want to lose our saltiness, and we don't want to lose our light. HalleluYah.
- Yes, there are tremendous needs out there. Most people don't realize that we do live in a very wealthy society comparatively to former generations, when most of the time people were working most of their hours just to be able to eat.
- Now people are working most of their hours to live a high society life. So I think we need to--I encourage getting back to basics. We need to realize that even though the society we live in may be wealthy in the physical, they're very poor in the spiritual. Miserable, poor, blind, naked. They need some direction in the spiritual areas.
- I think there was some other question that came through.
Q. Someone asked about Galatians--did not have a specific question, but wanted to ask about Galatians, Paul's letter to the Galatians.
EliYah:
- Generally, when someone asks me about Galatians, they're wanting to know--doesn't Galatians tell us to disobey Yahweh's law?
- Well, no, it does not. I would encourage you to go to EliYah.com, the first few topics there at the top of the page.
- I go through most of the book of Galatians verse-by-verse. You can read those studies and try to use scripture to interpret Galatians. Just read the scriptures themselves. I think it'll become pretty clear that Galatians does not advocate Torah breaking, disobeying Yahweh's commands.
Q. BC says, as a health aide, I'm asked to serve pork. Can I handle it with rubber gloves? I am paid to meet my clients' meal requests.
EliYah:
- Yeah, well, you want to make sure you don't touch it. But I personally couldn't imagine myself wanting to be paid for doing that. I wouldn't want to be paid for doing that. Put it that way.
- I think that was it. We do have some songs from the library we can do here. I would like at this time to go ahead and take prayer requests. I think it'll be our last phone call.
- Go ahead and give us your prayer requests. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the chat room. Meanwhile, we will play a song by Tammy Robinson. This is called "Table in the Wilderness."
- [Music Ministry: "Table in the Wilderness," "Ram V'nisa HaMashiach"]
EliYah:
- HalleluYah. Beautiful song by David Loden, "Ram V'nisa HaMashiach," High and lifted up is Mashiach. Kan b'libi HaMashiach. Here in my heart is Mashiach. HalleluYah.
- We do have a couple of questions that came through.
Q. Was the tabernacle of Yahweh made with badger skins?
EliYah:
- Looking at it in the Hebrew, nobody really knows what kind of animal that is, so I don't think it's necessarily an unclean animal. I certainly wouldn't think it's badger or anything like that. Look to the Hebrew, and you'll see that nobody really knows. They're just guessing. They think it might be badger skin.
- Of course, I think the Jews don't have a problem with leather from other animals that are unclean. From what I can tell in scripture, it doesn't appear to be pleasing to Yahweh to even touch their carcass.
- Of course, if you're going to make leather out of them, you're going to have to touch their carcass, and that's what leather is. In Hebrew, the carcass is what's left over that's dead.
- We're going to pray for you, Sister Blessed Farm. Yahweh give you peace.
- There was a question in private chat about work.
Q. What do you do eight hours a day, when you have to go to work, and the people there are very oppressive? They dress inappropriately. Lots of folks with tattoos, cursing, worldly talk, swearing, cussing. The place is totally immersed in the world eight hours a day.
EliYah:
- Pray, number one, this is definitely where Yahweh wants you. Then at that point, you need to make sure that your time you're not at work is spent refilling your spiritual batteries and that you are preparing yourself spiritually for whatever it might be that you encounter at work, that Yahweh will strengthen you to give you the light and to be that salt and light you're supposed to be to those around you.
- He will cause you to be protected while you're there, bind up every power of the enemy that's there before you even walk in the door.
- Yahweh will put his warring angels around you to protect you and prepare the way before you and keep you safe in whatever you encounter there. Yahweh give you the strength to overcome it. Call on the prayers of brethren, as well, and your spouse, family members that are believers.
- I think those are all very important. If you're praying, and Yahweh is showing you you're not supposed to be there, then that would be different. Pray that He will take you to where He wants you to be. That's how I would handle that scenario.
- We do want to go ahead and continue to take your prayer requests.
- [Music Ministry: "Yom Kippur"]
EliYah:
- HalleluYah. A beautiful song by Steve McConnell called "Yom Kippur."
- [Music Ministry: "Lead Me to the River of Your Healing Waters"]
EliYah:
- HalleluYah. And may Yahweh fill you with us Ruach HaKodesh, His Holy Spirit, as you go out once more into the work week. May the Spirit that He places in you be greater than the spirit that is in the world.
- May He fill you with the wisdom, the strength to complete eradicate the influence of the enemy in your life.
- May Yahweh bless you in all your ways. We love you all. Shabbat Shalom to your home.
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