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The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16 Combined, these two Scriptures give us a powerful master key to effective prayer in the Kingdom of God. The first thing we must understand is that God is more inclined to answer our prayers when we act as priests whose goal in prayer is that others would receive the goodness, generosity and kindness of the Lord The second thing we need to understand to be effective in prayer, is that God answers the prayers of those who consistently seek to be a blessing to others then God will seek to be a blessing to you In Hebrew culture and language this concept is called measure for measure and is the principle that Jesus was explaining in the following Scripture: Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put in your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:37-38 So what does it mean that the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you? It means that Gods response to you is measured by your response to Him and others Two examples from Scripture where God hears and answers prayer on behalf of the righteous are found in the book of Acts. First is Dorcus, a woman who was full of good works and charitable deeds, who was restored to life (Acts9:36-42). Second, is Cornelius who was a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms (gifts to the poor- tzedakah) generously, and prayed to God always. To him an

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angel appeared during the hour of prayer and explained that his prayers and alms (tzedakah) have come up for a memorial before God and he was heard because of his tzedakah (Acts 10:1-4, 31, 34-35). While not explicit as to their blessing, there is implication in scripture the Holy Ghost felt important to mention the importance of giving and doing good works in their lives Peter also summarized the importance of this concept of tzedakah in relation to our prayers being received by God in the following verse. Act 10:34 Then Peter said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. LOOK TO BE A BLESSING EVEN WHILE YOURE IN PAIN Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto abe in the plains of Mamre: & abe sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; Gen 18:2 & he lift up his eyes & looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: & when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, & bowed himself toward the ground, Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Gen 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: Gen 18:5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. Gen 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. Gen 18:7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. Gen 18:8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed,

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and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. God appeared to Abraham at a time of pain. It was just after he circumcised himself at 99 years old in obedience to God. According to Jewish teaching this divine visitation actually took place on the third day after his circumcision when Abraham would have been experiencing the most pain and discomfort. But what is he doing in the doorway of his tent? And what does in the heat of the day mean? Depending on where you live the heat of the day can be pretty hot. Considering the fact that Abraham was in the middle east in a desert area youd have to think heat of day was a pretty hot time. The word used for heat of the day is from the Hebrew root word chamam, and it means to be hot or to be enflamed. In other words, it is referring to the kind of heat that makes you feel like youre in an oven. It is also the kind of heat where people traveling on foot or on camels can become dehydrated quickly. In midsummer it is not uncommon for a person in a desert climate to consume 2 to 2 gallons of water a day. Usually when it is this hot, people stay away from windows or doorways where they are likely to be more exposed to the heat (especially if you dont have air conditioning). So the real question is, why Abraham sat in the doorway of his tent, nearest the scorching heat on the day he is in the great pain? Generally, when someone is standing in the doorway they are awaiting for something or someone; perhaps guests. However, lets not assume we can interpret this Scripture based on our own understanding. The word translated as sitting is the Hebrew word yashab, which means to sit in ambush, or to lurk (which is to lie and wait in concealment) Like a lion hiding near a watering hole during the heat of the day waiting for an opportunity to pounce on an animal weakened by thirst, Abraham

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was lying in ambush during the heat of the day, waiting to spring up to be a blessing to someone. This is also why several times during this passage it mentions that Abraham ran or hurried. He hurried to bless Then Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. Genesis 21:33 There are over 305 mentions of the word tree or trees throughout the Scriptures, all with some significance and meaning In the Kingdom of God, trees are symbolic of the righteous, or those who practice tzedakah. Trees provide shade from the intense heat of the suns rays, and food/fruit for the hungry and are a resource of materials for building shelter. Psalm 1uses a simile to explain that those who delight in the teachings and instructions of God and meditate upon it day and night, they will be like trees that bring forth fruit in season. This Scripture uses a simile, which compares two unlike things as being similar or alike. But this is not the only Scripture that likens the righteous to trees. Isaiah 61 also uses this same imagery of the righteous being like trees: The Spirit of the LORD God is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD that He may be glorified. And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities. In this Scripture it is directly stated that the righteous shall be called trees of righteousness (verse 3). However, this Scripture in Isaiah 61 also gives us specific detail of some things those trees of righteousness were doing. The Scripture not only implies that the righteous were anointed to bring good news to the poor, heal the broken, deliver those in captivity and comfort the mourning, but it also says they rebuild the ruins and raise

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up former desolations. Now this is where it gets really interesting. The word for ruins is the Hebrew word chorbah, and it refers to a kind of desolation caused by drought and extreme heat. They rebuild, which is the Hebrew word banah, which also means to obtain children. This gives a very strong imagery that the righteous, not only seek to repair broken economies, but while they are working to help repair the ruined economy, they provide and care for those affected as if they were children of their own household. I think we need to get a better understanding of the former desolations mentioned in Isaiah 61:4 and better understand the role of the righteous in such places. The word desolation in Isaiah 61:4 is shamem, and it refers to a place that appears to have been wasted or totally devastated. And the word translated former is rishon, which means first in place or rank. This gives the imagery of the places with the worst kind of deprivation and destitution, which are the kind of places that trees of righteousness are attracted to. It is the kind of place that the righteous work to make good, to raise up from the ashes, and to transform it into something . Judgement on Sodom because no practice of ministry Eze 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Eze 16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. What are good works? And how does one define them? The Hebrew word translated as good is tov, and means something that is good because it is functional or that it functions properly The scripture in Genesis 49 is the first actual mention of the word salvation found in the Bible. The Hebrew word used here for salvation is, Yeshua (which is the name of the Savior or Messiah).

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This word Yeshua, means salvation and deliverance and comes from the Hebrew root word yasha which means to set free, to defend, to preserve and to rescue. It applies to any situation where one may need deliverance, freedom, protection or help with preservation. Someone can be saved from sin (obviously a spiritual issue), but a person can also be saved (yasha) from sickness, famine, poverty and even slavery. We find the second mention of the word salvation (Yeshua) is in Exodus 14:13, where the Children of Israel are being delivered (yasha) from bondage and slavery in Egypt. By the way the Hebrew word for Egypt is mitsrayim and is from the Hebrew root matsor, which means limitations or to hem something in. So Egypt does not just represent a physical place, but it is a condition where one is suffering from limitations and oppression. Egypt is the idea of having severe limits placed on your life and potential, whether they be from sickness, famine, debt, poverty, etc. So here we have a first example of salvation, (Yeshua) a group of people being delivered from limitations and bondage. let me explain what the Hebrew pictograph of the word for salvation The yod ( )is a picture of the hand and represents work. The shin ( ) is a picture of teeth and is a picture consuming, destroying or destroyer. And the ayin ( )is a picture of an eye and represents watching. Combined this means that Yeshua (and or salvation) is a picture of one working as a destroyer watcher Shepherds fit the bill as a destroyer watcher. David, who as a shepherd watched over his fathers sheep and defended them from potential destroyers, such as bears or lions (1 Samuel 17:34-36). This means that the picture of Jesuss function is not only as a shepherd of Gods people (John 10:11-16), but that He actively watches for things that could potentially destroy any of His flock, and then He destroys the potential destroyers. It does not matter if the potential destroyer is sickness, famine,

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poverty or sin. Therefore the Scriptures says for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8) So here is an interesting thought We who follow Jesus are supposed to be followers of His life and example, right? So if Jesus functioned as a destroyer watcher, then shouldnt those who follow Him watch over their neighbors for potential destroyers and work to destroy potential destroyers? Furthermore, if His ministry work was to deliver and rescue people from potential destroyers, then shouldnt we also seek to rescue people ? Luke 22:27For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not the who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. understand that God did not just send the gospel of the Kingdom in word only, but He sent it in the Flesh. Have you ever examined the Hebrew word for flesh? it is actually the same asRead more at location 2850 Delete this highlight Add a note Hebrew word for gospel, which means to publish good news. How interesting that the word for gospel, which means to publish good news, is the same as the word for the flesh we live in! Basar What does this mean? What is God trying to teach us? While I believe that there are many things we can learn from this, Ill just share a couple. The first is that God did not just make you, He published you like a book. You are Gods Word made flesh, not THE WORD as in, His Son, but the word as in His other sons (John 1:12-14). I also believe this is part of the idea behind the following Scripture: You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men. Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tables of flesh, that is of the heart. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 YOU ARE A GOSPEL PUBLICATION

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But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 4:3 The second thing I believe we can, and should learn from the fact that the word for flesh and the word for gospel are the same, is that you are the gospel. Or to put it another way, you are supposed to be good news! However, there is more insight here to understanding how the gospel is to be published. Namely, that God cannot publish the good news of the Kingdom without flesh. Why? The besorah gospel) only becomes good news or functionally good, when it is made into basar (or flesh). Take a look at what the prophet Isaiah said about those who publish the gospel: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaim salvation, who says to Zion Your God reigns! Isaiah 52:7