A joy, once again, to hear from our friend, Abigale S. Hassel!

Rededication

Recently I experienced a situation in my professional life that ultimately led me to rededicate myself to the Lord. I had found myself in a position in which I needed to stand by my biblical principles. For that, I was fired, and my livelihood became vulnerable. It caused me an enormous amount of fear and anxiety. When the anxiety started to cripple me, I prayed to the Lord, asking Him to fight this battle for me. Subsequently, I told the Lord that when He resolved the situation in my favor, I would make a public reaffirmation of my faith, bringing honor and glory to Him. The very next morning, in my daily reading, I came across the following Scripture, “But whoever disowns me before others I will disown before my Father in Heaven” (Matthew 10:33). I knew this was no coincidence.

Shortly thereafter, the situation was resolved in my favor and I made a public statement of faith in which I rededicated myself to the Lord. In retrospect, I know that God in His sovereignty and mercy was testing me.

It is not always easy to do what the Lord tells us to do, and as Paul declared, we may suffer on behalf of Messiah, but we can count it as joy because, in the end, the Lord works all things for our good! I share this personal story because, at times, we need to examination ourselves and our faith. When challenges come our way, it is good to reevaluate and rededicate our lives to Him. Every day, may we renew our walk with our Lord!

As Chanukah, the Feast of Dedication, approaches, may we think upon how we could re-dedicate ourselves as a sacrifice to the Lord.

Chanukah tells the story of the Maccabees, led by Judah and his brothers, who fought against the oppression of Antiochus IV. Under his oppressive reign, the Jewish people were almost wiped out completely, along with their religious practices and symbols. The Temple was destroyed and most of the treasury therein was stolen.

The Maccabees refused to compromise their faith, as they would not bow down to foreign gods. Though being severely outnumbered, they fought back and victoriously reclaimed the Temple.

After they cleaned it out of all the desecration, they rededicated the Temple to Adonai, but they had only enough oil for the Temple menorah to burn for one night. A great miracle happened, and the oil burned for 8 nights. This is why Chanukah is celebrated for 8 nights to this day.

I am certainly not comparing my situation to that of the Maccabees and the ancient Jewish people, but I would like to communicate this message. Chanukah is a story of God’s faithfulness to His children especially when we struggle facing life’s challenges. For me, it is another reminder to remain focused on my Creator and that apart from Him, I can do nothing.

The stressors of life can make us complacent taking our focus off Him, but we can always rededicate ourselves to the One who brought us to such a time as this.

May He help us rid ourselves of any idols in our life, and may He help us reaffirm our faith.

Dr. Jeff and his team at Israel Today Ministries (ITM) have dedicated themselves to doing the work of the Lord by feeding the hungry in Israel.

You can partner with them by generously donating to ITM. In so doing, you are serving the Lord, and making a sacrifice unto Him.

Have a very happy and blessed Chanukah and may it be filled with miracles for you and those you love! God bless!

Abigale Hassel

• Abigale S. Hassel, MSW, LCSW, Counseling, is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in working with those who suffer with chronic and/or terminal illness, grief and bereavement, anxiety, and depression. As a Jewish believer, she believes that Yeshua (Jesus) is the promised Messiah of Israel. Her goal is to show God’s love, bringing hope to those who are emotionally suffering. Her website:  https://www.embracingthenow.com/index.html