Your Daily Bread for February 12-18, 2023

Welcome to Your Daily Bread for February 12-18, 2023, by Dr Apelu Poe!

Key Torah Code for this Week: “Vayikra” (And he called): Leviticus 1:1-6:7.

Basic Principle of Our Judaic-Christian Faith: Our offering to God in whatever form it may take, must be done without any blemish.

“The very existence of a code in the Bible that reveals the future proves that we are not alone. Since none of us can see across time, some alien intelligence must once intervene in this world, at least at the time that the Bible was first written.” I’ll get to the point in a minute.

But, first, let me say Talofa, and Shabbat shalom to you, my friends in the name of “Yeshua HaMashiach” Jesus the Messiah! As they say in Samoan, Malo le soifua manuia! Faafetai fo’i le fai tatalo! Congratulation on your good health! Thanks also for the prayers. May our God always grant us his lovingkindness!

Getting back to the point. If you have followed God’s calendar, which dictates and foretells the events of our lives to which the above quote refers, you will know that we are now entering the second or the last week of the Proclamation season. What is the Proclamation season? Proclamation season, just as the name itself suggests, is a time in which we witness Jesus going from place to place, proclaiming the secret about the kingdom of God and calling for unity and accountability. The biblical basis that supports this can be found in Mark 1:14 where it says, ‘Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Before we look at this week’s Torah portion, let me also say “thank you” to all of you, my regular readers. You’re a fantastic community of believers because you take the time to access my teaching on Facebook and LinkedIn. It is, indeed, a great inspiration for me to see that so many of you around the world have been following my teaching on social media from week to week. I call my Torah gift for you this week “Your Daily Bread for February 12-18, 2023.”

Why am I saying this? Well, for those of you who have been following my teaching, I’m saying this because, as you might have noticed, I have been using this same gift that God has given me for the past 40 years to help guide the destiny of those whose spiritual welfare God has entrusted to me. And now that I have retired from the ordained ministry in July 2021, I want you to have free access to it. My pastoral desire is simply this: For you to be the person God has created you to be. My prayer, then, is that you would be able to live according to God’s time so that you may discern God’s Divine path for your life and how it is that God wants you to live to best receive his blessing and to best shine his holy light.

Your Benefits from My Torah Gift I Can Give You This Week

So what exactly can you expect from the Torah gift I’m giving you this first week of the Proclamation season? Well, the first and foremost is self-awareness. Why self-awareness? Because life transformation begins with self-awareness. Remember what we said, to address any concern or any challenges that we face in our life today, we must, first of all, identify what is at the heart, the root of those challenges. Without that, we will never be able to come up with an adequate or appropriate strategy that will resolve our challenges. So the Torah gift I’m giving you this week will help you become aware of the fact that this Judaic-Christian way of life that God has called us to live is not without challenges and hardships.

Consider, for example, the continuing conflict in the war between Russia and Ukraine that is becoming increasingly dangerous to the civilian population in Ukraine and the world. Russia’s consistent missile attacks on the civilian infrastructure to deny civilians far from military targets the basic elements of life, such as electricity, heat and water, are ongoing crimes. Human atrocities continue to be discovered as Ukraine reclaims Russian-occupied territories. Ukraine is not going to surrender to Russia and give up its sovereignty. Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to politically survive a battlefield loss to Ukraine.

It is no wonder why Jesus spoke to his disciples and us, saying, “In me, you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The second benefit that my Torah gift will give to you this week is self-confidence. It’ll help you to develop your self-confidence and inner strength so that you can overcome any problems that you may encounter in your life.

Why the need to develop your self-confidence in a time characterized by tragic underachievement? Because self-confidence is one of the most powerful feelings you can embody; moving through life with self-confidence allows you to conquer your fears so that you can believe in yourself enough to go after the things you really want.

Remember this: when you believe you are a God-man or a God-woman created in the image of God and blessed with the power of God’s Holy Spirit and that you deserve to be the best because your God is the best, then your entire attitude changes. Marilyn Monroe said, “We are all stars, and we deserve to twinkle.”

Yes, God wants us to have confidence in life! Not boastful, arrogant pride but an assured knowledge of who we are in Him! Our self-worth should be seen through the eyes of God, our creator. When you need a boost of self-esteem, there is no better place to turn to than the Bible! Scripture is filled with truths and promises that we can place our confidence in. The author of the Book of Hebrews urges us, saying, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised (Hebrews 10:35-36).

The third benefit that my Torah gift will give to you this week is a greater sense of mental clarity. It’ll help you develop a greater sense of mental clarity so that you and I will know there can never be peace and unity in this world without a sense of right and wrong. Think about the words of Ban Ki-Moon, the Former U.N. Secretary-General who pointed out the failure of the United Nations Security Council to adopt a legally binding resolution that addresses Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and its violations of the U.N. Charter. Russia’s veto power has spotlighted the growing global divisions, the future of the United Nations and calls for U.N. reforms. Ban Ki-moon admitted that “we are living in a world where multilateralism is in crisis” — and the United Nations “is most responsible for that.”

It is no wonder why the apostle Paul put it this way,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the devil's wiles. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12).

The fourth benefit that my Torah gift will give to you this week is high levels of motivation. It’ll help inspire you to elevate your energy vibration to the level of the Divine so that you will feel highly motivated and energized to help make this world a better place for all of us. According to the global higher education student body, Canada, the United States, and France are three of the 15 most advanced countries which are increasingly seeking out new experiences and opportunities by offering opportunities for studying abroad.

Educational tourism is one of the fastest-growing segments of the broader tourism of the World Tourism Organization. 6.1 million higher education students studied abroad in 2019, up from just 2 million in 2000. That figure is expected to rise to 8 million by 2030.

Unsurprisingly, China and India, with their vast populations, were among the top countries in terms of the number of citizens studying abroad. Germany, South Korea, and Nigeria also had a noteworthy number of students studying in other countries.

There are many benefits of studying in one of the 15 most advanced countries in education, including getting a better education in a particular field than might be possible back home. Foreign students also gain the benefits of living in another culture, possibly learning a new language, and building their confidence and independence.

Perhaps, it is for some of these reasons that the prophet Isaiah prophesied, “In that day, there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt, and the Egyptians into Assyrians and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. On that day, Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing amid the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the works of my hands, and Israel my heritage” (Isaiah 19:23-25).

The fifth benefit that my Torah gift will give to you this week is a deeper sense of gratitude and heartfelt appreciation. It’ll help deepen your sense of sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation, knowing that despite our failures and our shortcomings, our God is ever faithful and truthful to carry out his promise if and only if we put our complete trust in him.

How do we know that? Well, listen, again, to God’s word to the children of Israel and us, “I will be unto you your God and you will be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6). “Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). It is no wonder why David put it this way, “O let us give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Let all those redeemed by the Lord say so, whom he had redeemed from troubles” (Psalm 107:1-2).

The Historical Proof that Supports our Need for Your Daily Bread that Sustains Us Spiritually

Does it surprise you, then, that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, did not forget to remind us about these things? That is why last week you heard Jesus speaking to us, saying, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything that is written about me in the Law of Moses [Torah] and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled…” (Luke 24:44). ). Jesus, then, did something which I thought was quite remarkable and quite extraordinary. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:45-49).

Overview Summary of this Week’s Torah Portion

With this in mind, let us look at this week’s Torah portion, Leviticus 1:1-6:7. In the Hebrew language (God’s sacred tongue) from which our English Bible translation was taken, this week’s Torah portion is called “Vayikra” translated “And he [God] called,” see Leviticus 1:1.

To understand this, one has to first of all identify the double references in the text. On a superficial linguistic level which is intended primarily for the Jewish audience, the reading focuses on the code “Vayikra”, translated as “And he [God] called.” Thus, in the opening part of the reading, we hear God calling to Moses from the tent to meet and communicating to him the laws of the animal and meal sacrificial offerings brought into the sanctuary. In the central part of the reading, we learn that these laws include:(1) the ascending offering that is wholly raised to God by the fire on top of the altar; (2) five varieties of meal-offering prepared with fine flour, olive oil and frankincense; (3) the peace offering whose meat was eaten by the one bringing the offering, after parts are burned on the altar and parts are given to the priests; (4) the different types of “sin offering” brought to atone for transgressions committed erroneously by the high priest, the entire community, the king or the ordinary Jew; and (5) the “guilt offering” brought by one who has misappropriated property of the sanctuary, who is in doubt as to whether he transgressed a divine prohibition, or who has committed a “betrayal against God” by swearing falsely to defraud a fellow man. The reading ends with the priest making atonement for the sin of the guilty Israelite.

Indeed, on a profound theological level, this week’s Torah portion, “And he [God] called”, has an important message for us, the Church, and the Body of Christ. This message is evident when the Torah portion is interpreted in the context of this second or the last week of the Proclamation season that culminates in the Church Officers’ Dedication. And that is, our offering to God in whatever form it may take must be made without blemish.

How do we know that? Listen, again, to our text for this week, ‘The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering…without blemish,” (Leviticus 1:1-3). Why? Because it is our response to what God has done for us through the precious blood of his Son. It is no wonder why the prophet Isaiah acknowledged, saying, “Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He was despised and rejected by men…Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief when he makes himself an offering for sin…” (Isaiah 53:1-5, 10).

Our Lord was hung on the cross because of your sin and mine. How can we not remember his voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?” (Psalms 22:1). Perhaps, it was for this reason that the apostle Paul urged us this week, saying, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests; but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped; but emptied himself taking the form of a servant…he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross,” (Philippians 2:4-8).

Should you be interested in a more in-depth study of the weekly Torah codes on which our lives turn, Book I, Volume 1 of my III Books Series: 11 Volumes, will be coming out on February 28. It’s called “The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind: How You Can Live with God’s Time.” The book will be published by Create & Write Publishing: A Division of the Master’s Mind International. I would love to keep you updated on that. You can reach me at [email protected]. Also, get your FREE copy of God’s calendar for this 2022-2023 ministry year that will help guide your faith journey.?