A Hero's Heart. Joseph David Hightower

in search of some food for them to eat for supper. Ojiisan found some impressive looking logs that they could use to sit on and got to work starting the fire that would both cook their food and keep them warm throughout the night. Once he had finished his chores, he bowed his head and began to pray for Heru to safely catch their dinner and return quickly. Only moments after finishing his prayer, Ojiisan, looked up to see Heru returning with their dinner.

      After a wonderfully peaceful meal, the two men sat back against their logs and stared up into the now night sky. Ojiisan looked over at Heru, “Are you ready for your first lesson” he asked.

      “Yes, I am very eager to hear what you have to teach me from this book of yours” Heru replied.

      “You must first understand that we are all created by a wonderful being called God the Father. He created everything that is, was, and will be. All life comes from Him and is within Him.”

      “Yeshua once told me that I could come to the Father through the Son” Heru suddenly blurted out.

      “Relax yourself, my boy! “Yes, that is very true, you reach the Father through the Son. Do not worry yourself, Heru, we will cover everything eventually! I promise! Now be quiet and listen!” Ojiisan said in a firm but gentle voice.

      “He had created man in His image and breathed life into him. Many years later, man turned their backs on the Father through one act of disobedience, yet the Father refused to give up on His creation. He loved them so much that He would do anything to bridge the gap that now separated Him from those that carried His heart. Over the years and through many different people, He continued to try and reach His people. Repeatedly they continued to reject Him and His teachings. Finally, the Father decided to send His Only Son to reach those that wanted Him and wanted to be with Him for all eternity. His Son was the only way to forever bridge the gap of sin and disobedience that separated God the Father from those that He had created for His pleasure.” Ojiisan paused and took a deep breath before beginning again.

      “In order for the Son to be able to bridge this gap, however, He had to become a man to understand our fleshly wants and desires, our human emotions, those that seem all too often to be able to control us. This Son, the one who was born for the salvation of us all, His earthly name is Yeshua.”

      Heru’s head shot up and he just sat there in the firelight, blinking his eyes in amazement at all he had just learned. He had heard all of this when he just a young boy, worded differently, but still the same information. As with any child, most of the parent’s teachings tend to go into one ear and straight out of the other, taking little time to sink in. It amazed Heru that Yeshua even took the time to visit with him. He sat there silently, hoping that Ojiisan would soon continue with his teaching. He wanted to learn much more about this book and the many truths that it contained.

      Ojiisan prayed silently to himself for several minutes before beginning again. He wanted Heru to fully grasp what he was telling him. Taking a deep breath, Ojiisan began quietly once again, “God the Father sent Yeshua to us, but instead of rejoicing and celebrating that we had our savior here on earth with us, we rejected him once again. You see Heru, Yeshua was not born looking as He does now. He was born of a virgin in a stable with the animals. A simple hay trough was his first bed, and as for clothing, well, all He had was some clothes that most people used for rags. He chose to leave everything that He had to come to a world that would offer Him nothing, not even a clean bed on the night of His birth. He was called to be the final sacrifice for all of mankind, never again would people have any need to offer up sacrifices to their ancestors hoping that they would be accepted because He was and is the only perfect sacrifice.

      When he was only thirty-three years old, He began His earthly ministry. This time of teaching and healing only lasted for three years. During this time Yeshua healed the sick, raised the dead, opened blind eyes and caused the deaf to hear and the lame to walk. He also spoke much about His Father in heaven and the home that awaits us there. It was this talk of heaven and freedom from a lifetime of sin that many of the religious rulers of that day and of today had and have a problem with. Everywhere that Yeshua traveled He gave hope. The yoke of bondage, or as some may term it, demonic activity, is all under His authority. When He commends them to flee they must flee, they have no choice but to obey!” “I want this teaching to sink into your spirit, Heru, because in the days that are coming there are going to be some fierce and deadly battles that you will be facing and you need to have this truth planted deeply and firmly in your heart. Nothing, not here or in the spirit worlds is stronger than Yeshua’s power to deliver!” saying that, Ojiisan grabbed a hold of Heru’s arm and shook it with as much force as an old man could.

      “I think I understand what you are trying to say friend, you needn’t rip my shoulder from its socket” Heru replied with a grin.

      “I just want you to grasp the importance of this truth, Heru, it will save your life!” Ojiisan said with passion.

      “Now keep your ears open, I’m about to get to the good part, the great part, the, the, the, oh just listen!!!!” he told Heru.

      “The people in charge was known as Pharisees and Sadducees. These people did not like the teachings of Yeshua because He threatened their position of power. So, they arranged a way to have Him removed, or at least they thought that they were the ones controlling the series of events that happened in those last few days of Yeshua’s time here on earth as a man.

      The Pharisees and Sadducees were plotting to kill Yeshua. In doing this, they were able to find one of His disciples and convinced him to betray both his master and his friend. Upon finding Yeshua in a garden, the High Priests had him arrested in the middle of the night and a secret trial took place in which they all agreed that Yeshua was a blasphemer and that He deserved to die, however, due to their religious rules and edicts, they were not allowed to condemn any one to death. So, they instead sent Yeshua to stand trial before Pontius Pilot, and even though the ruling government of Rome could find no fault with Yeshua, he had no choice but to allow the crucifixion of an innocent man. Before the crucifixion took place Yeshua was beaten with a deadly weapon known as the cat-of-nine-tails. Never had any human man lived through such a vicious beating. After that they then placed a fully built, heavy cross on His back and a crown of thorns on His head and made Him walk up the road toward the hill that He was condemned to hang on. Upon reaching the top of that hill, the Roman Soldiers laid the cross down and then Yeshua climbed onto the face of the wooden beams. The Roman Soldiers nailed spikes through Yeshua’s wrists and through His ankles, not breaking even one bone in His entire body. Once they were finished with nailing Him to the cross, they lifted it high into the air and dropped it into a pre-made hole, where Yeshua hung for several hours before finally giving up His life.

      When He had finally died, several of the guards and High priests started to celebrate, however their rejoicing did not last very long, because Yeshua was only dead for three days! On the third day, He rose from the grave and presented Himself to His disciples and to His mother, after that He then went back up to Heaven where He is still seated on the right hand of the Father. He has left the Holy Spirit here to help guide us and give us strength when we need it, and in our dreams Yeshua can freely visit us and talk with us if we allow Him to enter our hearts and chose to follow after Him. To those that Yeshua calls His own, He promises to love, protect and provide for without fail for all of eternity.” Ojiisan stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts and taking a deep breath he looked over at Heru. “Do you understand what this did for you and me, Heru? It means that we are no longer held captive by the mistakes that we have made in our past.” “When Yeshua died and then rose from the grave, He forever bridged that gap between us and God the Father. If you accept Him and the sacrifice that He paid for us, you become a son of the Living God and brother to Yeshua.”

      If you want this relationship, Heru, you must pray this prayer with me.”

      “God, I’m a sinner and I ask that you please forgive me.

       I believe that Yeshua was born of a virgin and died on the cross

       and that You raised Him from the grave after three days.