The Salt Shaker

A Follow-up Word from Jerusalem

2007-06-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

I was floored with this word that was passed along in a sermon from my pastor in Jerusalem at King of Kings church. It was a word much like the one I posted on here...

A woman gave this word two mornings ago:

“I woke up this early this morning and the presence of Yeshua was so strong over me I could not move. I was paralyzed.

So I said to Yeshua, “What is this?”

So I just laid in His presence and I heard Him say this to me, “I am Holy, I am Holy, I am a Holy God. I am looking for, searching, and seeking a Holy Bride. I am looking for, searching, and seeking for the one who will walk in My Holiness. Get rid of your uncleanness and filthiness. Take off your filthy rags. I am looking for, searching, and seeking a Holy Bride, without spot, wrinkle or blemish. So come into my bridal chamber with me and I will clothe you in fine linen garments. I have a wedding banquet prepared in my bridal chamber for you. There I will prepare and equip you, my Bridal Warrior, for the battle in the coming days. Be ye Holy, for I am Holy.”

Amen!
You can hear this word, and the very fitting sermon that happened to follow it at this link:
http://www.kkcj.org/teaching/dare-to-be-different

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD

2007-04-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 2:5

This year has proven to be a crash course in loneliness--or rather alone-ness. It's had its ups and downs. But God doesn't put us through these trials without equipping us with the necessary faith to march through them.

When God began the work of waking me up, he decided to use one young man of God in a big way. Last year, as I was driving to a prayer meeting with him, I felt the Holy Spirit challenge me and say, "If I took him away, what would your faith be?"
I quickly responded, "But you're not going to do that!"
The rebuke: "Daughter, are you living by the light of his salvation? Live by mine!"

Now, God is not the God of meaningless jargon. No indeed. I was not in the dark on what this rebuke meant...this is something God had showed me earlier that year:

I was leaving the most Holy Spirit-packed church service I had ever experienced - my soul on cloud 9, my heart leaping out of my chest, and my head abuzz with endless words of praise...
I got in my car and slowly made my way through the parking lot. My eyes squinting for the path, I mumbled, "This is darkest church parking lot I've ever seen!"
On the road, things were better, and I worshipped my way home. Turning off the highway, onto a country road, I felt like I had suddenly driven into the bottomless pit.
Darkness.
I stopped dead in the road. I couldn't see a thing. Light of the world... fainted off the tip of my tongue, and I sat in confusion for a while. In my present condition there would be no way to proceed home. Something had to change. A spark of reason-
I switched my lights on. The path I knew must be before me now jumped into view. I laughed at myself and drove home.
When I stepped through my front door, however, I was still restless about what had just happened. I sat down on my bathroom floor, and prayed, "I feel like there's something in that, God. If you have something You're wanting to teach me, speak."

Then, in my bathroom, I felt the Lord speak this over me:
Leaving that church you were filled with joy--but perhaps not the joy of your own salvation but rather the joy of others' salvation.
In this life, you may see to travel by the light of others-the streetlights that helped you tonight-it is true. But invariably, your life will turn a bend; around which is no one to shine the light for you. Each must travel alone some time. It is on this stretch of road you will know if you have been traveling by the light of others or whether you yourself have been shining the light. If it has not been you, you will come to a stop and may either proceed on this path in the dark and crash, proceed no further, move backwards... or switch that light on, and see to travel home.

How easy it is in the fellowship of such wonderful believers to ride the waves of corporate joy! There is certainly a place for this in our walk. But to be dependent on such joy, is to not experience the joy of OUR salvation that the Holy Spirit has on hand for us. Recognizing our weakness, our inability to sustain ourselves, we may either become utterly dependent on other believer's faith and fellowship (this really doesn't look much different than the people addiction the World has), or we may allow ourselves to enter into that alone time with God and become dependent on Him.

God stayed true to his challenge in the car. This brother and another sister that had taught me to travel, were each sent away to minister to their home. A year has gone by since I saw them off. And now coming out of a season of broken legs, being perched on the shoulders of God himself, I like the view from Mt. Alone-ness... and have realized--whoa! I'm not ALONE. And I'm not traveling with my headlights out!

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:11,12

I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is Mine

2007-03-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

A while ago I had this dream:
I'm in a room with some young man. There is only one bed, and insensibly we both get in to get some sleep. He says, 'We should get married, because we have to share this bed anyway." I find this proposition reasonable enough, and am happy enough that he would consider such a marriage.
Jimmy Stewart enters the room and walks to my side of the bed. He holds up a wedding dress. He explains that he's purchased my wedding dress, and invites me to marry him instead.

New room. I am sitting with my gown beside me. The groom (Jimmy Stewart) is absent. I'm impatient and a little miffed - 'I don't understand, did he not invite me to marry him? Now where is he?" So I go to look for him, and find him busy at work. He's talking to some man. I walk up, tug on his sleeve, and ask, "aren't you going to marry me?" He turns and gently but sternly replies, "Why aren't you wearing your dress? Put your dress on and wait for me to return to you."
At first I brushed this dream of as imaginative, and strange. But a couple days ago God dropped this on me:
"I am this groom. I came to you as you lay in a bed of compromise-ready to agree to a rash, empty proposal that the world was presenting you-with your wedding garment purchased and in hand with a proposal you couldn't refuse."
But then the groom was gone---and I was left with my gown, waiting.
"All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves" (Song of Songs 3:1-2).
So I sought him out, and found him--working. And I think, like many would, 'What- your work is more important than me?' And he showed me: well...yes.
"Why were you searching for me?" [Jesus] asked, 'Didn't you know I had to be about my Father's business'" (Luke 2:49).

So Jesus came, He presented His bride with her wedding garment (the garment of righteousness) then He left to take care of business. And He says to his Bride, wait for me til I return, until the day of our wedding wear your wedding garment, keep it pure, keep it spotless, and in so doing cling to your redeemer, because I first pursued you, and will return to claim you.'

In Revelations, you see the Saints awaiting this promise. The martyred (who are killed during the Great Tribulation) get clothed "in a white robe" (Revelations 6:11). And they ask the Groom, "How long" (verse 10), and are told "to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants and brothers and sisters were killed just as they had been" (verse 11).

The last scene of the dream, which served as a sober reminder:
My groom returns to the room where I wait, but I'm not waiting, I'm asleep in my bed. He gently shakes my shoulder, "Wake up, it's time for our wedding." I'm groggy and listless, and motion him away. "I just want to sleep," I mumble.

Jesus reminds his bride:
"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they might have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city" (Revelations 22:12-14).
May "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let those who hear say, 'Come!' Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelations 22:17).