I pray that you hear the same message I heard one morning as I had my prayer time. What did I really hear that morning? The Father of the Universe really does love ME. And He loves YOU, too.
Over a cup of
coffee one morning, it went something like this.........
Me: Lord, I want
to enjoy our relationship…
God: Kate, I don’t want you to just
“enjoy” Me…I want you to love Me and seek Me with your whole heart, and even when you don’t enjoy it…even when you
are entwined in other’s lives, even when you find yourself in your
own pit of despair, even when grief and pain have you in their greedy
clutches. Life is not always about your enjoyment.
I REALLY WANT YOU. I long for your tenderness and loyalty towards ME. I just
miss you and our talks.
Me: Father, I
confess that at times, I do spend my time foolishly…I have overslept, checked
emails, surfed FaceBook for status updates from my kids, washed
dishes, folded laundry, fed or watered plants and animals. Most of my
activities have had priority above my intimate time with You, AND DONE WITHOUT
A THOUGHT! And I am merely "getting on" with my day…paperwork,
deposits, groceries and chores. All I craved was another cup of coffee! That
is “first fruits?” (Please never measure me by this, Lord!)
I do realize that
my getting up EARLY to spend time with You can be ritualized and pious.
After all, aren’t all those religious “Pharisees” watching?” They recommend “follow
these rules, apply this formula, do this reading plan, spend at least 30
minutes upon awakening…sacrificing first fruits of my day to the Lord…” I
know spending intentional time with you daily is vital, but Lord, I seem to constantly fail
at this discipline.
God: Kate, I love you and accept you whether you DO
IT or NOT, whether you DO IT FIRST or LAST in your day…I just want time
with you. It’s true that I AM jealous of those other activities and the
people that you give greater attention to, but Christ in you is your right standing with
Me, not how much time or when you dwell in My
Presence…I AM always with you…I NEVER LEAVE, but I DO miss being with
you, talking to you...our communion. That’s why Jesus came and gave Himself…so
that we could truly have fellowship in the cool of the garden again. Remember? The
garden of your heart?
Me: Lord, where do
You go when a believer sins? Since You are Holy and cannot fellowship with
darkness or occupy the same place with sin, what happens to a believer who
submits to the desires of their flesh and uses illegal drugs, for example? Where are
You?
God: Kate, this sin is an act
performed by the physical body, but actually took place in a heart life
first… This beloved’s heart is more “sensitive” to the carnal things of their
soul & their emotions rather than to spiritual things. This beloved’s
mind THINKS primarily about gaining pleasure from drugs or whatever the
sinful behavior is. The emotions FEEL and remember previous euphoria
& escape experiences, and this beloved’s WILL desires to obsessively
do it again & again. The physical body is compelled and driven to respond
in addiction repeatedly. This is the battleground of spirit, soul, and body in
every person, believer and unbeliever alike, whether the sin is drugs,
sensuality, theft or lying. The root of all these sins is still doubt
and unbelief that I, GOD, can be trusted with ALL of life.
Me: Yes, but where are
You when we continue yielding to
the enemy?
God: …In the same place I was when
Jesus bore the shame of ALL mankind at Calvary. I turned My Head then, and I turn away now, too. I see the weaknesses of
EVERY sinner merely acting out of this brokenness. All the while, they
are unaware that My Remedy has already permeated, infused, and perfected
every wound with heavenly balm. This beloved believer may never have truly embraced
Me as Healer but has only
made a mental decision much like your thoughts about your “to do” list. This
believer's soul has not yet completely understood or received the full measure
of the gift I have freely given.
Kate, how do I break through your brokenness to reveal Perfection
to you? I turn My face towards you again and again. I embrace and caress you, I shout and
sometimes scream dreams to awaken you. I whisper and continually sing the
Invitation to come and dine with Me. These days, I use whatever means necessary to get your attention, even
a busy "TO DO" list. Aren’t you
hungry, Kate? Today, as every day, the menu
is the same:
“Salvation” served with generous portions of Forgiveness,
Health, Deliverance and Wholeness for EVERY area of LIFE!
I hope you like Lamb….
Me: Oh, Lord,
I am hungry and thirsty…. But You didn’t mention a Price List
for the menu…
God: I purposely left
the menu costs blank… All I ask is that you come to My table. My Word says, “I
give to the one who hungers and thirsts from the spring of the water
of Life without cost.” Rev. 21:6
Me: No cost?
God: Supping the meal with Me does
command a sacrifice…the highest anyone could give.
Me: Death?
God: Yes, Kate, you already know. It
is you who must die to your self-idols…all those indulging, unhealthy
relationships, absorbing thoughts, and self-serving activities. This kind of life requires dying
to your cravings for all those delectable “side dishes” like the
seduction of just one more bite. Dining with Me calls for starving your insatiable appetites, saying NO to the lust and
greed in your heart for more, more and still more... If you don't get anything
else from our conversation today, it is most important for you to understand
how I view these idols in your daily life. Remember, I AM the Lover of
your soul and essentially, your busyness sets up many opportunities
for committing spiritual adultery against Me. Most people misunderstand
the sin of adultery and see it only as a sexual sin committed against
marriage while I view adultery as ANYTHING that poisons our Covenant relationship. Digest
that for awhile.
We've talked about personal holiness
before. Here's the secret. The beauty of Holiness requires the beauty
of your sacrificial ashes first. I think it might qualify as "first
fruits." In spiritual reality, this sacrifice of your will to satisfy
yourself is what it truly means to “take up your cross daily and follow Him.”
I know that your daily commitments are vital, but I AM more
important than today's TO DO list. I would at least like to
see some time allotted to JESUS written on the page. I think you
would find such rest and peace there just fixing your gaze on My Name! Maybe
even prop your feet up and enjoy another cup of coffee with Me!
Me: You
really are inviting me to communion…true communion with
the Bread of Life?
God: Yes, Kate! The most basic human
needs, hunger and thirst, are satisfied only in a personal relationship
with Me through Jesus. He makes you stand aright, straight and tall
before Me. Clean, white and without a single fault, too. This is true communion and
righteousness, My righteousness that Jesus died to give you. When My Spirit convicts you of your
sin and repentance transforms your heart towards Me, I turn My face back
towards you. I see My Beloved Son saturating you with balm and binding up your
brokenness…again and again.
Me: Oh, how I
needed Your revelation today, Lord…
God: Here are a few scriptures to help
you along. Kate, look at the table…
The eyes of the Lord are toward the
righteous and His ears are open to their cry. Psalm 34:15
Are your eyes darkened in your
understanding? I want the eyes of your heart to be enlightened to the Truth that will truly set you free.
Eph 1:18
They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst anymore, neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for
the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd and shall
guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from
their eyes. Rev 7:16-17
There will no longer be death,
mourning, crying, or pain…He makes all things new…His
words are faithful and true. He who overcomes shall inherit these things…life everlasting
and joy
unspeakable from
the Lamb. Rev 21:4-7
These are My revelations for you
today, beloved….
Me: Uh, Lord, is
it ok… that I really …don’t eat …much meat….or even like…lamb?
God: Yes, Kate, I know….
(c) Copyright 2013-2016
Thanks again Kate, Mi Querida. As I suggested, here is a personal testimony that your article quickened from my days as a new "son" of our Heavenly Father.
ReplyDeleteFrom my earliest days as a follower of Jesus Christ, my faults and defects have been before me, but so has God's tolerance and patience to transform me by loving romance. God has "looks" and "postures" that any of us, ALL of us can sense even without seeing.
For example, I had a pot mouth, used foul language at the drop of a hat and I "STILL" had it after I repented and received Jesus. But every time I said a bad word I "felt" the Holy Spirit "wince" and I could imagine Him whispering, "Bill, BILL!"
Then I would pray, "I'm sorry Lord. I don't want to be like that." Then I would move on until the next time I "felt" the Holy Spirit wince and whisper. Then I would pray as before.
Afterwards, and not long afterwards, I was not using foul language, without effort, and I was curious how it happened.
One day I read 1 John 1:9, "If you confess your sin, He is faithful (consistent) and just (Legally permitted) to forgive your sin and to cleanse (eliminate) all unrighteousness (my tendency to yield to my old ways).
That explained it. I "felt" the Holy Spirit wince, and I prayed simply,
"I'm sorry Lord. I don't want to be like that!"
William Word
Corpus Christi. Texas, USA