Month of Shevat

Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. Zechariah 1:7-8

We have now entered the biblical month of Shevat (שְׁבָט in Hebrew), which is the eleventh month of the biblical calendar, in the year of Ayin Hei. This month is a vital point in the year that represents a time to reject ungodly counsel, a time to taste and see the goodness of God and a time to declare, “My blessings are on the way”!

The month of Shevat is the second month of the winter season, which is comprised of the three months of Tevet, Shevat and Adar. The three tribes corresponding to the months of winter are Dan, Asher and Naphtali; who in the desert encampment around the tabernacle were situated to the North. Their joint camp was known as the camp of Dan, whose name means “a judge”. Every year during the winter season we have an opportunity to subdue our carnal nature, see what we have not seen and allow Holy Spirit to empower us to judge all things correctly. This is so important because it allows us to finish this season of blessing well and position ourselves to begin a new cycle of God’s blessing again during Passover.

The winter season is also the time when we are most vulnerable from the enemy because he desires to be seated on the mount of the congregation on the sides of the north. Isaiah 14:12-13 says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.” This reference to the sides of the north is directly related to the camp of Dan which was situated on the sides of the north. The alignment of the Dan, Asher and Naphtali is a representation of how the Lord establishes His glory as our rear guard. In the year where God is restoring His glory this becomes highly significant!

The month of Shevat is linked with the Hebrew letter Tzadik. The letter Tzadik takes the form of a righteous or just man. Habakkuk 2:4 says, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith”. This letter begins the word “image” relating to how God created us, in His image. This reveals to us the way we live as righteous people by faith. Living by faith means to allow the image of God to shape and form our world view. By faith this month we can reject the counsel of the ungodly, refuse to stand in the way of the sinner and overcome the seat of the scornful.

Shevat is also linked with the Tribe of Asher, who was Jacob’s second son born to Zilpah Leah’s handmaid and his seventh born son overall. When Asher was born Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed“, as such his name means happy. The root word for his name means to be upright or to advance in the right way. When Jacob blessed Asher he said, “Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties”. When Moses blessed Asher he said, “Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.”Asher was the tribe that God favored more than any other tribe. His territory in Israel was known for its wheat, oil, wine, bread and the new wine signifying the fullness of God’s blessing. 

Godly Counsel Produces Godly Blessing

And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:Exodus 18:15-19 KJV

After reuniting with his father-in-law Jethro in the wilderness, Moses finds himself in a very peculiar circumstance. Jethro sees Moses being Israel’s answer man from the morning until the evening and reveals to him his error. Most likely this model of leadership was taught to him while in Pharaoh’s house. Jethro revealed to him his limitations and that his failure would cause the people to fail also. He pointed him back to the source of all counsel; Elohim, the Strong Shepherd who releases the seed of wisdom. This month is the time to receive enabling grace to taste and see the goodness of God’s counsel in the midst of any circumstance.

Blessing is one of the most talked about Christian realities yet I believe most, including Christians, fail to understand what blessing is and how it works. Blessing is not the result of our religious disciplines such as prayer, devotion or fasting. Blessing is an expression of grace that enables us to live in dominion. It is the anointing produced by Holy Spirit (God’s breath) that awakens creative purpose within us. As He quickens our mortal bodies we begin to experience the benefits of Jesus’s resurrection.

When God speaks His creative purposes over us His counsel produces His blessing in our lives as we agree with Him by faith. The writer of the Psalms ensures that this truth was established first. Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful”.Blessing is produced when we reject the counsel of the ungodly and walk in God’s ways to sit in His presence.

Most times our inability to live in God’s reality of blessing is because we have in some way embraced ungodly counsel. As a part of the Kingdom of God the fruits of righteous, peace and joy should be abounding in our lives. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in Holy Spirit (see Romans 14:17). Holy Spirit is our counselor who leads us in all truth (see John 16:13). When His voice is prevailing in our lives then righteousness, peace and joy prevail.

I believe it is very difficult to maintain hope without the prevailing forces of righteousness, peace and joy. This reality drives me to go to war to maintain my relationship with Holy Spirit. I am willing to give up everything accept my righteousness (who is Christ Jesus), my position of peace (seated with the Prince of Peace in Heavenly places) and the state of fullness of joy (my lifestyle in God’s Presence).

It’s Time to Taste and See that He is Good

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8

The goodness of God is sweeter and more satisfying than any gourmet delicacy we may find in this world. There is nothing more fulfilling than the richness that God’s blessing brings to our lives. Anyone who has tasted of His goodness will testify the same. His blessing makes rich and He adds no sorrow to it. I have found that many people view God from a perspective that portrays him to be harsh and restrictive. They tell me that they are unwilling to serve God because they are afraid of what they will lose.

Some say they don’t want to lose their friends, change their lifestyle or be rejected by their families. Granted these are valid concerns but Jesus was very clear when He said, “Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life“. What most people fail to do is see by faith the goodness that Jesus has prepared for us in this life and in the one to come. When we lose something for His sake we receive a blessing that is one hundred times more AND inherit eternal life!! Now that is the goodness of our God!

This month we have the opportunity to taste and see that He is good and allow others to see His glory working in our lives. One thing that becomes challenging during times of instability and disaster is to continue to trust in the one who by definition is good. The same is also true when it seems that you have been abandoned and forsaken or when we are going through a time of testing. In every situation the Ancient of Days never changes, His goodness endures forever. Tragic events we experience are not a result of God being behaving in an evil way but are a direct result of the source of evil in the earth, the devil. It’s time to stand up in the midst of adversity and lack or in the midst of peace and abundance and declare, “My blessings are on the way”!!

It’s Time to Declare, “My Blessings are on the Way

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised; Hebrews 10:23

When we find ourselves in challenging circumstances we must rise up in faith, hear what God is saying, declare it in the atmosphere and act on His instructions. As we continue to declare and act on what He is saying, we must look for the fruit of our declaration to manifest. The apostles found themselves in quite a unique situation when Jesus ascended after His resurrection. Simon Peter, along with some others decided, they would go fishing not really knowing what else to do. The scripture tells us that they fished all night but could not find their next place of provision.

At the breaking of the day Jesus showed up calling from the banks, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.”Once His word was released into the atmosphere the provision was where He said it was. In fact the scripture says that once they cast their net it was filled with so many fish they couldn’t draw it out of the water. When God blesses us it is always more than we can contain. His blessings always overflow the cup. When the apostle John saw such an abundance poured out after obedience to a simple commandment he knew it was Jesus. Only He could and would pour out such a blessing with a word!

It is important to notice here that Jesus wasn’t giving a dissertation on fishing. There was no instruction on how to throw the net, what kind of net to use or how to draw it once it was thrown. He simply told them where to place the net they had with the understanding about how to use it. Sometimes we fail in being obedient because we feel we don’t have enough information. The simple act of faith with what we have, current understanding included, is all we need to access our place of more. Confessing and praying the scriptures is profitable but hearing the rhemaright now word, declaring it in the atmosphere and then acting on it is better.

Father I pray that those who read this will see their place of more. Let their eyes see and their ears hear so that your word is revealed in their midst. Put your words in their mouths so they can plant the heavens and establish the foundations of the earth. Let them taste and see that you are good! Declare that your blessings are on the way; declare your house will be filled with the whirlwind of His breath!!