A Revelation of the HA of God (And Workbook) ~ How Laughter Connects Us to the Everlasting Covenant

By Valerie Whitaker

A Joyful way to learn How Laughter Connects Us to the Everlasting Covenant ~ includes workbook, leader's guide and answer sheet.

Have you ever wondered why the joy of the Lord is your strength? Could it be that laughter and joy are the foundation of the Covenant God made with Abraham? "A Revelation of the HA of God" will begin to uncover the wonderful mystery of the Everlasting Covenant, and how that covenant reaches to the heart of every Christian today. You will also learn how wholesome laughter profoundly connects us to the power of this unending Covenant through Jesus Christ.

Did you know, on average a child laughs 300 times a day, whereas the average adult only laughs 20 times a day? The author was reminded of the scripture in Luke 18:16-17 where Jesus said "Let the children come to me...For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these." This is a good reminder that we not only need to be more child-like in our faith, but also in our ability to laugh. This book invites you to allow the revelation of the HA of God to transform you through an explosion of God's laughter, love, and goodness being released in you!

"A Revelation of the HA of God" has been designed with a workbook conveniently integrated behind each chapter. As well as a Leader's Guide and answer sheets at the end of the book to aid in facilitating individual or group studies. This easy-to-understand workbook will help you to remember key truths, and will prompt thoughtfulness for day-to-day practical application.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Valerie Whitaker
• Release date: May 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310455711

Book preview

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Chapter 1

The Revelation Begins to Unfold

"Father¹, I pray that I would be so close to Your heart that I would not only hear Your heart beat, but I would also hear the Breath of Life as it enters and leaves Your lungs."

Several years before I started praying this, one of our pastors taught us the significance of when Abram & Sarai’s names were changed to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17:5, 15. He explained that in the Hebrew language there are a series of gutturals. Ha is one of those gutturals, and it means to impart life. The relevance of whose life is imparted depends upon the one who is speaking. Therefore, when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah, it was His life that was imparted into them, because God was the one speaking.

The HA of God = Breath of life – the imparted life of God

At least five years after that sermon, God began to unfold to me a revelation about the HA of God. It was Christmas day 2008 as I sat beside the stream next to the Iron Furnace in Cumberland Gap, TN. While under a heavy attack from anxiety and oppression, I began to sing the children’s song, The Joy of the Lord is My Strength. A few months earlier my best friend had suggested for me to laugh whenever I felt anxiety arise. At that time I recalled that the Bible says that laughter does good like a medicine.² As a result, I decided to give it a try. Often the anxiety would awaken me in the middle of the night, and I didn’t want to wake up my husband by laughing out loud, so I would sing in my mind, ha, ha, ha… to the tune of The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.

That Christmas day as I sat beside the water quietly singing the ha-ha version of The Joy Of the Lord is My Strength, the Lord reminded me of a vision that I saw as my husband had shared with me scripture out of Isaiah 33:10-24 a week or two earlier. Before you read the passage, let me point out a couple of things in this scripture. In verse 11 the word Assyrians as used in this chapter is defined in the Hebrew as destroyer or betrayer, and does not specifically name Assyria as the object of this prophecy³. Keeping this in mind, think about who the destroyers are in our lives. Our destroyers and betrayers are not flesh and blood, but principalities, powers, and rulers in dark places.⁴ They can be addictions, anger, anxiety, depression, gossip, greed, immorality, judging God, poverty, selfishness, sickness, unforgiveness, and/or a host of other things. These are what Satan uses in his attempt to destroy God’s people. As you are reading, think about whom the destroyers and betrayers are that come against your life. I have replaced the word Assyrians with the word Destroyers and added notes within the scripture for clarity or reflection. Take this passage personally; read it like God is speaking this promise directly to you.

Isaiah 33:10-24 NLT

10 But the LORD says: "I will stand up and show my power and might. 11 You [Destroyers] will gain nothing by all your efforts. Your own breath will turn to fire and kill you. 12 Your people will be burned up completely, like thorns cut down and tossed in a fire. 13 Listen to what I have done, you nations far away! And you that are near, acknowledge My might!" 14 The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Which one of us, they cry, can live here in the presence of this all-consuming fire? 15 The ones who can live here are those who are honest and fair, who reject making a profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong. 16 These are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress of safety. Food [bread NKJ] will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance.

[Jesus is the Bread of Life and the Living Water. This is a promise of His provision and healing.]

17 Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance. 18 You will think back to this time of terror when the…officers [of destruction and betrayal] outside your walls counted your towers and estimated how much plunder they would get from your fallen city. 19 But soon they will all be gone. These fierce, violent people with a strange, unknown language will disappear.

[The powers of darkness do not speak the language of the Kingdom of Heaven. They speak a language that is fierce, violent, and full of fear; like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.⁵ As children of the Most High God we need to tune our ear to what our loving heavenly Father is speaking into our lives, because His is the Voice that will overcome!]

20 Instead, you will see Zion as a place of worship and celebration. You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure. 21 The LORD will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross. 22 For the LORD is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us. 23 The enemies' sails hang loose on broken masts with useless tackle. Their treasure will be divided by the people of God. Even the lame will win their share! 24 The people of Israel will no longer say, We are sick and helpless, for the LORD will forgive their sins.

[The last four verses speak of worship and celebration, peace and security, protection, provision, victory, restoration, healing, forgiveness…in short overwhelming blessing!]

The scripture and revelation above is the framework for the vision that God brought back to my mind as I sat beside the water that day singing ha-ha to the tune of The Joy of the Lord is My Strength. As I sang, it was like I was looking at a split screen television. On the left side I saw the people of Israel having a joyous festival. The streets were packed with people laughing, singing, dancing. Some were dancing while they played tambourines and other musical instruments. It was a scene of all-out celebration. On the right side of the screen I saw silhouette representations of men. They were the destroyers. In the scripture God said, I will cause [the destroyer’s] breath to turn to fire and consume them. I saw this happening. The destroyers were running around in chaos, they would breathe fire, be consumed, and disappear. Then I saw the breath released from God’s nostrils that scattered and destroyed the rest of Israel’s enemies.

When you release the HA of My life within you [through laughter – ‘Ha-Ha-Ha’] you release ME to DEFEND you!

As I was seeing this vision and still singing, the Lord said to me, When you release the HA of My life within you [through laughter – ‘Ha-Ha-Ha’] you release ME to DEFEND you! (It was at this time that I began to remember the sermon from several years earlier about the Ha of God. I made a mental note to call my former Pastor and ask some questions regarding that sermon.) However, in that moment I knew what I was seeing in the vision was a demonstration of the principle God had just spoken to me! I instantly saw and understood that laughter does not JUST do good like a good medicine, but that it is a nuclear warhead in the arsenal of spiritual weapons! This is why when people are overcome by Holy Laughter they come away deeply changed. It isn’t just a feel-good time; it is warfare that is taking place!

God then gave caution about coarse jesting or vulgar humor -- laughing at anything that would be an abomination to God. He said, Remember, the source of the HA defines whose life is being imparted or released within you!

I think somewhere in the chronicles of Christendom someone read about not "coarse jesting⁶" and applied it to all laughter, even to the extent that joyful laughter has in the past been unwelcome within the church. God wants us to laugh and to be joyful. However, He wants it to be clean so that His life is released within our lives to war on our behalf to defend us!

God’s prescription to me: LAUGHTER. He said, Whenever possible, let your response be laughter. Don’t let your first response be offense or anger, rather let it be laughter. I immediately purchased Christian Comedy DVDs and found wholesome comedic movies, and would watch something funny everyday to make myself laugh. I also found that coupling fasting with laughter was an amazingly powerful combination.

Questions for Your Journey

What is the definition of the Hebrew guttural, Ha?

What does the HA of God mean to us as Christians?

What kinds of things does satan bring before us in the attempt to betray us and to destroy us?

Which betrayers and destroyers are the greatest challenge(s) to you personally?

In Isaiah 33:10-24 what are God’s promises regarding your spiritual destroyers/betrayers?

In Isaiah 33:10-24 what are the characteristics of God’s people?

In Isaiah 33:10-24 what are God’s promises to His people? (Make it personal to what He is saying to you through this passage.)

What does the language of the powers of spiritual darkness speak over people?

What do you think a loving heavenly Father would speak over you?

By recognizing who is speaking, you can make informed choices regarding which voice you will heed. Whose voice should you tune your ear to?

When you release the HA of God through wholesome laughter, what do you release God to do?

Why is it important for your laughter to be wholesome, and not produced by scorn, mockery, or vulgerness?

God’s prescription to the author of the book was, Whenever possible, let your response be laughter. Don’t let your first response be offense or anger, rather let it be laughter.

Based on the destroyers and betrayers that challenge you, fill in the blank with what God would speak to you: "Whenever possible, let your response be laughter. Don’t let your first response be __________, rather let it be laughter."

List some things that you can do to aid yourself in choosing laughter first:

Personal Notes & Reflections:

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Chapter 2

Songs Born from the Journey –

The Ha-Ha Song

I love to sing, I love to worship, and I’ve always considered myself an okay singer, but I would NOT be the first pick for any church’s Worship Team. I literally cannot put two musical notes together in composition unless God gives them to me. The only musical training that I have had was in chorus and music class in Jr. High and High School. So the fact that God has imparted several songs to me over the course of four years is nothing short of miraculous. AND I still can’t put two musical notes together unless God gives them to me. LOL!

Earlier, I talked about singing ha-ha-ha to the tune of The Joy of the Lord is My Strength, but the Ha-Ha Song that I’m now referring to is one that God started giving me during the year we were living in Alabama (May 2008-May 2009).

In order for you to understand the power of the revelation that God has given me, you need to have some idea as to the need that was in my life. It is not my desire for this book to be a sad-sob story, and I really don’t want to glorify the works of darkness. However, you will not be able to adequately celebrate the victory if you don’t know a little bit about the battle.

Before I go into the unpleasant details of my childhood, I do want to say that my mother did eventually make peace with God. She became a grandmother that my children loved and enjoyed very much. A few days before she passed away I saw a vision. We