June 26th, 2025

​Tammuz 5785—The Fourth Month of the Hebrew Year
June 26–July 25, 2025

Tammuz 5785—The Fourth Month of the Hebrew Year
June 26–July 25, 2025
Going through the Month of “Heating” or the “Glowing Furnace” with the Presence of the Lord!
Apparently Tammuz actually means “heating” or “glowing furnace,” which is very appropriate for this month of what can be difficult times (see “Historical Sketch” below). How do we go through difficult times and not only survive but actually thrive? How do we shine in the midst of difficulties? The short answer is “the presence of the Lord.”

As I was writing the meaning of the word Tammuz—“glowing furnace,” I (and probably many of you as well) immediately thought of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were cast into Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace for refusing to worship his statue. A rightly surprised Nebuchadnezzar promptly repented when he saw the figure of a fourth man in the furnace with them. It was the Lord Himself. It was His presence that was with the three friends (see Daniel 3).

What a lesson. God’s presence will see us through anything and everything. We must refuse to bow to pressure, fear, or anxiety. We must not give in to spiritual doldrums or apathy (a kind of worship of self or self-preservation), and we must keep worshiping the Lord. We will find His presence with us. We will not be harmed. Just like the fire burned away their ropes and bindings, we too will find ourselves increasingly set free because of the fires of pressure and difficulty. Also, just as those three men were then promoted, we also will find ourselves being promoted to a new level in the Lord.

A key verse for us is 1 Chronicles 16:11 (ESV), which states, “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

Historical Sketch

One of the intriguing days of this month is Tammuz 17 (July 13). Tammuz 17 is the day Moses broke the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments had been written, because the people had made a golden calf and were worshiping it. Tammuz 17 is also the day the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Babylonians in 423 BC, and again by the Romans about 500 years later in 70 AD.

Thus, Tammuz 17 marks the beginning of the three weeks known as the “dire straits.” These “dire straits” end on Av 9 (August 3), the date the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 423 BC—and then the second Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
The Month of Tammuz
1. A month to see and establish the brilliance of your righteousness. It’s important to remember Jesus’s words that we “are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14), and that He wants us to shine. He said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). If you don’t recognize that His light is in you and that you are already glowing, then how can you shine?

Declare: “Yes, Lord, I am shining because of your light in me. I declare I will shine brighter and brighter.”

2. A month to make choices so we fulfill our potential. The month of the tribe of Reuben. He lost his inheritance as firstborn. Reuben is an example of someone with great potential who didn’t deal with his basic issues and failed to excel. The Lord wants us to deal with blind spots and other unresolved issues so we can spring ahead. Genesis 49:3–4 describes Reuben as follows: “Beginning of power; excellence and dignity; unstable as water.”

Declare, “Lord, your light is shining in me. The more I acknowledge your presence, the more I will shine. You will expose and help me deal with blind spots. You will help me take care of them.”

3. A month to shine through our worship. One powerful way of worship is to individually sing from your heart to Him. The Holy Spirit will guide your prophetic singing, and you may find yourself singing things to the Lord that you have never thought of before. You will be in His presence. Note that Moses’s face glowed after being with the Lord. Also notice that the people worshiped the golden calf (see Exod. 32:1) [1] because they couldn’t accept delay. Therefore, thank God for any delay and keep worshiping Him. As we submit to Him in worship, He also brings issues in our lives into submission. Also note that God has given praise to us as a horn or weapon (see Ps. 148:14 [2]).

Declare, “Lord, no matter what situation I find myself in, I choose to declare that you have an answer.”

4. A month to either accept your calling or to speak an evil report of who you are. We have a choice of which it will be. People fall into negativity because they don’t know how to speak out who they are. You must like yourself. If you don’t, then there’s something about the Lord that you don’t like. Look at past prophecies of who you are and declare them during this month. They will be like seeds you sow which will bring a great harvest heading toward the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall.

Declare, “Lord, I am your child. You have called me. You have a greater destiny for me than I imagine and the time is now.”

5. The month of the letter chet [ח], which means “light radiating from your eyes.” The devil tries to put this light out. Chet is also tied to the number “8,” which signifies new beginnings; it also is referred to as the letter of “life,” but can also mean “sin.” Through this letter, God is showing us that we can, and must, choose correctly so we don’t fall into negativity. See Isaiah 42:6 [3] and Revelation 1:14 [4].

Declare, “Lord, your fire is burning in me. It’s your fire inside me that causes my eyes to shine with your light and life.”

6. The “filmstrip” month. Take time to look at yourself. If you keep going the way you are, how will you end up? Therefore, stop and make any necessary adjustments. But change can’t happen unless we “fear the Lord.” Perhaps David’s greatest achievement was to bring the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. But first he failed and became afraid of the Lord (see 2 Sam. 6:9 [5]). It was this fear of the Lord that led to reverence—seeking the Lord and coming into His presence. Tell the Lord you choose to fear Him, and His wisdom will flow to you.” Proverbs 9:10 states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

7. The month where we must allow ourselves to be soft and vulnerable to the Lord. This month is linked with the constellation of the crab. Our shell must be removed so that we are vulnerable. If you don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable, you will become hardened and won’t be able to enter into the next stage of growth. Ask the Lord to remove any hardness or shell from you.

Declare, “Lord, when adversity arises, I choose not to be stubborn and withdraw, but instead will quickly look to you.”

8. A month to guard your heart—what you feel and think, as well as your eyes—what you allow yourself to see. “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse” (Deut. 11:26). See also Deuteronomy 30:15, which states, “I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”

Declare, “I choose the fear of the Lord and life.”

9. The month of the right hand—the aligning covenant. See Song of Solomon 5:2–12. Remember your covenants—the right hand has to do with covenants and relationships. Our covenant with the Lord will only grow as we honor the covenants with the people He leads us to.

Declare, “The more I come into intimacy/friendship with the Lord, the better my covenants with people will be.”