Marriage is a Drama played out on the Stage of our Lives

July 17, 2012 by 1 Comment
As John and I celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary we are aware that we are living in the midst of spiritual warfare and on the frontline of battle are our marriages. For if the enemy can defeat our marriages he has got an influence over our children, the strength of the local church (for churches are only as strong as the families in the church), the moral fiber of our society and last but not least, weakening the witness are marriages should be to the mystical union twixt Christ and His Bride, the church.

Our marriages are a love story, a drama played out on a stage of opposition from the enemy, the flesh, and the influence of a fallen world. But on that same stage is played out the greatest love story ever told. The story of a heroic Knight who left the glory of His palace to seek His beloved Bride and rescue her by laying down his life willingly to save her from the hands of the opposition.

Act One: The potential Bride is created and the Father says it is very good.

Act Two: The Bride falls to the power of the enemy because of a choice pleasing to the flesh resulting in a fallen world spiraling towards destruction.

Act Three: The loving heroic Knight invades the enemy’s territory to rescue His Bride by willingly laying down His life.

Act Four: The Knight is miraculously raised from the dead and returns home to prepare a place for His rescued bride.

Act Five: In the Father’s divine plan, it is the time that He has ordained that we may play out our parts in the drama. On one side of the stage stand the enemy; the flesh and a fallen world ready to wage war against our marriages. On the other side enters our Knight, His Father and His Messenger bearing gifts of forgiveness, grace, power and love to protect, restore and strengthen our marriages. In the center on middle stage we join the drama holding the gift of choice and free will, which the Father gave us in Act One.

It doesn’t matter where we have come from or what we have done in the past with this choice. This is a brand new scene still being written and we still have the choice and the responsibility of the outcome as the curtain falls on the part we played in history. Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses in the heavenilies who are watching this drama played out with anticipated breath, are we committed to do what we can to fight for and protect the witness of our marriages?

Will we fight the enemy, deny the flesh and overcome the world?

Our marriages are more than just about us! They are about future generations; they are about being conformed to His image; they are about being a witness to a fallen world; they are about upholding the Father’s divine plan and purpose for marriage and defeating the enemy at his frontline of attack.

As the curtain falls on the last line of the scene we played, will we be saying, “ I have finished the course, I have kept the faith”, as heaven applauds, while the Father declares,  “Well done thy good and faithful servant.”

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Are you only living spiritually in survival mood?

July 5, 2012 by 1 Comment

 

 During the summer of 1999  we suffered a severe drought and I noticed the effect on my rose garden. The roses appeared to be healthy with deep glossy leaves but to my disappointment, there were only a few blooms, and those blooms were smaller than normal and lacked their normal heavy fragrance. This circumstance was a window to my soul and the Lord spoke this parable to my heart.

Dear Child,

“Look at your rose garden! They look healthy enough yet no blossom and therefore no fragrance! Because of the lack of water and the scorch of the sun they are in survival mode, doing all they can just to stay alive.

Likewise My people stay too long in survival mode, and there is no fruit from their lives. Yes, they are spiritually alive and look and appear to be healthy, but where is the blossom and fragrance from their lives? They are not drawing near and supping with Me where I can give them rivers of living water to sustain them during all the trials of life.

Many will spend their lives at the Brazen Altar in survival mode, where, yes they are believers but they are not disciples and priests ministering unto Me at the Golden Altar of Incense.”

Thus saith Papa

Mark 11:12 -14 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.  And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.; Mark 11:20-21  And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

CHALLENGE:  Does the fruit of our lives satisfy His need or does He just find leaves?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , ,

Is your life a stench or sweet savor to the Lord?

June 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

 

Dear Father,

How can I present myself a living sacrifice that will be a sweet savor to you?

Dear Child,

It is at the place of choice that your life is a stench or sweet savor to Me! The fire is the tests of life! The sweet savor is the obedience that is caused by the fire.

At a time of testing do not rebel, rather submit to My sovereignty, and that will cause a cloud of sweet incense that will be pleasing to Me.

Without the test there is no fire!

Without the choice there is no obedience!

Without obedience there is no sweet savor!

                                                   Thus saith Papa

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Deu 30:19  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

Challenge: Everyday life is full of hundreds of so called insignificant choices, but 

                        are they really so insignificant, when they are the place where our

                       lives can be a stench or a sweet savor to the Lord?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Don’t pull His Body out of joint

May 28, 2012 by 2 Comments

Dear Child,

You know Me better as you spend time with My Body on earth. That is why unity is so important, then you can hear clearly from the Head and the anointing will flow!

My Body is so pulled apart in one direction or another, lay aside differences that are often only opinions, for the sake of unity. Would you cut My Body asunder for the sake of an opinion and wanting to be right!

If you love Me do what you can to protect against splits that hurt My Body, be the healing ointment to the weaker parts, that they may be healed, and that healing will knit them together again as one.

How can the anointing flow from the Head down over the Body of My church if there is not unity?

Child, do your part and be an influence to unit My Body in these last days, that there might be a great harvest, and a mighty move of My presence among My people!

                                                               Thus saith Papa

Psa 133:1 -2 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

John 17:20  -21 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Our heavenly Papa has invested a part of Himself in each of His children. As we get to know each other and recognize that investment, we realize just how much we need our brothers and sisters if we are going to know Him more fully. As we grow to know Him more fully we will grow to be more gracious than righteous towards each other, thereby protecting His Body from division. The word of the Lord concerning His death is prophetically declared in  Psa 22:14  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; and even today His bones are still being pulled out of joint by divisions within His Body.

Challenge: How can we say we love the Head if we do not love His Body? What opinion or right could you surrender today for the sake of unity in His Body? 


Filed Under: Blog, Religious Tagged With: , , , , , ,

It’s time to spring clean our spiritual closets

May 22, 2012 by 1 Comment

Dear Father,
Help me that I may only be clothed with integrity and never in subtle pretense!
Show me, Papa, signs of danger least I fall!
Dear Child,
It is in relationships and your dealings and responses to others, you will see the signs, as the Holy Spirit, illuminates that which is not of My spirit, but of the flesh!
In our time alone you behold Me!
                     BUT
In your time with others you behold yourself!
It is in your interactions with others that you see clearly what you have learned while in My presence.
It is in interaction with others that your growth is tested
In My presence you stand naked
                      BUT
In the presence of others you may be clothed with “pretense”.
Do not fool yourself or try to fool others, be real, grow up and wear the character of integrity and authenticity.
Declutter your spiritual wardrobe that there may be room for the clothing of humility, grace, integrity and authenticity.
These are royal robes!
Moths and time cannot deteriorate these garments, but rather time matures them to shine even brighter!
                                                             Thus saith Papa
Rev 16:15  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Prov 16:2  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Challenge: As the Lord shines His light into the hidden corners of our spiritual closet, let us do some spiritual spring cleaning by withdrawing and discarding our subtle masks, that we may be found clothed in the transparent “royal robes” that befit a saint.

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »