Christmas: A G-dly Holiday?

From Bibles to Israel sent to my E-Mail:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ” (Isaiah 9:6)

Many Christians around the world have already set up their Christmas trees, bought their presents to give family and friends, and depending on which denomination they are a part of, will be celebrating the prophetic fulfillment of the birth of the Jewish Messiah in Bethlehem this Tuesday. (Micah 5:2)

The tradition of the Christmas tree arose out
of tree worship that has existed in many
societies throughout history. The use of holly and
mistletoe comes from the Druid ceremonies.

Armenian Apostolic and Eastern Orthodox Christians, unlike Protestants, do not celebrate the birth of Yeshua HaMashiach on December 25th, due to differences between the Armenian, Julian and Gregorian calendars.

The Tanakh (Jewish Scriptures), however, doesn't identify the month in which the Messiah would be born, nor does the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) identify the exact date of His birth.

Scripture does give us an indication of the time of year.

“I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

When was the Messiah Born?

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” (Luke 2:8)

Although Christmas is a well-established Christian tradition, Bible scholars know that December 25th is not the true date of Yeshua’s birth.

Winter in Israel is generally too cold at night to be out shepherding flocks, and yet at the time of Yeshua’s birth, the shepherds were in the fields watching over their flocks at night.

This December in Jerusalem, the temperature has been averaging about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with the temperature dropping below 50 at night.

While the men in our ministry can get away with wearing short sleeve shirts for part of the day, around 4 p.m. as the sun goes down, it becomes quite cold, and they need to put on a warm jacket.

The fact that shepherds were in the field keeping watch over their sheep at
night when Yeshua was born likely indicates that He was not born in the
winter. Some scholars even suggest the sheep were brought under cover
between November and March.

Another point to consider when trying to determine the time of year that Yeshua (Jesus) was born is the fact that winter in Israel is not a logical time to take a census because of the cold and rain. Occasionally, it even snows in Jerusalem. So the fact that Yoseph (Joseph) and Miriam (Mary) had gone to Beit Lechem (Bethlehem) to register for a census is a good indication that they were traveling in a warmer, drier season (Luke 2:1-5).

When they arrived, Jerusalem and Bethlehem were so crowded that no accommodations were available at the inn. Such crowding would have been more typical during one of the three pilgrimage feasts: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) or Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths).

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” (Luke 2:6-7)

Likely, Yeshua was born at the end of the harvest, during the Biblical holiday of Sukkot, fulfilling the Scripture that one day the Lord would ‘tabernacle’ will His people. (Ezekiel 37:27)

“Look! God’s dwelling is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3)

God first revealed Messiah's birth to nearby shepherds
who were watching over their flocks in the fields at night.
(Luke 2:8-20)

Birthdays and the Culture of the Time

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Yeshua was born into a completely Jewish, Hebraic culture where the date of one’s death was remembered and observed rather than the date of one’s birth. This could explain why we are certain of the date of His death (Passover), but not clear on the date of His birth.

How, then, did December 25th come to be celebrated as the day of Yeshua’s birth, and what is the origin of the festival of Christmas?

It was certainly not included in the early celebrations of the Christian church.

The Catholic Encyclopedia explains that “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian [early Church fathers] do not show it on their list of feasts.”

Later, when churches in different parts of the world began celebrating the birthday of Yeshua, they had various opinions as to the correct date. It was not until the latter part of the fourth century that the Roman Church began observing December 25th.

By the fifth century, it was decreed that the birth of Jesus would be forever observed on this date, even though this was the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, one of the names of the sun-god.

Interior of the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, which is on the banks
of the Sea of Galilee, at Christmas.

Mithraism—a large, pagan, sun worship cult—fostered the celebration of December 25th as a holiday throughout the Roman and Greek worlds. This winter festival was called ‘the nativity’ and ‘the Nativity of the sun’.

This type of cult even reached Israel. Semiramis, the Queen of Babylon, (also called the Queen of Heaven and Ishtar) contaminated the Israelites’ worship of God with Baal worship (Jeremiah 7:18, 44:17).

She ordered the ancient world to celebrate the birth of her son Tammuz, who was apparently believed to be the sun god reincarnated.

She set December 25th as the date of Baal’s birth on the advice of her astrologers, since the sun is at its farthest point from the earth during the winter solstice.

“The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger.” (Jeremiah 7:18)

Over time, the sun god came to be worshiped all over the ancient world on December 25th. It was a time of orgies, drunkenness, and the sacrificing of infants to the pagan god, Baal.

Because this feast was so popular among the pagan population of Greece and Rome, the date was simply adopted as the time of the birth of Yeshua by the Roman Church.

Although Christmas caroling today brings cheer to many Christians, in
their earliest beginnings, carols really had nothing to do with Christmas.
The melodies were originally written to accompany an ancient dance form
called the circle dance associated with fertility rites and pagan festivities.

Gift-giving, Saturnalia and Violence Against the Jews

Many customs associated with the season–the giving of gifts, house-to-house caroling, and the general rejoicing and festivity derived from this winter festival of Saturnalia–are a remnant of paganism that has remained attached to the Christian Church.

The Christians who first observed the birth of Jesus on December 25 did not do so thinking that he was born on that day. Because the pagan winter festival of Saturnalia was celebrated on that date in Rome, they were willing to have this pagan holiday metamorphosed into a Christian one.

Due to the pagan origin of Christmas and the violence and excess associated with it, the Puritans (Christians from the Church of England) banned Christmas altogether. In Massachusetts, USA, its observance was illegal between 1659 and 1681.

Despite its association with paganism, Christmas was, and still is, celebrated by most Christians.

Rabbis and Orthodox Jewish anti-missionaries often use this information to confirm that Christianity is a pagan religion and that the story of the birth of Yeshua is inspired by the pagan festival celebrating the birth of the sun-god Sol.

According to this logic, the rabbis state that Yeshua couldn't be the Jewish Messiah!

This mosaic found in the Vatican grottoes under St. Peter's Basilica,
on the ceiling of the tomb of the Julii (Pope Julius I), represents
Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) as the sun-god Helios or Sol Invictus
riding in his chariot. It's dated the 3rd century AD.

Beside the ties to Saturnalia and Mithraism that discredit the celebration of Christmas, violence against the Jews on Christmas understandably blackened the holiday among the Jewish People.

According to David Kertzer, in his book The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican’s Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Jewish rabbis of the ghetto in Rome were forced to wear clownish outfits and march through the city streets to the jeers of the crowd, pelted by a variety of projectile objects as part of the Saturnalia carnival (p. 74).

In 1836, the Jewish community of Rome sent a petition to Pope Gregory XVI pleading with him to stop the annual Saturnalia abuse of the Jewish community, to which the Pope responded, “It is not opportune to make any innovation.”

And on December 25, 1881, riots broke out across Poland when Christian leaders incited the Polish masses into an anti-Semitic frenzy.

On this Christmas Day, twelve Jews were brutally murdered in Warsaw, several others injured, and many Jewish women raped. Also, two million rubles of Jewish property was destroyed.

The Origins of Christmas Customs

The season of Christmas can be a joyous time. Many Christians set up Christmas trees with beautiful lights, and as long as it brings joy to family and friends while keeping them focused on the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) and all the blessings from God, then that’s a blessing.

However, one should know the history of traditions that they keep.

While the custom of decorating a Christmas tree dates back only a few centuries, the principle behind it is ancient. Pagans had a custom of worshiping trees in the forest (Jeremiah 7:18), or bringing them into their homes and decorating them, and this observance was adopted by the Christian Church.

Furthermore, sacred trees as symbols of the life force were also associated with Canaanite cults.

Cylinder seals dating from the Late Bronze Age often show a worshiper standing in front of a tree.

Bronze Age Megiddo site: Seals depicting sacred trees have been
found at Megiddo and other archaeological sites in Israel.

Other seals dating from the 8th to the 10th centuries BC, which depict a tree flanked by worshipers, have been found at Lachish, Beth-shemesh, Gibeon, Samaria, and Megiddo archaeological sites in Israel.

A drawing of a sacred tree with lily flowers being eaten by two ibex was discovered on a jar at the religious center of Kuntillet Ajrud. Gold pendants of the Late Bronze Age from Tell al-Ajjul (near Gaza) and from Ugarit show stylized trees growing out of a formalized goddess, according to ‘The Harper Atlas of the Bible’ (pgs.101-102).

Sexual intercourse under these "holy" trees was thought to transmit the potency and vitality of the goddess.

"They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth trees, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery." (Hosea 4:13)

These female deities could well have been the Asherah or Astarte who are often mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures (Tanakh/Old Testament) as the consort of the weather god Baal.

"The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs." (Judges 3:7)

In at least 10 Bible references, the "green tree" is associated with idolatry and false worship.

"They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree." (1 Kings 14:23)

The use of holly and mistletoe comes from the Druid ceremonies. Some historians think that the Druids used mistletoe to poison their human sacrificial victim.

Kissing under the mistletoe is a synthesis of Druid sacrificial rituals with Saturnalia sexual immorality.

Places of worship with sacred Christmas trees are frequently mentioned in the Bible and the prophet Jeremiah condemned their use:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations... For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.” (Jeremiah 10:1-4)

The custom of kissing under the mistletoe during
the Christmas holidays has pagan origins.

Christmas Today

“Look! The young maiden (also translated virgin) will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:23, see Isaiah 7:14)

In light of these facts, some Messianic Jews and born-again Christians choose not to celebrate Christmas in any form whatsoever, while others continue to celebrate December 25th as Yeshua’s birthday.

It is important to refrain from condemning those who choose to celebrate Christmas, as well as those who choose not to.

What is truly important during this season, while people are confronted with the birth of the Messiah, is to spread the good news that Yeshua came as the Light of the World, not to condemn the world, but to save it.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Redeeming the Time

"Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." (Ephesians 5:16)

Although the celebration of Christmas has pagan origins, this time can be redeemed by doing special mitzvot (good deeds) to help those who are feeling isolated, lost or alone while others are celebrating with friends and family.

It’s a fact that this time of the year is the hardest for many people who don’t have family or who are struggling.

We can be a ‘light’ by bringing cheer, comfort, hope and support into the lives of friends, family, neighbors, and those less fortunate than ourselves.

This season is a good time to help single mothers, widows, or anyone who has fallen upon hard times.

While it is true that many Christians celebrate pagan traditions in ignorance on one day of the year – December 25th, our focus should be celebrating the Messiah’s birth and life everyday of the year because Yeshua was born in prophetic fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures to redeem the world.

It is right to celebrate our Creator and His Scriptures (The Word) and the Messiah (The Word that became flesh).

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

God is love and so He gives to us His very best.

We can choose to share the love of God during this festive season by giving of ourselves so that others can also come to know salvation (Yeshua).

During this holiday season and Year-End Tax Saving time, please help Bibles For Israel educate the Jewish people.

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"
(Luke 2:10-12)

The Book of Jacob

In English Bibles, there is a book called "The Letter to James." The Greek name for the book is not "Demetrios" which is translated "James," but rather "Iacobos" which translates as "Jacob." This is important because this is a Hebrew book. It is written by a Hebrew and is overflowing with Hebraic thought. Consider 1:25: "But the one who looks intently into the perfect Torah, the Torah that gives freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts--he shall be blessed in what he does." This verse tells us the following:
1. The Torah (in Hebrew means "instruction")is perfect. YHVH's instructions to His people are perfect. If He tells us what to eat, when to worship, and how to worship, we should obey instantly without debate.
2. The Torah gives freedom. Some believe that to follow YHVH is to lose freedom. "I can't do this. I can't do that." However, this scripture gives us a different result. By following the Torah I have the freedom to avoid sin and its consequences. The Torah instructs me how to live a life that pleases YHVH and His Son Yeshua. Yeshua knew this and was Torah observant.
3. To have freedom in Torah, you must continue to walk in obedience. This is not about making a decision for Christ and being once saved always saved. There is no such thing from a Hebraic interpretation of the scriptures. It is a Gentile doctrine recently created to grow a large church.
4. If you are not a doer of Torah, you lose the blessing. The verse instructs us that we will be blessed in what we do if what we do is Torah. I have people try to tell me that I don't have to obey the Torah. I tell them, not a chance. YHVH has blessed us and I would be a fool to walk away from the blessing. To those that disagree, I say, "So, how is it working out for you?"

The Torah is YHVH's instruction to teach His people how to live. If you are not one of His, the Torah does not apply to you. It is only for YHVH's people. I am pleased that I am part of a community that obeys Torah. When I watch people rise early on Sun-Day to visit churches that worship on the wrong day, I am saddened. So many sincere people being misled. Elohim have mercy on those that reject Torah.

Blessing or Cursing Israel

The Presbyterian Church is considering divestment from companies doing business with Israel. Genesis 12: 2-3 says: "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." With these Scriptures in mind, consider the following:

"PRLog (Press Release) - May 31, 2012 - The following is a joint statement by Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC), Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA), International Messianic Jewish Alliance (IMJA) and the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS).

The Presbyterian Church (USA), despite its historic concern for justice, is considering a move that violates basic principles of justice—targeted divestment from specific companies doing business with Israel. Divestment is the practice of withdrawing investments from companies in order to create economic and political pressure against those companies, or governments with which they do business. In this case, by withdrawing investments from companies supplying materials to Israel’s defense and security programs, divestment proponents hope to force Israel into an immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Judea and Samaria."

Sabbath to Sun-Day

Do you know why the day of Worship for the followers of Yeshua (Jesus) was changed from the Sabbath to Sunday? We are going to spend a few days looking at the change and why it occurred. There are three main verses in the New Testament that are used to justify the change:
1. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2: "Now about the collection for the set-apart people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made."
2. Acts 20: 7-11: "On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. 'Don’t be alarmed,' he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left."
3. Revelation 1:10: "On YHVH's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet...."

Regarding the verse in Corinthians, is the verse about the procedure for taking an offering, or about the removal of the Fourth Commandment? Exogesis is "Reading out of the scriptures". Isogesis is "Reading into the scriptures". If you come to the verse in Corinthians with your mind made up that the Fourth Commandment has been changed, you are likely to read into the verse what you want it to say. On the other hand, if you read out of the verse, a different result can be concluded. Paul is giving directions about taking an offering, and nothing more.

Regarding the verses in Acts set forth above, also consider chapter 2:46: "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts...." This verse informs us that the Jerusalem community of believers continued to meet in the Temple. Afterwards, they would go and break bread together. Now, reread verses 7-11. Do the verses actually suggest that the Fourth Commandment has been changed? Or, is the passage about the power of G-d acting through Paul to bring about a physical healing?

Regarding the passage in Revelations, do you read anything that instructs us that the Fourth Commandment has been changed. Regarding YHVH's Day consider Isaiah 13:6,9" 'Wail, for the day of YHVH is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. See, the day of YHVH is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it." Is the "Lord's Day" a substitute for the Sabbath? Perhaps the "Lord's Day" has more to do with the coming of YHVH than a change of the day of worship. Either way, the text does not "read out" a change of the Sabbath. The only way you can reach that interpretation is to read into the passage.

The Sabbath has not been changed. We will examine the reasons for the change over the next few posts.

The Feast of Trumpets and the Christian

RoshHaShanah is also called the Feast of Trumpets. Leviticus 23:24 says: "In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart convocation." This is the first fall festival. It occurs on the first day of the Hebrew New Year. It is believed to be the birthday of Adam, Cain, Abel, the day Abraham bound Isaac on Mount Moriah, the day Noah was born, and the day Noah's ark hit dry land. It is the day Sarah conceived Isaac, the day Rachel conceived Joseph. It is the day Elohim heard Hannah's prayer for a son and the day he was born a year later. It is the day that Satan stood before YHVH to accuse Job. It is also the day Pharoah set Joseph free from an Egyptian prison.

The blowing of trumpets is very important. The sound of the shofar is a spiritual wake up call to listen to YHVH, repent of known sin, and dedicate yourself to set-apart living. In the modern day holiness movement, this would be called entire consecration followed by Elohim's Divine act of entire sanctification. While the holiness movement errs in its theology of removal of the "old man" of sin, it is correct in the requirement to live a life dedicated to YHVH. What does it mean to dedicate yourself to living a set-apart life for YHVH? First, it means to commit to study the Torah. Second, it means to obey the Torah. The Torah is YHVH's instruction book to those in the covenant in how we should live our lives day to day. RoshHaShanah points us to the Torah. Perhaps this is part of the reason the Christian church for the most part ignores the Feast of Trumpets. Third, it means to pray to YHVH. This means to bless the name of YHVH. Sometimes YHVH is referred to as Hashem, which means "the Name." Bless His Name today by blessing Hashem.

We are in the time known as the Ten Days of Awe. Take this time to repent of known sin, pray, and do acts of charity for those in need. As you do so, you are getting ready for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This will occur ten (10) days from Rosh HaShanah. This is the time to get serious about following YHVH. When the modern Christian church neglects the Biblical feasts, it is missing a time to draw near to Hashem. We are to draw close to Him when He commands us to do so and that time is now.

Should the Christian keep the Feast of Trumpets? Ask yourself, "Did Yeshua keep the Feast of Trumpets?" "Does the Feast of Trumpets honor Hashem?" If it does, "Who has an interest in not honoring Hashem? What does your community teach? Was it on the side of Hashem or on the side of one that seeks to dishonor Hashem?"

Rosh Hashanah and Following Yeshua

Did you know that today is Rosh Hashanah? It is the Jewish New Year. The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25. In ten days, Yom Kippur, i.e the Day of Atonement, will occur. What do you think Yeshua would be during this time? Where would He be? Would He be lighting candles in the evening? Would He be blowing the shofar? I suggest, He most certainly would. If you are His disciple, that means that you are copying or imitating His behavior. If you were in church yesterday, did the ministers mention the Jewish holiday? If they did not, how can they claim to be a disciple of One who is keeping the Biblical holidays? If they did mention the holiday, but not put actions with their words, how can they claim to be disciples of the One who does keep the holidays?

Have you heard of the Ten Days of Awe? The ten days start with Rosh Hashanah and end with Yom Kippur and are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.

One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the belief that G-d has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter G-d's decree. The actions that change the decree are "teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah," repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time is "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." Have you heard this before? If not, you might want to consider expanding your knowledge of the religion of Yeshua. During these ten days, we should be most on guard concerning our thoughts, words, and actions.

Yeshua is Jewish. He followed the Torah. We that claim to be His disciples should make it a point to follow Him as He follows the Torah. If not, who are you a disciple of? Hint: It is not Yeshua. It is the one that has turned people away from the true faith in YHVH and His Son Yeshua.

Note: Thanks to www.jewfaq.org for information on Rosh Hashahah and the Days of Awe.

True Devotions Part 4

We are going to continue today to focus on being still before YHVH as part of developing our personal devotion time. Psalm 46:10 says: “Be still, and know that I am Elohim. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Do you get still before YHVH on a consistent basis? Or, do you allow the cares of this life, no matter how legitimate, to interfere with quiet? One of the most important things you can do for yourself, your family and your friends is to establish a time of being still before YHVH. A time to block out everything except Him. This may seem difficult at first, but with practice you will discover that this is the best part of your day.

Charles Spurgeon said of Psalm 46:10: "A duty described, to be still before God, and under the dispensations of his providence; which implies that we must be still as to words; not speaking against the sovereign dispensations of Providence, or complaining of them; not darkening counsel by words without knowledge, or justifying ourselves and speaking great swelling words of vanity. We must be still as to actions and outward behaviour, so as not to oppose God in his dispensations; and as to the inward frame of our hearts, cultivating a calm and quiet submission of soul to the sovereign pleasure of God, whatever it may be."

This time of stillness will be a time that Elohim may speak to your inner person. There may be times of guidance and reflection. You may feel a warmth or inner peace as you surrender your self completely to Him. Do not be afraid to be alone with Elohim; you have nothing to fear. If He corrects you; instantly obey. If He directs you to do something; instantly obey. As Mary told the helpers at the wedding feast at Cana, whatever He (Yeshua) says unto you, do it. Allow stillness and silence to become a regular part of your devotional life. It will change you (for the better).