How I discovered The Sabbath

By David Baxter
Thirsty for Truth Ministries

I’ve been a minister for almost 14 years now and have worked alongside staff in many denominational organizations.  I helped rebuild programs, start new programs and counseled in many ways. What I learned during the first 11 years of that time comes nowhere close to the knowledge bomb that dropped in my life just only 3 years ago. My wife and I watched a video about the differences between traditional holidays and the Biblical Holy Days. From beginning to end of this 2 hour long video, I was captivated by the scripture and historical information that was being presented to me. In all my years of ministry how could I have not heard about these things? As much as I have studied how could this have slipped by me? As I watched and searched my heart, I realized that for years I had ministered under the umbrella of organized religion. I had preached, taught, and discipled people from someone else’s point of view and not the Father’s. I felt like the Tin Man receiving his heart for the first time and it was clear to me that I needed to reprogram my mind, body, and soul to rededicate myself to Him.

Once I felt more clean and useable I focused on the issue at hand and began to dig deep into this information I had received. These Holy Days led me to study the Old Testament in depth and I began to unfold what would be a whole new world of Yahweh’s word to me. Page after page, I would go from one subject to the next. One thing lead to another finding myself learning the foundation of what our entire lives were built on. I was rebuilding my life through Yahweh’s word and it was nothing like what I had heard or been taught before. As I read these things that people called the Law, I remembered how I was taught that we no longer had to do them because the Messiah supposedly abolished them with His sacrifice. It confused me so I found a new avenue of study and I had no clue as to what I was in for. I had never in my entire life read so much hate and anger over a topic. What made me upset was not that they were mad, but the fact that His people were fighting amongst themselves over this. As I prayed for clarity, I began to understand why unbelievers were so fed up with us. They couldn’t see the Father’s Word working in us, so why would they want it? It only caused confusion and arguments between us. I finally realized that the reason for so many unbelievers out there wasn’t their fault, but ours. We shot ourselves in the foot and had no stability at all, with regards to the Father’s Word.

As my study lead me to the New Testament with my new knowledge, I began to see things that I never did before and realized things I had said and were taught were never in scripture. The one thing that got me was the whole food debate, clean versus unclean. I read and watched so many debates, my mind became like jelly. I decided to look up the animals myself to see what they told me. Did you know you can see a huge difference in the structure of these animals when you separate them by His list? I now realize why Yahweh used words like clean and unclean. Each animal has a sole purpose on earth once you know how their bodies work. Once I discovered this I had a thought, “If what they say is true and we can now eat these so called unclean animals, then why wouldn’t Father Yahweh change their molecular structure to be more healthy for us?” I did a lot of research on them to find nothing has changed about them. People are dying all the time because of the disease and bacteria contained within them. I found that nowhere in scripture does it actually say that we could start eating them. If I was wrong about this, then what else could I be doing wrong?

With all the information I had gone through and put to the test like Yahweh said we should, I came to the conclusion that He is the creator of the entire universe and all that it contains. Because of this, He deserves our utmost attention in every avenue of our life. In everything we say and do we should represent Him. It should be known by all that are around me that I belong to a set apart people. I don’t need to try and fit in with others to reach them. When the Father’s love is truly represented, then they will see it and run to it.

What does all this have to do with the Sabbath? I now know that Yahweh put in His Law that the seventh day is a day for us to rest and recognize Him in our lives. A day for focus and reconciliation through Him so that we can continue in His will and be blessed. We were created in His image. He set the example for us from the very beginning when He took his own Sabbath rest after He created the world. It was also important enough for Him to include it with the other laws He gave as the foundation of our lives. If I am to obey Him in one, then I should in all. I couldn’t find any real evidence where we shouldn’t obey His Law or that the laws were abolished. I understand that I can’t do them all, as some are meant for certain people at certain times and places, but I will do what applies to me and to the best of my ability. Scripture never tells me to do otherwise and so I will keep on living my life in obedience to Him. For my obedience of keeping that Sabbath, my family is blessed in return with peaceful family time. For some reason He decided it was a good idea to place me on this earth for His purpose. Why? I don’t know but I will spend the rest of my life finding out and putting it into practice. I will represent my creator and no one will ever stop me from doing so. If it takes my life then so be it. He’s worth it. I pray that His ways find you where you are right now and that your eyes be opened to the truth as I’ve come to know it.

David Baxter is co-founder of Thirsty for Truth Ministry, which seeks to bring about a restoration of God’s truth. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. www.tftministries.wordpress.com