Obedience is Discipline

Obeying the Creator

By observing Torah, which is obeying the laws God gave all mankind, we demonstrate our love for Him. Most Christians are following Torah without knowing it! They keep about 1/3 of the commands simply by living moral, upright lives. We have the testimony of Messiah AND the choice to follow God's commands. If we've got Messiah and follow him and we allow the Holy Spirit to work inside us, YHWH will reveal Truth every step of the way.

If you continue to study Scripture then Knowledge and Understanding will increase, baggage falls away, the narrow gate opens and the straight path is revealed. Halleluyah! and praise Elohim for His steadfast love that all would have the chance and choose to turn from sin and return to Him - the One who created us! 

This is the path we journey along towards our real home. We come across many stepping stones as well as stumbling blocks, but our Faith keeps us steady. Satan's goal is to knock us off that path of righteousness. Our goal is the Heavenly Kingdom YHWH told us about through His servants, the prophets of old.  Messiah confirmed all that God had commanded as it is written in the renewed covenant.  The message has been preserved and handed down through the ages. We are the lost sheep of Israel and those other sheep that have heard our Shepherd's Voice. That doesn't mean we stop learning and become content where we are, but we let the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter Y'shua gave us after he died, continue to guide us, teach us and reveal the Word of God to us. That is why he calls it A Path - we move along his path so as not to stagnate in a perceived comfort zone.

Torah reveals right from wrong. It is a set of instructions necessary for the behavior of mankind, not a tool to use to find favor with God (that's what hypocrites are guilty of). It is just as much a part of our lives today as it was in the days of Moses, and Abraham and Noah.

There is evil in the world today just as there was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns. The world we live in today is much as it was in the days of Noah. And it's going to get worse. Our heavenly Father's laws reveal sin and keep us from evil as we walk through that shadowy valley of Death. We recognize right from wrong because we have the definition of both good and evil described in the 1st five books of Scriptures.

Y'shua Messiah was killed and his blood of atonement 'justifies', or absolves us of the guilt of sin. This act 'sanctifies' or sets us apart unto Elohim. We trust and obey God and this will be credited to us as 'righteousness'. (Galatians 3:6)

Y'shua Messiah did not put an end to what our Creator began.

The Spirit is continually teaching us and God is testing to see what is in our hearts. That was the purpose of the 40 years in the wilderness after Moses led that mixed multitude out of Egypt - YHWH knew what was in their hearts yet tested them to see if they would obey Him like they said they would. Well, as you know, only 2 of the original generation made it to the promise land of Canaan - Joshua and Caleb.

Keeping Torah in today's World

Torah is not a religion but God's perfect governing system for all mankind. Of the 613 commandments, 221 apply only to the temple, priesthood and their duties, sacrifices and ritual purity. Since the the physical temple and all associated with it does not exist today these laws do not apply and no law is 'broken' if some thing doesn't exist.  That leaves 392 'laws', which are divided among the rest of us, according to our station in life.

For example: Over 50 laws apply to you if you are a farmer or running a business. Over 60 laws apply to  judges or those  involved in the judicial system. There are 45 laws that apply to us in regard to social behaviors, community and family affairs, and some of those are for just men, and some just for women.  
 

The laws of God YHWH are not a burden and they are able to be kept.  He would not give us anything that we could not bear.  His rules and regulations bring order to the affairs of man and teach us how to handle our own daily affairs. You and I don't lie, cheat, steal or murder but there are many who do. Yahweh protects us, gives us a legal leg to stand on, if these wrongdoings befall us.  He takes into consideration laws regarding 'Involuntary Manslaughter' as well as 'Premeditated Murder'.

Torah is not complicated and is provided for everyone. It represents the character of YHWH our Elohim and His values according to His will - it elevates human life by establishing justice and equality for everyone.

John 14:15 - Y'shua said if you love me keep my commands. 14:21- He who has and keeps my commandments is he who loves me and will be loved by my Father. 15:10 - If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept the commandments of my Father (Torah) and I abide in His love.

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are those who do His commandments for they shall be given the right to the Tree of Life and will be allowed to enter into the city (New Jerusalem).

The Law is the Word of YHWH our Elohim, and His commandments are found in the first five books of Scripture. His Son confirms this by obeying the will of his Father. Throughout Scripture we are told to show we love Him by keeping His commandments then He will be our Elohim and we will be His people. God would not tell us to do something if we weren't able to do so.

Definitions from Webster's

Justification = the condition necessary for salvation; of being absolved of the guilt of sin.
Sanctification = set apart, consecrated, made free from (bondage to) sin, purified, dedicated.
Righteousness = acting in a just, upright manner, doing what is morally right.

Torah is the Hebrew word for Instruction; instructions for discerning what is morally right, and teaches us how to live in a just manner, advising us on how to be justified and become sanctified - it is the instructions which point us to the Promised Land.  God Himself chose His people to be Set Apart as He is Set Apart... this happens by obeying Him, everything He commands.

New Covenant, Old Covenant, is Torah a covenant?

Right off the get-go we are being gently led astray by a bad translation, the word 'New'. The original Hebrew word 'chadash' means to re-new or to make new or repair. It was never a New covenant but a Renewed covenant. Theologians have long used this term to steer the 'church' away from the rules and commands by God written in Genesis through Deuteronomy, aka Torah.

In the research of Andrew Gabriel Roth, he found that " post-apostlic church founder, Marcion (110-160 AD), who was considered a heretic by the early church, coined the terms 'Old Testament' and 'New Testament' suggesting that the old was done away with, replaced with the new.  His false anti-torah theology is still believed by most Christians today."

A covenant is a contract, a promise, a firm agreement, a pact, made in faith by which the parties involved are trusted to uphold their end of said contract. In every contract there is an exchange of value. In the Renewed contract/covenant Y'shua Messiah offers redemption for our lives but we must reciprocate (hold up our end of the contract) by being obedient.

Torah contains the Terms and Conditions of Yahweh's covenant between Himself and mankind. Torah demands the element of Faith to bring mutual benefits between the parties involved.
  
John 15:10 - IF you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept the commandments of my Father Elohim and I abide in His love.

In reality, the new covenant (NT) is a renewal of the older covenant God had formerly made between Himself and His people. Y'shua Messiah and his apostles obeyed the Father, they were Torah observant. It is not a burden and it is not impossible to live by God's Commands.

Hebrews

Hebrews 4:11 (with a little paraphrasing)

Let us strive to enter 'that rest' else we fall short 

like those who did not believe.
The Word of Elohim is living and all-efficient 

and sharper than a two edged sword 

and enters even to the deep penetration of the soul 

and the spirit and of the joints and marrow and bones, 

And judges the thoughts and reasonings of the heart: 

neither is there any creature which is hidden from Him, 

but everything is naked and laid bare before His Eyes, 

 to whom we are to give account...
Let us approach the throne of His grace with confidence, 

that we may obtain mercy 

and may find grace for assistance 

in the time of affliction

To Give or not to Give

This question is in regards to the collection of tithes in this day and age:  since the Levitical priesthood nor the Temple exist today, are 'churches' in the right to pass the plate or ask for donations?

No, (today's) assemblies do not have the 'right' to collect tithes. (collect, demand, pass the plate, put up a donation jar, make one feel obligated, etc...).

Matthew 10:8  Freely you have received, freely give. Do Not Accumulate gold, nor silver nor brass (money) in your purses, nor a wallet for the road.... A worker (disciple of YHWH) is worthy of his food.
Numbers 18:21: And to the Levites I hereby give all the tithes (mostly from the field, the herd, and the flock) in Israel as the share in return for the services that they (the priests from the tribe of Levi) perform, the services of the Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle)... :24 for it is the tithes set aside by the Israelites As A Gift to Elohim that I give to the Levites (for they have no territorial share among the Israelites) :26 Speak to the Levites and say to them, When you receive from the Israelites their tithes, which I have assigned to you as your share, you shall set aside from them one-tenth of the tithe as a Gift to YHWH... (the best of the best of the best always goes to the Creator)  :29 You (the priests) shall set aside (one-tenth of) all Gifts due to Elohim from everything that is Donated to you, from each thing the Best portion...  :31 You and your households may eat it anywhere for it is your recompense for your Services in the Tent of Meeting

YHWH's own definition of 'tithes' is that tithes are Donations of Gifts that are given to the priesthood In Return for the services they provide (of which they and their households may eat). He is taking care of their needs through the assembly they minister to.

In today's world if you find a teacher of The Word, whether in a home study group, a small assembly or good sized congregation, who has helped you along the Path of Righteousness by increasing your understanding of Scriptures, and IF you are so moved in your heart, I see no reason why you should not help him with his needs (feed, clothe, give drink) and not his wants (car, new church, house, vacation...) in return for his service of doing God's Work, teaching and preaching and ministering to His People.

Our Creator says Tithes are Donations of Gifts to Him, handled by ministers of His Work... We choose to give, with the best intentions of our hearts, the best of the best of what we have, whether you want to call it a tithe, gift, donation or offering. If He is not please with what He sees, our 'giving' is of no pleasure to Him.

I also like to take into consideration how Y'shua Messiah instructed his 12 apostles: 
Mark 6:7 - And he called his twelve and began to send them two by two... And he commanded them that they are not to take anything for the road except a staff - no bag, no bread and no money in their purses. Rather that they wear sandals and not wear two tunics. (travel light and take only a Walking Stick-- no baggage, no food, and no money makes them reliant upon YHWH and the households who receive them). 

In Luke 10:1 Y'shua also appointed 70 from his other disciples and sent them out in pairs as 'sheep among wolves', to prepare the way for Messiah to come.

When YHWH gave instructions for the Levitical priesthood to be established, they were taken care of by the people they ministered to, with food, drink and other necessities, so they were able to tend to temple duties and take care of their families. They were sustained by the tribes (community) as commanded by Elohim God. No plate was passed, no can was set up for 'love' donations, nor was there a Paypal button asking for donations. In today's world, how many teachers of the Word do you see freely giving and humbly receiving? how many travel without convenient accommodations? how big are their purses/bank accounts? how big are their mega-churches? How far are they from the Truth of His Word?

'Tithes' were originally described by Master Yahweh in Leviticus 27:30 as  being from the land, whether seed from the ground or fruit from the tree... 27:32 of the herd or flock.  It was seldom money that was tithed, unless you lived far off and you were bless with so much cattle and produce that transporting them was unreasonable, then you could sell them and take the money with you to the place YHWH chose to establish His Name (Deuteronomy 14:24) and purchase livestock or food or drink when you got there. But at no time neglect the Levite in your community for he has no hereditary portion as you have. Every 3rd year the full tithe of the yield for that year was left in the settlement. Then the Levite, AND the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your settlements shall come and eat their fill, so that YHWH your Elohim may bless you in all the enterprises you undertake. (Tithes, since they are of the field or herd or flock, aka Food, also provide for the poor, widows, orphans and sojourners among us.) Also, in Malachi 3:10 YHWH Himself refers to our tithes as food brought into the storehouse of His House...

Quote from Exposing the Tithe Lie: 
 1) What is the tithe? The tithe is 10% of the increase, established in Leviticus 27:30-33 as an offering Holy to the Lord. The scripture identifies the tithe as grain and fruit, herd and flock. The tithe is food! An example of the tithe can be seen in a shepherd with a flock of 100 sheep who is blessed with the birth of 50 lambs in the spring. Five of the lambs must be offered to the Lord as a tithe. The tithe was brought to the temple in Jerusalem in acknowledgement and appreciation of God’s provision for His people.

2) What was the tithe for? God doesn’t need the food – God doesn’t eat. God doesn’t desire sacrifices or offerings ( Psalm 40:6 and Hosea 6:6 ) – He desires mercy. God doesn’t need us to give Him a 10th of everything – when He already owns everything ( Psalm 24:1 and Job 41:11b ). The tithe was used to feed the Levite priests (and their families) who were required to work in the temple day and night ministering to God on behalf of God’s people ( 1 Chronicles 9:33 ). Without the tithe, the Levite priests would have needed to raise their own food, thereby taking them away from ministering before God. Hence the reference in Malachi 3:10 "…that there may be food in my house". Nehemiah 13:10-13 records a time when the Levite priests were not receiving the tithe wherein they abandoned their daily temple responsibilities to work the farms to feed their families. The reference to ‘robbing God’ in Malachi 3:8 is in fact robbing God of ministry and worship by failing to take care of God’s priests through the tithe of food items. Unlike the other tribes of Israel who were given land as their inheritance, the Levites were not given any land – only a few cities in which to live. God was their inheritance ( Numbers 18:20-21 ). Thus, the remaining tribes were obligated to provide the Levites with food since they had no land on which to grow their own.

3) What is the storehouse? 2 Chronicles 31 teaches that the storehouse is the Temple in Jerusalem. When the tithe was re-instituted under King Hezekiah, the king gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple to hold the tithe. Apparently the grain "tithe" was heaped up in the streets, which caused a traffic jam of sorts. King Hezekiah had the storehouse built to relieve a bad case of urban congestion in ancient Jerusalem.  End Quote

Let us get back to the origins of Faith and the Plan our Creator set forth for us. 

The Days of Unleavened Bread

YHWH's Set Apart times for us are not the usual man-made holidays spawned from traditions that you find printed on most modern day calendars, nor are they simply Jewish holidays. He put them in place as one set of rules for all people - His fixed times for all generations, throughout the ages. He set the pattern for us way back then, just as He showed the pattern of the Tabernacle to Moses and instructed him to build it just as he had been shown, we, too, have been shown the pattern of becoming His Set Apart people. 

~ Pesach is the Hebrew word translated "Passover"
~ Chag HaMatzah is Hebrew translated "Feast of Unleavened Bread" 

From my studies of Scripture I have learned Passover is not a set apart time by itself; the 'pass over offering' was made during the evening of the 14th day and immediately gives way to the seven days of Unleavened Bread. Also, the entire time (14th through the 21st) traditionally is referred to as Pesach, which I think is misleading in general as  anything kept 'traditionally' is always a red flag in my mind.

A lot happened before Pharaoh finally let Yah's people go. We'll fast forward to Exodus 12 when YHWH tells Moses and Aaron that this month will be the beginning of the months, it is the first month of the year. The people, Hebrews and a mixed multitude that accepted YHWH as their Elohim, were instructed to take a lamb per household on the 10th day of this month and keep it until the 14th day of this month, to be slaughtered at twilight.

They were further instructed to take some of the blood of the lamb and, using a bunch of hyssop, put it on the doorposts and lintel of the houses in which they were going to eat the roasted lamb, not leaving anything left over until morning. They were to be fully dressed and ready to travel, and they were to eat it hurriedly: It is a passover offering to YHWH.

Exodus 12:12- For that night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down every first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and I will mete out punishments to all the (false) gods of Egypt... And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a Sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

This day is one we shall remember and celebrate throughout the ages, for all time. 

Exodus 12:15- Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread- on the very 1st day (of the 7, on the 15th) you shall remove leaven from your houses. The first day and the seventh day are sacred occasions and no work is to be done, only whatever is to be eaten may be prepared.

Exodus 12:17- you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for on this very day (the 15th of the 1st month) I brought you out of Egypt, to be observed throughout the ages as an institution for all time.

Exodus 12:18- In the first month from the 14th day at evening you shall eat unleavened bread until the 21st day of the month at evening. No leaven is to be found in your houses- whether one is a stranger or a citizen of the country- you shall eat nothing leavened.

Exodus 12:24- You shall observe this as an institution for all time, for you and for your descendants. :25 And when you enter the land that I will give you, as I promised, you shall observe this rite... And when your children ask why and what does it mean, you shall say, 'It is the passover sacrifice to YHWH Elohim because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but saved our houses.'

Please note that He tells us to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread from the 14th until the 21st. Those seven days of yeast free breads begin with the pass over offering. The act of Faith, painting the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintel, was a Sign between Yah and those Set Apart believers.

Exodus 13:49- There shall be one law for the citizen and for the stranger who dwells among you.

Leviticus 23:4- These are the set times of YHWH, the sacred occasions, which you shall celebrate each at its appointed time: In the first month, on the 14th day of the month, at twilight, there shall be a passover offering to YHWH and on the 15th day of that month YHWH's Feast of Unleavened Bread- for seven days.

If we are not in the Promised Land now, are we to be observing this rite? If the priesthood does not exist, should we offer up a lamb at this time? We are to 'remember' why YHWH makes this a set apart time, and observe it as a sacred occasion, but can we take matters into our own hands by making a celebration out of it according to our own imagination? 

A year after He set them free from Pharoah, they did make the passover offering and observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was after the Tabernacle was set up and YHWH was in their midst. He had moved from the mountain to the tent where He attached His Name. When Solomon built the temple, that is the last place we know of where Yahweh attached His Name. There is only one House of Elohim. Also, for us, the Lamb has already been sacrificed which set us free from bondage to sin. There is no longer a sin offering necessary, no passover offering is required yet we keep the the appropriate days as Shabbats, remove leaven from our lives for those seven days and remember why:

Deuteronomy 6:21- We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and YHWH freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand. YHWH wrought before our eyes marvelous and destructive signs and portents in Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household, and He freed us from there, that He might take us and give us the land that He had promised to our fathers. Then YHWH Elohim commanded us to observe all these laws, to revere Him as our Elohim for our lasting good and for our survival as is now the case. It will be therefore to our merit before YHWH our Elohim to observe faithfully this whole Instruction as He has commanded us.

As they were were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, we are slaves to today's world system, and by the blood of the lamb, Y'shua, we have freedom from the old pagan ways, freedom from our old sin nature and made ready to receive the promise of eternal life. The shed blood of Y'shua we accept as our covering, as a Sign to the Almighty to save us from death, that we may rest in His Kingdom for eternity.

Deuteronomy 16 gives us a little more detail for this set time. It reads that a passover offering is made to YHWH and slaughtered in the place Elohim will choose to establish His Name. For 7 days no leaven shall be found among you. You cannot slaughter the sacrifice wherever you choose but at the place YHWH chooses to establish His Name. In the morning you may start back home; on the 7th day of Unleavened Bread hold a solemn gathering, do no work.

In today's world, we are not able to bring a passover offering to YHWH which would normally be handled by the priesthood at the temple, but we must also remember that His Son was our one time sacrifice. He is our Lamb whose blood was shed for our sake. 

Hebrews 10:11
For every high priest who stood and ministered daily, offered again and again the same sacrifices which never were sufficient to purge away sins. But this Priest (Yahshua the Anointed One) offered one sacrifice for sins, and forever sat down at the right hand of Elohim (where he waits for his kingdom to come). For by one offering he has perfected forever, them who are sanctified by him. After which the Ruach haKodesh testifies by saying, This is the covenant I will give them after those days; says Master Yahweh... I will put my Torah/Instructions into their minds and inscribe it on their hearts and their iniquity and sins I will not remember against them.

Now, where there is a forgiveness of sins 

there is no offering for sin demanded.

There is no need to make a passover offering because Y'shua has fulfilled that requirement. We can, however, be free of leaven those seven days and hold a solemn assembly on the 1st and 7th days and do no work on those days. We do this because we remember how YHWH set our ancestors free from slavery, in bondage to Pharaoh in Egypt - this same pattern was revealed in Y'shua, who sets us free from eternal death, by willingly laying down his own life that we would gain life eternal.

If we 'remember' as Elohim says to, then we can understand how this applies to us today. The blood of the lamb was/is a sign to YHWH to pass over those who chose/choose to obey, follow, observe His Instructions. If you don't have the testimony of Y'shua, the blood of the lamb (a Sign) on your doorposts and lintels (heart and mind), then you cannot be saved, passed over, from destruction. This would mean, to be saved (from eternal death) is to obey YHWH's instructions, by Faith, and in obeying His Instructions you accept that Y'shua gave his life, his blood was shed that we may have life eternal.     

Take notice in regards to what has been added to the simple Word of Elohim as a quote from the Jewish Virtual Library:

On the first night of Passover (first two nights outside of Israel), Jews are commanded to have a special family meal filled with ritual to remind us of the significance of the holiday. This meal is called the Seder, which is a Hebrew root word meaning “order.”  The Seder, however, is no ordinary holiday meal - there is a specific set of tasks that must be completed and information that must be covered in a specific order. To correctly follow the process, the text of the Passover seder is written in a book called the Haggadah. The content of the seder is summed up in fourteen parts... end quote.

Now you tell me, after reading Scriptures and knowing what Yah's instructions are, has His Word been added to? This invented celebration is pure hog-wash in comparison to Scriptures.

The Definition of Haggadah: 

• The Passover Haggadah is a set form of benedictions, prayers, midrashic comments and psalms recited at the seder ritual on the eve of Passover. (this is Not a Commandment of YHWH our Elohim...)

It's no wonder Isaiah shares these Words of YHWH in 1:10 as he relates how it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah: 

"Hear the word of YHWH the instructions of Elohim! What need have I of all your sacrifices? I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, and suet of fatlings, and blood of bulls, and I have No Delight in lambs and goats that you come to appear before Me... trample My courts no more! Bringing oblations is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, proclaiming of solemnities, assemblies with wickedness, I cannot abide. Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing, they are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them..."

This is exactly why we are not to worship Elohim in our own way, or try to approach Him as we see fit. If we follow tradition we are not following YHWH or Y'shua haMashiyach.  Remember, Y'shua also warns of the end times, that it will be like it was in the days of Noah, like the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Remember, it is about Yahweh's perfect timing, not religious ideals, traditions. our own creative imagination or customs.

In this day and age 
let us obey 
and follow His Instructions best we can.

Set apart the 1st and 7th day as Sabbaths
to do no work,

And remember why this time 
is appointed by our Creator.

Read Scriptures
Remember and see the pattern

The pattern which reveals the days to come.

Remove the leaven from your life

Let no temptations be found in your home

Faith> Grace> Works

A study I've been working on compelled me to look up the definition of 'Grace' in the Webster dictionary:

Pleasing quality; favor; thanks; A sense of what is right and proper; the unmerited love and favor of The Creator towards mankind; divine influence acting in a person to make the person pure (righteous/clean/set apart); morally strong; a special virtue, gift or help given to a person by Elohim.

Grace is a gift from Elohim that does not replace Torah. Torah is the set of instructions to show us what is right and proper. Grace shows His favor towards us, in that through His Set Apart Spirit He helps us to understand His commands and how to apply them to our lives that we may be righteous, morally strong.   YHWH, by His Grace, gave us the gift of His Laws and free will to choose Life eternal by obeying, keeping, observing and living by them.

There is a point of contention among 'believers' in regards to being 'saved'. There is the 'once saved always saved' mindset along with being 'saved by grace' and the 'saved by faith' and the 'saved by works' facets of this one topic.  

Acts 2:38 tells us in order to be saved (from the curse of eternal death) that we are to repent (return to Yah, turn from our sinful ways) and be immersed (mikveh/baptised/ritually cleansed) so that we may receive the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). 

If we do turn away from our sinful ways and return to the Creator and His Teachings and be immersed symbolizing our intentions, then we are ready to receive the gift of His Set Apart Spirit.  If we make the first move then Yah will follow up, giving us His unmerited love and favor.  It is a process, not an end-all.  We never stop learning until the day He restores all things!

2 Thessalonians 2:16

And may our Master Y'shua the Mashiyach himself, and Elohim our Father who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and a good hope through His grace, comfort your hearts and establish yourselves in every good word and in every good work.

In the letter to the Romans, Paul refers to himself as a servant of Y'shua, who was called, sent and separated to the Good News of Elohim and acknowledges it is from Him whom we have received grace and a mission... to the end that all may obey the faith among whom are called by Y'shua.

Grace doesn't just happen - it is a result of our Faith.  Faith is our belief, our trust in YHWH Elohim.  In trusting Him we choose to obey His Instructions. The result is Righteousness - we become morally justified and freed from sin.

Hebrews 11

Now faith is the persuasion of the things that are in hope as if they were an actual fact, and it is the manifesting of the things not seen. For by faith we understand that the worlds were shaped by the Word of Elohim and that things seen originated from those that are not seen.

By faith, Abel offered to Elohim a better sacrifice ... and on account of it he is testified of being righteous... By faith, Enoch was translated and did not taste death ... there was testimony of him that he pleased Elohim.

Without faith, man cannot please Elohim.

He who draws near to Elohim must believe His existence

and that He will recompense those who seek Him.

By faith, Noah when he was told of the things not seen, obeyed Yahweh and made an ark... and became righteous which is by faith.  By faith, Abraham, when called, obeyed... departed to the place of his inheritance while he had no idea where he was going. By faith he became a resident in the land that was promised... All these died in faith and did not receive their promise but they saw it from a distance and rejoiced in it, and they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

1 Peter 1:6-9 ... when you are under some pressure by the various trials that pass over you (it is) so that the proof of your faith may appear more precious than refined gold that is tested by fire, to glory and honor and praise at the manifestation of Y'shua: whom having not seen, you love; and in the faith of whom you rejoice with the joy that is glorious and beyond expression, that you many receive the reward of your faith, the life of your souls...

Faith and Grace are part of a harmonious connection between us and YHWH.

Paul's desire is to give the gift of the Spirit through which we become established and find comfort together in faith. The Good News reveals the righteousness of Elohim, from faith to faith, as it is written, 'The righteous by faith will live.'

We find in the writings of James chapter 2:

What is the use if a man says 'I have faith' yet he has no works? Can his faith restore life?" James continues to give the example of a fellow believer who is cold and hungry and another says to him, 'go in peace...warm yourself and be full', then he does not give him the necessities (clothing and food), what is the use? Consoling a person without providing the need is faith without works... whereas providing the need, whether food, clothing or shelter, is 'works' which reveals faith.

James 2:17 reads: 

"So also faith alone, without works, is dead. For a man may say you have faith and I have works; show me your faith that is without works and I will show you my faith by my works."

James 2:24 

You see that by works a man is justified and not by faith alone.

Galatians 3:23 

"But before faith came, Torah was guarding us while we were confined from the faith about to be revealed." 

Andrew Gabriel Roth offers insight: 

In this regard "Torah" can be compared with any righteous values a soul voluntarily imposes upon himself. However, as a spiritual relationship is established with YHWH and Y'shua, a soul is elevated to much higher levels of spiritual awareness and accountability.

Galatians 3:12 

Thus Torah is not made by faith, but whosoever will do the things that are written in it, will live in it. (Leviticus 18:5: You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them...) 

John 20:29 

Y'shua said to him, "Now that you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who do not see me and believe."

If you continue to study Scripture then Knowledge and Understanding will increase, baggage falls away, the narrow gate opens and the straight path is revealed. Halleluyah! and praise Elohim for His steadfast love that all would have the opportunity and choose to turn from sin and return to Him - the One who created us!  This is the path we journey along towards our real home. We come across many stepping stones as well as stumbling blocks, but our Faith keeps us steady.

By our Faith we receive His Grace as we live by His Instructions.  It is just natural to follow up caring for fellow believers and by doing these good works we are morally justified, accounted as righteous.

Love

Lovely definitions of Love:
 

Mark 12:29 - Y'shua said the 1st Commandment is 'Shema (hear and obey) O Israel! Master YHWH is one - Love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind and strength. The 2nd is like it - Love your neighbor as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18)
 

Luke 6:35 - Love your enemies and do good to them and lend a hand and do not cut off the hope of man. Be merciful as your Father is merciful... for the measure with which you measure, it will be measured to you. Take the beam out of your own eye then you will be able to see to take out the straw that is in the eye of your brother.
 

Romans 12:9 - Let not your love be full of deceit, but be haters of evil things and adhere to good things. Love one another, honor one another, be active and not slothful. Be fervent in spirit. Work for Y'shua. Be joyful in your hope/Good News. Be patient under your afflictions and preserving in prayer. Be communicators to the wants of the Set Apart believers. Be kind to strangers. Bless your persecutors, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with them who rejoice and weep with them who weep. Do not indulge in arrogant thoughts, but unite yourselves with the humble minded. Be not wise in your own estimations. Repay no man evil for evil but let it be to your study to do good before all men.
 

1 Corinthians 13:4 - Love is patient and kind. Love is not envious, does not shout loudly and is not boastful. Love does nothing that causes shame, and seeks not her own (ego-strokers). Love is not passionate, and thinks no evil. It does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes for all and endures all. Love will never cease (His steadfast love is eternal). These three things are abiding: Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love.

Sorceries of Babylon

Open Scroll

Quote from the above link: 
Drugs induce changes in our body chemistry. These effect our body's function, metabolic processes. They influence how we feel, think and act, our personality, responses and reactions. These changes may be temporary but may also last a very long time. Some cause our DNA to be rewritten, which changes us quite tangibly into a different "us." Because the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) and our blood is subject to pharmakeia's effects, there is a direct impact on our souls! The influence is also supernatural, with the very real effect of opening a door or gateway, a dimensional portal through which demons may pass. Our thoughts and actions are then given over to their control. These entities are referred to as familiar spirits. The supernatural activity of angels and demons is the effectual power, which do work through natural agencies. Pharmakeia can hinder people from receiving the holy spirit, or can isolate those who have it from the Lord and deny them what benefit would otherwise be enjoyed.