Psalm 18:29, For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
What happens when the walls of limitation are closing in on you? There’s no door in sight. Not even a window of opportunity.
Leap.
Luke 6:23, Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven…
John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. John 3:27
Great expectations. Great. Causing me to leap!
My mother in grace…Diane, shared a teaching with me she had heard. In fact, not even the whole teaching. Just a part of it but it stirred her to investigate.
Jentezen Franklin was ministering from 2 Kings 5…the healing of Naaman the Leper. He made mention that Naaman asked permission of Elisha to carry away buckets of earth from that land, back to his.
That’s all she heard and that’s all we had to go on. At first, we didn’t even see anything about buckets of earth or mud. But then, Diane couldn’t leave it alone, so she went digging again and found it.
2 Kings 5:15-18
15Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.”
16The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
17“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. 18But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
After that, the subject didn’t come up for a while but then last night we got together and iron does sharpen iron. We looked at it again.
In those days, there were territorial gods and when one would visit the land and begin to worship the god there, they would then take the earth from that place in order to build an altar in their land, to represent the worship of the god of another land. It was to demonstrate their alliance to that god and the people. To my understanding, Naaman was making a statement much like that of Ruth, “thy people [shall be] my people, and thy God my God…”
Naaman was struck with the understanding that there was no other God than the God of Israel and he wanted to take earth to build an eternal place of worship. He said, “for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.”
Beautiful isn’t it?
Good stuff there Jentezen. Good stuff.
Even today as I was meditating on this though, I got to thinking. The God we serve is both God of heaven and earth and is establishing a kingdom here in this earth.
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Luke 11:2
This is my prayer today…
Please let me, your servant, be given as much heaven as I can carry….
In prayer some time ago, I saw a parabolic vision or picture, if you will. I say it that way because God showed me what I could relate to, to lead me to a certain passage of scripture.
In this picture there was a large bed sheet rolling down from the sky for as far as I could see. And when it opened up, it was filled with animals and the one that was most distinct to me was a pig. Book mark this because God uses this again later.
I knew immediately that God was making reference to Acts 10:1-26.
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate, And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
I have highlighted certain aspects of Acts 10 to place an emphasis on what I believe God is saying. Pastor Sharon (www.wlwc.org) did an excellent teaching on this during our study of the Book of Acts and some of this stems from what she taught.
Upon seeing the vision, the first thing that God instructed Peter was to “rise”. That word translates in the Greek to
1.) raise up from laying down (Sound familiar? sleeping or even hitting the snooze button.)
2. ) to raise up from the dead (resurrection power)
3. ) to prepare oneself (This was the prophetic word prior to Women of Valor. God spoke this to Pastor Sharon telling her to “prepare for one hundred days from now” )
http://fromsharon.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/january-19-2011/
)
The second instruction was to “kill”. This was making reference to sacrificing or slaughtering the “paschal” lamb or the passover lamb for the feast commemorating Christ’s resurrection. But this time, it wasn’t a lamb that was being served. The Lamb had already been sacrificed & served and had made all else clean and uncommon.
Lastly, He instructed Peter to “eat”; to consume everything he saw; to do away with completely.
I do believe that God is opening up visions to us in these days of things that religion has deemed unclean or common and tradition has put away for safe keeping in the church. The untouchable things are no longer out of reach and I see children being trusted with the “breakables”. It’s time to use the “fine China” everyday!
Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! If you see it running loose in Walmart, kill it! If it’s on the school bus, at the skating rink, the garage sale just up the street or at work on Monday morning, go ahead and kill it!
Pass the pork!
OK! Here’ s the bookmark. During Women of Valor, a sweet sister, who I don’t often get to talk with and whom, I might add, knew nothing of this, was praying with me and said, “I see cured ham!” She thought it was completely ridiculous and laughed but I knew what God was saying. She kept saying, “It’s cured! It’s cured! Now everyone can eat! It’s cured! Stacey, God’s giving you a cured ham!”
And here’s the thing. Pastor Sharon had just preached to us to be SALTY! What do they cure a ham with? Salt! That cured ham isn’t just for me! It was everyone who had just heard that Word! It’s for everyone who will hear because that Word is NOW!
God is so good isn’t He? He reveals the hindrance to us. It’s spelled out in bold letters above. DOUBT! He says, do not doubt! I know it seems like something we can’t help but if God says, do not, that means we have the ability to not do it! The choice is ours. You see, Peter doubted in himself!
That’s exactly where doubt originates! SELF! We must keep our eyes on God alone! On His vision! On His purposes and plans! On His will!
Belief will change our countenance! When you think on Him, you will LOOK like HIM!
The word says that when Cornelius met Peter, he fell down and worshipped him. Why? Because Peter had God’s countenance. What do you think he must have looked like? There was glory on him.
We read of this same occurrence in Revelation when John went into heaven.
Revelation 22:8-9 “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See [thou do it] not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”
The days are coming as we rise, kill and eat, that those around us will have a great desire to worship and we must follow Peter & John in their example and say, “I’m just a man like you. All of this is available to you. Worship God!”
This Christmas, my grandmother gave me a precious gift. I have been wanting for years (and she didn’t know it), a Willow Tree nativity. Lo and behold, I feel like a little kid over it!
Immediately, Father spoke to my heart and told me to put it out when I took my Christmas decorations down. And so, I did. It has found it’s place on the mantle and every day, when I sit and have time with the Lord, before the sun even comes up, I can enjoy it!
DISCLAIMER: You could be offended by what you are about to read. Just remember, God said it to me too because I needed to hear it.
PART 1
On Tuesday, first thing in the morning, my Wes accidentally knocked a globe off the hutch and it shattered. Later that day, I was taking down the decorations at church and found a glass ball from the tree with a hole punched through it, so I sat it aside to throw it away later. Later, I found it was shattered. That evening, I was sitting with a friend in her kitchen, when her daughter came along and knocked a glass on the floor. Shattered.
Prophetic.
What’s more, is when I was taking the decorations down at the church that same day, I had packed up the nativity, put it snuggly in it’s box and began carrying it to the hallway to put it away. When I got to the tile floor, the bottom of the box fell out and the insides hit the ground, foam packing and all. It made a loud sound but when I picked up the box to survey the damage, the only thing that had fallen out, was Jesus.
This year, prepare for a shattering of things. Unimportant things.
Prepare for Jesus to come out of the box.
PART 2
During prayer this morning, I had a vision. I saw houses with name plates on them and mail boxes with names. From these houses, I saw paths going out AWAY from them. I emphasize AWAY!
Paths of righteousness are set before us for His names sake! And they are taking us away from our nice little houses, in our nice little neighborhoods in our nice counties, in nice states, in a nice nation! AWAY from here! We’ve been walking on self-righteous paths, thinking this is God and this is where we are called to. God said that we will have a hundred fold in this life and in the life to come if we forsake all to follow Him and friend, that’s away from houses and lands, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, etc. AWAY!
How do we think that David ended up in the valley of the shadow of death? Do we think that the Shepherd led him to lie down in green pastures, beside still waters and then onto paths of righteousness, without taking him further into that place as well? Looks to me like that’s exactly where the path of righteousness leads!
Why do we assume that David just found himself there or stumbled into that place? Not so. The Lord led him there as well and if we will read the Word, we will know that we are led to that place also. There is a valley of the shadow of death, where people are living in darkness, who could be snuffed out at any moment! What are we afraid of? What is stopping us? Evil?
Here we are sitting in the comfort of our home fearing evil. Doing all that we can to be safe and protect what is precious to us, just trying to keep things together. But if I’m reading correctly, it’s in that place…THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH…that we will fear no evil!
Our cups are running over but it’s not just for us! Our cups run over with salvation, with grace and mercy! Our cups are wells of the precious blood of Jesus, meant for more than just “me”! When our cup runs over, there better be another cup to fill or it’s wasted!
What happened to the GREAT COMMISSION? You think your kids are picky eaters! Father God is no stranger to that! I’ll take all the blessing scriptures! I’ll gorge myself on them and fatten up. But that one? No, I don’t eat that. Go? Go where? But I’m called here.
PART 3
I had yet another impression during prayer this morning. I saw Joseph and Mary with the infant Jesus (like in the movie The Nativity), when God had given Joseph a dream and told him to take the child, his mother and go into Egypt.
Why is it that we think that once we have Jesus, it’s all easy from there? We quote from the book of Joel that in the last days, God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh and that we will dream dreams and have visions. Do we think that these dreams are of a nice white Christmas or that the visions are of sugar plums dancing in our heads? I can just hear the Mamas and Papas in the back ground singing, “Dream a little dream of me!”
This dream that God had given was to go into Egypt! God told them to go into bondage! We are not made free to live wherever we want and however we want! We are free to go back into the place of bondage, as a free man, carrying Christ into that place! God is calling us into Egypt!
OK, here goes. This is off the cuff but that’s precisely what God is saying.
The season we are entering into can’t be formulated, manipulated, or put into a routine!
You can’t plan for your performance, practice enough or rehearse it.
There are no fall backs, neat little packages or cushions.
We can compose our speech, have it word for word right there in front of us, our tidy little three points and a poem but get ready. Wear long sleeves with the cuff and keep the pen handy because this next year is going to be off the cuff!
The bomb is being dropped on our well laid plans. In fact, if you want to know the exact words I heard so clearly in my spirit this morning, our clocks are being cleaned! I know that carries a negative connotation but that’s precisely what’s happening.
There are several places that these idioms are derived from and this should maybe shed some light on what I believe God is saying. Maybe just to me and I’m good with that but it could be for you too! So here goes!
1. Off the cuff is a statement that is made concerning someone who was about to make a speech. Regardless of what was on paper, when revelation came, they would take their pen and write on the inside of their cuff and read it from there.
Like I said, get ready!
2. Clean your clock. This has several roots. The first is a boxing terminology. That if someone had been defeated, their clock had been cleaned. Another words, 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…, Ding! Ding! Ding! You’re out! Read into that what you will but I know what I heard.
The second would be that for someone’s clock to be cleaned, a blow would be dealt to the face because our faces are thought to be our clock. Hence, the “face of a clock” or vice versa. I have a feeling, our faces are being dealt with. I thought all of my faces were off. Sincerely, I did. In fact, I hated it as a kid. Someone I dearly love wore a different face so often that sometimes I didn’t even recognize them at times. I could literally sense it coming on and it was both embarrassing and heartbreaking. Embarrassing because then I felt responsible to keep the finishing touches on it for them…”Powder please!” and heartbreaking because sometimes I really wished it were true.
But, like I said, I dearly love that person. Both have to and want to. Do I want to bear the false face? NO WAY! It’s both exhausting & draining having to maintain and show everyone what we think they want to see. It’s a performance trap. It’s a bag full of tricks but really, it’s just baggage. Not just for us either. If we’re not careful, we’ll strap our kids down with it, our spouses and anyone who can see right through it! I don’t want my kids carrying that load any more than I wanted to carry it as a child and become plastic as an adult.
I’m not Barbie and my husband is not Ken. And our kids certainly aren’t Skippers. Gag.
Thirdly, to clean the clock was train terminology. When a train needed to be stopped because the gears weren’t operating properly, they would call it this. I hear the screeching of this train I’ve been riding. The wheels are a bit corroded I think.
Praying for an about-face!
Just this morning, my mother in love, Diane and I were talking about the new litter of puppies that have blessed our home. Our precious Kali Grace (Translated Beautiful Grace) and our sweet boy Chevy (My huband’s favorite vehicle manufacturer but the emblem is simply the cross. Smile.) became parents almost four weeks ago to Bentley (named by Leaha), Justice (named by Emily), Ozone (named by Wes and called Oz for short), Lily (I named her) and last but not least (Flint, named by me as well.)
I was talking to Diane about Flint in particular and she asked me how he got his name. To tell the truth, God and I had talked about names for quite a while. When I named Kali, it was for a specific reason. I named her because I wanted a revelation of Grace and Pastor Sharon had stated that the next time she had a dog, she was going to name him or her, depending on what she wanted to come to her. Her dog, consequently, is named Harvest. Smiling.
At any rate, I followed suite and have definately gotten exactly what I asked for. These past two years have been amazing in how God has delivered me from the bondage of the law and revealed His loving grace to me. I simply adore Him. Words are not even enough to convey it.
I guess I’m still believing for a Chevy. Hmmmm….. But the cross is always before me. Praise Jesus.
But when these puppies were about to come on the scene, I knew in my heart that one of them needed to be named according to a call that God has placed on not only my life but both John’s and mine. This is something far greater than I ever imagined. It’s a call on our family. And I know it’s going to take a will that is unmoved by opinion, circumstance, etc. Where there is a “will”, there is a way.
I wanted to name the puppy Will but because my husband has a friend named Will, I thought that might seem a bit funny. And really, what I was going to call him, “Willy”? Really?
And then it came to me. Isaiah 50:7, “For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.”
And then there was Flint.
Back to the discussion between my momma and I. I was telling her that we have deemed him the mushy puppy. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but have you ever held a baby that just felt ooohy, gooey squishy good? Like soft and mellow? Gushy love? (All babies are gushy love, I know but…) That is what he is like. Even Emily described him like that in one of her little sweet videos that she made on her camera telling about all of the puppies and their personalities. She said he is the mushy pup.
Last night as I was holding him, he was giving me that “Ain’t I the squishiest ever” look when he turned over and yeilded his pudgy puppy belly to my rubbing hand. I couldn’t look at him. That moment was almost spiritual. I know. Spiritual? Well, it was. Because I realized that to have our face set like a flint is not a struggle but a rest. I can rest in the hands of a loving God and allow him to handle me and my life. He will handle all that He has said would come. All we need to do is yeild to Him, with our faces set. And boy does it feel good!
You know I can’t let it at that right? I had to search this flint thing out.
Isaiah 50:7 is fulfilled in Luke 9:51-56. Jesus had his face set like a flint.
” Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another’s village.
I love this! Jesus knew His mission and regardless of whether someone received Him or not, he was not swayed. He was simply going. And the thing is, it was necessary to go through Samaria, just not that particular village. The word says they did not receive Him because His face was set for the journey.
Could it be that this rejection was intended by God? Perhaps to raise some questions and to challenge the journey? It could be that it was the ignorance of that particular village that caused them to miss the blessing that would have come because they opened to His journey but we’ll never know. All I know is that the attitude of Jesus is one that should be followed here. We cannot curse because it looks like a rejection of God or his plans. There are villages that won’t have a part in our journey. But there are connections.
John 4:4-26
4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar (Meaning druken or intoxicating drink. Wine?), near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, “I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
This journey of Jesus included a woman at a well. It included a place of strong and intoxicating drink, where the senses of that woman would be filled to drunken-ness with the understanding that Jesus was the only drink she needed. He asked her to give to Him and she received far greater a reward.
Looking forward to the journey. It’s going to take a village.
Genesis 11:1-8
1 And the whole earth was of one language,and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
This is an excerpt from my personal prayer journal this morning, after reading this passage:
Father, Guard my heart today and guard the church, that we don’t waste this precious time ”making a name” for ourselves and not You. Your plan is for unity and so much can be accomplished if we will just come together. Lord, I desire the unity, that in Your name alone, (not our own) that nothing will be impossible that we have imagined to do.
You have created us to be one with You. Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is impossible to those who will believe. I declare, With God! With God! With God! We are with God! I am with you God! Remove the ”let us make a name” from our speech! Remove it from mine, Father.
I see this as the condition of the church today. We are building cities and towers, making a name for it and ourselves. Denominations. Help us. We think our tower reaches right into heaven. That it’s the only access. Yet, Lord, you had to come down to see it. How often do we bring you down to see this thing ”we” are doing? How often do I build something that I believe is reaching heavenward, yet, you are brought to my level? Forgive me.
Lord, if I am speaking of things and making plans that are not Yours, send the confusion. I invite You because I don’t want to build in vain!
It’s time again for the scattering abroad and the confusing of the plans of man. Begin with mine, Lord.
It’s time for the church to get out from these places and to go into all the earth! Leave off from building your denomination, cities for yourself and a name for yourself. Leave off from building your reputation and go and build His!
This is a very intimate post for me. It speaks of my process but it is also a look into the state of the church now as well. I had shared this with a body of believers when invited recently and truly was not going to post it, as I believe it is a chapter from my book but after reading the last two posts on www.definingwords.wordpress.com, I think it is necessary. So, heads up! You may read it twice, both here and on paper later!
The Lover and His Bride
Song of Solomon is a beautiful picture of how the Lord courts us and of His desire for us and of what our desire should be. I’ve been spending much time there, simply for me and Him.
I am my Beloved’s and He is mine. If my life has a message, I want it to be that.
I want to ravish His heart. I want Him to always see my eyes looking to Him alone.
Read the 5th chapter with me.
I sleep, but my heart is awake;
It is the voice of my beloved!
He knocks, saying,
“Open for me, my sister, my love,
My dove, my perfect one;
For my head is covered with dew,
My locks with the drops of the night.”
3I have taken off my robe;
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet;
How can I defile them?
4My beloved put his hand
By the latch of the door,
And my heart yearned for him.
5I arose to open for my beloved,
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
My fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.
6I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My heart leaped up when he spoke.
I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7The watchmen who went about the city found me.
They struck me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls
Took my veil away from me.
8I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
That you tell him I am lovesick!
(The Daughters of Jerusalem)
9 What is your beloved
More than another beloved,
O fairest among women?
What is your beloved
More than another beloved,
That you so charge us?
This is both my dilemma and my delight…because I have finally been diagnosed. I am love sick. The original KJV says, I am sick with love.
Crazy to say that isn’t it? To use the words dilemma and delight in the same sentence but there’s no other way to state it! It holds a two fold meaning.
The love that this passage speaks of is
1. Human love for human object
2. Man toward man
3. Of man toward himself
Let that just settle in for a minute.
That’s my dilemma. There are human objects that I have loved more than God. I’ve been loving others more than I have been loving Him. And I have been loving myself.
I’m sick of it!
But this is my delight! That I know it! To be sick is to be weak, diseased, emotionally grieved, and thankfully sorry.
Note here that she said, “Tell Him! Tell Him that I know and that I’m sorry!”
And the response that came from this was…
What is your beloved more than another beloved?
What is your beloved more than another beloved?
What were the daughters of Zion saying to her?
What is He, more than all of the things I can acquire? More than a better house, a better car, more stuff, stuff, stuff?
What is He, more than my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children, my friends?
What is He, more than me?
This reminds me of Matthew 22:37-39
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
God brings a very clear distinction here. He didn’t say to love our neighbors as we love Him. There is a love reserved for only Him! This is the make up of that love: with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind! We are not to love ourselves that way or anyone else! Yet we do.
Look with me at Matthew 25: 1-:13
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Again, there are five wise and five foolish, we understand that. Obviously, there was something that brought a distinction. What was it because according to what I read, they were all virgins, right?
When you think of a virgin, what comes to mind?
1. Generally, a virgin can be a man or a woman.
2. A virgin is someone who has kept themselves for their spouse only.
And… they all had lamps. All of them.
What do those lamps represent?
To me, the lamps represent:
1. Their lives.
2. Their ministries.
3. Their callings.
4. The law.
5. Everything outward.
You see, they were virgins. They were keeping themselves.
They believe in Jesus.
They were living right.
They had their ministry.
They were called by God.
No one could say that they weren’t a Christian!
They didn’t have any other God’s before them. (or atleast none that anyone else could recognize.)
They never killed anyone.
They never committed adultery.
They never lied, cheated anyone or wanted what wasn’t theirs.
They even keep their confession right!
They go to church on Sunday.
They pay their tithe.
They give to the poor, feed the hungry, a cloth the naked.
What was it they were lacking?
They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
I have read this a million times and always thought, that the lamps themselves were empty. But the Word doesn’t say that. It says the vessel was empty.
We are the vessel. The ones who were wise are full of oil.
You see, each of us are called to carry a lamp and throughout our lives, we can do everything right, say everything right and carry that lamp but let me just say, the lamp, in the end, the lamp will have meant nothing without the oil.
When the Lord comes, when I finally see Him face to face, all of this will fade.
Even after “keeping myself”….the door could very well be shut to me.
How easily we can be fooled. And we’re not alone in this.
Luke 13:23-28 says, “ 23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”
And Matthew 7:22 tells us even another scenario…Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
I don’t know about you but this is startling.
They knew His presence! They ate and drank in it! He taught in their streets!
This tells me that we can come to church and feel His presence and not know Him. Our Pastor brings the Word, we attend revival services, tune into He’s Alive Radio, watch God TV, eat and drink it all and still not have the oil.
What’s worse is we can prophesy, cast out devils and even do wonderful works… witness, heal the sick, you name it and still no oil. God will always honor the name of Jesus.
So, what is it? What is this oil?
Each of these passages we have read, if you will notice carry a common thread.
They all will say “Lord, Lord”.
It startled me to find that the word Lord in this passage in the Greek is and it means Sir or Mr.
We see here, that by calling Him Lord, Lord, they were calling Him Mr. Lord. Mr. Jesus.
They new His name but they had no idea who He was.
They lacked the oil. They had forsaken the grace that He had given them to know Him. They had full access to Jesus himself but settled for being in His presence, rather than being a vessel filled with it!
They settled for prophesying, casting out devils and wonderful works…over Wonderful Himself!
Jesus warns us to enter through the straight gate. That word straight means narrow.
That means, nothing is going to fit through that door with you! Your pastor can’t get you in! Your mother can’t get you in! You can’t take your trophies! You can’t take your accomplishments! You can’t take a single compliment!
All He wants is you and it has to be alone. You with Him alone. Before you get dressed.
Revelation 19:5-8
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
I love that! We are granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright….to do all the acts…the wonderful works, after we have made ourselves ready! After we have spent time with the Lord.
Did you know that the Holy Spirit is our engagement ring that enables us to have that intimacy and to fellowship with Him? He is what the Lord has given us, to empower us to get dressed? A woman doesn’t put on a wedding dress without having first been given an engagement ring.
Ephesians 1:14 tells us that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance. In the footnotes of my bible, I read that the Greek word for guarantee can also be used to indicate an engagement ring.
It’s time to let Him shine! It’s time to wear Him for all the world to see! When a woman becomes engaged, the first thing that people want to see is the ring.
And believe me, when the world finds out who you are getting married to, they are going to want to see His power! It’s time to show off the ring! We have been endued with power from on high!
Thank God for this passage today. Thank God.
It has been declared time and again that the struggle is over! And I say, “Yes, Lord, let it be so.” and then…I find myself struggling. Why?
As I was searching God for definition on this, this is where He so lovingly led me.
Genesis 25:21-24
Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
And the LORD said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”
So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.
Have you ever found yourself asking this question? If all is well, then why am I like this?
Father has been speaking some new things to me recently. Actually, not so new, just surprising I guess. Things that I thought were my “idea” and had abandoned years ago. I dropped it…so to speak. Not knowing to nurture it and care for it, I dropped it and left it. But God is calling Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9) to His table now. To my table.
And because of where I find myself today, doing what I know God has called me to do and in the place where I know He has called me to be…there is a struggle in my womb.
How can this be? How can the two things that He has placed within me be at the same time? How can I give myself to both of these when they seem in my mind, to strive with one another? It doesn’t seem possible. It doesn’t make sense. There’s no way I can do it myself.
That’s His plan.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 “I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.”
It doesn’t matter how fast you are, how strong, smart, intuitive, or well able; nor will it make a difference how many victories, triumphs, trophies, successes, or even compliments we receive, we all face time or better said, eternity. And an eternity without Jesus, regardless of how “well” we consider that we did in life, is going to be hell. What is any of it worthy otherwise? All of those things will pas away if the don’t come as a result of knowing and loving Him and living to serve Him.
I think it’s sad to hear a testimony of someone who has lived through cancer, believing that their determination and medicine sustained them. This is detrimental thinking and it leads to a falsely security that if we can just defeat an illness, we have somehow defeated death. We can’t evade it! There is a exit sign in all of our futures, over a door that opens only to eternity. It’s appointed to us all.
But here’s the thing. Not only are we reminded that time overtakes us but there’s this thing called chance. When I read that word, immediately I want to assume that it means situational, circumstance or happenstance. But not so. When you study this out in the Hebrew, the root work is paga, to make intercession and it overtakes us! That is extremely good news!
The opportunity to pray about the race and declare who wins; to pray about the battle and prophecy the victory; to pray and with our words, create our sustenance; to pray for wealth and determine what we have and what we won’t; and to pray for favor, claiming what’s rightfully ours through the blood of Jesus…it’s afforded to all of us! No one person has an advantage over another. Not in God’s kingdom! Swift or slow, strong or weak, smart or unlearned, discerning or simple, favored or disregarded…all of us have the same opportunity if we will just pray.
