Come Out of Her My People

As we enter into Passover season, it is heavy on my heart to discuss liberation from sin and what that really looks like... There are so many things we could talk about surrounding Passover and Unleavened Bread in general, but I believe this is a powerful point made throughout Scripture and the commemoration of the Exodus. Let's get started.

Why Observe Passover and Unleavened Bread??

I'm not going to spend too much time discussing evidence for the significance of the Biblical feasts today, but I'll tell you that the reason I and my family celebrate them is simple: Yahuah commanded us to, and we seek to do right by the Father. We do only what is commanded of us and are diligent to not add or take away from what the Word says. There are many Scriptures you can study to verify the relevance of the things we have been commanded, and I strongly encourage you to- Remember, read the Bible through your own eyes and take it to mean what it says. You don't need a pastor or anyone else to interpret it for you. www.blueletterbible.org is a fantastic resource for looking up the root words (Greek and Hebrew) used in specific verses to find the meaning and original intent. Keep seeking, my friends, and pray for the Father to reveal truth to you in His timing.

"Let My People Go"

When reading the story of the Exodus, one thing that stands out to me the most is the command Yahuah spoke to Pharoah through Moses. It's one simple statement, and it's so powerful. Let my people go. The Israelites were in bondage and had no way to escape. But our Almighty Elohim, parter of seas and judge over all, blessed their obedience to Him with true freedom for His people.

He always blesses obedience, even if you don't see how He possibly could... But when we don't see how He could possibly bless it, choosing to be obedient to His will is the hardest part. When a child doesn't know why he or she was told to do something, it's in their nature to want to know the reason before they obey, and same goes for us, the children of the Most High. Only we must remember we have been called to deny our flesh, one of the biggest challenges facing humanity.

When we choose to do what makes sense to us instead of walking the path the Father has chosen for us, we choose to stay in bondage. It most often feels like the complete opposite, but that's because our human eyes are wicked and flawed. The Israelites probably wanted to be free, but I highly doubt they were hoping to make a run for it with their wives and children into the wilderness... If they would have chosen their own way, they would never have been liberated and brought into the redemption Yahuah had for them.

It's easy to think, "Well I would certainly never be that stupid... I know a good thing when I see it and I'm always willing to do what Yahuah tells me to". Yeah, get over yourself please. When we think we're much too good and righteous to ever stumble, we make ourselves an idol in our lives and forget to humble ourselves to the will of the Father. You can't serve two masters, and you can't have a heart that's so full of yourself and pliable to Yahuah at the same time, it's impossible.

The command to Pharoah to let the Israelites go was at the same time a command to the Israelites to be ready to leave. "Let My people go" also meant "If you're my people you're gonna go". And that's a hard reality for so many of us to face. Maybe some of the Babylonian ways aren't all that bad... I mean, the people seem real nice and a little fun colored by sin can't hurt, right? Wrong. By trusting in our own "good" judgement, we subject ourselves to following the ways of our wicked, deceitful hearts instead of the ways of the Most High. And coming completely out of Babylon isn't easy. The truth is, we want to hang on to little bits of it for ourselves because we enjoy it. Maybe it's the music you listen to, the movies you watch, the people you hang out with- Even if something doesn't seem "that bad", it is so harmful to Yahuah's perfect plan for your life, and will stop it from coming to fruition. Sin is bondage, and by hanging onto any little bit of sin we keep ourselves from entering into the complete freedom offered us by Yahusha. He commands those who have chosen to belong to Him to come out of her, meaning the ways of the world.

-Revelation 18:4-5

An Unleavened Life

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is so incredibly symbolic for the people of the Most High. It follows directly after Passover, when we reflect on the sacrifice our Messiah made for us and grieve the cost of our sins. During Unleavened Bread we examine our hearts to see if there is any sin we are (intentionally or unintentionally) choosing to keep as a part of our lives. Sin does not honor the Father in any way, an if we are claiming to be completely and wholly His, we have no business in welcoming this kind of toxic wildfire into our lives.

This is the symbolism of eating unleavened bread for seven days. Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:9 that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump"... If you've ever made any kind of bread, you know that there's no way you could prepare a loaf of half-leavened bread. It's impossible to keep leavening from spreading throughout the entire loaf, whether it be sourdough starter, yeast, baking powder, or whatever else you may use. The same goes for our hearts and our lives. There is no way we can be comfortable with some of our sin and think we'll keep it separate from the rest of our life. There's no "Well, I think I'll only be unfaithful to my spouse ever so often, but I know we'll still have a super good relationship when we're together", or "I'll only hang out at the bar on weekdays, but I know when I go to church I'll still be holy"... These are exaggerated examples of the way that honestly most of us live our lives, most often without even realizing it. We think that we can hang on to just a little sin here and there and the Father will still call us good. However, we are told to walk worthy of the calling He has placed upon our lives as His people, and sin (which He hates) has absolutely no part in that. It goes without saying that we'll never be perfect, but He can see what's in our hearts, and He knows if we're truly doing our best to honor Him or if we're making exceptions to satisfy our flesh.

As we remove every last trace of leaven from our homes, we must also work to remove every last trace of leaven from our hearts. Search every corner, and surrender every last unidentified sin and exception you've made. If you truly want the Father to have His way in your life, it's time to give up all the things of this world that you've been hanging on to... Come out of her.

-Galatians 5:9

Connecting With the Father

Something that is much too absent in many of our lives is intentional prayer. It is such an immense blessing that we can talk to the Father whenever we feel like it, and He hears us, but how often do you actually put away all distractions and talk to Him with intention? No matter what your answer to that question was, it's most likely not enough. We should always be in communication with our Father, and we must use our biggest weapon against the enemy- prayer- as the powerful tool that it is. If you are seeking to remove leaven from your life, then you must ask Yahuah to cleanse you. We are to renew our minds daily with His Word, and as we do that we need to talk to Him and ask Him to work in us to resist temptation. Remember, you can't serve two masters, and that leaven will try to rule over you any chance it gets. It is more important now than it ever has been to stay in intentional communication with Yahuah, praising Him for all that He is and has done in your life, and asking Him to continue to be with you in everything.

Something I like to do is to clean an area of the floor where there is nothing within reach- pick up anything that's out. Then I sit in the middle of the clear area and just begin talking out loud to the Most High. He will always hear us, but speaking out loud helps me to stay on track and not lose focus. This can take as long as you want it to, and it doesn't have to be a big to-do. Do it every chance you get, and always ask Yahuah to continue revealing more and more truth to you. And (always, but especially during this time of Unleavened Bread), ask Him to show you the leaven that is trying to hide itself in your heart and in your life.

I hope this has helped fill your cup, and I hope you all have a beautiful Passover season remembering the sacrifice Yahusha made for us and seeking to walk worthy of it. Love you all, stay diligent and keep seeking.

Love,

Nola:)