Shabbat Shalom

Candace Long: Good morning, and welcome to Shabbat Shalom. I'm Candace Long, your host and producer. In just a few minutes, Pastor Matt McKeown will teach today's Torah portion, Balak, which covers Numbers 22:2 to 25:9. First, though, I'd like to answer a couple of questions that have come in from listeners.

Question number one: "I've started praying the beginning part of the Shema every night before bed and am now memorizing until the end of it. You know I'm not Jewish, so I'm trying to figure out whether I should put a Mezuzah on my doorframe, as is mentioned in the Shema."

By all means, if the Lord is prompting you to put a Mezuzah on your doorframe, I would encourage you to do so. I have one on my front door and recall the joy that I felt many years ago putting it up, reading the instructions as to how and where it should be placed, and why the placement of it is so important. We who have grown up in Hellenistic traditions may not know everything needed to know about having a Mezuzah, but I have learned that it pleases the Lord greatly when we sense His prompts and move ourselves more and more to do things to be part of His family, the Commonwealth of Israel.

I recommend doing an internet search for Jewish Mezuzahs. You want a Mezuzah made by Jews. You'll find many stores to choose from, along with explanations of what a Mezuzah is, what it signifies, and how to put it on your doorpost. Remember, as we learn God's ways, we are to do the mitzvot. In this case, you're doing one of His mitzvot by putting a Mezuzah on the door. Then, we are to learn about it. Ask the Lord what He wants to teach you about doing this mitzvot. This is how we hear from God. You let the Mezuzah itself teach you.

Question number two, a listener wrote: "I heard you say you might be going off WEEZ on July 18th. Will there be another way for me to listen to you? I hope you'll find a way to continue your mission because it is quite helpful to many of us."

First of all, thank you for the encouragement. And yes to both questions. Shabbat Shalom will have its final live broadcast on WEEZ on Saturday, July 18th. But you will still be able to listen to Shabbat Shalom each week to study the Torah. I want to be sure you understand the transition that is going to take place. If you are listening on oneplace.com, there will not be any disruption at all for you.

We began our program at the second Torah portion of Deuteronomy. So after we finish the first portion of Deuteronomy on July 18th, I will have rolled back the Torah scroll, so to speak, and next week you'll be right back on schedule with the second Torah portion in Deuteronomy. You will still have our main page at shabbatshalomradio.com. And when we are no longer broadcasting live on WEEZ, you will be directed to click to oneplace.com instead, where you used to click to listen on WEEZ.

The other difference is that our archives will no longer be on our main page. But this will not really be a problem because if you have our Torah schedule and you want to return to a certain Torah portion, you will simply go to oneplace.com, where our entire year's worth of programs have already been uploaded. Now, it may take a week or two to get used to, but you're basically just switching from listening on WEEZ to listening on oneplace.com. All of our programs will be there, no matter when you began to study with us.

Let's recite the Shema together. Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Baruch shem kavod malchuto l'olam va'ed. Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity. And the last section: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words which I set up for you this day shall be upon your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the way, when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm and as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and in your gates.

Pastor Matt McKeown: Good morning once again, friends, and welcome to Shabbat Shalom, the radio program where we see how the Torah, timeless in truth, applies to our modern lives today. This week we come to Parashat Balak, and something shifts dramatically in the narrative today. Up until now, the focus has been largely internal. Israel dealing with their own struggles, their own fears, their own growth in the wilderness. But now, for the first time in a while, we step outside the camp and see something that Israel cannot see. We see how the world around them is reacting to them.

And what we discover is surprising. Balak, the king of Moab, looks out and sees Israel approaching, and instead of seeing a wandering people, instead of seeing a disorganized group in the wilderness, he sees a threat. Scripture tells us that Moab was terrified because of them. Not cautious, not concerned, terrified. Now, that's important because Israel doesn't feel powerful at this point. They don't feel threatening. They've spent years wandering. They've struggled, complained, and learned hard lessons. And yet, from the outside looking in, something entirely different is happening. The enemy is afraid.

And this reveals something that we might often miss in our own lives. There are moments when you feel weak, uncertain, or like you're barely moving forward. But from another perspective, especially from the perspective of opposition, you are a threat. Not because of who you are in yourself, but because of who you belong to and where you're headed. Balak doesn't understand Israel's full story, but he recognizes their trajectory. He sees that they are advancing, that they're overcoming kings, that something is happening that he can't control. And instead of confronting them directly, he chooses a different strategy. He goes spiritual.

He sends for a man named Balaam and asks him to curse Israel. Now, this is fascinating because Balak understands something that many people overlook. He believes that what is spoken over a people can shape what happens to them. He understands that words are not empty, that declarations carry weight, that there is a spiritual dimension to what is spoken. And so he tries to manipulate that dimension. But when Balaam seeks God, the answer is immediate and clear: "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." That should settle it. God has spoken; the matter is clear. But Balak doesn't give up.

He sends more officials, more honor, more reward. And now we begin to see something subtle but important in Balaam. He doesn't immediately shut the door. He doesn't say, "God has already spoken, there's nothing more to discuss." Instead, he entertains the conversation again. And this is where things begin to shift, because compromise rarely begins with outright disobedience. It begins with reconsideration. It begins with allowing something back into the conversation that God has already addressed. And Balaam says something that sounds spiritual on the surface. He says that even if he were given great wealth, he could not go beyond the word of the Lord. And yet he continues to engage.

He continues to listen, he continues to entertain what has already been settled. Now, this speaks directly into our lives. How often does God make something clear and yet we keep revisiting it? How often do we say, "I know what God said, but let me just think about it a little more"? How often do we reopen conversations that should already be closed? Because the danger is not always in immediate disobedience. Sometimes it's in delayed clarity. Sometimes it's in allowing the voice of temptation to stay present long enough that it begins to feel reasonable. And this is where Balak's strategy is so important to understand. He can't defeat Israel by strength. He can't overpower them militarily, so he attempts to influence what is spoken over them.

He's trying to shape their future from a distance. And this is something that we need to recognize. Not every attack comes directly. Not every challenge is obvious. Some of the most significant battles happen in the realm of influence, what is spoken, what is believed, and what is agreed with. But here's the anchor of this entire portion, and it's established right from the beginning. God has already declared that Israel is blessed. And that matters more than anything else, because what God has spoken carries authority that can't be undone by human effort. It can't be reversed by manipulation. It can't be overridden by external pressure.

Balak sees a threat, but he misunderstands the source of that threat. He thinks it can be neutralized through words of curse. But what he's about to discover is that once God has spoken a blessing, no one else has the authority to reverse it. Now, this should shift something in us, because there are moments when we wonder what is being spoken over our lives. Moments where we feel like things are working against us, like there are forces we don't fully understand, like there are dynamics beyond what we can see. And this portion reminds us of something critical. If God has declared blessing over your life, that word stands above every other voice.

It doesn't mean that there will be no opposition. It doesn't mean that there will be no challenge. But it does mean that nothing external can override what God has already established. And often, the greatest thing you need to remember is not what others are saying, it's what God has already said. As we move into the next part, we're going to see one of the most unusual and revealing moments in the Torah, where Balaam the prophet is confronted in a way that exposes something deeper about spiritual awareness and perception.

As we continue in Parashat Balak, the story takes one of the most unusual and revealing turns in all of scripture. Balaam has agreed to go with Balak's officials, not in direct disobedience, but in a place of mixed motives. He knows what God has said and yet he continues forward, navigating that tension between obedience and opportunity. And it's on that road that something remarkable happens. As Balaam is traveling, the text tells us that an angel of the Lord stands in his path, blocking the way forward. The angel isn't hidden. He's not subtle. He's standing there with a drawn sword, clearly opposing the direction Balaam is taking.

But Balaam doesn't see him. The one who's supposed to be spiritually perceptive, the one who hears from God, the one who recognizes himself as a prophet, he's blind to what's directly in front of him. But his donkey sees it. The donkey turns aside, moving off the path to avoid the angel. Balaam, not understanding what is happening, strikes the donkey and forces it back onto the road. This happens again, and then again, until finally the path narrows so tightly that the donkey presses Balaam's foot against a wall. Balaam responds the same way each time: with frustration, with force, and with irritation.

And then something happens that feels almost unbelievable. The donkey speaks. It turns to Balaam and says, "What have I done to you that you've struck me these three times?" And what's even more striking than the fact that the donkey speaks is that Balaam responds as if this is a normal conversation. There's no pause, no shock, just continued frustration. Now, this moment is not about humor or surprise. It's deeply revealing because it shows that it's possible to be spiritually active and still be spiritually unaware. Balaam is accustomed to hearing from God, but at this moment his perception is clouded.

His direction is off, his motives are not fully aligned. And because of that, he can't see what's right in front of him. The donkey, on the other hand, sees clearly. And that's humbling. It tells us that spiritual awareness is not just about position or role, it's about alignment. When your heart is aligned with God, you begin to see more clearly. When your motives are mixed, even obvious things can become hidden. Eventually, God opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel. He realizes that he has been on a path of resistance, a path that God Himself was opposing. And in that moment, everything becomes clear.

Now, let's bring it into our lives. How often do we keep moving forward in a direction that feels right to us, even when we know that something is resisting us? How often do we push through discomfort, override warning signs, or ignore subtle checks in our spirit because we've already decided where we want to go? And when something slows us down, when something interrupts our path, when something doesn't go according to our plan, our first response is frustration. We strike the donkey, so to speak. We get irritated. We try to force things back into motion. But what if delay is not a problem? What if resistance is not an obstacle? What if it's protection?

Because in this story, the donkey is not the problem. The donkey is the reason Balaam is still alive. The detours, the delays, the interruptions, they are keeping him from stepping directly into something dangerous. And this is something that we need to recognize. Not every disruption is negative. Not every delay is a setback. Sometimes what feels like resistance is actually God preventing you from moving forward in the wrong direction. Now, here's another layer to this. Balaam's frustration is rooted in his expectation. He believes he knows where he's going. He believes he understands the situation. And when reality doesn't match that expectation, he reacts instead of pausing.

And that's where we often miss it. Because when our expectations are stronger than our sensitivity to God's leading, we become reactive instead of responsive. Now, once Balaam sees the angel, everything shifts. He acknowledges his error. He recognizes that he's been moving in a direction that God is opposing. And the angel gives him permission to continue, but with a condition: he's only to speak what God gives him. This is critical. Because now Balaam moves forward with clarity, but also with restriction. He cannot say what he wants. He cannot shape the message. He cannot adjust the outcome. He must speak what God says.

And this sets the stage for everything that follows. Now, let's step back and take in the larger picture. This entire moment is about alignment of perception. Balaam thought he saw clearly, but he didn't. The donkey saw what he could not. And only when God opened his eyes did he recognize the truth. And that's the question for us. Where might we be moving forward with confidence but without clarity? Where might we be pushing through situations that are actually meant to slow us down? Where might frustration be blinding us to what God is trying to show us? Because spiritual awareness is not automatic. It requires humility. It requires sensitivity. It requires a willingness to pause and ask, "God, what am I not seeing?"

As we continue in Parashat Balak, Balaam has now arrived. He's gone through the strange and humbling encounter on the road. His eyes have been opened. He understands now that he's not operating independently. He's under instruction. And yet the tension remains. He's been summoned for a purpose, hired for a task, and that task is to curse Israel. Balak meets him with expectation. He has built altars, he's prepared sacrifices. He's created the environment for what he believes to be a decisive spiritual moment. From his perspective, everything is in place. The prophet is here, the rituals are ready, the intention is clear.

But there's one thing that Balak cannot control: the word that will come out. Balaam stands, looks out over Israel, and prepares to speak. And in that moment, something powerful happens. Instead of speaking what Balak desires, he speaks what God gives him. And what comes out is not a curse at all, but a blessing. Now, imagine Balak's reaction. This is the exact opposite of what he has arranged, what he has paid for. He didn't bring Balaam all this way to bless Israel. He brought him to weaken them, to speak something over them that would shift their trajectory. But instead, Balaam declares something that reinforces their position.

Balak responds with frustration, but he doesn't give up. He assumes the problem might be location, so he takes Balaam to another vantage point, another place overlooking Israel, hoping that from a different angle the outcome will change. But it doesn't. Again, Balaam opens his mouth, and again blessing comes out. Now, this repeats multiple times. Different locations, different altars, different attempts, but the same result. Every time Balaam tries to align with Balak's intentions, he's overruled by God's declaration. And finally Balaam speaks the words that define this entire portion: "How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?"

This is the turning point, because it establishes a truth that goes far beyond this moment. What God has blessed cannot be undone by human effort. Let that settle in for a moment, because this speaks directly into one of the deepest concerns people carry. What's being spoken over my life? What voices have influence? What words have weight? Are there things working against me that I don't see? And this passage answers that with clarity. If God has declared blessing, that word stands above every other voice. It doesn't mean that there will be no opposition. It doesn't mean that there will be no attempt to disrupt, distract, or discourage. But it does mean that no external word has the authority to override what God has already established.

Now, this is where we need to be grounded, because sometimes we give too much weight to other voices. The opinions of others, the words spoken in frustration, the labels placed on us, the assumptions made about us. Over time, those things can begin to shape how we see ourselves and how we move forward. But in this portion, we're reminded that there is a higher voice. There is a declaration that comes from God that is not subject to change. And when that word is blessing, it's secure. Now, here's something even more powerful. Balaam is not trying to bless Israel. He's trying to curse them.

His intention is not aligned with God's purpose. And yet even with that misalignment, he cannot override what God has spoken. That tells us something about the strength of God's word. It's not fragile. It's not dependent on human cooperation. It's not vulnerable to manipulation. It stands. Now, let's bring this into our lives in a practical way. There are moments when you feel like things are working against you, when circumstances seem to line up in opposition, when people speak words that feel heavy, discouraging, or even destructive. And it's easy in those moments to begin to wonder if those things will have power over you.

But in this passage, we're called back to something foundational. What has God said? Not what do others think, not what does this situation look like on the surface, not what does this pressure feel like in this moment. What has God declared? Because that's the anchor. That's the foundation. That's the truth that doesn't shift. And when you're grounded in that, everything else loses its ability to define you. Now, there's another layer that we can't ignore. Even though Balaam cannot curse Israel, the fact that he keeps trying reveals something about persistence in opposition.

The enemy doesn't always stop after one attempt. If one method fails, another is tried. If one angle doesn't work, another is explored. But every attempt meets the same reality. God has already spoken, and that reality remains unchanged. As we continue in Parashat Balak, something begins to shift in a profound way. Up to this point, Balaam has been attempting to pronounce a curse and instead has been overridden with blessing. But now, the words that come from him begin to move beyond the present moment and into something far greater. They become prophetic.

The text tells us that the spirit of God comes upon Balaam. And what follows is no longer just a response to Balak's request. It's a revelation of God's unfolding plan. Balaam begins to speak about Israel, not just as they are but as they will be. He sees their identity, their destiny, and their future in ways that Israel themselves don't even yet fully grasp. And then comes one of the most remarkable declarations in all of the Torah: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel."

This is extraordinary because in this moment, a man who was hired to curse is now speaking one of the clearest Messianic prophecies in scripture. He's not just describing a nation, he's pointing toward a king, a ruler, a future reality that extends far beyond the immediate situation. Now, let's unpack this. The imagery of a star in the ancient world often symbolized a ruler or a divine appointment. It represented something rising, something significant, something that would be visible and unmistakable. And the scepter is a symbol of authority, kingship, and rule. Together, these images form a picture of a coming king who will arise from Israel and exercise authority.

In the immediate sense, this can point forward toward David. But the language goes beyond King David. It stretches further. It points to something ultimate, something complete. It points to Messiah. And when we move into the New Testament, this connection becomes even more striking. The Magi, the wise men from the east, come to Jerusalem and say, "We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him." Think about that for a moment. These are Gentiles, men from outside Israel, who are responding to a sign in the heavens connected to a king of Israel.

Where did that expectation come from? It traces back here to Balaam, to this moment, to a prophecy spoken centuries earlier. And what that reveals is something powerful about the continuity of God's plan. What God speaks does not disappear. It unfolds. It carries forward. It echoes through generations until it reaches its fulfillment. Now, here's what makes this moment even more significant. This prophecy comes in the middle of opposition. Balak is trying to stop Israel. He's trying to limit their future, weaken their position, and disrupt their progress. And in the middle of all of that, God reveals not just their protection but their destiny.

That's the nature of God. He doesn't just respond to opposition, He uses it as a platform to reveal something greater. What was meant to suppress becomes a stage for revelation. What was intended to harm becomes an opportunity for clarity. And this is something we need to hold on to because there are moments when it feels like opposition is closing in. When it feels like things are being blocked, challenged, or resisted. And in those moments, it's easy to assume that something is going wrong. But what if something is being revealed? What if the very place where resistance is showing up is also the place where God is making something clear?

Because that's exactly what happens here. Balak wants control, but he cannot control the outcome. Balaam has intent, but he can't override God's word. And God's purpose continues to move forward, not just intact but more clearly revealed. Now, here's another layer to consider. Balaam says, "I see him but not now; I behold him but not clear." There's a recognition that what's being revealed is not immediate. It's in the future. It's something that will unfold over time. And this speaks to the nature of prophetic vision. God often reveals something before it's visible.

He speaks about realities before they're present. He declares what will be before it can be fully seen. And that requires trust. Because when you receive a word about the future, you have to hold on to it in the present. You have to walk forward even when you can't see the fulfillment yet. You have to trust that what God has spoken will come to pass in His time. What has God spoken over your future? What promises has He given? What direction has He revealed? My prayer for you is that you will walk this week with the confidence in what God has spoken over you, with clarity in how you are aligned with Him, and with peace in knowing that what He has declared cannot be undone. Trust Him and rest in His promise. Shabbat Shalom.

Candace Long: You will hear Pastor Matt teach the Torah every Saturday morning from 6:00 to 6:30. He always begins hour one. Coming up next is Families Under Attack with Rejuan Morrison. This week's episode is called Case History Part 1. In it, Rejuan is going to walk us through how to properly assess a ministry situation that you may be suddenly confronted with. It was inspired by a listener who wrote in for help about a situation with her son, and she gave us permission to use it as today's teaching tool.

I'm Candace Long. I want to welcome you to Families Under Attack with Rejuan Morrison. And today we're going to do something a little different. I received a request for help from one of our listeners that I'll refer to as Diane concerning a situation that she is having with her son whom we'll refer to as Sam. So Diane is retired from corporate work, which tells us a little about her age, and she's divorced. I would estimate Sam's age to be in his late 40s or early 50s. And I've asked Rejuan to take us through Diane's situation about which we know very little at this stage, but where you as a listener might be if you ran across someone who needed help.

You want to help them but are not confident in how to go about it. I mean, let's face it, things are happening so fast in our world and there are a lot of people that are suffering. So how do we go about ministering to someone like this who is hurting and comes across our path? So in just a minute I'm going to share the little information that I did receive from Diane, and Rejuan will walk us through some steps that she uses to develop a plan to help someone like her. What we're looking for here is for Rejuan to teach us as unprofessional ministers trying to meet needs in the people we come across.

Now keep in mind that Diane is more than welcome to reach out to Rejuan separately for an appointment, but Diane has given us permission to use her situation as a teaching tool. So Rejuan, this to me is kind of like ministry on the fly here, and I want to thank you for taking us through what a counselor faces because this is what you face all the time. Welcome back today.

Rejuan Morrison: Thank you. Well, first let me speak to the listeners. Some of you listening might be struggling with similar issues as this mother. If so, these next this session and our following session will help you better discern the kind of help that is best for truly Spirit-led, Christ-centered care. And you might want to reach out to Healing for the Nations, our ministry. We're going to include our email in this session.

Candace Long: It's in your handout. So they can go to the handout on Shabbat Shalom main page and get your handout with that information.

Rejuan Morrison: Just send an email and if you want some personal coaching because this might trigger some things for you. But others listening might feel really called to intercession or as you were sharing, how do we support people? How do we help them better know what they need in our role in that? Perhaps you're already doing pastoral counseling or you might even be a licensed counselor listening in. As we start, it's important to know your role and limitations, and we'll talk about when professional help might be needed as well.

So as we speak to this mom who shared her struggle, we will work through this as a case, as you shared, Candace, that has come to me for help. The goals for our work together will be focused on her work, not just her son, because he's not asking for help, she is, and that comes first. Then the wisdom on how she might reach out and communicate in a new way to her son, a way which reflects healthy boundaries and expectations for not only her, but him as well.

Candace Long: So we're going to focus on her first.

Rejuan Morrison: Her first, right. And we're going to find out more about him as well, okay? So as a first step, it's critical to get Spirit-led clarity on the history of her son's struggles and her struggles with him, so that a next step can be put in place. And to me, that's all about being Spirit-led, which means we need the Holy Spirit. We need to know what it means to listen to Him and let Him lead.

Candace Long: So let me stop here a minute. So if a case comes to you like here, we only have a certain amount of information. Would you bring in the Lord then at this point and say, okay, Lord, here's... how would you pray?

Rejuan Morrison: Yeah, what is this? What do you want to show me? Something that's very important to me, if listeners have heard previous segments we talked about my calling where the Lord said, "I want to heal my people, put me to the test." He knows us far better than we know ourselves. He knows the people who are calling me, and my one-liner always is, "Lord, we want to get in on what you're doing in this person's life." So come Holy Spirit, show me what I need to see. So that's the pervasive backdrop in everything I do, okay?

Now one of the things that we're going to be doing is I'm going to talk about the natural realm and the spiritual realm. We'll be talking about whole person body, soul, and spirit. The natural realm has to do with things like am I taking medication? What am I doing to my body? What's going on with this young man physically? Which maybe has he taken medications? Does he have learning disabilities or issues? How has he lived out life naturally relationally? What kind of external factors have affected him? So even birth trauma, things like that that might have gone on.

Candace Long: So you would be exploring that with her, getting feedback from her on these things, okay.

Rejuan Morrison: To get a better picture of who is this young man. And we're going to go through some questions and I'll kind of explain or make a few comments about as needed why those would be important and what they might say that give us a picture of this young man in a way that we can better understand how he is impacting her and vice versa, okay? So if we just think about the spiritual realm, what we do in the natural realm can often open the doors for things to be happening spiritually as well. So we don't want to assume anything; we want to be able to ask some good questions.

Candace Long: Okay, what questions would you start with?

Rejuan Morrison: Well, first of all, I would ask how old is your son? What is he able to do right now, work-wise? Just generally, what's happening or what do you understand happening in his life? Is he adopted? Is this your child? Now, we know that adoption, when children are adopted, that they bring many, many both natural issues and spiritual issues that have come in through that process, through their families of origin, attachment issues. So it's really important to ask those questions, okay? And if he is adopted, when did that happen? What does she know about the family? So we're asking practically, that's the natural, but also where could some open doors be coming in spiritually as well.

Candace Long: So I know in adoption issues you've got a prenatal situation that's pretty volatile. So as you are kind of gathering information about the child, you would know then, okay, this child is going to or this son is going to need more inner healing work that he doesn't even remember if all kinds of turmoil was going on in the womb where he didn't feel welcomed into the world. Then he's going to come out angry and fighting mad.

Rejuan Morrison: That's right, that's right. And that gets presented in all kinds of different ways. And with the mother as well. Was that an adoption because she wasn't able to have children? That has its own issues. Why did she adopt? That just... and especially from a needing the Holy Spirit, Lord, what do you want to show us about that young man? In this part we need to be really careful about; we don't want to be saying, "Thus saith the Lord." It's more if there's an impression, what do we want to explore? And it's not just about, again, knowing what might be going on with the son, it's what kind of issues would those present that would be challenging for the mom, and how did she deal with those?

Candace Long: So what I'm gathering, though, is that you're questioning first to get information about the son, although you're going to be ministering to her first. Okay.

Rejuan Morrison: Yes, because his issues will have implications for her. How is she dealing with that, okay? How was all of that history or background created or had a part or place in the storm that is happened that has caused her to feel like he's not safe and I can't relate to him, right? So I would recommend that in this stage, because you're listing a bunch of questions, that the listener should be writing down these questions because these are going to be things that they're going to want to need to find out in their situations. And if we have a listener that has had this experience, this is great preliminary work if they want to one, find a good counselor who is Spirit-led, how do they really assess that they're listening to the Lord and asking the right questions. But most important, they can do some homework and be prepared going into a session to share.

Here's another question. Has this man at some point made a commitment to the Lord to be his savior? And that will produce another question of how has she been involved in his faith? How has she influenced his faith? When did that start? What did it look like as he grew up? How does she think he perceived this? Sometimes I've got a couple of kids who didn't want us to influence their faith, my own children, who would rebel and we went through seasons of that. I think it's important to find out a little bit more about what that looked like. And also, what about his father's influence? Really important to find out where is the father in this picture. And you shared, divorced, that question will come later. Right now I would focus on faith.

And really another question of maturity with his faith, what did that look like? Because sometimes we can really be doing very well with the Lord and then there are disruptors that happen that cause people to kind of push Him away or become angry at God. Especially you're dealing with a mother-son relationship, and when the son, depending on when the divorce happened, the son is going to all these sports things and his father's not there and the mom is there. And so there's resentment that builds up there, so that can be a powder keg all of its own.

That's right. So we're looking for those traumas. We're going to do... we've talked a lot in our previous sessions about trauma. We're going to have a session related on trauma. We've talked about birth trauma. There can be church trauma that we want to look into. So another question would be what kind of experiences has your son had with church? And she may not be aware of some of the traumas, but she may. Has he experienced, let's say, any religious experiences that he would consider traumatic? Maybe he wouldn't voice that, but as she looks back she can talk about something as simple as a youth pastor who just he was very close to and suddenly left at around the time of his dad leaving. Things like that might come up, okay?

And a very... when we talk about generational sin, what is the legacy of faith in Christ in your family? What is there in that? Not just her family, her lineage, but the father's, what is she aware of? And then of course, is there any history of occult involvement that either he did growing up or might be in that lineage that would show up when you ask that kind of question? What doors might have been opened through that?

And I would include in that things like is there a history in the family of mental illness on either side? Or addiction? What are... I'm not doing what we clinically call a genogram, but I'm asking those questions to just see, hey, what could be going on? Again, that whole person body, soul, spirit, right? Does he drink or use drugs? Does he have addictive behavior, like pornography or internet gaming addictions, and if so, when did that begin? There's a really important thread as we talk about these questions that are also about developmental achievements, because what we know about addiction is when you start, you stop with any kind of maturity, you get stuck in that age. And so some of those things could be very telling as we talk.

Psychosocial, that's probably old language that a counselor would do, where you try to gather categories of information. I've found that gaining trust with somebody is really important and that it's important to just talk through things and then maybe then have them fill out some forms or things. But many people, as you talk, this is a healing process where the mother can really have a voice in what she's seen and experienced.

Candace Long: Well, it seems for her situation that Sam is filled with anger and rage. And I know that anger is a mask a lot of times for fear.

Rejuan Morrison: Absolutely. Right. And some of that may come out as we're asking these questions. We're very much in the past right now. This is very much about what's the history. Including things like is she aware of any sexual abuse or bullying that could have gone on? How did he do in school academically? How does he handle failure? How does he handle success? Did he play sports? What happened in that? I'm looking for how well-rounded what kind of ego strength, how did he deal with conflict? Just with her, with his dad, was it different between the two of them? How did he deal with his relationships with other children? And that's where many times the anger and the fears will begin to show up, that you see some patterns. We're also looking for patterns, right?

Candace Long: Like if you control people with your anger, then that would become an addiction that you could control somebody by getting angry.

Rejuan Morrison: It gives power. I mean, that's why we do anger. We're trying to find some power because we've been hurt or we don't like something and we feel powerless. That's a stronghold, we've talked about stronghold beliefs, "I'm powerless." I'm thinking of a mother-son relationship because I have a son, you have a son, and those are difficult because we don't know if our child were sexually molested, for instance. The mother would be the last one that he would want to talk to about this. And so she would... a mother would be in the dark, I wouldn't know if he were abused. I remember one time my son was on a bicycle, I was walking, and we ran into a neighbor boy that rode the bus with my son. And so we stopped and I didn't ever had never known the boy before. But I took one look at him and the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I knew this guy is dangerous. So I told my son, I said, "Do not ever be alone with this boy." And he said, "Mom, you're ridiculous." But these are where we're learning our Levitical antennas, to use my terminology, but they were strong. Okay, go ahead.

Well, yeah, you're absolutely right on. We want... this is discernment, okay? And we need to pay attention to that because that can be door-openers for conversations and you know, I love what you shared because it's so natural in relationship where your son said, "Mom, you're being over the top." But actually you're picking up on something. And we need wisdom in how do we raise their antenna so that they don't begin to think we're weird and controlling. Helicopter mom. Exactly, right. So, you know, there's a way to do that, especially with strong-willed children, where we give them a better option, let's say, to consider, "Hey, watch for this, just be aware and let it go," you know. And usually we're right, aren't we? Absolutely. They may be 85 years old before they realize that mom had some sense, but...

One of the big things, and again, this is kind of important is very much spiritual realm, but it's practiced, is Masonry. Yes. And boy, does that open up some pretty very, very ugly things. So is there Masonry in the family background? And it's amazing to me how many people don't know that. No. They haven't been alerted to that to dig in to find out, okay?

Candace Long: That was a real biggie in my life because I was a third-generation Mason on both sides of my family. And I had no idea, but I had to have inner healing about that. But this brings up a point in the Torah that we talk about a lot, and it's a curse that is causeless does not light. So if you don't have any cause against your family line, against whatever generational sins may have come down the pike... whatever curse, if the Bible says if you do this, there's a curse attached to that, there are consequences of that. Masons in their background, in their studies, they make vows, and in those vows that goes against the second commandment, which is why Masonry is so dangerous. But people who are involved in Masonry, they don't understand that there was any danger there because they think that they're being of good service to people. But what you're seeing and what I have experienced in my own life is that it very definitely opens the door to some activity.

Rejuan Morrison: Absolutely. Yeah, it's a legal claim, that's a phrase I use that the enemy has that when we have awareness and we repent and we send that curse back, then the blood of Jesus is powerful to heal, right? But yeah, it's some gnarly, nasty business that is totally packaged in a very scriptural context that is sneaky and powerful. And so, these are where the Holy Spirit leads us into truth. That's one of the biggest job descriptions of the Holy Spirit. And in that, we can pray and just say, "Lord, I don't know about my family. I don't have a way to know, but You know. Show me what I need to know," and He will do that. That is so beautiful that we have the Holy Spirit as our helper.

Candace Long: And one thing I would add to that, Rejuan, is that a lot of people think, "Well, I have Jesus and all I need to do is just plead the blood of Christ over everything and I don't have to worry about any of this." But what you're doing and what you're saying is no, we have a responsibility to bring those things that have been enlightened to us are wrong and bring those to the Lord, then He can cleanse them, but we have to bring them first. Because a lot of people, they just pray a blanket prayer and say, "I don't need to ask all these questions." But these questions are what is probing in our spirit.

Rejuan Morrison: That's right. And it'd be easy depending on a person's wiring of, "I have to fix this." That's not godly. That urgency is not Spirit-led. That's the enemy creating fear. We're going to continue this next time to learn more questions of how to begin to help Diane and her relationship with her son, Sam. If you have a situation in your family you'd like Rejuan to address, go to shabbatshalomradio.com, look for the button at the top that says "Email the show." I'm Candace Long, and you've been listening to Families Under Attack with Rejuan Morrison. Shabbat Shalom.

If you'd like to learn more about Rejuan and what she offers through her ministry, Healing for the Nations, click on the Rejuan Morrison handout at the top of our main shabbatshalomradio.com page. Coming up in the next hour is Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Michael Washer, followed by the final part of my series on the final kingdom before the Day of the Lord. Stay tuned for the second hour on WEEZ AM 590, our media partner for shabbatshalomradio.com.