Work Towards Hope

To those who try to motivate with shame and blame, who try to force righteous behavior on others, through prescribed actions, don’t you see that this is what the LAW is? This is what the lazy servant in the parable of the talents thought of God, that He is a hard master, and because of that, the servant operated from fear, but John said that there is no fear in love, because fear has to do with “torment”. The demons are law obsessed and performance focused, but they also have no hope.That same king, who was so slandered by his servant, handed the servant over to the tormentors (the demons), because the servant chose them over the graciousness of his lord. The servant loved his own righteousness more than his lord!

When we are redeemed from shame, we are set free!(Because freedom is A person!)

Lord, what have I learned from the obnoxious behavior of watchmen who set dates, and yet look down on other watchmen and judge them? I have learned that it is necessary to be humble, especially when on fire by means of revelation from You, as is fitting for the servant of the Lord. It is SO gratifying to be used by You, the One who is THE authority from on high (because let God be true and every man a liar!) We must watch, but not be disrespectful of our brother whom we are no better than!

The one who is in love with his own righteousness will not show grace towards his brother, or forgive him, because he tells himself his righteousness has standing before God, and is why God is gracious to him. Thinking anything good of himself clearly indicates he does not understand! (Didn’t the Lord tell us to call ourselves unworthy servants? That he who exalts himself will be brought low? That in submission to GOD is our exaltation?) Your’s is truly the narrow path and the narrow gate! YOU, alone, will be exalted in that day!

Because I am a task oriented person, all of this is very counter intuitive for me. By nature, I want to do all things well (talk about denying myself and taking up HIS cross!) Also, in practice, my health and mental well being is so very dependent on what I eat, and my diet, also, so as to be free of pain. I am, literally, “punished,” each time I consume anything out of bounds! It sounds like this directly relates to the struggle with our behavior. Sinning brings pain, both to us and to God, regardless of our faith position, and there are natural consequences (which include the wrath of our tormentors). A certain diet was holy, as a foreshadow I understand, to teach us how to be motivated to walk in holiness. My accomplishment of staying on the diet makes me feel contented and not useless, because now I have the energy to complete those exacting tasks I find so much joy in sharing. It is as the writer said, that endurance produces godly character and character produces hope! (We will be delivered!)

This might also be why none of our own works are in heaven. Our fruit (of Your Spirit) remains, because it was what YOU did IN us! (“I am the Vine. You are the branches. Without me, you can do nothing.) We establish Your works, by Your will. My own prayers for Your inspiration and intuitive creativity, have always been thoroughly answered, satisfying my soul down to its very foundation! I can do no better than when I imitate YOU, in both method and holiness.

Faith is a choice

 Yes, faith is a choice, our contribution to the changing of our world, so that it becomes like Him, like His character, even into the face of evil. Didn’t He believe in us first, even though we didn’t know Him at the start? Life is our journey and our school, where we have the privilege of getting to know Him and how He works. He stretches us and makes us stronger because of the wait. Didn’t He say that “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”?

Our doubts can seem so strongly accurate, like we see the reality of darkness, itself. But darkness is not a thing: Darkness is only the absence of light. So doubt is our opportunity to exercise our faith and to be educated by His response to it. It is not questions from ignorance or uncertainty which grieves Him, but the lack of trust in submitting them, these emotional queries, to His grace. The only true poverty is not knowing Him!

Most often, His answer is in the very thing which gives us pause. Imagine the distressed grief, if you will, of a young mother unable to be strong enough to defend her offspring from the rampaging and vengeful father. Instead of shutting the episode down, she winds up weeping in her own corner, from fear. Now imagine, this same mother, later asking her own offspring why he always chooses to defend the weak, and being told that the prior incident was the motivating force behind the current choices. The price she paid in the initial confrontation was paid back many times over, in the future! So our choice to remain true to Who we believe in, will bear the fruit that HE has husbanded!

When Love Comes In

I remember, He said it before, that we will be grateful for just these very things, the things that hurt us the most. We WILL praise Him, for them, in heaven, because then we see why, why this has opened us up to receive more absolute joy, the joy which is His nature. We will see why this has let us conquer the world for Him and through Him. He redeems us so very thoroughly to Himself..

From a brother, “when we are broken, that’s how His light gets in” and I remember, He said, when I wrote, “When our hearts are broken, that is how Gods law of Love gets in, because it’s already been written on our hearts and God is not a bully to come in until He is wanted.” He has redeemed us and now sanctifies us as the sign of His overwhelming love. He satisfies the longing within us to understand and participate. We need fear NOTHING. Hasn’t He commanded us not to fear?

This could be it!

It’s still the tenth month, the month Esther entered the house of the king. Tomorrow, on the eleventh, the  asteroid Esther will be crowning the head of Virgo, just a handful of days before the end of the month. Springtime is beginning, the time of life in Israel. The plants are starting to grow. I just used the first tender plant from my garden, today, for the first time this year. 

Today, I saw thousands and thousands of Jews praying at the western wall and in a huge synagogue. All Israel prays. 

The main thing, though, is news of a hostage deal. This hostage deal was negotiated by the families of a hundred or so hostages, through an official in Qatar. The idea was that the Hamas leaders would stay alive in exchange for the hostages. Can these families be the many, and this be the Daniel covanent? It even seems that one of the three leaders might be the candidate for the “idol shepherd” or antichrist, as he has a “withered right eye.” His whole right side is affected, so he has a “withered right arm” just as scripture says. His name is Mohamed Deif.

Hang on to your hats! We’re about to find out!

Soon Comes The Reward of Our Patience

I looked up, this morning, the date of my vision of myself weeping abjectly for Israel. At the time of my seeing of that vision, I had not yet reached the same depth of emotion, in my prayers for my older sister. Since October 7th, I have been praying that way every morning. Yet today, for some reason, I looked up the date I received this glimpse of the future….and it was December the 14th. It’s been a year….

Patience

He gives us a challenge to test our patience to still be watching and waiting. No wonder HE said,”I will put before you an open door, because you have kept the word of My patience.”

I think there are still the fourteen Israelis to fill up the number to one hundred. (But three of the ones freed are Russian.) I am recording a request ahead of time, so that it will be known that I am asking HIM who can do all that we ask, for the release of seventeen more. I am praying for a miraculous intervention that defies logic, that His angel releases them without the aid of the IDF, that HE blinds the eyes of the enemy to the passage of these innocents. Hasn’t He called me to be persistent and persevere, witnessed by the name He gave me? (As He reminded me just yesterday to keep asking, in Luke 11?) Let me then be a witness to and for Your faithfulness, my precious Lord! Fulfill it ALL according to Your promise of THIS year. 

But Wait, There’s More!

A month after the abductions, after continuously crying for the abused captives, I was inspired to bargain with my Lord for their freedom, as our father Abraham bargained for the cities on the plains. Our certainty is the audacity of faith, in the face of the proven goodness of Him whom we serve. If getting them all out at once seemed too much or too grand, how about just part of them, and right away, and also as a sign that we were within twenty four hours of the harpazo? But wait! There’s more!

I asked for a hundred to be released. I heard nothing. The next day, I asked for at LEAST fifty. That is the number I stayed with. Four days later, I heard there was an exchange being discussed for, get this, EIGHTY hostages that Israel wanted released. Hamass countered with seventy. I knew this was HIS answer because this was exactly BETWEEN the two numbers I had randomly chosen! At this point, I told my son, on the fourteenth of November, to prove my Lord answers the prayers of His people! But wait! There’s more!

As of today, the twenty ninth of November, we are at one hundred and two total hostages freed. So tomorrow is our day of deliverance, if we go by that number. Or we can be gone the day after the sum total of one hundred Israelis achieves release. Right now it’s at eighty six. But wait! Here’s more!

What happened before this to help me know what to pray for? How did I know what was the good and acceptable will of the Lord? After all, I have followed Him for a couple months shy of fifty years. At the beginning of this year, I told the Lord I was tired of getting excited, passing on what I had heard, and then being disappointed that we were not there yet (and of being called a false prophet, even though I was careful to state I’m not a prophet, but was just interpreting as best as I could.). The psalms express it so well, “But You, oh Lord, how long?” I asked Him, to let me hear my newest daughter in law was pregnant, if this is the year. I knew that they didn’t want a child yet, but I wanted a grandchild from them if we were leaving this year. It was right after that, that they found out they were pregnant, on my birthday. Best present EVER! But wait! There’s more! 

Because of His faithfulness, I was bold enough to tell my Jewish friend that the Messiah would be revealed on the weekend of second Passover. That is my understanding of the beginning of the season of His return. He woke me up that Friday morning with the sound of a silver trumpet blast, the sound of a lamb, and Him speaking, “Daughter, I’m coming!” Not exactly what I was hoping for, but even better, in that He is faithful! But wait, there’s more!

The new baby is named Judah! How did Rachel know? She didn’t, but Jesus does! I was to drive the twelve hours to go see him, but three days before I was to leave (by myself), a huge “hurricane” hit us dead on! Because JD Farag had had people pray when they were in the path of one, and it had just went POOF and dissolved, I prayed and our little storm was shredded by the mountains behind us. All it did was leave a huge mud flow over the freeway I needed to use, to get to where my new grandson was, but it was cleaned up by the time I left to see him. But wait, there’s more!

I drove overnight, and when I got up in the high desert, I wound up in a blowing sandstorm! I started praying right away for the Lord to be my shelter and shield. While I was praying, I noticed a very bright light behind the hillside directly in front of me (middle of the night, okay?). I was fascinated, thinking that it was a huge mall or gas station. Imagine my surprise when the biggest moon I have EVER seen emerged from behind the hill, looking just like it was sitting on the ground directly front of me! I was amazed. Then, when I remembered about what I had been praying for, I saw that here was no more wind or blowing sand, and that the horizon was clear of debris and dust! What a beautiful light!

So, are we going to be in the Throne room tomorrow? Or, will we be watching and waiting two more days for the number to reach one hundred, and then go the day after? I tend to think tomorrow. Just look at my previous post to see the reason why. I can hardly wait to see what the Lord will do!