Ron Sawka Ministries
Sept. 4, 2024; Elul 1, 5784
“Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God” (Num. 10:10).
“It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him” (Josh. 6:5).
Shofars, Declarations, and Demolishing of Obstacles
Last week, I wrote about how we must rest in the Lord and how that helps enable us to see and shift into the new things God has for us. This week, I expected that I would write about what some of those changes might be, but instead found the Holy Spirit emphasizing blowing the shofar and why it is one of the keys for our advancing. Several points are as follows:
1. We are entering a new era with new opportunities and doors. We will need to make changes.
2. Satan understands this is all about great harvest, and will do everything he can to conceal, obstruct, and prevent.
When Israel finally crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land, they were faced with many enemies. The first was the formidable city of Jericho. We read the account in Joshua 6. God gave them the strategy of circling the city daily—carrying the ark of the covenant (His presence) and continual blowing of the shofar. They were to say nothing, just blow the shofar.
3. Blowing the shofar announces the goodness of God. Thus, we could say, they were announcing the goodness of God to:
Their own hearts
-To their fellow countrymen
-To the people of Jericho
-To Satan, who was opposing and trying to prevent them from taking the land
4. Announcing/declaring the goodness of God causes faith to rise in our hearts, and it can’t be kept silent. On the seventh day after circling the city seven times, the people all shouted. It wasn’t just any shout, but a shout of faith. It was faith that flattened those formidable walls and made them nothing.
We see a similar situation with Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. They went up against the enemy only singing, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (20:21). Faith arose, and the enemy self-destructed because of that faith (see 2 Chron. 20:21–25).
5. Declaration (or even blowing the shofar) may seem puny and small to us in the physical realm, but it is huge in the spiritual realm. The angels hear it, as do the demons. But our hearts are also part of the spiritual realm, and are likewise powerfully affected.
6. Faith, too, is part of the spiritual realm. Faith is a gift of God (see Eph. 2:8–9), and will rise up in our hearts almost automatically—as long as we don’t allow our minds to distract us. Wasn’t this why Joshua commanded complete silence?
What’s the conclusion? To whatever obstacle we may encounter, declare the goodness of God. Faith will arise in you, and you will see that obstacle demolished.
Thanks for praying.
Ron and Teddy
A Month for New Beginnings
Elul—The Sixth Month of the Hebrew Year 5784
September 4–October 2, 2024
I feel “New Beginnings” is an apropos title for this sixth Hebrew month, Elul. We have come through the three weeks of “dire straits” in Tammuz and Av (Tammuz 17–Av 9/July 23–August 13). Although “dire,” we are to look at them as a time of birth pangs, and therefore birthing. Also, the whole month of Av was about the Lord “roaring from Zion” (see Joel 3:16).
Recently, the idea of new beginnings was further impressed on me while reading Haggai. I hadn’t really noticed before, but Haggai gave that important prophetic word that now was time to build the temple on the first day of Elul (see Hag. 1). The returned exiles were impoverished and in disarray. Things weren’t going well in Jerusalem or in Israel as a whole. Yet it was to these very discouraged people that the prophet thundered out, “Now is time to build.” He prophesied that they were continually saying, “Now isn’t the right time,” but that directly contradicted God’s prophetic word that “Now is the time.” The prophecy explained that the reason for their hardship and poverty was because they weren’t doing what God said.
We know the rest of the story. Their hearts were stirred. They obeyed and began to rebuild. From then on, the blessing of God was poured upon them. Everything began to change for the better.
So, let this be an exciting month. Move into the new beginnings the Lord has for you. Read Here.
Praying for One Nation Every Day
Let’s keep praying, declaring, and believing every day for our own city, our own nation and one other nation in the world. Prayer strategy that comes from Apostle Karen Dey (New Zealand/Sri Lanka)
Click here to read Apostle Karen Dey’s document.
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