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ELUL - Day 5

Thursday, August 28, 2025

During the Month of Elul

During the Month of Elul, we read Psalm 27 in the morning and evening.

Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

More Treasures from the Psalms During Elul

Also, a great habit to get into is to read 3 Psalms a day. So on the first day read Psalms 1-3, the 2nd day, read Psalms 4-6 and so forth. You may find some incredible treasures as you do this as it seems that each cluster of 3 Psalms has a theme and the themes seem to go smoothly from one to the next. As you read these, you will have some wonderful ideas to meditate on. May this become a wonderful habit. HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING!

We All Need a Good Friend!

During Elul we work on these qualities:
It is good to laugh while we work on becoming more like Yeshua!
Have a joyful day walking with the King!!

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy!

YOU Possess the Power of Praise!

Friday, July 25, 2025

YOU Possess the Power of Praise!

There was a devastating plague in Torah Portion Pinchas when the people decided to rebel and become involved in immorality, then eat foods that were not to be eaten, then yoke themselves with an idol. And G‑d was provoked to anger which led to 23,000 people dying. But Pinchas took the initiative to deliver everyone by showing his zeal for the Lord. The death stopped. Pinchas praised the LORD with his actions. He did not follow the crowd.

And we remember Korach and his ancestors who rebelled against the Lord and were swallowed into the ground. Death came to the 250 rebelling, but the Word tells us that the sons of Korach died not.

And today we read these sons of Korach's writings in the book of Psalms! They not only wrote their praises, but they shouted their praises. 2 Chronicles 20:19 tells us they stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

Our ancestors' past sins do not hold us back. We can choose every day and every minute to Praise the LORD and change the atmosphere. Whether we sit, stand, shout, whisper or sing—our Praise changes things. It lifts our spirits. It changes our thoughts and refocuses our concerns. Praise opens prison doors and sets ambushes against our enemies. Concentrating on the great G‑d we serve, who speaks and it is formed, reminds us of the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in us!

Psalm 22:3 — Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

Let Everything that has Breath Praise the LORD!

The Month of Iyyar and Lag BaOmer by Sherry Lush

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

In addition to Iyyar being a month of restrictions on haircuts and weddings, we look forward to the celebrations of Lag Ba Omer, when you can cut your hair and get married. So why do we celebrate Lag Ba Omer when we have weddings, parades, barbecues, huge bon fires and sing and dance all night?

Lag BaOmer takes place on the 33rd day of the Omer count. Amazing as the Hebrew letters that spell Lag are Lamed and Gimel. The numerical value of these two letters combined is 33!

This day is celebrated as there had been a terrible plague of death, killing all 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's yeshiva students. Why the plague? It is said that this plague came because these students ignored their rabbi's teaching and did not respect each other, bringing a plague which lasted between Passover and Shavuot. Their deaths took place after the destruction of the second Temple and left a terrible void of Torah teaching. One thing their deaths re-confirm is the absolute necessity of unity among the brethren.

Because of the terrible void in Torah teaching, Rabbi Akiva went to the South and taught Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yose, Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua, and it was they who revived Torah teaching at that time.

*Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

Happy Lag BaOmer

COUNTING THE OMER 2025

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Blessing for Counting the Omer:
The Omer is counted every evening after nightfall.
Before counting though, we stand and say the following blessing:

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV-VETZI-VA-NU AL
SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

'Blessed are you oh, LORD our God, King of the Universe who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer. Today is the __ day of the Omer.'

Psalm 67 is also recited daily because it is composed of exactly 49 Hebrew words which correspond to the 49 days of the Omer count. The Psalm is seasonally appropriate because of its harvest motif. It is spiritually appropriate because it speaks clearly of God's salvation (Yeshua) being made known over all the earth.

*Psalm 67: May God be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine on us. Selah. So that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the nations praise You, O God; let all the nations thank You. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You shall judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations on earth. Selah. Let the nations give thanks to You, O God; let all the nations praise You. The earth shall yield its increase; and God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

What is the Omer?
Omer means 'sheaf ',and it was a sheaf of barley that was the first of the harvest. This sheaf of barley was brought to the Temple as a first fruits offering. The counting begins on the day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread during the Passover week. This would have been when the first omer of barley had been harvested and brought to the Temple.

Leviticus 23:5-11 Tells Us When to Count the Omer
*Leviticus 23:5-11 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is the LORD's Passover. On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the LORD. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. In the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD seven days. In the seventh day is a holy convocation: you shall do no regular work.'' The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap its the harvest, then you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

* Leviticus 23:15,16 ''You shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed: even to the next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to the LORD.

Why Do We Count the Omer for 49 Days?
Fifty days passed from Passover until the day the Law was given at Mt. Sinai. We count 49 days which is 7 weeks of 7 days. On the 50th day we celebrate the giving of the Torah (Law) on Mt. Sinai. This day is called 'Shavuot' or 'Feast of Weeks' or 'Pentecost'. For 1,500 years, the Jewish people celebrated this momentous occasion.

On this very day some 1,500 years later, the Lord sent His Holy Spirit to the people who were waiting in Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot.

Counting up to this day, represents our excitement that the Lord Provided both Torah - God's loving instructions and then the Holy Spirit, so we possess the power to follow God's ways as He lays out in Torah.

These 50 days are to be a time of ascending up to the Lord. Each day we are to strive to improve our walks with the Lord, and overcome anything holding us back from fully loving and obeying Him.

This is a time of joy for us as it was during these days of counting the Omer that our Resurrected Messiah made all his appearances and ascended to heaven during these days! Yeshua the Messiah ascended on the 40th day of the Counting of the Omer.

10th of Elul, 5785

Elul - Day 10

Give yourself the gift of time as you work on teshuva and becoming a better Believer. You may find that as you slow down, you pray more and read your Bible more. What a precious gift that comes with just a small amount of time.

• Take a peaceful walk and enjoy the beauty of the Creation that the Lord made for us.
• Smell the roses along the way. Notice all the shapes and sizes of leaves and flowers—and the colors which are spectacular.
• Eat more slowly. Enjoy the taste of the food.
• Limit texting and social media. You will save so much time.
• Meditate on what you read in the Bible.
• Enjoy your work.
• Enjoy the time you have in a day!

Fill each moment with purpose. Leave the stress behind.

James 4:14 — 'Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.'

Day 4 - Elul - Yom Dalet

Day 4 - Elul - Yom Dalet

The Hebrew word for '4' is dalet, which also means door. Yeshua called Himself the door. To find redemption (selichot) we have to go through the door. There is no other way.

John 10:9-10
'I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.'

How wonderful it is to know that the door is open—
That abundant life is waiting...

His arms are open to us as we seek Him and seek forgiveness.

His strength is available to us; to enable us to do better,
to love with a more pure heart,
to see good in others and not just find fault.

May this be the day that we begin to seek His face.
May this be the day that we begin to see life and others through His eyes.

Run to the Door - He is waiting.

Elul - Day 11: Patience

Elul - Day 11: Patience

Patience is one of those things that can be difficult to cultivate. In our day, everybody is in a hurry, and at the same time, we know the Lord wants us to slow down and develop patience.

Is it possible to have patience when I am late, and I need that car in front of me to move to the slow lane?

• Patience is slowing down.
• Patience is allowing the other person to go in front of me when I am late.

Why is that so difficult? We just need patience.

It's a big deal to realize that we don't actually have control of much in our world today. But we are able to control our own attitudes.

So we begin to appreciate life. Focus on the good things in front of you right now. Laugh, buy an ice cream cone for a stranger and watch what happens. Give of yourself. Appreciation for the amazing world God made takes time…

Patience gives you more time to appreciate life.

Every day we want to look back and say, 'How did I do today?' If we are patient, more often than not, it will help us respond that we did pretty well.

Patience is an acquired skill—one worth pursuing!

Ephesians 4:2 — 'Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.'

Elul - Day 3 - Yom Gimmel

To have success in the journey we take during Elul, we all need a new beginning - a fresh start. We want to be like a sweet new-born baby. No sins are held against us. His Spirit has been born in us - we now have power to overcome, and we are new.

The word shofar contains within it the word 'shofir'. Shofir is like amniotic fluid which protects the developing baby during the 9 months of pregnancy. During Elul, we blow the shofar pointing up to proclaim to heaven, We are ready to be born again. We want to be re-born, revived and resurrected. We are ready for the amniotic fluid to gush forth.

The sound of the trumpet is calling us to be born again.
Start on a new path.
Begin each new day knowing that you are a new creation.
If the enemy reminds you of sin, you can overcome - you are not tethered to sin any longer.
You overcome depression by the power of His Spirit in you!
You overcome unfruitful desires by the power of His Spirit! You now have the power to overcome any sin!

You are on a new path.
You are a new creation.

Prayer for Today:
Please wipe out my wickedness like a cloud. Please wipe out my wickedness like a cloud and forgive my sins, for they are great. Return the remnant of a shadowed people and send a messenger (of good news) to Inform them of the covenants that will take place after the end of the age, and they sha ll be conformed even if they don't understand.

Psalm 119:104-105 I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore, I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

ELUL - Day 8

Elul - Day 8

Above Nature

Eight is a very unique number. In 7 days HaShem created the heavens and the earth—all nature had been created. Now day 8 comes... it is a day above nature.

On day 8 we think about the Hebrew word 'Tamim'.

Tamim is innocence and completeness.
Tamim is a very high level of service to HaShem.
It is a high level of purity.

How do we get to this level of purity? With another Hebrew term: Pashtut, which means simplicity.

We run from philosophy and vain deceit—things that cause us to be like the world.
We run from deceit and from being condescending.
We are simple in love.
We don't look for evil.
We become pure like a child.

Purity and simplicity make you higher than the wise.

REJOICE—just do it as a child running to the Father.
Don't try to give all the philosophical reasons that you have NOT to rejoice...
Just do it in purity.

Philippians 2:14-15
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

Elul - The King is in the Field - Day 2

Day 2 Elul - The King is in the Field

The slichot (prayer) today is from pages 28-29 in Rabbi Shapira's book 100 Gates; 100 Shofars. And we pray:

Out of Prison

Pay attention to him who wanders from his nest, and arouse his sleepy eye, he will wake up in the middle of the night.

Because of the shame of his faults, for him, his tears were his bread day and night,

And when he is pushed aside in his imprisonment and persecuted from mountain to hill, under heat in the day and ice in the night.

Enemies suppressing me, they gather to conspire against me, and they keep doing this all night long. My prayer will come before you, Adonai the God of my salvation — all day I cry out until the night.

Maybe on your list of spiritual improvements you want to make is to return to the Lord.

Even if you feel very far from Yeshua — Now is the time to press into Him, to Return, to Renew your close personal relationship with Him. It is time to hear His voice again. It is time to talk with Him again.

In Elul His presence is especially near — He is accessible.

The barriers are removed with the sound of the shofar.

He's calling you, saying, 'Return to Me, and I will return to you.'

Come out to meet the King!

• Leave bitterness

• Leave unforgiveness

• Leave sorrow and past hardships

We 'get out of prison' when we wake up to His Love and Shalom,

And COME WITH JOY into His Presence!!

Elul Day 12 - Prepare Your Heart for Teshuva

Elul Day 12 - Prepare Your Heart for Teshuva

Teshuva points to what will happen in the future because you are changing your past behavior.

Amos 4:12
'Prepare yourself to meet the Lord.'

Imagine getting ready to meet the Lord. This is what we are doing when we do teshuva.

Psalm 4:12
'Prepare to meet your God, Oh Israel.'

So much of our lives is about preparation:

• We prepare to eat every day.
• We go to the store and buy groceries.
• We prepare the food we buy and set the table.
• We serve our well-prepared food; we place the food on platters, put it on the table... and then we eat.

Preparation is a process.

Each day we have a new beginning, and His mercies are new every morning.

It is as though He has given us mercy each day to prepare to meet Him.

And we begin the process:

• We change one thing today that will cause us to be prepared to meet Him.
• We pray. We rejoice in who He is and in His goodness to us.
• We remember all that He has given us.
• We commit our wills to Him, even as living sacrifices.
• We begin our work with joy and thanksgiving.
• All day long we keep preparing our hearts to do good and to live in His righteousness.

Psalm 4:12
'Prepare to meet your God, Oh Israel.'

Elul Day 14 - Murmuring or Praise

Elul Day 14 - Murmuring or Praise

As humans, it is easy to murmur — we naturally find things that are imperfect, difficult, or not to our liking. The Children of Israel murmured on more than one occasion. How did that work for them?

Exodus 16:2-3
Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, 'Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'

Later, the spies returned with a bad report about the giants in the land. The people believed their report — and they all died in the wilderness.

Words of murmuring and complaint brought literal death.

But we are to be a people of praise to our God. Murmuring brings death. Praise brings life.

Psalm 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Proverbs 18:21a
Life and death are in the power of the tongue...

Our words are serious. They literally create. Words change atmospheres!

We are created in the image of God — and God spoke, and the world was created.

We can look out the window and see the power of the spoken word.

May our words be of praise and thanksgiving.
May they create life in all who hear them.

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth!

Elul Day 15 - Who, Me Be Irritated with Others?

Elul Day 15 - Who, Me Be Irritated with Others? What About Perfect Love?

No one escapes irritation! It's waiting around every corner:

• Repeating instructions to children who seem not to hear.
• Listening to a politician whose words make your skin crawl.
• Being tailgated with no lane to merge into.
• Watching parents ignore out-of-control children in public places.

And the list goes on. But now imagine the irritation the Lord could have with us — yet He still died for us.

How do we overcome irritation and embody perfect love like He does?

There is a cost to perfect love, because perfect love is:

• Patient
• Kind
• Not Envious
• Not Boastful
• Not Proud
• Does Not Dishonor Others
• Not Self-Seeking
• Not Easily Angered
• Does Not Keep Record of Wrongs
• Does Not Delight in Evil
• Rejoices in Truth
• Always Protects, Trusts, Hopes, and Perseveres

(from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

If we apply each of these qualities to our moments of irritation, love will grow in our lives.

We have the choice to be like our Messiah and dress ourselves in His perfect love.

We can begin today.

Elul Day 16 - Do You Have Shalom? Are You Content?

Elul Day 16 - Do You Have Shalom? Are You Content?

What is Shalom, and how is it different from Contentment?

Shalom is far more than peace. True shalom means wholeness or completeness in all areas of life:

• Natural needs are met.
• We are using our gifts fruitfully.
• We are completely complete, lacking nothing.
• Shalom is the presence of complete peace.

Contentment, on the other hand, is being at peace even when problems exist. If we are only content when problems disappear, we'll return to discontentment when they return.

To live in true contentment, we must treat both trouble and freedom from trouble the same way — with trust.

John 16:33
'These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.'

Prayer:

Father of all shalom and contentment,

Help us remember that through the tribulations and troubles of this life, You are creating good for us.

Give us courage to rest in You in times of trouble.

As we live in this real and troubled world, help Your children show the world how we find shalom and contentment in You — and You alone.

Amen.

Today we can be overcomers!

Elul Day 17 - Retaliation or Good for Evil?

Elul Day 17 - Retaliation or Good for Evil?

Romans 12:19
'Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord.'

If we choose to retaliate against those who harm us, we are actually stealing from God — because vengeance belongs to Him. Taking it into our own hands is stepping into His role, and that never ends well.

It's natural to want to get even. But we are not called to live naturally — we are called to live supernaturally.

1 Corinthians 2:14
'But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.'

Depending on the Spirit of the Lord is the only way to lay down the desire to retaliate and let Him handle justice.

• Forgive the perpetrator(s).
• Remember: we have all hurt someone.
• Consider Joseph — he had every reason and power to retaliate, but he didn't.

Genesis 50:20
'You meant evil against me, but God intended it for good.'

This is the key: God is working in all our lives. He will bring good if we allow Him to work.

1 Peter 3:9
'Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.'

Only our great God can turn evil into a blessing. Let Him own retaliation.

Elul Day 18 - Self-Control

Elul Day 18 - Self-Control

Without self-control, who would you be? How would you behave and handle life?

Everyone needs self-control, and it doesn't come without discipline in any area of life.

• We need it to communicate with kindness when we feel like exploding.
• We need it to stay healthy — even when chocolate calls our name.
• We need it to save money or give generously instead of spending impulsively.
• We need it to delay short-term gratification and pursue long-term good.

Self-control is really just being responsible and propelling ourselves — and others — toward good.

Poor choices made in haste lead to regret. But self-control leads to difficult goals and deep satisfaction.

We are competing for an eternal prize! Self-control is the fuel that gets us there.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27
'Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.'

Today: Let self-control be your strength. Let it shape your choices, your words, and your witness.

ELUL DAY 6 - Victory

Elul Day 6 - Victory

Are you ready for victory? Of course, we love to be victorious. This month, we concentrate on victory over our own desires to do things our own way — yetzer ha'rah in Hebrew.

We war against the yetzer ha'rah — the fleshly desire — that is within us even after we believe. But take courage, friends: we have not been left helpless.

Philippians 4:13
'I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.'

We get our strength through the power of the Holy Spirit — the very same Spirit who helped Yeshua overcome death!

John 14:16
'And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.'

Victory is ours through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

• The Spirit reminds us immediately what is good and what we should run from.
• The Spirit gives us victory over the yetzer ha'rah.
• Victory comes in listening to (obeying) the Spirit of truth, and not being drawn into the lies of today.

Isaiah 61:10
'I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.'

He has created us to be the victorious Bride!

Psalm 149:4
'For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.'

Elul Day 7 - You Won the Jackpot!

Elul Day 7

You Won the Jackpot!

Today we rejoice that we can do teshuva! Imagine a world where it was not possible to have your sins forgiven. It would be terribly depressing. When we do teshuva, we receive Joy and Happiness that is as far from depression as you can possibly get.

When we ask for forgiveness with true sorrow and repentance for the sins we have committed…

We rejoice in His faithfulness to Forgive and Forget.
We turn and go the other way!

Psalm 103:10
'As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.'

So we Rejoice!
You just won the Jackpot—the Greatest Prize that will ever be given.

And we begin our journey to get to the eternal glory we were just granted.
We journey with Joy and Happiness even in the hard times,
Because we know where we are going!

Psalm 119:162
I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.

Rejoice in the Lord Always!

Elul Day 9 - Under His Supervision

Elul Day 9 - Under His Supervision

Psalm 9:19-20
Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight.
Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah

We are wise to meditate on this thought: G-d is the Hashgacha — the Supervisor of all.

We are but men. Are we rejoicing at this thought?

What a blessing to be under His wings, under His shelter. He covers us.

What a blessed place to be — under His supervision!

Bring me back and put me under Your supervision.

Psalm 32:8
'I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.'

Today: Experience freedom in Him. Let Him cover you and guide you!

Elul Has Begun

Elul Has Begun - What Are Your Goals to Be a Changed Person In the Next Year?

What a blessing we are given to have an entire month, Elul, to solidify our spiritual goals and begin new behaviors and habits. On Rosh HaShana, we stand before the King.

First, we want to measure ourselves. There is a way to do this. Just ask yourself how many days last year that you woke up happy and bounced out of bed with energy to do the work HaShem had for you that day.

Now ask yourself what you are willing to do to have almost ALL days full of joy and peace and energy.

The answer lies in one more question: What am I willing to do to be Closer to the Lord; for the joy of the LORD is our strength?

Here is the best way to begin to make the changes necessary to be closer to the Lord:

Write down what your targets for spiritual success are.

Some suggestions to get us thinking:

1. More prayer
2. More Giving
3. Visit the people you know who are ill
4. Accept the Love the Lord has for me
5. Know my purpose
6. Fulfill my purpose
7. Stop Arguing with my family members
8. Speak with more love in my voice
9. Smile more
10. Have more joy
11. Trust the Holy Spirit to change what I cannot change and pray instead of fighting
12. Learn more Jewish liturgy

You get the idea — in humility we need to admit our faults and set our minds and hearts to fix the issues.

In Elul, the King is in the field. He is all powerful, and He knows how to help those who trust and obey. He sees our efforts. He strengthens us.

Write down what you truly believe about the Lord.

This will be our assignment for Elul 1.

And we pray, Lord:

As we blow the shofar every day during this month, may our complacency be shattered and make us conscious of the sin in our lives. May the sound of the shofar enter our hearts, for blessed is the people that hearkens to its call.

Turn us to You, Adonai, and we will return. Renew our days as of old.