Ron Sawka Ministries
July 5, 2023; Tammuz 16, 5783
“They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat” (Ezek. 44:18).
Thriving During the Dire Straits
Many of us know we are entering the three-week period called the “dire straits,” which begins on Tammuz 17 (July 6) and ends on Av 9 (July 27). Tammuz 17 was the day Moses smashed the original stone tablets because the people had already abandoned their covenant with God and were worshiping and dancing around the golden calf (see Exod. 32). And Av 9 is infamously known as the day Israel refused to enter the Promised Land (see Num. 13–14).
Since then, this three-week period has been referred to as the “dire straits.” Israel’s history is peppered with disasters that all occurred around this time. A few are as follows: destruction of Solomon’s temple in 423 BC (Av 9); destruction of Herod’s temple in 69 AD (Av 9); expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 (Av 9); expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 (Av 9). World War 2, which resulted in the deaths of six million Jews, happened because of World War 1, which began on Av 9 in 1914.
Why mention all of that? Yes, negative things will happen in life, but they don’t have to rule us. We can choose to believe God and His covenant and His promises. We can shine! If Israel had only chosen to honor the covenant, like Moses did. If only they had chosen to believe in God’s goodness and His promises—as Joshua and Caleb did—they would have been so blessed.
That is the main point of all of this—to be sure to respond with faith in God’s covenant and promises to whatever may come our way.
One way to be able to respond in faith and not with negativity is to be sure to testify. Whenever possible, be sure to speak out what God has done for you. Do this as often as possible. It causes faith to grow, and will also open new doors or opportunities.
Last week, God healed my shoulder of a six-month problem. My shoulder had kept getting worse, and over the past two months the pain would often wake me up throughout the night. During our Friday night Apostolic for Russia meeting, there was a word of knowledge released. I realized it fit my situation, so I grabbed hold of it. I was 70% healed almost instantly, and it kept getting better and better. Four days late, it’s about 95% healed.
In the same meeting, the Lord also drew our attention to Ezekiel 44:18, which states, “They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat.” The priests had to be clothed this way whenever they were in God’s presence.
What does this mean for us? Whenever we are in God’s presence, we are to be calm. We are not to strive, or fret, or be anxious. He is not dependent on our efforts. He is in charge. He will take care of everything. He will accomplish the miracles.
And unlike the Old Testament priests, we can always be in His presence. This too is our choice. We never have to strive or worry. We can always be in the peace of God. He is in charge.
If you are going through a difficult time right now, just choose to believe His covenant and His promises. Choose not to strive or sweat. Be at peace. God will take care of it.
Thanks for praying,
Ron and Teddy
Shining by Immediately Testifying Whenever the Lord Blesses You!
Tammuz—The Fourth Hebrew Month of 5783
June 20–July 18, 2023
The Lord immediately tested Saul. When He blessed Saul by telling him he would be king, and then confirmed it by many signs—the last one being Saul prophesied just as the other prophets—the Lord expected Saul to share these things. If Saul had clearly stated such to his father and uncle, his faith would have been strengthened; his confidence in the Lord and in his calling as king would have soared. However, Saul let his shyness or natural reticence take over. He kept silent. This led to doubt and loss of confidence in himself and in the Lord. Let us not do that.
As soon as you experience a blessing, be sure to testify of it! You will shine!
Blessings for the month of Tammuz may be found here.
Travel/Ministry Schedule
July 11–13, Hong Kong, Zebulon Apostolic Center
July 14–15, Singapore, Zebulon Apostolic Center
July 16–18, Kuala Lumpur, Zebulon Apostolic Center
July 19, Kuala Lumpur, Tabernacle of David
July 21–22, Hong Kong, Catch The Fire
July 31–Aug. 3, Incheon, Korea
Aug. 4–5, Seoul, Korea
MPP (Mondays–Fridays, 6:00–6:45 a.m.)
Weekly Broadcast Schedule (Times are listed in Japan Time, UTC+9:00.)
Apostolic for Russia—Fridays, twice monthly: July 7, July 28, 7:00–8:00 p.m. Join us on Zoom or watch on YouTube.
Apostolic for China—Saturday, July 29, 8:00–9:30 p.m. Zoom: ID: 823 7276 5237, Code: 878174 Topic: Now Is the Time for Healing and Harvest
Apostolic Center Training—Tuesdays, 8:30–10:00 p.m., English/Chinese, registration required.
Prophetic Praise with Pete—Sundays–Thursdays, 10:00–10:30 p.m. YouTube
MPP—Mondays–Fridays, 6:00–6:45 a.m. YouTube
Note, I usually post links to my public Facebook page.
Resources
Ron’s new book, How to Activate Prophecy and Revelation Gifts, the first title in our new “Apostolic Center Training Series,” is intended as a tool for training others in prophetic activation. It is now available for Kindle. Print copies can also be obtained from our office in Sano. Contact info@rwsministries.com for information about ordering copies, or to obtain any of the four books from the “Building Apostolic-Prophetic Foundations” series, which are also available on Kindle:
• Judah Goes First: The Power of Apostolic-Prophetic Praise
• Activated to Prophesy: The Essential Experience for This New Church Era
• Apostles and Apostolic Anointing: Raising Up the End-Times Believers
• Apostolic Centers: Wineskin for the New Era
For English or Japanese books, contact info@rwsministries.com.
For Chinese books, chinese@rwsministries.com
For more information or to connect with our ministry team, please write us at info@rwsministries.com or info@mppjapan.com.
Giving
You are welcome to give to Yarn Alive via giving to Ron Sawka Ministries. Please clearly mark your designation. Thank you.
Bank Info and Online Giving (From Any Nation)
You can give online by credit card or debit card at https://give.mogiv.com/app/giving/rwsministries.
In addition to online/credit card giving, which can be used from any nation, you may give via the following:
Japan
Japan Apostolic Fund Supporters should give directly to CTF Japan. Also, Yarn Alive donations can be given directly.
Direct Bank Transfers from Overseas
Account name/number: Ronald W. Sawka 93642377
Bank name: SMBC Trust Bank
Address: Nishi Shimbashi Square 1-3-1 Nishi Shimbashi, Minato Ku, Tokyo Japan 105-0003
SWIFT code: SMTC JPJT
Intermediate bank name and SWIFT code: Sumitomo Mitsubishi Bank Corp. SMBC JPJT
USA
CTF World USA, 2304 Page Rd, Durham, NC 27703. Please make out the check to CTF World. Be sure to clearly designate “For Ron Sawka Ministries.” If it is for Yarn Alive, please notify us separately at info@rwsministries.com.
Singapore
POSBank 149-42129-7 (account name Ronald W. Sawka)
Taiwan
Bank: China Trust
Account Name: Ronald Wade Sawka
Account Number: 42854 0413470
Korea
KEB HANA BANK 249-890619-84307 Ronald Wade Sawka
Canada
Since we do not have a Canada office, we suggest you use the credit card option https://give.mogiv.com/app/giving/rwsministries. (Unfortunately, the receipt is not tax deductible for Canada.)
Apostolic Fund Supporters
Apostolic Fund Supporters are the backbone of our support system, and we feel you are so important. Therefore please know that we:
Pray for you regularly—if you have needs/requests, please let us know.
Send you a weekly recorded prayer.
Want you to contact us whenever you feel a need arises.
Yes, I Commit to Being an Apostolic Fund Supporter for 2023 (US $1,200 for the year)
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Please send us this information to info@rwsministries.com with the subject line “2023 Apostolic Fund Supporter.”
Thank you for your giving!
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