Have you ever gone through a phase in your Spiritual journey where you felt somewhat disconnected or empty inside? Maybe you just felt generally low, and you didn’t fully understand why? I think it’s safe to say we all go through times like that. Especially during the winter months when it’s dark and cold outside. Some people push through those difficult times by pretending that everything is fine. For what ever reason, the ‘fake it till you make it’ concept doesn’t really work for me. So I’m learning how to just be real, and tell Abba how I actually feel so that He can restore my soul.
Prayer changes things. Do you believe that old saying is true? After 7 wonderful weeks in California with my husband leading me in simple, honest prayers to the Father, my heart is full, and I can testify that even the simplest of prayers, Yah hears. I’m so so grateful for that. If you’re real with Yah, He’ll be real with you. He has the power to restore your soul.
I wrote a new song last night. Thought I’d share it with you now before it gets finished off when I head back into the studio. It’s based on Psalms 23. A Psalm we all know and love. I pray that this music will help you to keep on keeping on. If it does, leave a comment below and speak truth over your life. Say, “Yah, You restore my soul.”
‘Yahuah is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of Yahuah for ever.’
Psalms 23:1-6
If you’re walking through a valley, or a low point in your life. Remember that every day is new. You don’t have to wait for the Spring or the new year. You can choose to lay your burden’s down. Just tell Abba how you feel and keep walking. Keep praying, keep reading scripture, make space to hear His voice. You’ll get through whatever it is that you’re going through. And when you get to the other side, you’ll see that Yah’s been with you through it all. He alone restores your soul.
Feel free to share in the comments if you have a praise to Abba that you’d like to share, or a prayer request on your heart. Even if you don’t have someone to pray with in real time, we all can read the comments here and be united by the prayers in our hearts. And if the music has encouraged you in any way today, say out loud as you type down in the comments below, “Yah, You restore my soul.”
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Sometimes we go through phases in our spiritual journey where we start to feel uninspired. The warm fuzzy feelings we used to have from our past religious communities are all gone. You miss having fellowship, and that’s only natural. We were made to be in community.
So what do you do when you’ve been walking in truth on your own and you feel lonely? What do you do when you feel uninspired? When I go through times like these I choose to pause. Just pause and remember who I am in Yah. He’s my Father. I’m His child. And so are you. Yah promised that we’d never walk alone. So we can always cry out, “Abba, I need you now.”
I’ve been working on some new music and just wanted to share a taste of what’s to come. This is one of the songs that Yah inspired me to share with you as is, in it’s purest form, before I go into the studio again. It’s based on Psalms 121 and it’s called, “I need You now.” I pray you enjoy the video of the new music. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
‘I lift up my eyes to the hills; Where does my help come from? My help comes from יהוה, Maker of the heavens and earth. He does not allow your foot to be moved; He who watches over you does not slumber. See, He who is guarding Yisra’ĕl Neither slumbers nor sleeps. יהוה is your guard; יהוה is your shade at your right hand. The sun does not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. יהוה guards you from all evil; He guards your being. יהוה guards your going out and your coming in Now and forever.’
Tehillim (Psalms) 121:1-8, The Scriptures.
Regardless of your situation in life right now, keep looking up to the hills. No matter what you’re going through Yah will be your strength through it all. To all who have been praying for me and my husband as we wait on my immigration – we are still waiting. Things are moving forward but we still have to be patient, and we appreciate all your prayers in the mean time. We have one more trip planned to each other soon, and prayerfully it will be the last trip back and forth before my papers get approved. Yah is good and we have to remember His mercy is everlasting!
If you’re going through a time where you feel alone, you miss having fellowship, or you just need more of Yah in your life, leave a comment below and say, “Abba, I need You now.” Feel free to share any prayer requests or praises to Yahuah in the comments below as well. It’s always good for us to be able to read through the comments and pray for one another. May Yah richly bless us all.
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A wise person once said, “You can not heal in the same environment where you got sick.”
That’s a heavy thought to consider. Most of us have everyday habits and people in our lives that impact us on such a regular basis that we don’t even realize the depth or impact. Many of us are struggling with pain, and we don’t understand why the struggle is so hard, but the people, places, and environments we live in or create for ourselves are the exact same people and environments that caused us the pain to begin with.
Last week here at Set Apart Heart we started to discuss the big, obvious things we don’t want in our lives. We discussed situations we are tired of struggling with, things that are holding us back from our healing – things that could be keeping us from walking in our purpose. A lot of us left comments with very real and tangible struggles. And I read all the emails that came through my inbox as well.
This week I invite you to consider the things that are a little less tangible – the little things that may be hiding in the background… things that could be slowly chipping away at your ability to heal and have peace of mind.
Consider things like self-talk. What thoughts are you subconsciously speaking over yourself?
Consider your music playlist. What messages are in the songs being played over and over again in your mind?
Consider the books you are reading or movies you are watching. Do they build or edify?
Consider your closest family and friends. Do they encourage you to live a life that is pleasing to the Most High Yah?
Consider your emotional state. Are you in a space where you can think clearly and make decisions that will help you move forward?
Yesterday on FB and Instagram I was contemplating how the mind is SUCH a powerful thing. What goes in the mind always comes out – in one form or another. If we find ourselves struggling in certain areas, it is SO important to stop & consider what’s going on beneath the surface. What is really happening in our hearts and minds? And who or what are we allowing to have so much power over us?
[PERSONAL STORY]
This week I gained some much needed clarity in my life. I’m sharing this story in the hopes that it will encourage you as well.
Most of you know that I’m making music here at Set Apart Heart full time now. I just recorded my latest single, Healing Me, which will be available on December 4, 2018. And while waiting for the tracks to be mixed and mastered, I decided to start working on recording other songs for the album that will be released in the Spring of 2019.
While trying to record the music at home, I kept hitting roadblocks. For two whole days, for one reason or another, things just weren’t going as planned. I started to get frustrated, I even shed a few silent tears as I cried. For a moment I questioned whether I had bitten off more than I could chew, and even though I have my husband’s full support in every way, I wondered if I had made a mistake in leaving my full time job. I stopped and I said to myself – Hadarah, is this what you really want?
Because I know that Yahuah gave me the gift of singing and songwriting, I said to myself ‘Yes, this is what I want.’
What I don’t want is to be fiddling around with the technical aspects of recording. So instead of filling my mind with doubt and negative self-talk, I dried my tears, took a break, and listened to an audio version of the Bible. Doing this always comforts me when I get stressed out. After taking my break, I tried to record again, but by then my fingers were tired and I just didn’t have the strength to play the guitar again. So I decided to be done for the day.
That night my husband and I were talking about something totally unrelated to music, and it hit me – the solution came to me clear as day. I love making music, but I don’t like doing my own recording and wearing all the hats. Literally being the singer, songwriter, guitarist, recording engineer, cameraman, video editor, blog post writer and social media manager is just way too many hats to wear consistently. So I simply made the decision that in 2019 when I’m finished writing all the songs, I’ll just go back to the same professional recording studio where I recorded “Peace of Mind“, and “Yahuah Acoustics Vol.1 & 2“. This may seem like a very simple and basic decision to you, but isn’t it funny how when we get emotional and frustrated, even the most basic of decisions just don’t even come to mind?
Clarity can only come from shalom and peace of mind. We can’t make sound decisions that will help us to heal and continue to move forward if we are talking negatively to ourselves about how “we aren’t good enough.” Most of us are so disconnected from our thoughts that we don’t even notice all the little things that we are saying.
This little story may be super simplistic. Your life may feel or actually be way more complicated right now. But no matter what’s going on let’s learn how to recognize when there’s an opportunity for change. Opportunity for us to slow down, so we can calm down, seek Yah, get clarity, be realistic, find healing and move forward with peace of mind.
‘Commit your works to יהוה, And your plans shall be established. יהוה has made all for His purpose, And also the wrong for the day of evil.’ Mishlĕ (Proverbs) 16:3-4
So now I invite you to tell me – besides the big obvious things that are holding you back, like the job that you hate, the dysfunctional relationship you’re dealing with, or the lack of financial stability in your life – what are the little tiny things that might be affecting you on a deeper level that you may not even realize?
If you can’t name them right now, but you know there are areas where you can make some positive changes, whether that be reading more scripture, listening to more positive set apart music, doing away with negative self-talk, or choosing to love certain friends or family members from a distance, leave a comment below and say, “I’d like to make a change.”
That’s all you have to type. Just scroll down in the comments and say
“I’d like to make a change.”
Do it as a committment to yourself. Then take some time to seriously consider what the change might need to be throughout this week.
Below you’ll find the video with the sneak peek of my new single that’s coming out December 4, 2018 “Healing Me.” I posted it on youtube last week, but if you haven’t had a chance to take a peek at it yet, or if you just want to watch it again as you meditate, I pray you’ll enjoy the 2 min clip below. Prayerfully the song will inspire you as you consider the places in your heart and mind that may need to heal.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.”
Romiyim (Romans) 12:2
May the little things we choose to change make a big impact in our lives. I’ll see you in the comments below, my friend. Don’t forget to leave a comment of commitment for yourself if you’d like to make a change.
-Hadarah BatYah
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When January came along in 2018, if you would have told me that I was about to meet a wonderful man, find love, and get married before the end of the summer, I probably would NOT have believed you.
Lo and behold, Yahuah had plans for my life that I knew not of – because that is exactly what happened! I just got married, on July 16, 2018!! And we first started getting to know one another in January. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may have already heard the good news.
On the way to finding love in marriage, I’ve learned quite a few life lessons. Some of them I learned the hard way lol. Before we get into all that, would you like to share in some moments from my wedding day? I’ve made a slideshow of our memories – and I hope the pictures inspire you!
Whether you already have love in marriage, or you’re still waiting to find it, remember that Yahuah is in control and that He alone is the author of true love.
(Photographer, Ardean Peters).
“He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Psalms 147:3
Life Lessons.
Yah is in control. Sometimes we think we can find love on our own, but it’s Yahuah who is the one writing our love stories. If we allow ourselves to just sit in the passenger seat for a while and let Yah do the driving, He will take us where we need to go and bring the right people into our lives. In the past, whenever I tried to find love on my own, it NEVER ever worked. This time, it was TOTALLY different. Maybe one day I’ll share the whole story, but for now, I just have to say PRAISE YAHUAH! He brought a wonderfully patient, kind and giving, strong and balanced Hebrew man into my life. Yah brought me a man I could never have found on my own, in a way I could never have orchestrated. Yah knows just what we need and when, and He knows when we are ready to receive it. If you want to hear the whole story of how we met, leave a comment below.
Take time to heal.Do you remember my last blog post where I said that I needed to take some time out to heal? Well, my healing journey began long before that post ever was made. About 6 months before I even started talking to the man who is now my husband, I started to focus in on taking time and space to let go of everything I was holding onto from the past.
On some level, as part of my spiritual journey, the healing will always continue. But before getting married, I wanted to remove all distractions for a while, and just focus on allowing Yahuah to work in me. Yah has plans to fully renew and restore His people – but we need to do our part, and make time and space for the healing to take place.
The scripture in the box below is one of my favourites. Click the arrow to read it. It’s a constant reminder of Yahuah’s plans for our lives.
Ḥazon (Revelation) 21:4-5
“And Elohim shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying. And there shall be no more pain, for the former matters have passed away.” And He who was sitting on the throne said, “See, I make all matters new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and trustworthy.””
Stay Focused. Part of the renewal process is learning to focus your energy on what matters most in your life. If we don’t make a concerted effort to focus on letting go of past pain, it is far too easy to sweep it all under the proverbial rug and stay busy in our daily lives. If we let that happen, all the pain and hurt will simply resurface again and again. In one form or another, we will continue to face the same test and trials until we pass through them. The past can and will affect the present if we don’t make the choice to let it all go. That’s why I make music reminding myself that “Yesterday is gone… So now I live…” Stay focused on today, and where are you now so you can find the peace of mind and balance that you need. You will find that in this present moment – Yah is with you – and you’re gonna be just fine.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 ESV
Love Yourself. Before we seek to connect with others in love, and especially in marriage, we must learn how to love ourselves. Take time alone with Yah and let His word show you who you really are. Not just as Hebrew people, but as unique individuals.
Leviticus 19:18 says “Love your neighbour as yourself”.
So my question for you is, do you love yourself? Do you know yourself? Are you at peace with yourself? Can you sit in the middle of your mess with yourself? Or are you still running away from yourself? You can not learn to love anyone else if you have not already learned to be loving to yourself. Be still and know – He is Yah! (Psalms 46:10)
We often look for relationships to fill us up and fix our problems. When we take time to heal from our brokenness, Yah will fill us till it overflows. The 23rd Psalm in says (in the KJV) my cup runneth over...
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalms 23:5 ESV
That overflow is the source from which we can give love to others. If we are empty and hurting inside, how can we give love?
Whether you’re single or married, leave a comment below and share your thoughts. If you have life lessons to share I’d love to hear them too. Let’s continue to be authentic on our own individual journeys, and let’s be kind to ourselves. We have work to do, Israel, and it starts right here with our hearts. Let’s keep it set apart. I’ll see you in the comments… Talk soon.
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How often do you take the time to make sure that what you are putting out into the world is in sync with what’s actually happening on the inside? Do you post smiling pictures on social media when you’re actually struggling inside? When people ask “How are you?” do you say you’re OK – when the truth is you’re actually not?
There’s a time and a place for everything. I firmly believe that. And the reality is, most of us are wearing band-aids over our pain. For one reason or another, the band-aids keep getting torn off before we can fully heal. Sometimes we even tear the band-aids off ourselves, pretending like we never got hurt in the first place. I don’t know about you, but pretending to be happy is not good enough for me.
Life is more than digital. Have you taken time to heal? It is so easy to fool ourselves into believing that making videos, blog posts, and being present on social media is our sole purpose this digital world. It is not. Yes, these things can be used for good, but they are not the end all be all. Yahuah is looking closely at our hearts. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been living life with band-aids on. I’ve been doing so for a VERY long time. If I can be honest, likely since childhood. I’ll share the lessons I learn while I’m away when the next album is complete. But it’s going to take time. A significant amount of time. So I want to share this one song with you before I go. It’s called “Healing Me.” Leave a comment at the bottom of this blog post if it’s meaningful for you.
“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” Malachi 4:2a
Life is not a race. Healing takes time. Living and learning takes time. And if we just keep running through life, we’ll reach the end and realize we’ve never actually lived. It’s the moments we spend living -breathing, praying, connecting, seeking – that become moments filled with meaningful lessons that we can share with the world.
I’ll be gone for a while, but I’ll be back. And while I’m gone I pray you will seek Yah’s healing in your life as well. As a nation we need healing, but first, as individuals, we MUST learn to submit to the will of Yahuah and walk it out by faith. We must look at the seeds in our heart that should not be planted there, and uproot them. Be it physical healing, or spiritual, whether we realize it or not, we all need Yah’s healing touch in our lives.
Let’s remember one another in prayer as we go through this life. There is healing in His wings, Mishpacha. Let’s keep on looking up and trusting in Him.
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Hi there, I’m Hadarah Batyah. I sincerely believe that in order to have a spiritual walk that is authentic and true, the Word of Yahuah must be written on the inside of our hearts. That's why I write scripture songs and set apart music. Although I don’t have everything in my spiritual life all figured out, I know that Yahuah gave me the gift of music to serve Him and encourage your heart. I pray you'll be inspired by what you see on this blog. If you're curious and wanna know more- I tell it all on the About Page.
Hi there, I’m Hadarah Batyah. I sincerely believe that in order to have a spiritual walk that is authentic and true, the Word of Yahuah must be written on the inside of our hearts. That's why I write scripture songs and set apart music. Although I don’t have everything in my spiritual life all figured out, I know that Yahuah gave me the gift of music to serve Him and encourage your heart. I pray you'll be inspired by what you see on this blog. If you're curious and wanna know more- I tell it all on the