Sid Roth

Sid: If you’re not red hot for the Messiah you’re lukewarm and you should read about yourself in the book of Revelation. Jesus said “If you’re not hot or cold I will vomit you out of my mouth.” Well, the only, the only, the only, the only position to be in is red hot for the Messiah.   My guest is Jonathan Bernis you’re probably familiar with him from his television show “Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis.” Jonathan and I have been friends for over 30 years. On yesterday’s broadcast we were talking about the most amazing difference so few Christians understand this of the Jewish or Hebrew understanding of the word mediate. Would you explain that again Jonathan?

Jonathan: I will Sid, there’s two kinds of meditation; actually there’s two words in Hebrew. The one that’s similar to the Christian concept of meditation is the idea that we are using our mind to reflect on the scripture. The word is sekha and it has to do with rehearsing in one’s mind or thoughts. This is the Christian concept; but the Hebrew concept is very different it’s the word haga and we get from that the Haggadah which means to tell, or retell the story of Passover. And it literally means to groan; to sigh or mutter or to speak. So while the Christian concept is derived really more from a Latin contemplation; the idea of contemplation and reflection and thought. Hebrew is the idea of speaking forth. And that’s what we find in Joshua 1:8 where Joshua was told to be strong and to be courageous and he’ll be successful if he does one thing. Meditates, confesses the word of God. He’s told to keep the word on his mouth. Not on his mind and heart but on his mouth. And so this is a very very important key Sid. We build faith when we confess the word of God; we hear it, we confess it and we hear it. And it eventually gets into our spirit and faith is released.

Sid: Well, you talk about Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” It’s almost like our words are magnets of blessings or curses.

Jonathan: The absolutely are; I meet people and you can see that they are beaten down and very insecure. And when you really probe Sid you find out that they have been reinforced with negative words. They have been told by their parents “You’re no good; you’re not going to amount to anything; you’re good for nothing. And sadly they come to believe it. And it takes the power of God; it takes deliverance to break free from that. But when children are reinforced with the Word of God “You are a child of God; greater is He who is in you that he that is in the world. You can do all things through the Messiah who strengthens you.” It also brings life to them…

Sid: Give me an example of someone that you instructed to meditate. What was wrong with them and what happened to them?

Jonathan: Okay as a pastor a woman who really I was very endeared to; a very sweet woman but she suffered from terrible depression. Sid, you could see it all over her face.

Sid: How long did she have this problem?

Jonathan: Well, like the woman with the issue of blood she had suffered from this for decades; more than 20 years. She had gone to doctors, specialists, therapists. She had tried everything and she was still just covered with depression; it was interwoven into her personality. I counseled her and I counseled her, I was a relatively young pastor Sid and it went nowhere. Then the Lord spoke to me as I was praying for her and told me to do one thing. “Give her scriptures that she can begin to confess; give her a homework assignment.” And so when I met with her the next time I didn’t go through an hour of back and forth counseling and ideas and the wisdom of man. I said “Sue, Susan these are scriptures that I want you to confess.” Like “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world; You’re more than conquers through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” I gave her those scriptures; she came in the next week and said she was a different person. You could see it all over her face; she had joy; she had peace; she had been set free not by my intensive counseling but by confessing the Word of God again and again until it broke those demonic forces. Somebody just got delivered as I spoke Sid; I just felt it.

Sid: Well, I’m going to tell you something; this brand new book and it is brand new “Confessing the Hebrew Scriptures; the Lord is Peace.” Jonathan describe to me when they get this in the mail what they will receive and we’re going to pay a selection from the CD after you do that.

Jonathan: Okay, they’re going to get a beautiful hardbound coffee table book filled with gorgeous pictures that reflect peace and tranquility and rest. Shalom is an amazing word Sid that doesn’t mean just peace but it means wholeness; it means prosperity; it means wellbeing; it means to be brought to completion. Then they’ll see about 50 scriptures both Old and New Testament that have the English; below it the Hebrew. And then below that something called transliteration. This is the phonetic English of the Hebrew; and then in the back there is a CD that’s in the book; they pull the CD out and then they play the CD and they here this beautiful soft meditative music and then the confession of these scriptures in English and then in Hebrew. And what they do is they begin to confess along with the Hebrew speaker these scriptures and then they can speak perfect Hebrew without any background; without any experience; without any education.

Sid: Now I can see entire families doing this. They sit down; the little children, the mother, the father and read it in the Hebrew and listen to it in the Hebrew. And Hebrew is unlike any other language in the world; it is a supernatural language. It was prophesied, it would be restored in Israel someday. They would speak it in the streets of Judah and the cities of Israel and this has happen. But I believe that as they listen to this at night or during the day you’re taking in the word of God and it’s becoming flesh inside of you. And the days we’re living in; if you’re not speaking in your supernatural languages and if you’re not meditating on the promises of God’s word; you may go to heaven but you may go sooner than God wants you to. So Jonathan, tell me about a verse that we’re going to play in a moment.

Jonathan: Jeremiah 29; this is actually in the book. Jeremiah 29 verses 11-13 and then you can hear the CD with the music and it’s spoken in Hebrew. One of my favorite scriptures it says “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you say’s the Lord; thoughts of peace and not evil to give you a future and a hope; then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me and I will listen to you and you will seek Me and find Me when you search Me with all your heart.”

Sid: Okay, let’s hear the CD and remember you’re hearing this by a native speaking Israeli. You’re being able to read this in this amazing method that has taught Jews all over the world to instantly read Hebrew. It’s called transliteration. And you’re hearing the music and you’re hearing the words in English. And then I want you to when you go to bed at night if you’re listening to it just before you go to bed or if you’re reading it in this beautiful book guess what you’ll be dreaming about all night? You’ll be dreaming these promises. So let’s listen to it right now.

CD: Excerpt of Jeremiah 29:11 – 13.

Sid: Okay, you just heard in Hebrew and English Jeremiah 29:11-13. Jonathan, what does that verse mean to you?

Jonathan: Well Sid the context of this is that it’s a great scripture in the midst of a bad chapter. The chapter is they’re captivity in Babylon, but the Lord says “I’m not finish with you; I have a plan for you; I have a good plan for you.” And He has a plan for all of us. That word peace shalom doesn’t just mean peace Sid. Some translation’s say “My plan is to prosper you.” Shalom is prosperity; it’s God’s prosperity; not to inflict evil or rah in Hebrew upon us; but to give us a future and a hope. God has a destiny for each and every one of us. An intended destination; that’s what the Hebrew word akhareet means which you hear in the Hebrew text, that’s an expected end a destiny. He brings us to a place where we complete our purpose for this life. And hear Him say “Good and faithful servant. Well done.” Sid, how do we get to that destination? By the hearing the voice of God; by praying in other tongues, by confessing the word of God, by building faith into our spirit. So that we can do what we see Him doing; it gives us ears to hear and eyes to see.

Sid: And God is speaking to me just as Jonathan was speaking; I mean there is such an anointing on the Hebrew language. People with arthritis in their fingers if you’ll begin to move your fingers you’ll see the pain is gone. And people with back problems and neck problems if you’ll just move your back; bend over. If you’ll just move your head side to side you’ll find that you’re totally healed in Jesus Name.