Unfolding “Proof of Life”

Andrea L. Sims PhD.

My guiding Scripture:

BUT as for you, if ye prepare your hearts,

so as to sow in them

the fruits of the Torah,

it shall protect you in that time

in which El Elohiym is to shake the whole creation.

BARUK SHENIY (2 BARUK) 32:1 את CEPHER

When I ran across the Scripture in 2 Baruk, I took note of the phrase “the fruits of the Torah.” I knew, at some point, that I would come back to it and look a little closer to what they (the fruits) might be. I did not, however, initially connect that word with my topic of “Unfolding ‘Proof of Life.’” But as I worked on the first draft, I just couldn’t quite get to what Yah was saying. I rearranged my notes but still didn’t have the peace I needed to put it all together.

My task seemed to be to connect the “fruits of the Torah” with my “proof of life” topic. If the result of sowing in our hearts the “fruits of the Torah” is protection in the time of shaking, it seems to me that we should take a look to see what they are.

So, I set all my notes aside and started over, asking Yah to unfold for me what he is saying so that I could unfold it for you. The result is this Morning Manna blog. Please stay with me as this unfolding unfolds!

Introduction:

We have all more than likely seen pictures of a hostage or kidnapped person holding a newspaper with the date clearly showing as “proof of life.” My own experience with the request for “proof of life” gives rise to this topic, as hard as that may be to believe.

My story:

When I decided to join the group from Fiery Faith Ministries (FFM) at their Pesach gathering in Tennessee in March, I began notifying my grown children one by one. Their responses were varied but each required me to give detailed information about who would be there, where the event was being held, and camping. Iunderstood their concern. It was not like me to trapse off alone to meet a bunch of strangers at a place I had never been, to do what I was not accustomed to doing. I explained and finally had their acceptance of my plans—with one requirement: daily “proof of life”! We all had a great laugh because it was funny and, for me, endearing at the same time. My kids and I are close—we love each other and are involved in each other’s lives. I shared this story with the group at Pesach, and we all had another good laugh as we took pictures of me daily to post in our family’s group chat. My daily pictures became my “proof of life” much as those taken of hostages or kidnapped.

No words.

Just the picture.

Pesach 2024

We know that words are one form of communication. And that deeds are another.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed,

do all in the name of Adonai Yahusha,

giving thanks to Elohiym and the Father by him.

QOLASIYM (COLOSSIANS) 3:17 את CEPHER

What I am considering here is a third form of communication: our “countenance” (what our very presence communicates). A picture of our spiritual “proof of life” – spoken without words and communicated without deed.

\The word “countenance” appears 53 times in the KJV and is H6440 (Hebrew Panim / paw-neen) in Strong’s Concordance. It is defined as “presence, look, face, and open.” I found some insightful Scriptures in Sirach:

The heart of a man changes his countenance,

whether it be for good or evil:

and a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.

A cheerful countenance is a sign of a heart that is in prosperity;

and the finding out of parables is a wearisome labor of the mind.

SIRACH (ECCLESIASTICUS) 13:25-26 את CEPHER

The wickedness of a woman changes her face,

and darkens her countenance like sackcloth.

SIRACH (ECCLESIASTICUS) 25:17 את CEPHER

Whether a man be rich or poor,

if he have a good heart toward Yahuah,

he shall at all times rejoice with a cheerful countenance.

SIRACH (ECCLESIASTICUS) 26:4 את CEPHER

The countenance is a sign of changing of the heart.

SIRACH (ECCLESIASTICUS) 37:17 את CEPHER

I am not diminishing the importance of the spoken word; nor am I exalting deeds.

I am bringing forward an aspect of testimony that has surfaced in my understanding: presence.

And I am considering that the seeds sown from the Torah bring forth fruits in our lives that speak to presence—transforming us and setting us apart from the natural man—speaking volumes, without words.

We are becoming spiritual beings.

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.

There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

QORINTIYM RI'SHON (1 CORINTHIANS) 15:44 את CEPHER

IF ye then be risen with Mashiach,

seek את those things which are above,

where Mashiach sits on the right hand of Elohiym.

את Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Mashiach in Elohiym.

When Mashiach, who is our life, shall appear,

then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

QOLASIYM (COLOSSIANS) 3:1-4 את CEPHER

We are becoming spiritual beings.

THESE words spoke Yahusha, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,

Father, the hour is come; glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you:

As you have given him power over all flesh,

that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him.

And this is life eternal,

that they might know you the only true Elohiym,

and Yahusha Ha'Mashiach, whom you have sent.

YOCHANON (JOHN) 17:1-3 את CEPHER

We are becoming spiritual beings.

O Righteous Father, the world has not known you:

but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me.

And I have declared unto them your name,

and will declare it:

that the love wherewith you have loved me

may be in them,

and I in them.

YOCHANON (JOHN) 17:25-26 את CEPHER

We are becoming spiritual beings.

A new heart also will I give you,

and a new ruach will I put within you:

and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,

and I will give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put my Ruach within you,

and cause you את to walk in my statutes,

and ye shall guard my judgments,

and do them.

YECHEZQ'EL (EZEKIEL) 36:26-27 את CEPHER

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Yashar'el

after those days, says Yahuah;

I will put my Torah into their mind,

and write it in their hearts:

and I will be their Elohiym,

and they shall be to me a people:

IVRIYM (HEBREWS) 8:10 את CEPHER

We know that we overcome by three things:

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,

and by the word of their testimony;

and they loved not their lives unto the death.

CHIZAYON (REVELATION) 12:11 את CEPHER

We also know that the word can be seen without being spoken:

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness:

for Elohiym is judge himself. Celah.

TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 50:6 את CEPHER

The heavens declare his righteousness,

and all the people see his glory.

TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 97:6 את CEPHER

And he said, What have you done?

the voice of your brother's blood cries unto me from the ground.

BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 4:10 את CEPHER

Every man's work shall be made manifest:

for the day shall declare it,

because it shall be revealed by fire;

and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

QORINTIYM RI'SHON (1 CORINTHIANS) 3:13 את CEPHER

Back to our guiding Scripture:

BUT as for you, if ye prepare your hearts,

so as to sow in them

the fruits of the Torah,

it shall protect you in that time

in which El Elohiym is to shake the whole creation.

BARUK SHENIY (2 BARUK) 32:1 את CEPHER

These are the questions that I am asking about the fruits of the Torah:

1) Where do the seeds come from that produce the fruits of the Torah in our hearts that then transform us and protect us in the days to come?

The metaphor of sowing seeds and harvesting fruit from the garden is familiar to us. We know that the soil must be prepared to produce a harvest of fruit. And we know that the Torah is Yah’s instructions for us, beginning in Genesis 1:1 and continuing to Revelation 22:21. So we can find seeds to sow all through the Scriptures!

We find the seeds to sow in our hearts in the 10 Commandments. As we seek instruction and then obey what we find, fruit begins to grow. Our lives take on a new presence as we are being transformed.

Please note: There is much more to discover in the Commandments than sits on the surface of the words. In the Cepher Academy class I took, there were 67 class hours of instruction on the 10 Commandments. It was astounding!

We find seeds to sow in the Blessings listed in Deut. 28 (as opposed to the Curses).

We find seeds to sow in the Beatitudes, too. Being “blessed” shows up in our countenance!

As we become actively doing the “duties” (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for widows and orphans, visiting prisoners, and loosening the yokes of oppression off of people), we are being changed into his image by the seeds sown in our heart.

2) Who is it that sees the “pictures” we display by our countenances?

Pesach 2024

The “great cloud of witnesses” of Hebrews 12:1 came to mind. Those with whom we live with (or around) certainly are aware of our “being” (in addition to our speaking and doing). And, of course, all those we come in contact with (our circle of influence) are affected by our words, deeds, and our countenance.

3) How is the “proof of life” displayed in the spiritual realm?

We see in Galatians 5:22-23 to see what fruit comes from sowing seeds found in the Torah of our Abba.

But the fruit of the Ruach is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,

goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:

against such there is no law put in place.

GALATIYM (GALATIANS) 5:22-23 את CEPHER

I feel like a word of encouragement needs to be shared regarding these, because most of us whip through the list without much further thought. An in-depth word study on each “fruit” might be of help to us, because if we look around us, we will see what others are displaying by their countenances, influencing those around them. For the most part, it is not the fruit of the Ruach of Yah. In the days in which we find ourselves, the fruit of the Ruach will become more and more obvious and needed, as these qualities speak volumes—they speak without words and without deeds.

We see additional fruit of the Torah in John 4:36: the fruit unto eternal life.

We see still more fruit of the Torah in Hebrews 12:11, Phil. 1:11, James 3:18, and 2 Cor. 9:10: the fruits of righteousness.

And we find in Romans 6:22: the fruit unto holiness.

In conclusion:

What does “proof of life” look like in the spiritual realm? I sense that we can be who we are; we can be who Yah made us to be; we can do what we are led to do—from the heart that has been made new, with the ruach which has been made new (Ezek. 36:26-27).

We can be the unique individual Yah created us to be—genuine, transparent, honest, and without pretense. We can turn away from fraudulence and hypocrisy.

Our countenance includes our appearance, our attitudes, our body language, and along with our words and deeds, we have our testimony. We take our “presence” with us wherever we go, and it is “felt” whether we say or do anything. For . . .

Ye shall know them by their fruits.

MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 7:16 את CEPHER

Something to consider:

Herein is our love made perfect,

that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:

because as he is,

so are we in this world.

YOCHANON RI'SHON (1 JOHN) 4:17 את CEPHER

Pesach 2024

All scripture referenced is taken from the את Cepher Scriptures - Large Print/Soft Cover

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