The Hebrew new year 5785 begins at sundown, Oct. 2, and we enter the month of Tishri, which is the seventh month on the Hebrew religious calendar and the first month on the Hebrew civil calendar. This is why it is called “head of the year.”
Tishri is noted for three fall feasts. They are the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah, which begins on the first of Tishri, or Oct. 2, at sundown; then Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which begins at sundown Oct. 11 and runs through sundown Oct. 12; and then Feast of Sukkot or Tabernacles which begins at sundown Oct. 16 through Oct. 23.
This Hebrew new year will be categorized as a year of overwhelming grace. It is a year ending with numbers 85 or pei-hei, which means the “mouth of God speaking grace”.
We are in the season of Teshuvah or repentance, which will go to Oct. 12, the Day of Atonement. At this time, God calls us to reevaluate our way of doing things in the earth. God is eager in this Hebrew New Year 5785 to have us build His kingdom and do it from a framework of knowing we have our needs met in Him.
How do we know this? Let us go to the book of Haggai, which has Scriptures for both the sixth month called Elul, on the religious Hebrew calendar, and Haggai 2, which begins with Scriptures for the seventh month or the month of Tishri, which we are about to enter.
In the book of Haggai, God says “Consider your ways—it is time now to build My house.”
In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways (Hag. 1:1-5, KJV).
To consider our ways is to assess our heart and our own needs. Are we allowing our needs for provision, protection and acceptance to stop us from doing God’s will? When we consider our ways, we become open to the greater things God wants to do in and through us. It’s all a heart issue. Are you thinking small and in fear or big and in vision?
Don’t allow provision to be a stumbling block to the next levels God wants to reveal to you. Don’t allow provision to stop you from stepping into the glory He has promised. You are a part of the kingdom today for the release of glory. This is why God said this month, the temple must be built, because it was His time on the calendar for the glory of the Lord to be revealed. The earth is crying for God’s glory, so let us participate with God and change our mode of action so we can build the kingdom, and His glory will be released in the earth!
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“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps” (Prov. 16:9).
God is calling us to consider our ways and build His house. God says prophetically, “I have you covered. Do you believe Me by faith ? You’re not in a faith crisis but a faith challenge. Let Me show you how to make some changes so you can build My kingdom and be blessed at the same time. “
God is challenging you to step out and build His kingdom, just as He did when He spoke to Zerubbabel and Joshua by the prophet Haggai.
Are you ready to obey God and make a change in this season of Teshuvah ? Consider your current mode of action so a change can be made and you can be used of God in His kingdom and accelerate to next levels.
There is a way to build in Hebrew year 5785. Not only should we consider our current mode of action, but we also need to reposition ourselves from the realms of the earth to ascension living. We must know we are the church that has its conversation in heaven (see Phil. 3:20a).
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; ‘Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord'” (Hag. 1:7-8).
Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, “I am with you,” saith the Lord. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God” (Hag. 1:13-14, emphasis added).
“Stirred up” in Hebrew is the word ur, which means God Himself woke up their eyes to their self- consciousness and made them bare or naked to their ways.
God calls us to wake up and see how we have built in the past and instead see with His eyes the mountain or place of promotion or ascension to build upon. We must assess our position, bring what we have and use our gifts, and God says He will make it all prosperous.
He is calling us in this season of Teshuvah to have faith to come up to the mountain. In summary, it’s time for a change! This change means to stop looking at yourself through earthly eyes of death and with only eyes to save yourself, your family, your resources or relationships.
Instead, God wants your eyes open from His view on the mountaintop, and He will bless the work of your hands as you live by faith and ascend the mountain in your mind from the lower-level thinking places.
The test of this remnant of people in Haggai was to stop focusing on self and instead live by faith and build His house. The reward was that prosperity would come to their personal house.
The key for us to learn is that God was with the people He called to build from beginning to end. The way to build proper is to come up to the mountain and see from God’s view.
God blessed their faith and stirred their spirits to not focus on themselves first but instead to put Him first in bringing what they had and their spiritual gifting. He was then glorified by their faith and action as they lived from a mountain perspective. Here in this ascension position, God blessed the work of their hands as they built His temple.
Consider this: Maybe all our issues arise because we’re trying to save ourselves first?
Our needs for provision, protection and acceptance are driving us to make all kinds of decisions to save ourselves, when the only one who can save us says, “Believe that I can save you, but the only way is to come up to the mountain first and in faith bring something.” God says, “I’ll make you like you were in the garden, which is to have your eyes open and be free from death.” To be free from death means God will not only save your life but also what He is asking you to build in this new season. Stop trying to gain for yourself, and God will cover you.
Instead, let us consider our selfish ways, ascend the mountain and watch God give us all we need. It’s training for reigning as the calendar will turn over on Oct. 2 at sundown to the new head of the year 5785. Let us ascend the mountain now and begin to build.
When we endeavor to build from the mountain first, the glory can be released in the earth. The glory is released from fullness, not from lack. So let us assess our lack and create structure not to fill the void, but instead to release from fullness and the place of promotion on the mountain. Remember, we serve the God of more than enough, not the God of lack. We serve the God of the promised land, not the God of Egypt. We must change our small thinking to His big thinking, and God will direct our steps.
Rethink the build and God will bless as He extends His overwhelming grace in 5785.
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Dr. Candice Smithyman is an international prophetic revivalist and healing minister who is founding pastor (retired) of Freedom Destiny Church in Orange Park, Florida. She is also the founder of Dream Mentors Transformational Life Coaching Institute, a biblical life counseling and coaching educational organization that teaches and trains educators and coaches in the specialty of life coaching. She is currently the host of the “Glory Road’ TV show, which can be seen internationally through Faith USA Network, Faith UK and Faith Africa, King Television, Praise Television, Precious Television, Charisma magazine online, Kingdom Flame TV at www.kingdomflame.com and Life Stream Networks at www.lifestreamnetworks.com.
