By Mary Lindow
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Showing posts with label Spirituality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spirituality. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
"Attracting the Eye Of God" – Part 1
God's eyes are searching to and fro over the earth looking for a heart that is fully His (2 Chronicles 16:9). What caught His eye when He came to Deborah? Was it the uncompromising fire of holiness, an unwavering faith or an unrelenting love that set her apart? Was it something about the integrity of her character, the depth and integrity of her wisdom and the richness of her kindness which produced confidence in both men and women?
The Lord is so jealous for each one of us to love Him and know Him. When we start to move away from Him, He allows evil kings to oppress us. The Word tells us that God is the one who appoints evil kings and magistrates, but He also raises up the godly judges and kings! Deborah was the fourth judge and for the first 20 years of her 40-year reign, the nation was oppressed by one of history's most powerful and cruel Canaanite Kings, Jabin, and his sneaky military commander, Sisera. (Judges 4:1-4)
DEBORAH CAPTURED THE HEART OF GOD
What is amazing is that the Lord raised up a woman to deliver a nation! What is especially surprising is that it happened in the Middle East thousands of years ago! Deborah was not only a wife, mother, intercessor and prophetess but also a judge and a national deliverer. That’s not a bad resume for a middle-aged woman living in that oppressive Middle Eastern culture.
Against great odds, God used her powerfully. Deborah broke outside of her culture but she wasn't in rebellion, she was in obedience -- to her God. She was used radically and set her people free, and the people loved her. It's a wonderful story of faith in God, and it champions men and women partnering together in a war to save their nation from great oppression.
When we read about this revolutionary prophetess and judge, it expands our religious studies of women being allowed to lead governmentally. But I really feel that God is raising up a troupe of end-time Deborah's. There is great global shaking that has only just begun, and the Lord is calling not only the men, but also the women of God! The Lord is saying,
“Wake up, Deborah, be a part of the army of the Lord.”
There are two root words for consecrate in Hebrew: naver (separating from) and kadesh (separating unto). Deborah, like the other defenders of the faith, was separated from the world and unto God. She did nothing on her own but spoke just what the Father taught her. This is where the true victory lies, in listening to Him.
DEBORAH'S WORK HISTORY
We tend to think of multi-tasking as a 21st century sensation, but Deborah was functioning in five major roles.
Intercessor
Many scholars believe that one of Deborah's roles before becoming judge was being a lamp lighter in the temple. In the Bible, oil is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Deborah was married to Lapidoth, whose name means, shine, lamp, flame, burning lamp, lightening, torch. Isn't it interesting? He, too, was a lamp that had oil!
Deborah was a keeper of the oil and light, carefully tending the lamps. This shows us that she was a woman who was passionately spending long hours dwelling in the temple. She was a woman of prayer and of worship. She lived between two villages, Ramah and Bethel, in Ephramin, which means the valley of fruitfulness. Biblical names often have profound prophetic meanings. The ancient village of Ramah was known to be the seat of high adultery. Bethel was known as the house of the Lord with open heavens, where Jacob had his ladder experience in Genesis 28. She stood in the gap interceding between the seat of high idolatry and pagan worship and the house of Bethel with its open heavens.
Now the picture becomes a little clearer as“ Deborah was raised up by God to intercede against idolatry (Ramah). She wanted to turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to the house of God (Bethel) to inherit a double portion of fruit (Ephraim).
Deborah's relationship with the Lord was very precious and intimate. I believe that in those twenty years of captivity, Deborah stood in the gap and interceded to change the course of Israel. God promised Abraham, in Genesis 18, that He would save a nation for the sake of ten righteous men. I believe that the righteous prayers of Deborah availed much!
She worshipped and had a deep intercessory life with God. She would go into the temple and fill the lamps with oil and ask God for revelation for people around her in great darkness. She was prepared in this secret place as she stood in the gap in desperate intercession for her people and her nation. She would hear from God and would bring down great wisdom and counsel. She spent long hours in the temple. This dedication moved the very heart of God and changed the very heart of Deborah. He led, she followed.
She led, Israel followed.
Oftentimes we have the misunderstanding that worship is merely the thirty-minute time slot before the sermon when we sing songs of devotion to God. This is part of worship. But doing small things with great love unto Him is living a life of worship. Deborah was a worshipper who loved the oil of the lamps, the Holy Spirit.
We need to be like Deborah, a people of prayer. Sincere and passionate prayer is the key to unlock our relationship with Almighty God. Many struggle with praying because they feel that their intercession is not much more than empty cries to an invisible God who seems so distant. We think that our prayers bounce off the ceiling and back to us unheard and unanswered. But beloved, God loves conversing with you! He promises that He will hear you and answer! It takes only a few seconds of a face-to-face encounter with God to change the course of human history for you, your city, or your nation.
In fact, connecting with God is the highest purpose for which you were created! This is eternal life to know Me! (John 17:3) Our hunger for God is what fuels our prayer life. When His presence is our passion and our hunger is for His heart, we can approach the throne of God boldly with the confidence that our Papa loves our prayers, but having this first love is so important.
For Deborah, intercession was an exchange of ideas in which God began to download strategic battle plans, blue prints from heaven, and keys to open doors that no man can shut and shut doors that no man can open. Isa. 22:22
How else could she have so wisely judged so many civil cases with the Israelites?
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that
complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank you. Copyright © 2011 "
THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
Sunday, November 21, 2010
"Walking in the Way of the Widow"
By Mary Lindow
“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me,
Then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”
~C T Studd
“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me,
Then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”
~C T Studd
She was a woman. She was poor.
These are two facts anyone could tell that day in the Court of the Women in the Temple in Jerusalem
She was also a widow who was down to her last two coins. These are facts that Jesus also knew about her.
She was a woman of great faith. She became a living sermon. She remains a picture of faith as she put her whole trust in God, not holding anything back.
This unnamed woman is known now by her marital status and her coins rather than her name, for the story is “The Widow’s Mite” and she is “The Widow.” Yet we should be careful to note that it is the story of “The Widow’s Mites” as the woman had two small coins. Each of her coins were worth one four-hundredth of a shekel or what we might think of as an eighth of a penny each. Too small to bear a stamped imprint, they were the grimiest of coins in the empire of Rome.
Mark sets the scene for us in Mark 12:38-44
JESUS HAD BEEN TEACHING IN THE TEMPLE COURTS.
On his way out, he pauses over and against the coffers to watch as offerings are made. Each person would walk up to one of the thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles, which were lined along the wall of the Court of the Women. As they tossed in their offering, the person was expected to say out loud the amount and purpose of the gift in order to be heard by the priest taking collections.
It would have been a remarkable sight to see people in fine clothes tossing in large sums, calling out to all how much they gave. And in such a group, who would even notice the widow tossing the two smallest coins in the empire into the offering? Yet, in a move that is so very like him, Jesus notices and calls attention to this act of faith.
Jesus calls his disciples together and says,
“Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are giving to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Jesus knows that these are not any two coins, but the woman’s last two coins. The text says, “All she had to live on,” but in the Greek translation the meaning is even more moving and meaningful. What is really said is that she put in her “bios.” It’s the word from which we get “biology,” the study of life. For Jesus tells us that the widow put her “life” into the temple treasury that day.
THE WIDOW WASN’T DEPENDENT ON HER MONEY OR HER STATUS IN LIFE;
she had none of these. She was dependent on God and her neighbor for everything. She didn’t have two feet to stand on; she didn’t have bootstraps to pull up. She was totally dependent -- and that’s what Jesus pulls out of her story like a pearl of great price. This is what we are to be like before God -- dependent on nothing but the grace of God. We are to be people without any resources except the riches of God’s mercy.
THE ISSUE IS NOT HOW MUCH WE HAVE IN THE BANK,
but what that money is for us and to us. Is it our heart, our security our source of power, or is it a tool? Are we dependent on our money to give us all we want and need from life, or are we dependent on God to make us flourish? “If you follow me”, Jesus teaches, “You will walk in the way of the widow.” Live lives that show in everything you do and say that you are dependent on God for all you have and all you are.
As free people we’ve been taught to celebrate our independence, but Jesus teaches us to celebrate our great dependence on God alone. If independence is a sign of strength and success, how can we possibly rejoice in dependence?
Our culture counsels us to become like the honored scribes, but Jesus instructs us to become like the dishonored widow. We are to model our lives on one we would normally overlook. Not by being too busy admiring the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
IT WOULD BE NICE IF MARK FILLED IN MORE DETAILS FOR US.
Was Jesus’ arm around the woman as he said, “This poor widow has put in more …” or was the woman blending back into the crowd, never to be seen again? Or perhaps Jesus asked his own keeper of the purse, Judas Iscariot, to give something to this woman so that she would not go hungry that evening. Or better still, did the widow come to be a Christ follower? Did she join with the other women who journeyed with Jesus from Galilee to the cross and beyond?
THE GOSPEL NEVER ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS.
The nameless widow who gave two small coins fades into the background. We may want to know her name in order to name churches, schools, and organizations in her honor. We may want to give her a place of honor in Jesus’ stories alongside disciples whose names we know, though their trust in God wasn’t always so exemplary.
But perhaps namelessness is appropriate for this living parable. And maybe it is best, too, that we don’t find out how her story ends. The nameless woman whose ultimate outcome we never know is perhaps an even better picture of trust, for her story was a precarious one. She went to the temple that day not knowing if she would ever have two little coins to call her own again. It could have been her path to a life of begging or even a place on the road to starvation.
BUT IN FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE,
the widow reached out to God. She trusted that if she gave everything she had to God, even the little she gave would be honored. And whether she was repaid generously by Jesus himself, or God cared for her in some other way, we, too, have to trust. We trust that the widow’s story turned out all right. We trust that whether she lived or died, she was God’s.
By her example, Jesus shows that what we withhold may matter more than what we offer. The widow was a woman of great faith, who held nothing back. She knew what Jesus’ disciples were just learning: we are to share; knowing that everything we have is God’s already. We can’t give God anything. But we can offer our very selves to the Kingdom of God, holding nothing back.
I KNOW THAT PERSONALLY IN MY LIFE TIMES HAVE BEEN TRYING,
and supplies for living and provisions for simple pleasures have become leaner. The ability to go to the nations and cities that I have been to in past years to tell of Christ’s goodness, and to care for those whom he sent me too has suffered a great cutting back, as others who could once assist in sending me, have also met with leaner times. I have recently worked three quarter time job positions to help financial obligations. I find it amazing just how many well intentioned folks find reasons or theories that seem to comment on why God is "allowing me" to encounter some of these adjustments. Truly, it is best to remain silent and not engage in too much dialog with those who lack the basics of discernment and empathetic graces!
YET, MY LOVE OF GIVING AND SHARING HAS NOT DIMINISHED.
It in fact, has increased. I am finding creative and sometimes extreme sacrificial ways to bless others and to care for others whom I love and desire to bring help and a modicum of comfort to.
HAVING TO “GO WITHOUT” IS NOT A MODERN DAY POPULAR THEME
to many, and is often viewed as repulsive to those who seem to have plenty. Sadly, also found among some groups of self-gratifying and critical believers, there is a cynicism that breaks the heart of God when they voice their “concern” when others who are Christians as well may be losing jobs, homes, and other sustainable things.
Their condescending snarls and “tisk tisking” posturings sicken and shatter the hearts of those who are in agony and loss. I am absolutely certain that God is not only horrified that one of his children would rise up as judge and commentator regarding another child of God in this type of struggle, but in fact, am sure that God Himself probably has brought those who are in such sorrow, across the paths of those who need to be broken and delivered from their carnal deceit and passivity to help free another from the chains of anxiety and grief.
IF YOU GIVE, DO IT PURELY.
Not to get, not to demand multiplication, not to posture, not to be known and certainly not to be thanked! For all of these are repulsive in the eyes of God.
When you give, let it go freely to those whom God has shown you, those whom HE is directing you to. And…. LEAVE it in His hands to manage.
JESUS SHOWS US THAT OUR DEPENDENCE ON GOD LEADS TO JOY,
and thanksgiving. If God is running the universe and ruling my life, I no longer have to save myself, prove myself or justify myself. I’m the work of God’s hands. I rest and work in those hands and I shall die in those hands. To be free of those hands would be death to me, because in them is life abundant.
She was a woman.
She was poor.
She was a widow down to her last two coins.
She was a child of God who placed her whole life back in her loving creator’s hands.
Can you and I do the same?
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included. Thank you.
Copyright © 2010 " THE MESSENGER " ˜ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
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Monday, August 16, 2010
“DO YOU LONG FOR THE REST OF GOD?”
By Mary Lindow
“ All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.”
Psalm 38:9
I HAVE A DEEP STIRRING IN MY SPIRIT FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT AS I WRITE THIS MESSAGE.
The Lord is revealing a sound in the earth coming from the hearts and deep cries of so many of His people right now.
Perhaps it might even be your as you read. There is a cry of hunger for His sure, safe, presence in difficult times and in
changing times.
A NEED FOR DEEP REST
The world and it's voices of influence, humanistic subtleties, and constant technology and it's sounds, bring about an
overload of weariness to all people, and there is a greater need for a place of rest for the warriors of truth who are very
aware of the pressures that have not stopped mounting for many years now.
DO YOU CRAVE THE SECRET REST OF GOD?
That intimate “you and Him” time? Not just the basic devotional readings or corporate worship and prayer gatherings. I
mean that “place” or room or location to go where you can wrestle, cry, wait, and listen. To rest in the arms of Peace.
IT IS A GOOD THING TO CRAVE THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD!
Look at what the word craving means!
CRAVING
1: to ask for earnestly
2 a: to want greatly
2b: to yearn
3: an intense, urgent, or peculiar desire or longing
THESAURUS DEFINITIONS
Passion
Yearning
Desire
Appetite
Hunger
Hankering
Thirst
Longing
THERE IS MUCH TREACHERY OCCURRING IN THE EVIL PLANS OF DARKNESS
AND THE PEOPLE HELD CAPTIVE BY IT THESE DAYS.
It can bring a real sense of despair, broken heartedness and shock when you encounter this type of thing and when it
attempts to destroy your hope and confidence in what the Lord Jesus has set you apart for to express in His Power and in
His name.
DELAYS DELAYS DELAYS!
I don't know fully why it seems as if good people who are sincere and pure hearted seem to go through so much
persecution and repeated difficulty.
"My soul faints with longing for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word."
Psalm 119:81
COURAGE FROM THE ONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT YOUR LONGING
"LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them."
Psalm 10:17
What is this verse saying to you and I right now?
It is saying that the Lord HIMSELF will encourage us!
That is why we must continue to fight for that place of Divine “sanctuary!”
That “get away from it all” place of craving and longing for His comfort. He knows our hurt, our loneliness, our scorched
and heart torn issues! He understands how agonizing and bled out we can get when it seems as if battle after battle we
begin to wonder if something might be wrong with us!
“Hope delayed makes the heart sick,
but when dreams come true,
there is life and joy.”
Proverbs 13:12 (NAT)
NOTHING CAN SATISFY DRY LIPS LIKE WATER!
We are in a time where no persons opinions, no one’s books no one’s podcasts are going to satisfy that craving, that need
for a thirst quenching drink of companionship with God.
We long to hear words from someone that tell us everything is going to be all right! That our children will be safe, our
homes protected, our basic needs provided! And yet! Nothing “out there” satisfies us fully!
You see Dear Beloved one…
THIS IS THE SEASON OF GREAT HUNGER FOR A SIMPLE WALK WITH YOUR SAVIOR.
Only time spent with him like a dear dear friend will fill the gaping ache you have.
He will speak, He will comfort, and He will show you what is true and what is false in the days ahead if you will return to
that Place of companionship with Him. Away from the opinions of men and the noise of this life.
“Every word you give me is a miracle word-
how could I help but obey?
Break open your words, let the light shine out,
let ordinary people see the meaning.
Mouth open and panting,
I wanted your commands more than anything.
Turn my way, look kindly on me,
as you always do to those who personally love you.”
Psalm 119:129-131 (The Message)
"A WORD OF PROPHECY"
“ Order you days first in My Presence, and watch the desires of your heart be fulfilled. Man and his council will always fall
short of the full truth of My Wisdom. I have blueprints and a Master plan for so many things yet to build upon in your life.
Come. Let us walk again together.
You are the temple, the house of my Holy Spirit. I desire to build you up in spiritual strength as you walk in prayer and
conversations WITH Me, not TO Me!
I will fulfill your longing for peace and direction as you step up again into a heavenly trust and rest.
People will change, man will fail you, friends will turn hard and cold if they are not seeking My Voice above the clamor of
the day. And you My child will fail others, if you listen to your own voice of reason and intelligence. As you turn to Me, you
will see My compassion poured out upon you and you will then have My power of pure godly compassion and grace to
pour out on others. You will see the anguish that they are enduring through my eyes, not through your own perceptions or
lack of merciful compassion.
Shake yourself! Waken you soul with the truth! Shake off presumption and the reasonings from your soul that justify your
lack of empathy and hardened heart. If you show mercy, I will see, and in your time if need for surley it will come to all,
Mercy will be shown to you.
I too, long for you as well! Seek Me - with all of your heart, your longings, your heartaches, your dreams, and I will be
there with arms of strength to rescue you from despair.”
“You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13
“The LORD is good to those, whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him.”
Lamentations 3:25
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is welcomed provided that complete source and website information for
Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You
Copyright © 2010 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
WHAT IS ON THE SPIRITUAL HORIZON?
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MARY LINDOW
While attending a gathering of believers who were hungry for a
deeper understanding of truly walking in the Lord’s presence, I
was shown a vision from the Lord while a teacher by the name of
Peter Stott from the United Kingdom was speaking in the main
session.
THE LORD SHOWED ME IN A SPIRITUAL SENSE,
A VISION …
…of the time that Elijah was hiding out under the juniper tree.
He was afraid, exhausted, and was really having a rough
conversation with God!
He had killed a bunch of false prophets with the sword, he had
commanded the rain to not fall for three years, and now, he was in
trouble with Jezebel who was coming to kill him! He was letting
God know that he had been a really good guy and had preached
and taught and obeyed God all this time, and now his life was
being threatened! He decided to tell God to just let him die. He
told God that he wasn't any better than the father's in the faith that
had gone on before him. (1 Kings 19:3-4)
THE LORD BEGAN TO SPEAK TO ME ABOUT THE WAY
ELIJAH RAN FROM RESPONSIBILITY…
…and even left his faithful friend and servant behind
to possibly suffer torture or even be killed! (I kings 19:3) This
servant had been sent before all of the depressed and angry actions
of Elijah took place, to go and look towards the sea one and seven
times. Eight times. On the seventh series of running and looking,
the servant saw a small cloud about the size of a man's hand.
Seven (7) biblically indicates the perfection of god. Eight (8)
indicates new beginnings. God truly perfected the promise of no
rain until the three years had been completed. And Elijah was
beginning a new prophetic season in the near future. One where he
would pass on his ministry to another to finish.
THIS IS WHERE THE LORD BEGAN TO GIVE ME
INSIGHT ABOUT THIS.
He impressed me with the words, "a cloud the size of a man's hand
was coming up from the sea." I asked the Lord, "what does this
mean for this season?" He impressed me with the thought that the
cloud although it appeared small, was moving towards dry land
with a purpose. The purpose of bringing a great rainstorm.
THERE WAS A MUCH-NEEDED BREAKTHROUGH FOR
REFRESHING AND REVIVAL TO COME TO A PARCHED
PEOPLE AND A DRY LAND.
And… a change was needed in the heart of God’s man.
THE HAND CONSISTS OF FIVE FINGERS.
The Lord spoke clearly about this. He said that, "although it looks
as if unity and mutual honor in the body of Christ and among
those in it who move in five fold ministry gifts, seems a long and
far way off, I will pull them together in the midst of a time when
evil spirits have taken hold of the hearts of God's people with fear,
passivity, and intentional disobedience, and will cause a great
storm to arise."
THIS WILL STIR UP A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
ANGER AND SELF-JUSTIFICATION AMONG THOSE
WHO HAVE BEEN POISONED BY SELF INDULGENCE
AND APATHY TOWARDS THE VOICE OF GOD!
Just like Jezebel was enraged. But, as the church grows closer and
closer to the promised season of harvest, God will not relent until
his people see him act with such strength that they will be
repentant and be delivered from their hardened and selfish hearts.
ELIJAH HAD AN ISSUE WITH HIDING
AND PROCRASTINATING.
This took place earlier than when the 1 Kings chapter 19:3-10
events took place! He hid by the brook Cherith and was fed by
angels and ravens after declaring that no rain would fall!
And...When that word came to pass...the previous provision of
God at the brook stopped being delivered and the brook dried up
due to a terrible famine and drought. Again. Elijah ends up in yet
another setting where there was little food and other people were
despairing of life. Yet...the Lord again provides sustenance and
fresh oil in a dry and parched setting.
Even though this glorious time of refreshing occurred and he
provisions for sustenance were miraculous...
…Elijah was again challenged and affronted by the woman whom
he had ministered to! Her son after a season had become ill and
died.
In Kings 17: 18 She said to Elijah, "what do you have against me,
man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my
son?"
ELIJAH WAS JUST GETTING IT FROM EVERYBODY
ON ALL SIDES!
He could never have a moments rest from all of the needs,
demands and cries of the people! He took the boy up to his room
and prayed to god, and the boy was raised up form the dead. A
most amazing miracle!
BUT MIRACLES DO NOT MAKE THE MAN
(OR WOMAN) OF GOD!
THE WILDERNESS DOES!
Basically, Elijah was holding God responsible for his situation and
had spent lot of time brooding and worrying over all of those
people who had been mean to him and didn't appreciate his hard
work! Elijah was also afraid that God would not protect him and
ultimately silence those that pursued him with threats and evil
intentions!
The Hebrew word for this juniper tree or bush that Elijah was
resting under is “rothem.” This was a shrub found everywhere in
southern Palestine. It had long slender branches with small leaves
and provided very poor shade or protection from the sun. And so it
goes with our man-made solutions from which we seek shelter,
refuge or solutions to our pain.
OUT OF EXHAUSTION, ELIJAH FELL ASLEEP.
God has ordained sleep and rest as necessary for our survival and
ability to function, so the Lord allowed a time of sleep before He
brought on the next phase of his provision for Elijah.
HOW AMAZING!
GOD REMEMBERS THAT WE ARE FRAIL.
He knows our make up and that we are but dust. He is fully aware
that we have material bodies that must be cared for, often, before
the spiritual part can function
(Ps. 103:14)
As a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
For he knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust.
BEFORE WE EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM OURSELVES…
…OR FROM OTHERS,
whom we are seeking to encourage with the word, let’s remember
this principle of the need FOR rest, and that sometimes the
physical needs to be cared for before spiritual events can occur.
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that
complete source and website information for Mary Lindow is
included.
Thank You
Copyright © 2010 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerroom
Saturday, June 6, 2009
“WHEN ONLY GOD IS LOOKING- DO WHAT IS RIGHT”
by Mary Lindow
Are you in a place where you risk laying down what might cost you your past history and which will create a new and fresh beginning in the walk of the
saint on earth?
ARE YOU LONGING FOR REFRESHING FROM THE HEART OF GOD THE FATHER?
Sadly, many choose to return to the safe place of familiarity and control
to gain perspective, and lose the joy set before them.
THE FATHER IS WATCHING THOSE WHO ARE NOT CREATING AGENDAS
AND PROGRAMS TO ATTEMPT TO HAVE AN "EDGE" DURING THIS LONG
SEASON OF TRANSITION FROM SOWING TO HARVESTING.
He is allowing the breaking and "coming to the end of ones' self" to
continue. Few have stepped over the line into the abandonment He desires
from those who claim that their lives are for His use.
IN THIS CRUCIAL HOUR
Yes… Right now even as you read and contemplate, the Lord is not
requiring acts of greatness and profound gatherings to bring glory to His
plans.The Lord Jesus says these words to those who will choose hear:
"THE SACRIFICE I WANT IS A BROKEN SPIRIT.
A BROKEN AND REPENTANT HEART,
THIS MY BRIDE, I WILL NOT DESPISE.
(PSALM 51:17)
WHAT IS IT THAT JESUS THAT JESUS WANTS FROM US-REALLY?
The obedience to do the simple, and often at times, mundane acts of
“silencing our fleshly need for action and comfort."
JESUS REQUIRES THOSE WHO WOULD BE HIS FOLLOWERS TO A RADICAL
DEVOTION AND AN EVEN MORE RADICAL DEPENDENCE ON GOD.
His followers must be meek,(this does not mean weak)
Must not retaliate,
Must go beyond the Word of God’s “rules and regulations”
And instead, understand its spirit.
They must do what is right when only God is looking,
Must depend on God for their needs,
And pursue His interests rather than their own.
HIS DEVOTED FOLLOWERS MUST LEAVE SPIRITUAL MEASUREMENTS
OF OTHERS' HEARTS AND ACTIONS, “SEEMINGLY GOOD OR BAD”
- TO GOD.
In short, true people of the kingdom live for God, not for themselves.
"ARE YOU IN AN “UNCOMFORTABLE” SEASON BECAUSE
YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO WALK THE NARROW PATH?
But small is the gate
and narrow the path that leads to life,
And only a few find it.
Matthew 7:14
THIS IS THE AGONY THAT TURNS INTO A GODLY DELIGHT!
When we fully realize that only God the Father can be the full and well
trusted Redeemer and Rescuer in all of our life situations right now!
So Fear not!
He is dealing with the hearts of those who still cling to hidden control over
their brothers and sisters.
HE IS SEARCHING EACH HEART WHO CALLS HIM LORD!
He is allowing a spiritual discontentment and a holy frustration to stir up
all unsatisfied and unfulfilled hearts until they begin to wail out loud,
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
Psalm 13:1
THE LORD IS TRAINING US!
And if you wonder why there is such a limited level of joy and rest in your
heart, it is because until you have a heart that is broken and repentant for
assuming you are allowed to call the shots in your decision making in this
life He will not expose you to His full measure of Glory!
Psalm 19:13 (CEV)
Don't let me do wrong on purpose, Lord,
Or let sin have control over my life.
Then I will be innocent, and not guilty of some terrible fault.
IT IS TRUE THAT THE KINGDOM IS AVAILABLE TO US ONLY
BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
But! Genuine faith means genuinely embracing and yielding to God's reign
not simply acknowledging it and then passing it by as if it did not exist.
The kingdom is a treasure, and those who really believe it
will sacrifice everything else in their lives for its agendas.
Professed Christians who crave worldly wealth and position but are not
nearly as excited and consumed with the advancing of God's kingdom,
really need to take a brutal and laser piercing look at the true state of their
souls.
When we preach that people who simply “pray a prayer” will automatically
be saved from hell regardless of whether they truly commit their lives to
Christ and commit to trust that He is saving them from sin (from
selfishness, from going their way instead of his), we preach a message
other than the one our Lord has taught us.
2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this
inscription:"The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who
confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
Romans 10:9 (CEV
So you will be saved, if you honestly say,
"Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart
that God raised him from death.
ONCE WE OBEY…HE WILL RETURN WITH HIS FRESH AND SWEET JOY!
Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—
Now let me rejoice.
Psalm 51:8
IT IS AN INTENSE STRUGGLE TO CHOOSE TO BE EXPOSED BEFORE GOD!
But the delight of allowing nothing of the soul to influence your decisions
when the Lord speaks and gives command far outweighs this present
suffering between spirit and flesh!
If you put yourself above others, you will be put down.
But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.
Matthew 23:12 (CEV)
MANY WHO ARE NOW HIDDEN AND YES, BEAT DOWN, TESTED, RIDICULED
AND SEEMINGLY FORGOTTEN, WILL SHORTLY PASS THROUGH THE OPEN DOORSOF FRESH OPPORTUNITIES…
…AND PATHWAYS OF TRUTH WILL LEAD THEM.
He makes me strong again.
He leads me in the way of living right with Himself
Which brings honor to His name.
Psalm 23:3 (NLV)
THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SLOWLY ARISING FROM THE HIDDEN PLACE
WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO GROW IN WISDOM,
UNDERSTANDING, AND DYING TO SELF-LOVE…
…STAY THE COURSE!
”We are pressed on every side by troubles,
But we are not crushed and broken.
We are perplexed,
But we don't give up and quit.”
(2 Corinthians) 4:8
HE HIMSELF WILL BIND UP EVERYTHING BROKEN IN YOUR HEART,
YOUR DREAMS,AND YOUR REPUTATION, WITH HIS OWN HAND,
AND HE WILL RESTORE YOUR JOY!
He heals the brokenhearted,
Binding up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
**********************
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided
that complete article or message and website information
for Mary Lindow is included. Thank You!
Copyright © 2009 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
Thursday, February 7, 2008
“THE SEASON FOR A SIMPLIFIED WALK WITH JESUS HAS BLOSSOMED!”
“THE SEASON FOR A SIMPLIFIED WALK WITH JESUS HAS BLOSSOMED!”
By Mary Lindow
I HAVE AN UNUSUAL STIRRING IN MY SPIRIT FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT AS I WRITE THIS MESSAGE.
The Lord is revealing a sound in the earth coming from the hearts and deep cries of so many of His people right now. Perhaps it might even be yours as you read. There is a cry of hunger for His sure, safe presence in difficult times and in changing times.
A NEED FOR “QUIET”
The world and it's voices of influence, humanistic subtleties, and constant technology and it's sounds, bring about an overload of weariness to all people, and there is a greater need for a place of rest for the warriors of truth who are very aware of the pressures that have not stopped mounting for many years now.
THERE IS MUCH TREACHERY OCCURRING IN THE EVIL PLANS OF DARKNESS AND THE PEOPLE HELD CAPTIVE BY IT THESE DAYS!
It can bring a real sense of despair, broken heartedness and shock, when you encounter this type of thing and when it attempts to destroy your hope and confidence in what the Lord Jesus has set you apart for to express in His Power and in His name.
WHY OH WHY ALL THE DELAYS?
I don't know fully why it seems as if good people who are sincere and pure hearted seem to go through more persecution and repeated difficulty than those who seem to be the ones perpetuating the majority of it!!
SO MANY RIGHT NOW ARE NEARLY AT THEIR WITS END
WAITING FOR GOD TO RELIEVE THEM OF SORROW,
DISILLUSIONMENT AND BATTLE FATIGUE!
My soul faints with longing for your rescue,
But I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:81
THE ENCOURAGER HEARS YOU!
“You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
You encourage them, and you listen to their cry”
Psalm 10:17
What is this verse saying to you and I right now? It is saying that the Lord Himself will encourage us! That is why we must continue to fight for that place of Divine “refuge!” That, “get away from it all” place of hungering and longing for His comfort.
He knows our hurt, our loneliness, our scorched and heart torn issues!
He understands how agonizing and bled out we can get when it seems as if after battle after battle we begin to wonder if something might be wrong with us!
Hope delayed makes the heart sick,
but when dreams come true,
there is life and joy.
Proverbs 13:12 (NAT)
NOTHING CAN SATISFY DRY LIPS LIKE WATER!
We are in a time where no persons opinions, no one’s books, no one’s TV shows are going to satisfy that craving that need for a thirst quenching drink of companionship with God.
We long to hear words from someone that tell us everything is going to be all right! That our children will be safe, our homes protected, our basic needs provided! And yet! Nothing “out there” satisfies us fully!
You see Dear Beloved one…
THE SEASON OF GREAT HUNGER FOR THE SIMPLE WALK WITH JESUS…
… HAS BLOSSOMED!
Only time spent with him like a dear dear friend will fill the gaping ache you have. He will speak, He will comfort, and He will show you what is true and what is false in the days ahead if you will return to that Place of companionship with Him. Away from the opinions of men and the noise of this life.
“Every word you give me is a miracle word-
how could I help but obey?
Break open your words, let the light shine out,
let ordinary people see the meaning.
Mouth open and panting,
I wanted your commands more than anything.
Turn my way, look kindly on me,
as you always do to those who personally love you.”
Psalm 119:129-131 (The Message)
A PROPHETIC WHISPER TO YOUR HEART FROM THE SAVIOR
“ To know of My ways, you must know ME!
To Know Me, you must spend time with ME.
To spend time with Me, you must purpose, to put aside the lists of things you have to do, before you can spend time with Me.”
“Order you days first in My Presence, and watch the desires of your heart be fulfilled. Man and his counsel will always fall short of the full truth of My Wisdom. I have blueprints and a Master plan for so many things yet to build upon in your life.”
“Come. Let us talk again together.”
“You are the temple, the house of My Holy Spirit. I desire to build you up in spiritual strength as you walk in prayer conversations with me. “I will fulfill your longing for peace and direction as you step up again into a heavenly trust and rest.”
“People will change, man will fail you, friends will turn, if they are not seeking My Voice above the clamor of the day. And you My child will fail others, if you listen to your own voice of reason and intelligence. As you turn to Me, you will see My compassion poured out upon you and you will then have My power of pure godly compassion and Wisdom-driven grace to pour out on others.”
“I too, long for you as well! Seek Me-with all of your heart, your longings, your heartaches, your dreams. And I will be there with arms of strength to rescue you from Despair.”
You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
The LORD is good to those, whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him
Lamentations 3:25
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included. Thank you. Copyright © 2008
“THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
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