3 27 26 – Heart-Directed Action

With Passover just a hop, skip, and a jump away, we find ourselves at the point of the year that represents a time to reject ungodly counsel, a time to taste and see the goodness of God, and a time to declare, "My blessings are on the way!" (Deut. 28:1–14).

Yesterday's study, "Daily Ash Removal" (3/26/26), emphasized new input in the heart in order to get better output in our actions. Philippians 4:8 tells us, "Whatever things are... think on these things." The question that inquiring minds want to know is: how do I know the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, and praiseworthy? With the Torah, there are six timeless events that we are commanded to remember (zakar) every day. These six will not only keep you on a great spiritual track, but you will find they fit the Philippians 4:8 mindset.

Let me list them for you, and you can write them down on a couple of 3x5 cards for your bathroom mirror.

Remember...

  • ...that you were once slaves in Egypt (Deut. 16:3)

  • ...your marital covenant vows at Mount Sinai (Deut. 4:9–10)

  • ...Amalek's attack on the women and children (Deut. 25:17–19)

  • ...the golden calf incident (Deut. 9:7)

  • ...Miriam's negative speech against Moses (Deut. 24:9)

  • ...the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8)

The three winter months, which have come to a close, are connected to the three tribes situated to the north of the Tabernacle (Dan, Asher, Naphtali). The eleventh month, the month of Shevat, associated with Asher, encourages us to subdue the carnal nature—our yetzer hara (evil inclination)—and see what we have not seen, and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us to judge (Dan) all things correctly. It was the preparation and endurance of these winter months that put us in the best position this spring to begin a new cycle of God's blessings during the time of Passover (Ex. 12:1ff).

One of the six commandments we are told to remember (zakar) and act upon each day includes remembering that God has delivered us from Egypt (Deut. 16:3)! Within the Passover narrative, we find the key elements of how God delivered us from the physical bondage of Egypt on eagles' wings to bring us to Himself at Mount Sinai to receive His instructions—Torah (Ex. 3:12; 19:4)—and we find the same elements instructing us how to overcome our personal Egypt: the bondage that enslaves us on a day-to-day basis; those behaviors and thoughts lodged in our hearts (Prov. 4:23).

This modern-day enslavement causes me to cry out to God from the narrow confinements (mitzrayim) of desperation, inhibitions, blockages, and tight spaces—enslaved in my own country of inner blockages and constraints that I have brought upon myself by my actions and/or my responses to people's actions toward me. Regardless of the cause, I need to be "at cause" with everything in life (March 13–14 studies). I can recognize my own enslavement because it reveals itself in arrogance, depression, despair, anger, laziness, hedonism, greed, selfishness, and the like, which have their Egyptian grip on every one of our lives. For many of us, we can identify with the statement: it is easier to take the slave out of Egypt than it is to take Egypt out of the person.

Deliverance from Egypt is not an event to be commemorated! It is an event to relive (Ex. 13:8; cf. Heb. 7:9–10). Within the yearly cycle, God grants us the capacity to be delivered from our own Egypt (mitzrayim). The same power that God used to deliver His people 3,500 years ago is the same power that can permeate my life and liberate me from my own bondage. Daily we can live in victory! Victory, however, does not come without action, and action does not come without cost! Within the three elements of the Passover seder, there are three foods that must be consumed and identified with personally. In reverse order, they are the bitter herbs (maror), the unleavened bread (matzah), and the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:8; Num. 9:11). Each of these elements gives us spiritual instruction on how to physically and spiritually overcome the bondage of our personal Egypt.

The bitter herbs (maror) are a reminder that we were once slaves in Egypt. As the twelve-step counseling programs teach, the first step to healing and freedom is acknowledging what keeps us in bondage. Here, we must be honest and not point fingers (Rom. 2:1–4)! I have got to recognize that I have a problem. I do not have to parade my bondage for the world to see, but I do need to be honest with myself. If I want freedom, I have to recognize there is an issue that holds me captive (Rom. 6:16; John 8:34; 2 Pet. 2:19). Until a slave knows he is a slave, he cannot take steps to obtain his freedom.

The unleavened bread (matzah) has a dual symbol of slavery, freedom, and more. It is a seder element of humility (1 Cor. 8:1). Matzah is corrective action. Contrary to leavened bread (chametz), matzah is quick bread and the bread of affliction. It requires that you arrest the fermentation process by acting quickly. Maror identifies my slavery, and matzah instructs me to do something about it quickly—do not delay. No excuses! Get 'er done! It is activating the concrete changes that need to be done to activate my freedom! Unfortunately, too many spend so much time psychoanalyzing themselves that they experience professional victimhood. I am sure we have all had those moments where we had a great idea or inspiration to get us out of the doldrums of life... but because we did not solidify our "light bulb" moment with definitive action, the inspiration evaporated into the history of what could have been.

The Passover lamb has the requirement that it cannot be eaten alone! It must be shared with other people. It is all about community! If we are going to be liberated from our personal bondage, we need community—a group of people who love us and cheer us on in the process of our individual exodus. We need friends! And if you want friends, you have to show yourself to be friendly (Prov. 18:24). The single greatest element to being a good friend is using two ears and one mouth and keeping them in proportion while being there through thick and thin (Eccl. 4:9–12).

All three seder elements are essential to overcoming your own Egypt, but none is more important than finding a good community of believers and having a special someone in whom you have 100% confidence to simply listen. Your community of individuals needs to share the same commitment to love and growth; they empower me to transcend my limitations, open up my heart, take away my ego, my greed, my cutthroat capitalism, my victim mentality, and/or the abuser that surfaces actively or passively. We do not have to pretend that we were there that day when God delivered the people out of Egypt; we feel it every day, and we can live the deliverance each day!

Happy Preparation Day!

Shalom,
Alan

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