Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #325

Title: The Lord Is Speaking to Us

Web Description: The Day of Trumpets is a reminder every year that God has something important to say to us, and we need to be alert and listen. The trumpet sounded at Mount Sinai when the Lord gave the Ten Commandments. And the Lord's message to the churches of Revelation was with the sound of a trumpet. That means we need to be alert, listening and applying all of Christ's instructions to His Church today.

Show Notes:

God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and took them to Mount Sinai where He came down with the blast of a trumpet. That trumpet blast had a purpose. It was an announcement that God was about to speak to His people. He was going to give them the Ten Commandments, so He wanted their attention. This aspect of Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets, applies to us today. The trumpet blast means that God wants to get our attention. He wants us to wake up and listen to Him because He has something to say to us.

We read in Revelation that the Lord's voice was like the sound of a trumpet when He delivered a message to the seven churches in Asia. Just like at Sinai, the Lord wanted to get their attention, so they would listen to the instructions He had for them. And just like the Ten Commandments, His Words to the churches were commandments the entire Church needed to hear, understand, and follow. We need these Words even more today in this time when the Church is preparing for the return of Christ.

We do not need to determine if our church is like a specific church mentioned in Revelation. Each point the Lord made to all those churches applies to us personally, to our church, and to the global Church today. Every instruction is for us to follow. If the Lord told a church to keep doing a positive activity, then we pursue that with all our hearts. If the Lord pointed out something that needed correction, then we give ourselves to repentance for that to change. Let us wake up to the trumpet call and have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Key Verses:

• Joel 2:1. "Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain!"

• Deuteronomy 4:10–13. "The LORD spoke to you. … He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform."

• Revelation 1:1–3. "Hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it."

• Revelation 1:4–7. "Every eye will see Him … and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him."

• Revelation 1:8–11. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet."

• Deuteronomy 11:26–28. "I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse."

• Revelation 2:1–7. "I have this against you, that you have left your first love."

• Revelation 2:8–11. "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."

• Revelation 2:12–17. "I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam."

• Revelation 2:18–23. "I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel."

• Revelation 3:1–6. "Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die."

• Revelation 3:7–13. "Hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown."

• Revelation 3:14–22. "You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."

• Revelation 4:1. "The first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, 'Come up here.'"

Quotes:

• "We are going to see things taking place within the Church that are the consequences of the sin that has been allowed to grow there. Do not allow it; call it out. Separate from it, and see that God is able to bring a blessing back instead."

• "We must come back to Him. We must be filled with His Spirit and see that we finish the deeds that He has given us to do in this day and in this hour."

• "We are in a place where we must hear His voice now. We must understand what He wants us to do and not do."

Takeaways:

1. The Messiah's message to the churches in Revelation is like the Ten Commandments for the Body of Christ to follow now.

2. If we are disobedient to His commands, we will reap what has been foretold of the judgments.

3. If we obey these words, we will be called up into the heavenly throne room and be shown the things that must take place as God's Kingdom is coming into this earth. Lord, bless us with ears to hear and hearts to obey!

4. The revelation of God's Word always challenges us to pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord by helping us to see more clearly and understand more completely, so we may be more closely conformed to the image of Yeshua (Jesus) in all we think, say, and do.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #324

Title: Remove the Filthy Garments

Web Description: Christ is our atonement. He took away our sins at the cross. That means we are delivered from the accusations of satan. These accusations are about things that are not us but instead are put on us like filthy garments. By our love and faith, we remove the filthy garments from one another and replace them with the clean robes that God has provided for His priesthood in His Kingdom.

Show Notes: The Day of Atonement is about God removing our sin. God does this for us through the sacrifice of Christ. Just as the sins of the people were transferred to the Azazel goat and removed from the camp, so Christ took our sins and removed them at the cross. Everything about our salvation and deliverance from sin comes from God alone. It is not something we can do for each other. Yet there is an aspect of atonement that requires our involvement.

Zechariah gives an account of Joshua the high priest standing before the Lord in filthy garments. Meanwhile, satan is right there to accuse him. Then the Lord tells those who are nearby to remove the filthy garments from Joshua. And the Lord says, "I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes." Others then clothe Joshua with clean garments. In this amazing picture we see that God takes away our iniquity, but others are involved in removing the filthy garments and putting on clean ones.

We must see ourselves in this picture. In our love and faith and oneness, we play a role in delivering one another from the filthy garments of the flesh. Satan is always trying to corrupt us, taint us, cover us over, and make us look and act like him. But we are not that; we are the pure gold and silver that God created, which He is purifying in the refining fire. In this purifying process that God puts us through, we are actively involved in removing the dross that is covering over the pure gold that is our brother and sister.

Key Verses:

• Leviticus 16:1–28. "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities."

• Zechariah 3:1–5. "Joshua was clothed with filthy garments. … So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments."

• 1 Corinthians 15:33. "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals.'"

• Matthew 13:24–25. "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field."

• Malachi 3:1–3. "He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver."

• Matthew 24:3. "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold."

• Daniel 12:10. "Many will be purged, purified and refined."

Quotes:

• "Visualize a tsunami, seeing the globe of the Earth hanging out in the darkness of the universe and a tsunami of God's light and love, which is His salvation and atonement, coming and just encompassing the whole globe."

• "There is a will of God in your life. And He planted you here as His good seed to accomplish His purposes and to spread His Word and to bring forth His Kingdom in the earth."

• "Revelation talks about us standing with white robes. But we don't put those white robes on ourselves. It's our friends standing around who are going to be able to clothe us in those white robes as we move into the days of His Kingdom."

Takeaways:

1. Our salvation, deliverance from sin, and atonement only come from God. But we have a role in removing the filthy garments from one another, as well as clothing one another with clean garments.

2. We tend to identify ourselves with the filthy garments. And satan is always accusing us to make us think that we are the sin. But all our sin, impurity, and uncleanness was transferred onto Christ who takes it away.

3. Tares planted by the enemy generate corruption. And the filthiness of the flesh is the dross that comes to the surface when gold is smelted. But we are not the corruption of the tares; we are the good seed that God planted. And we are not the dross; we are the pure gold that God created.

Growing In God Podcast

Title: Our Hunger and Thirst for God

Web Description: When Yeshua (Jesus) received the Holy Spirit, He was immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness. It is the same for us when we receive the Holy Spirit. We are led into a wilderness experience so that we will know that our fulfillment comes only from the Lord. If we are hungry, we feed on Him. If we are thirsty, then we go to Him and drink. And out of our innermost being will flow rivers of living water.

Show Notes: Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, is observed by building a Sukkah. This is done to remember how the children of Israel lived in the wilderness for forty years. During those forty years, the Lord led them and provided everything for them. In the wilderness there was no water except the water God provided. There was no food except the food God provided. There was nothing they could depend on except God. And this is the lesson of the wilderness for us as well.

You can go through times in your life when you feel like you are in a wilderness, when things have dried up for you spiritually. You are hungering and thirsting, but there is nothing in the wilderness that can satisfy you. That is for a reason. God wants you in a place where it is only you and He, where there is nothing for you to reach for except Him, where you can learn to depend wholly on Him, just as Christ did when He said that He could do nothing without the Father.

It was on the last day, the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles that Yeshua proclaimed, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." That is how rivers of living water will flow from us. But He also said this concerning the Holy Spirit. And just as the Holy Spirit drove Yeshua into the wilderness, so He does with us. The Spirit positions us in that place of hunger and thirst for God so that His living waters can constantly flow from us. That is the greatest answer we can have for ourselves and for the world.

Key Verses:

• John 15:19. "The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing."

• Deuteronomy 8:1–11. "You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness."

• Deuteronomy 8:15–17. "He led you through the … wilderness … to do good for you in the end."

• John 7:37–39. "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink."

• Mark 1:9–13. "Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness."

• Jeremiah 29:13–14. "You will … find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

• John 3:34. "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure."

Quotes:

• "God is working with us to do good to us, to bring the blessings and the promises to us, which He's promised to our fathers, which He promised to Israel, which He's promised through Yeshua."

• "The greatest answer the world could have right now is a spiritual hunger. It's a spiritual thirst. Because if we can truly see a world that gets hungry and thirsty for God, we can see a world that can be saved."

• "The Spirit doesn't come and go. It rested upon Yeshua and never left Him. It drove Him into the wilderness, and He had His wilderness experience. But we know that was the making of the Son of God. Certainly, He'll do nothing less for us."

Takeaways:

1. The wilderness experience is about God removing everything except Himself in our relationship with Him, in order that we can be multiplied, learn to live in Him, and possess what He has sworn to us and our forefathers.

2. The world with all its technology does not have a solution for the wilderness it is in. There is only one solution! Hunger and thirst after God and pursue Him with all your heart. Only He has the answer for all the things you need.

3. When we come to the Lord and drink, the Holy Spirit begins to flow out of us and drive us into the wilderness, which increases our thirst for Him so that it may continually increase until the Spirit flows from us without measure.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #322

Title: Today We Changed the World

Web Description: Do you believe you can change the world? Most people, if they are honest, would say, "No." But the more we read the Scriptures, the more we realize that changing the world is exactly what God wants us to do. It is not by our own ability, however. Christ's authority has already judged satan and cast him out of heaven. And with the force of our spirits, we envision God's will happening on earth just as it has happened in heaven.

Show Notes:

According to Matthew 16, whatever we bind on earth has already been bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth has already been loosed in heaven. We see the perfect illustration of this in Revelation 12. By the authority of the risen Christ who is at the right hand of the Father, we see satan bound and thrown out of heaven. Now we can see ourselves doing the same thing here on earth. We can visualize ourselves binding satan by the authority of Christ and kicking him out of the earth.

We see many problems in the world that we know are caused by satanic forces. But do we really see ourselves as the ones who bind those forces by the authority of Christ and change things by our agreement, just as Yeshua (Jesus) commanded? Are you concerned about a problem in the world or in your life? Then use your imagination to visualize the promises in God's Word overpowering that problem and replacing it with His perfect will. A specific problem right now is the way the media, under the control of satan, is filling the world with lies. So visualize the truth of God like a tsunami sweeping away those lies of satan. Then agree together to see that fully manifested in the earth.

In a recent Fellow Workers Zoom call, which was recorded for this podcast, we did just that. We focused on specific issues, exercising our imagination with the force of our spirits to see the removal of the satanic forces behind each problem. As you listen to this podcast, participate by exercising your own spiritual imagination when different issues are addressed. There will be a one-minute pause after each issue is discussed. Use that time to visualize the will of God being done in the situation. Practice this on your own as well. Keep your spirit engaged with what God wants to do in the earth.

Key Verses:

• Matthew 18:19–20. "If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them."

• 2 Corinthians 10:3–5. "The weapons of our warfare are … divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."

• Habakkuk 2:13. "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."

• Isaiah 28:17. "Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies and the waters will overflow the secret place."

• Matthew 16:19. "Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven."

• Revelation 12:9. "Satan … was thrown down to the earth."

• Matthew 13:40–41. "Just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels."

• Psalms 2:4–6. "He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them."

Quotes:

• "Whatever you can imagine with your will behind it is what your spirit does."

• "Imagine humanity on the earth right now being set free from all deception, all division, all anger, all hatred, all satanic influence because truth, like a tsunami, covers the earth as the waters cover the sea, and the lies of satan are swept away."

• "We see ourselves finishing this job by knowing that satan and his angels have been defeated and are not strong enough. And we bind them, and we cast them out of our atmosphere."

Takeaways:

1. Use your imagination to visualize everything Christ accomplished in heaven as displacing everything satan is doing on the earth.

2. We bind on earth whatever has already been bound in heaven. In other words, we are not inventing things. We specifically bind that which the Lord has bound in heaven.

3. Humans always try to bring their agendas through government. But God laughs at their plans and installs His King. He installs into government those whom He chooses, those who will bring forth His purposes and His Kingdom on the earth.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #321

Title: Love God With All Your Heart

Web Description: The biblical feasts are a divine time in which we can break through into things that are available to us. Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, is one of those times. As we finish Sukkot this year, let us do it with a drive of spirit that says we will walk with God, we will obey His Word, and we will love Him with all our hearts and souls. We can do this because His provision and equipping have enabled us.

Show Notes: The Feast of Tabernacles is a time to celebrate the preparation God has for us in this life, just as Israel observed the feast as a remembrance of their preparation in the wilderness. A major aspect of that preparation was the Lord commanding His people to love Him with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their might. He also told them, "This commandment is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach." God was not commanding them to do something that He was not also enabling them to do.

Now apply this to yourself as a believer in Christ today. John reminds us that we do not have a new commandment. It is the same commandment we have heard from the beginning. We know that we are to love the Lord with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves, but obeying that sometimes seems too difficult or out of reach. We need this realization that if God tells us to do something, He also equips us and enables us to do it.

Therefore, we cannot continue making excuses for not loving God and observing His commandments to us, especially in these days in which we live. There is an urgency on this age to obey God, just as He commanded Israel to do. So as you continue to celebrate this great Feast of Tabernacles, I encourage you to reach in with an even greater faith that God will enable you to love Him with all your heart in order to please Him and be capable of performing the works that He has prepared for us.

Key Verses:

• Deuteronomy 30:5–8. "God will circumcise your heart … to love the LORD your God with all your heart."

• Deuteronomy 30:9–14. "This commandment … is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach."

• Deuteronomy 30:15–20. "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live."

• 2 John 1:4–6. "This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning."

• Leviticus 19:18. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

• Romans 10:6–8. "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART."

• Deuteronomy 6:4–13. "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

• Jeremiah 31:33. "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it."

Quotes:

• "God doesn't command you to do something that He doesn't also equip you and enable you to do."

• "We can do this. He's putting it in our heart. He's putting the words of faith in our mouth that we may speak them into existence."

• "This promise comes not because you say, 'I'm saved,' and you go on and live your life in some other way. It comes because we literally live a life in which we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, and we obey His voice."

Takeaways:

1. This is not out of reach for us. We can do this. We can come into the reality of loving the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul. This Word is near us. It is in our mouths and in our hearts that we may observe it.

2. There are Words that He has commanded us. There are the Words that He has put upon our hearts. And we have to stop saying, "This is too difficult for us." It is not too difficult. God has made it possible.

3. Let us celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in such a way that we come out of it living in days of life and prosperity, and we walk away from the age of death and adversity.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #320

Title: The Feast of Tabernacles – An Introduction

Web Description: Imagine the Kingdom of God on this earth: a time when the presence of God is always with us and leading us, when knowledge and understanding of His Word is always available, when there is no disease and people have all the food they need. Well, the Feast of Tabernacles is a remembrance of the time when the children of Israel experienced all those things in the wilderness. We pray, "Thy kingdom come on earth." But through Tabernacles, God can show us exactly what that means.

Show Notes: How important is the Feast of Tabernacles to us as Christians? All the biblical feasts have relevance for us, but the Feast of Tabernacles is particularly significant to the days we are living in now. Of all the feasts, Tabernacles is the only time the Lord commanded the children of Israel to include the servants and strangers and others living in their towns. It points to the time of His Kingdom when those who were formally strangers and aliens are included, and the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord (Habakkuk 2:14).

The observance of this feast involves living in simple booths for seven days. This was to remind the children of Israel of the time they lived in tents as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. We usually think of the wilderness as a time when God's dealings are on us or negative things are taking place surrounding us. But the Feast of Tabernacles is about being all together joyful, about celebrating the harvest, about God reminding them, "When you were in the wilderness, I was with you."

During this Feast of Tabernacles, study the Scriptures about it. Learn how it has been celebrated and the events that transpired during the feast, both in the history of Israel and in the life of Christ. It will give you something not just to remember, but to look forward to. Use your imagination and picture in your mind what those days in the wilderness would have been like when the presence of the Lord was always with them protecting them, leading them, instructing them, and providing for them. Wait on the Lord and say, "Show me, Lord. What are these days of Tabernacles? And what do they hold in store for us as believers today?"

Key Verses:

• Leviticus 23:34–44. "You shall live in booths for seven days."

• Deuteronomy 16:13–17. "You shall rejoice in your feast."

• Deuteronomy 31:10–13. "At the end of every seven years … you shall read this law in front of all Israel."

• 1 Kings 8:2–6. "At the feast … the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place."

• 2 Chronicles 5:1–7. "Then all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark."

• Ezra 3:1–6. "They celebrated the Feast of Booths, as it is written."

• Nehemiah 8:13—9:3. "The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them."

• John 7:2–14. "When it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach."

• John 7:37–39. "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water."

• Matthew 6:10. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

• John 18:36. "My kingdom is not of this world."

• Romans 8:14. "All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

• Isaiah 11:9. "The earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD."

Quotes:

• "We see some of these tremendous advantages of this time in the wilderness that only existed for Israel or on the earth during this time."

• "God is saying, 'I want you to remember this time because I'm going to bring My Kingdom to this earth.'"

• "This Feast of Tabernacles is the feast of His presence on the earth, and let us believe to see the glory of the Lord fill all the earth at this wonderful time of Tabernacles."

Takeaways:

1. This feast is referred to as Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, or the Feast of Tabernacles. And one of the great titles for this feast is the Feast of the LORD. This indicates how important this time is; we are to spend it with the Lord.

2. In our Christian mindset, we often think of the wilderness as a negative experience. But the reality is that there are many aspects of the wilderness experience that describe the experience of God's Kingdom on earth.

3. Isaiah tells us that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." And it was during Tabernacles that Yeshua (Jesus) prophesied that out of us will flow rivers of living water. So Tabernacles is about the presence of God, the knowledge of God, and the understanding of God that will flow into the earth through the believers in Christ.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #319

Title: The Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur

Web Description: If you are in Christ, you are a new creature and old things have passed away. So have the old things passed away from you? Has your old Adamic nature passed away, and you no longer struggle with sin? Is that an experience you have had? I think, for the most part, people do not believe that that experience even exists. Yet that experience is what the Day of Atonement is about. And as we celebrate it this year, I think we should appropriate that experience to be the reality in our lives.

Show Notes: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is observed as a time of fasting and repentance. It was a day appointed by God to make atonement for the people and to cleanse them of their sins. That involved animal sacrifice. But an important aspect of that day was that one goat was not sacrificed but sent out alive to remove the sins of the people. Christ did this for us on a permanent basis. Yet as Christians we emphasize the forgiveness of sin, and this aspect of permanently removing our sin is something we have difficulty believing.

Regardless, this is something God emphasized for the Day of Atonement. Our understanding of forgiveness is rooted in Passover. As the Passover lamb covered the children of Israel and protected them from judgment, so the blood of Christ covers us and protects us from judgment. This covering is generally what we refer to as forgiveness of sins. But the cleansing and removal of sin was not at Passover; it was on the Day of Atonement.

There is a difference between having our sins forgiven and having our sins removed. You can be forgiven of your sins and still have the nature of sin in you. And it is clear that we Christians still have that sin nature. Therefore, just as Passover is an important part of our deliverance, so the Day of Atonement is a time when we look to the Lord—not just for the forgiveness of our sin but for the removal of the nature of sin. Can we believe for that? I think we can.

Key Verses:

• 1 Corinthians 5:7. "Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed."

• Leviticus 23:26–28. "It is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD."

• Leviticus 16:1–34. Read about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

• Leviticus 16:11. "Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself … and for his household."

• Leviticus 16:15. "He shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people."

• Leviticus 16:22. "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land."

• Leviticus 16:30. "It is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you."

• Hebrews 9:18–28. "Christ … will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin."

• 2 Corinthians 5:15–17. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature."

• John 3:1–13. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

• Romans 6:1–13. "Our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with."

• Ephesians 4:22–24. "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self."

• Colossians 3:9–10. "You laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self."

• Romans 12:1–2. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Quotes:

• "Every Sunday you receive Communion, the Lord's Supper, and the purpose of that is to remember the sacrifice that was made. And most people use it in applying the blood once again and looking for forgiveness of the sins that have transpired since last Sunday."

• "I think we should humble ourselves and reach for a level of experience that we have not yet received, which is this new creature that is freed from the conditionings and the nature of the past."

• "There is a process where we transcend through the good, the acceptable, and the perfect into a renewal of our mind, which transforms us into His likeness and His image. And I believe this is the purpose of the Day of Atonement."

Takeaways:

1. It is one thing to be forgiven of sin, but we cannot dwell with God in His presence with sin still dwelling within us. Atonement involves the removal of that sin.

2. We understand that through forgiveness we receive eternal life, and we are accepted into the family of God. But we should not continue to live—and feel like it is acceptable to live—with this nature of sin still dominating or at least existing within us.

3. Yes, we need to be forgiven of our sins, but likewise, we need to lay aside the old self and put on the new self, "which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness."

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #318

Title: The Day of Trumpets – Yom Teruah

Web Description: The Day of Trumpets is a day appointed for the sounding of trumpets. And it is important to understand its significance to the time in which we live. The Hebrew word for blowing trumpets is teruah, which can mean to sound an alarm. And that is what we need right now. We need an alarm clock to wake us up from our dullness, our lack of awareness, and our passivity. We must wake up and be alert to hear what the Lord is speaking to us for the coming year.

Show Notes: When enacting the Day of Trumpets, the Lord spoke to Moses, "You shall have … a reminder by blowing of trumpets." And in Hebrew, "blowing of trumpets" is teruah. By understanding the meanings of the word teruah, we can understand how the Day of Trumpets is not just a historical observance that involved people blowing into physical trumpets or rams' horns. It is a specific time that God appointed to meet His people and is very applicable to us today.

Teruah can be a signal to announce an important day or the arrival of a king. Teruah can be a shout, making a noise before the Lord. It can be praise and worship of the Lord. It can be an alarm to alert people to attack or to be alert in battle. These are all ways we can celebrate the Day of Trumpets. We can shout to remind the Lord of His promises; we can announce the fulfillment of His Kingdom; we can praise and worship Him; we can sound the alarm in spiritual warfare.

This year especially, our teruah needs to be an alarm like an alarm clock next to our bed to wake us up. We need to wake up to what is happening around us. We need to wake up to the day we are living in. We need to wake up and take account of our own personal walk with the Lord and make sure that we are doing what He is directing us to do. We need to be aware of the battle in these last days and cry out before the Lord that He remember us and fulfill His Word over His people.

Key Verses:

• Leviticus 23:24–25. "You shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets."

• Isaiah 55:6–7. "Seek the LORD while He may be found."

Numbers 29:1. "It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets [teruah]."

• Leviticus 25:9. "On the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land."

• Jeremiah 4:19. "You have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war."

• Amos 2:2. "Moab will die amid tumult, with war cries and the sound of a trumpet."

• Psalms 150:3. "Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with harp and lyre."

• Numbers 10:8–10. "The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets."

• Psalm 100:1 (KJV). "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD."

• Luke 21:28. "When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads."

• Isaiah 55:11. "My word … will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire."

• Romans 13:10–14. "It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep."

• Ephesians 5:14–19. "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead."

• Isaiah 52:1–11. "Awake, awake, clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion."

• Isaiah 60:1–5. "Lift up your eyes round about and see."

Isaiah 51:17, 22–23. "Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem."

Quotes:

• "This is a day of reminder. Lord, we remind You of the promises. We remind You of the prophecies that You've spoken. We remind You about Your Kingdom."

• "It's time for us to take stock of how we are walking. We wake up, lay aside the deeds of darkness, put aside our walk with God from yesterday, and put on the armor of light."

• "He will remember His people, He will remember His Word, and He will come down to fulfill it. He will comfort His people, and He will redeem Jerusalem. All that He has spoken will be fulfilled."

Takeaways:

1. The Hebrew word teruah, translated as "blowing of trumpets," can mean shouting unto the Lord. It can mean sounding an alarm. It can mean announcing the warning of battle that is coming. It can mean praising God and making a joyful noise unto the Lord.

2. The Day of Trumpets will be a day of crying to the Lord, waking up in our walk with God, purifying ourselves, coming into a righteousness before God, and God responding and remembering us, and remembering His Word and fulfilling it.

3. The alarm is being sounded just like it goes off in the morning next to your bed and shocks you out of your sleep. God wants us to be awake now. The time for sleeping is over. He wants us to get right with Him as we wait on Him, cry out to Him, and live in His Word, believing for the fulfillment of all that He has spoken.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #317

Title: Our Giving During the Biblical Feasts

Web Description: The Lord commands us to comfort His people and speak kindly to Jerusalem. And a perfect time to follow that commandment is during the upcoming feast season. Take this time to give to the people of Israel, who have suffered greatly since October 7, 2023. Please consider supporting Israel through Hargrave Ministries, where all your donations for Israel go directly to organizations that assist the people there, combat anti-Semitism, and educate Christians on our Jewish heritage.

Show Notes: Hargrave Ministries is committed to following the command of the Lord to comfort His people. We consistently give to projects in Israel that provide not only financial support but also physical and emotional support to the people. And Israel needs our support today even more than when we started our ministry of giving. Ever since the horrific attacks of October 7, 2023, and the wars that followed, the people of Israel have experienced great trauma and difficulty. Now is the time to minister comfort to Israel.

Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed. And Christians need to be blessing Israel. When we give to Israel, something comes through to the people there, letting them know that people from all over the world are with them, comforting them, standing with them, and believing with them to see all the prophecies and the promises of the Word of God come true over the Jewish people and over the land of Israel. The coming feast times are a wonderful opportunity to express our faith for the fulfillment of God's blessings on Israel.

The projects supported by Hargrave Ministries are an excellent way to express this faith. Listen to this podcast and visit www.hargraveministries.org/israel-projects to learn about these organizations and the tremendous work they do to bring healing and material aid to those who have suffered greatly in this time. These are all nonprofit entities in Israel that we have worked closely with for more than eight years and affirm their integrity. And 100% of your donations for Israel through Hargrave Ministries goes to these organizations.

Key Verses:

• Isaiah 40:1–2. "'Comfort, O comfort My people,' says your God. 'Speak kindly to Jerusalem.'"

• Genesis 12:1–3. "I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse."

• Matthew 25:31–40. "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you."

• Luke 6:38. "Give, and it will be given to you ... a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over."

• James 1:27. "Pure and undefiled religion … is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress."

• Jeremiah 32:41. "I will … faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul."

Quotes:

• "God blesses and will continue to bless Israel. And when you really see the motivation of God behind it, it is through Israel that God does intend to bless all the families of the earth."

• "How are we blessed? Because we first have blessed Abraham and the seed of Abraham and all of God's Word and promises for Israel and the Jewish people."

• "God Himself is saying this is what He is doing with His whole heart and His whole soul. He is bringing His people back to the land and planting them once again in Israel. And we want to be part of helping that happen."

Takeaways:

1. During this season of the fall feasts, we can be a blessing to Israel through our prayers, our finances, and our faith. We can speak kindly to Jerusalem, and we can comfort His people in this time of great tragedy that they have faced since the October 7 attacks.

2. If we can sweep away the lies of satan about Israel that come through anti-Semitism, we will see God's love and purpose in choosing Israel.

3. In all the celebration and rejoicing of the feast season, let us also find a place in our hearts to give to Israel and bless the seed of Abraham according to the Word of God in Genesis 12: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you."

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #316

Title: A House Divided Will Not Stand

Web Description: No nation will stand if its people are divided. And we have to be honest with the fact that this nation is in trouble because of the divisiveness that is happening in our society. Competing ideologies that want to reshape our society are dividing people into groups that function as separate countries within this country. We as Christians need to repent of our own divisiveness, make our voices heard, and pray for His heavenly Kingdom to come here on this earth.

Show Notes: It should be a great concern to everyone that this country has become so fractured and divided. Division weakens us and prevents us from moving forward. We read in the Scriptures how nations are destroyed because "every man's sword will be against his brother." Daniel also describes the last earthly kingdom as iron mixed with clay, elements that do not adhere together. We see this happening as fractional groups unite so they can achieve their separate goals. For example, LGBTQ activists and Islamists come together to push their agendas. But like iron and clay, their agendas are completely incompatible.

Our country has had truly effective unity under our Constitution. But Islamists in this country do not want to be under the Constitution of the United States. They want a separate government with their own set of laws and their own jurisprudence. And their stated goal is to bring everyone under Islam. Similarly, Socialists and Communists are aggressively campaigning for seats of power in government with the goal of changing the Constitution and imposing a different system of government. All these ideologies use the freedoms offered by the Constitution to tear apart our society.

Of all people, Christians should know that a house divided itself against itself cannot stand. Christ directed us to pray for His Kingdom to come in the earth, and we have the spiritual weapons to bring down strongholds. We should be bringing down this stronghold of division. But sadly, Christians are part of the problem rather than the solution when it comes to division. There are churches who focus on LGBTQ activism. There are churches who promote abortion. There are churches who want the destruction of Israel. We should get out of being churches separated by agendas and focus on being the spiritual Body of Christ that God can use to accomplish His purpose in the earth.

Key Verses:

• Daniel 9:25. "He will intend to make alterations in times and in law."

• Matthew 6:10. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

• John 18:36. "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world.'"

• Mark 3:25. "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."

• 2 Corinthians 10:4. "The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."

• Ezekiel 38:21–22. "Every man's sword will be against his brother."

• 2 Chronicles 20:22–23. "They helped to destroy one another."

• Daniel 2:40–44. "They will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery."

Quotes:

• "When what is being done—and what is being demanded to have the freedom to do—is to have a society that exists alongside another society, that's not freedom of religion."

• "In the Constitution, there's nothing that provides for the right of a country to establish a simultaneous country within the borders of the United States."

• "It's not a matter of fighting flesh and blood. It's a matter of the power of God's Kingdom coming to earth. And that's what we're praying for."

• "What we're looking for—what we're initiating—may be initiated in the Spirit, but we cannot forget that what we're crying out to God for is the manifestation in the physical plane of this world."

Takeaways:

1. We must be bold to speak the truth concerning Islam and other ideologies that seek to undermine our Constitution and divide us into separate forms of government or into a society that is opposed to God's Kingdom.

2. Division in Christianity weakens us and limits the effectiveness of our agreement and authority in intercession for God's Kingdom in the earth.

3. We are not here as merely earthly people engaged in worldly ideologies. Neither are we just heavenly people with no concern for the earth. But we are here to pray for the heavenly Kingdom of God to be manifested in the physical earth.