could bring our four children to services. We wanted a place where they could learn more about their Jewish lifestyle, customs, and worship G-d and Yeshua. The entire week before we went to the first service, my wife and I fought like never before, over stupid stuff. It got so bad we couldn’t even talk to one another. Those who know us know how out of character this was for us. The Friday night we went to the Messianic synagogue for the first time, I got really defensive. I told her if anyone walked u p t o me and acted like they wanted to be my friend and were overtly nice to me, I was never going to go back. (Great attitude huh?) Well of course when we got there dozens of people came u p t o us. They asked us how we found out about the synagogue, what I did for a living, and so on and so on and were really very genuinely nice to us. After we left I was furious and Jackie (my wife) loved it. She had found her home and I swore I was never going back there again!

We lived about 45 minutes away and for the first 20 minutes or so on the drive home she kept babbling about how great it was and I kept being negative and we wound up fighting again. I finally stopped the car about 20 miles from home at the entrance ram p t o the highway. I got out and screamed I’m walking home! Jackie, stayed in the car and waited a half an hour figuring this was not my character and I would cool off and come back. When I didn’t she drove u p t he highway and found me walking on the side. She pulled up behind me and got out but I was still angry and wouldn’t talk to her. She wound up throwing the keys at me and climbed over the guard rail in her fancy clothes and went down the steep embankment to a side road. This was a dark road in a particularly dangerous part of Philadelphia . Within seconds a bunch of hoodlums passed her and were calling out to her. She knew she was in trouble and then she saw them do a U turn and come back to get her. She called out to G-d “Oh G-d, what have I done? Please help me!” Miraculously a cab appeared out of nowhere right in front of her eyes and picked her up. This was not a part of town where cabs even go. 

Meanwhile, I knew she was in a bad place and would not be able to get back u p t he hill. I quickly jumped into the car and drove a mile or two to the exit and back to the side road and tried to find her. I looked in every bar, 7-11, alley, dumpster, everywhere and I was freaked! Finally after a couple of hours of looking I went home and found her there. I was so glad to see her that I hugged her and immediately agreed to go back to that synagogue if that was what she wanted. We still had no idea what had happened until about a year later. We were sitting in a seminar at a Messianic conference and heard about something we had never heard of before. They called it spiritual warfare. We both knew that THAT was what had happened and that satan had not wanted us to get involved with Messianic Judaism. G-d clearly sent her an angel to protect her that day.

Ephesians 6:11,12 Put on all of G-d's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

1 Peter 5:8 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.

Understand and respect this… Because you are now a child of G-d, satan can't have your soul anymore, so he's going to try to make you useless . He has lost the battle for your joining him in hell . But be assured that he will do the next worst thing . He will do everything in his considerable power to divert you from G-d’s high calling for your life . Be further assured that the more you do that wins other people into G-d’s camp, the more Satan will attack you, your family, your possessions, your life in general . Should you worry? 

Yes, if satan is not bothering you .  

No, if you are firmly rooted in G-d’s Kingdom.

1 John 4:4 …greater is He (G-d) that is in you, than he (satan) that is in the world.

But then this leads to another question. Why would a good G-d send anyone to hell anyway? While this is a valid question, it wrongly places the responsibility for a person’s eternal destiny on G-d.

Remember that accepting G-d’s FREE gift of salvation is our part in getting into heaven. Tough huh?! 

So who decides if we go to heaven or hell? Yeshua’s work is already done. So WE decide. The name Yeshua actually means salvation, so the work of salvation is already done. All we have to do is choose Yeshua (salvation).

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