February 2024 Personal Letter

FROM SARAH, OUR SABRA
ON THE GROUND IN ISRAEL

Dear Friend,

Greetings from the Holy Land. Each year in the fall, I ask the Lord for a personal word to spiritually define the year ahead. This past September, God gave me the word endurance. I had already begun a deep-dive Bible study with this word in mind when the unspeakable events of October 7 occurred here in Israel. These past few months have been some of the most difficult I have endured in this land. Yet, on one of my recent hikes, I pondered how good and specific our God is in His provision. He provided the word I needed for 2024 even before I understood how critical it would become.

Understanding Endurance

Yeshua (Jesus) stated:

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matt. 24:6–13, emphasis added).

Both here and in the parallel passage in Mark 13:7–13, the Gospels stress that the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.

Endurance is the ability to withstand hardship or adversity. It can also mean sustaining prolonged, stressful effort. Increasing your endurance comes through systematic training. In sports, athletes find that the body adapts to the level of stress in training. When things are too easy, endurance does not increase. But when things are too difficult, an athlete may give up before reaching the goal.

Benefits of Endurance

God doesn’t want His children to lack anything. He wants us to receive the fullness of what He has promised in His Word. The only way we can position ourselves for His blessings, however, is through perseverance. The writer of Hebrews encourages: “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised” (Heb. 10:36). The Apostle James also advises: “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

Building spiritual endurance is a process that we must follow without skipping any steps. We can’t be lazy; nor can we avoid difficulty as the stress increases. This would be like making a cake but omitting a key ingredient — it would surely fail to please the palate.

Here is a truth we must heed: If we don’t build our spiritual endurance, we will find it increasingly harder to remain steadfast in our faith. Therefore, we must purposefully build maturity through training our spiritual endurance “muscle.”

The Parable of the Sower gives a clear picture of Believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah who lack endurance. Those whose hearts are stony ground “have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the Word’s sake, immediately they stumble” (Mark 4:17). Without taking the time to prepare the soil of your heart and let God’s Word develop deep roots, you will not produce fruit — regardless of your gifts or abilities.

In Matthew 7:24–27, Yeshua mentioned two men who built houses. The foolish man built his house on sand. When the strong winds blew and the storm waves rolled upon it, it fell with a great crash. In contrast, the wise man built his house on rock. The rain, floods, and winds that came against it did not destabilize it. While we can be certain that the foolish man did not want his house to fall, he didn’t do what was necessary to build it properly. Building a house on rock is more difficult than building on sand. It also takes longer and costs more. Thus, building a house on a solid foundation demands endurance from the builder.

Steps to Building Spiritual Endurance

1. Make an unwavering commitment to the Lord

You must say yes to God without compromise. Without this commitment, you can easily become weak in your faith, finding yourself in difficult situations without hope. Paul emphasizes: “… We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint…” (Rom. 5:3–5).

Why does Paul say that we should rejoice in our suffering? Trouble and suffering are like the heat that strengthens a clay pot in a kiln. The clay must endure this intense heat before it can be useful and fulfill its purpose. Likewise, suffering during trouble enables us to develop patience and perseverance, which leads to hope. And hope is a solid rock on which we can stand.

2. See the unseen

The writer of Hebrews says of Moses: “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27, emphasis added). We must look at this world through a spiritual lens — looking beyond our physical existence on this Earth to eternal things that don’t decay. These unseen treasures are the glory of the eternal life with Messiah because Messiah in us is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

3. Never give up

All Believers will fail at some point in their faith walk. Some may never repent and return to the Lord. If we want to build spiritual endurance, however, we must be those who fall and then get up again. Whenever we fail, we must first reject pride. Then, we must repent and press on with the Lord. Proverbs 24:16 states that even if a righteous person falls seven times, he or she always rises again. Before gathering in the upper room, Yeshua didn’t pray that Peter would never deny Him. Instead, Yeshua said to the disciple, “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail” (Luke 22:32, emphasis added). Never give up, even when you fail. Always keep moving forward with the Lord, and you will endure.

4. Remember the reward

A great reward awaits those who serve the Lord faithfully. Often, Scripture pictures our lives on Earth as a race, as Paul illustrates: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in [Yeshua the Messiah]” (Phil. 3:14, emphasis added).

The writer of Hebrews states: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). In 2 Timothy 4:7–8, Paul notes how he endured great suffering, trials, and troubles and was able to finish his race — he remembered his reward: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day.” Paul adds that this crown of righteousness awaits all Believers who remain faithful.

One of the most extraordinary Scripture passages is also a favorite song among the Messianic congregations in Israel:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Yeshua, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Heb. 12:1–3, emphasis added).

Now more than ever, it is imperative that we continue diligently — training, persevering, and building up our endurance. We have a saying here in Israel about races: If you want to win a race, you must start flat out, as fast as you can possibly go, and then as the race goes on, keep increasing your pace.

Im tirdefu lada-at oto —
“Press on to know HIM!” (Hosea 6:3 NLT),

Sarah Liberman

P.S. Please continue to pray for Believers in Israel to continue their race by staying focused on Messiah. Please also pray for many others here who need to know Yeshua and experience the joy and hope that comes through a growing relationship with Him. ✡

A Note from David and Kirsten Hart

A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE

Three years ago, I (Kirsten) visited our grandchildren in Colorado. Though David couldn’t travel with me, he sweetly hid an “I will miss you” card in my suitcase. When my three-year-old granddaughter saw the card in my suitcase, she pulled it out. I told her it was a card for her from Papa. (I knew that David’s message could also apply to her.) After examining the card, she exclaimed, “This card from Papa reminds me to never give up.”

While my granddaughter’s outlook was adorable, the “never give up” mindset that Sarah emphasized in her letter is essential. Just as Israelis cannot give up in their fight for safety and freedom, we Believers cannot give up in our spiritual journey. And, as a part of our walk of faith, we should never give up praying for the peace of Israel and the safety of Jewish people worldwide.

A CRUCIAL MESSAGE

Berg Productions, producer of Our Jewish Roots, collaborates with Zola Levitt Ministries to offer a variety of ministry resources. Our goal is to spread the Good News of Yeshua throughout the world — a message that’s as urgent today as it has ever been. Caleb and Joshua Colson reach hundreds of thousands of people each month as they teach on OJR and through their online Bearded Bible Brothers videos and “Swords of Iron War” updates. All of their videos are available for free for anyone to view, thanks to you, our ministry’s faithful supporters. Each episode, however, is typically expensive to produce and broadcast. Consequently, we hope you will consider making a special contribution this month to help us continue developing these edifying Bible-teaching programs. We are deeply grateful for your support.

Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim! —
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:6),

David & Kirsten

P.S. ZLM carries out a significant amount of charitable work behind the scenes. A portion of the donations we receive go to other organizations in need. Thus, your contributions make a greater difference than you might realize. Thank you for supporting ZLM! ✡

Our Jewish Roots TV programs in February

With so much prophetic misinformation circulating, Joshua and Caleb Colson decided to take a road trip to sort out some key Biblical facts. Guided by the Holy Scriptures, the Bearded Bible Brothers (BBB) created a chronological roadmap through Israel, detailing key destinations and events leading to the end of time.

This month, we begin our new series, Roadmap to Armageddon, which was filmed just as the current war started. It features Joshua and Caleb teaching at different locations throughout Israel as they address the Biblical order of prophetic events that are precipitating Armageddon.

ROADMAP TO ARMAGEDDON

Psalm 83 — We begin our journey on the Roadmap to Armageddon with the Psalm 83 War. Starting at the Sea of Galilee, Joshua and Caleb take you north to Kiryat Shmona near the border with Lebanon. With David and Kirsten Hart in the studio, this program also includes a special appearance by Dr. Jeffrey Seif.

The Rapture — Will the Bridegroom rescue His Bride before the Father unleashes His wrath upon the world? To fully understand the timing of the Rapture, Joshua and Caleb travel to Nazareth to investigate how Yeshua’s own people confused His First and Second Coming signs. Is it possible that Christians today confuse Yeshua’s Rapture with His Second Coming?

Battle of Gog and Magog — From the Golan Heights overlooking the border of Syria, Joshua and Caleb discuss the coming invasion prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Even today, the coalition of nations noted in Gog and Magog is already coming into alignment. How much time do we have before this War? Can we set a date? Watch to unravel the mystery!

Rise of the Beast — Joshua and Caleb journey to Banias, where Yeshua and His disciples witnessed the symbolic gateway to Hell. The story unfolds as the BBB ascend Mount Hermon to explore the enigma behind the coming Beast, his connections to Nimrod (the first antiChrist), and the genetic nature of his polluted bloodline.