Mary Lindow ~ The Messenger Podcast

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Wednesday Jun 15, 2022


By Mary Lindow
The words, “The Harsh Winds of Life”
have been playing themselves over and over in my mind.
As I have pondered them and have allowed the Voice of the Holy Spirit to instruct me as to why I have been impressed with this statement, I sense the Lord addressing many deeper issues that are well anchored and maintained within our souls as believers.
 
HARSH WINDS
These blustery currents in the natural can be devastating to property, trees, and all living-breathing creatures. We have all seen what the devastation of hurricanes and tornadoes can do in a very short amount of time.
Often when listening to the traumatic stories of those who have lived through a nightmarish storm, the realities of what they hold near and dear have been laid bear and brought to the surface. Many weep over the loss of family photographs or tender things like Grandma’s old chipped china and are unconcerned about larger material items, but are deeply thankful for the safety of family members after a traumatic event. Others, are shaking fists at the sky and are enraged that they have been infringed upon during a difficult time, and want somebody else to pay for it!
 
THE HARSH WINDS OF LIFE BLOW UPON THE GODLY AND THE UNGODLY.  NO ONE IS EXEMPT.
There are some of life's storms that threaten to blow away everything we've depended on as well.
Friendships are tested, relationships are strained, and the Lord uses these harsh winds blowing against our lives to remove the crusty chaff that can form and harden around the seed of our lives.
Those who are independent in nature find a bitterness creeping into their attitudes and heart. They feel infringed upon when things are not easily controlled or maneuvered in their favor. And so, the Holy Spirit allows the winds to blow until a conviction penetrates the self centered soul, and exposes the fleshy comfort zone of, ‘My Way, My World, My Rights”!
No man has power over the wind to contain it; 
So no one has power over the day of his death.
And no one is discharged in time of war,
So wickedness will not release those who practice it.
Ecclesiastes 8:8
 
HOW LONG WILL THE HARSH WINDS BLOW?
As long as we practice wicked behavior in the eyes of the Lord, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot stop it! He is winnowing us, allowing us to be caught up into the refining wind of the Holy Spirit's conviction so that the chaff and waste places in our souls are removed.
And trust me my friends, anything that you may be hiding or pretending wasn’t “that bad”, that harmed someone else, well God will allow it to come to the light to be either judged or to be cleansed and yes, there may be consequences that you don’t like.
 
WE CAN’T HARM OTHER PEOPLE, OR ABUSE THEM, SEXUALLY PREY UPON THEM, SPIRITUALLY ABUSE AND DOMINATE OR SLANDER, and then pretend that it wasn’t “that big of a deal”! It’s a huge deal to God and he will continue to pursue us in order to cleanse us if we will allow him access.
(Yes you can say "ouch" right about now!)
 
CHAFF MUST BE REMOVED.  BUT WHY?
Chaff is a waste material plowed into the soil or burned.
Chaff, as a waste product from grain processing, shows us a symbolic use of the idea that refers to something seen as worthless.
Now, this is where we read, "to separate the wheat from the chaff" from
Matthew 3. It means to separate things of value from things of no value.
Another example is in Psalm 1 which says: "Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away".
 
WE CHRISTIANS OFTEN PRESUME THAT BECAUSE WE ARE REDEEMED THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE OF CHRIST FOR OUR LIVES, THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AN EASIER AND MORE PRIVILEGED LIFE.
This is simply not so!
We are given a shield and a holy stamina to withstand the wiles of this world, but no free passes to a life of ease.
 
THE LORD LOVES ALL OF MANKIND.
He longs for ALL of mankind, (that includes you and I) to come to a place of trust in His way, not “our way”. Fully stripped of self-will, self-gratification, self- justification, and self-focus.
Matthew 5:45 says~
 “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
And sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
 
I KNOW! I KNOW! THIS STINGS!
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. James 3:14
 
About now, I can hear a few righteous folks saying, "I would never boast about envy! "
Well! Selfish ambition is well hidden in our personal behaviors.
We offer gifts or opportunities for others to be blessed or helped as long as we are feeling in control and benevolent at the time of the offer or good intention.
But when the winds of life shift and the Lord allows the chaff of "waste materials" in our soul to be Tornadoed —bitterness and exclusive rights abound! Huffiness, abrupt harshness and passive aggression (which means getting even) will manifest and expose the soul's clinging nature, which does not want the hand of God striping away any safety veneer that we use to protect our approach to life.
 
A CHANGE IN THE SPIRITUAL CLIMATE HAS OCCURRED!
John 6:18 says, “A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.”
Jesus allowed the wind to be a teaching point for his disciples. They had walked with Him, talked with Him and served alongside Him. But trusting Him when the Storms and Harsh winds blew revealed a weakness that we all must look at, and often.
We trust the Lord when things are going our way, but when the Harshness of a storm blows us off the course that we set, many times we run to our own devices or “Plan B”.
 
SO MANY AT THIS TIME IN THIS DIFFICULT AGE ARE SCREAMING,
“Lord! Don’t you care about me? The winds are blowing, and I am fearful for my life! If you Love me, why are you allowing this horrid event to occur?”
Even Peter in his zeal to get out of the boat and see if it was indeed Jesus calling to him to come, once he was out of the safety of his own control and the winds blew against him, he focused on the wind, and not upon Jesus, who was there the whole time. Peter cries out, "LORD I am perishing! SAVE ME!”
 
CONTROL IS A DEEP, DEEP NEED.
Perhaps THE deepest need people have, is for control.
When we feel out of control, we experience a powerful and uncomfortable tension between the need for control and the evidence of “inadequate control”.
Without the Presence of God in our lives, we will attempt to control everything, every event, and every person around us in order to attain the sense of order and “identity power” that we crave.
 
DRAWING NEAR TO GOD
It was James, the brother of Jesus, who wrote to the believers in Jerusalem, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double- minded people!" (James 4:8).
If we draw near to God, he will respond and draw near to us.
Drawing near to God is spending time with Him, worshiping Him, praying and talking to Him, inviting Him into every aspect of our lives.
EVERY.  PART.  OF.  OUR.  LIFE.
 
BRING YOUR HEART UNDER HIS LORDSHIP
James gives us the blueprint for drawing near or “right up close” to the Lord. 
If you've committed sin, confess it, get rid of it.
Next, ask the Lord to examine your heart, your motives, and the things that make you do what you do.
 
Bring your heart under His Lordship as well.
May our actions be manifestations of a clean heart and conscience.
Allow HIM to remove the Chaff, the wasted time controlling things, and TRUST Him to align your life.
Notice that when he writes about this he says,
"Purify your hearts, double-minded people."
 
WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY "DOUBLE-MINDED"?
Well, a person who is double-minded is drawn in two completely different directions. And so he or she will get nowhere fast because loyalty is divided.
They will vacillate between faith and unbelief.
And, a double-minded person is unstable in all his/her ways and his/her spiritual walk is inconsistent because he/she tries to serve God and his/her own interests, and gamble their life against the Harsh Winds.
We've all learned that this kind of living never works.
 
YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS.
Friends again I say this under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the master that you serve whether it be hiding something that is a secret sin or offense to The Lord, or things that you are aware of that have dishonored others, they will be brought into the light one way or the other.
If you think you can hide it, if you think you can gloss it over, God will eventually bring it into the light and have you exposed for deception.
Or, you choose to get the help you need and you can humble yourself! Yes, there may be consequences you don’t like, because of your actions and choices. But repentance and accountability will save your soul. It may not save your marriage, it may not save your ministry, and it may not save your job or your relationships. But it will save your soul, because humility enters, and God can re-create what has been destroyed and damaged.
 
GOD DOESN'T PLAY GAMES!
No one is going to get very far with God by playing spiritual games.
It will soon be discovered that the only people playing the game with you will be you, yourself, and again, YOU.  It's just like people thinking that they can "ride the fence" into the kingdom.
There is no riding the fence; there is no lukewarm support group.
You’re either in or out.
If we really want to know Him, we are going to have to get serious about our relationship with Him.
 
WE DON’T WANT DIFFICULT!
I will tell you right now, that even as I write and speak these words, I can feel the resistance to pruning and more change in my gut!  
Are you in a pruning, shocking, "getting trimmed back" difficult season right now?
Most everyone is!
Feeling like your wings have been clipped?
Are you seeing a pattern of lethargy and a dullness of joy maybe in your daily life? 
Don’t waste those struggles friends! Know that God is very... VERY... intentional. And, He has a good plan for all of it. 
Every challenge is an opportunity to practice walking one day at a time, with really clear thinking and gratitude, and He is right there, inside you, to help you.
 
LIKE I SAID BEFORE! WE DON’T WANT DIFFICULT! 
But my oh my, I do want to be like Him!
So I’m in surrender-mode now, friends.
I’m saying, “Cut away, Lord. Go deep.” 
WHY? Because I want ALL that He has for me. 
I want the fruit.
I want all that abundance, and I know it’s waiting for me when this weird and awkward season changes.
 
THERE IS ANOTHER PHENOMENON I FIND THAT HAPPENS DURING THE PROCESS, WHEN THE HARSH WINDS OF LIFE ARE BEARING DOWN.
And, one that I find that is unhealthy to ignore.
The enemy of our soul is observing and is feverishly “taking notes” about this difficult process, and I believe he finds it quite enjoyable; he laughs and ridicules and flings missiles of insults that shout that, "only a loser needs this kind of difficult adjustment ”. 
This of course, is a lie but, one which we can tend to believed on a bad day! Listening to the wrong voice can tempt us to believe the blowing away of chaff in our lives is punishment, and comes from God being mad at us. 
It can cause us to pull back from deeper fellowship or social engagements (social distancing tools too, like Face Time, ZOOM, integral) these paralyze honesty, transparency and humility.
It can lead to self-hatred, self-protection, denial about how we hurt others with half-truths, and so on!
 
I AM TRULY BECOMING MORE AWARE IN MY SPIRIT THAT GOD CAN ONLY USE ME—OR “BEST USE ME”, THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIP OF HIS POWER AND MY WEAKNESS. 
 
A wise and well-tested man by the name of Alan Hood must have had a few pruning clippers dig into his life at time or two and learned this lesson. He stated,
“To Be Pruned Is To Lose The Resources, Whether Monies or Physical Strengths Upon Which Everyone Around You Measures You As Successful.”
LET’S READ THAT AGAIN…     
…S  L  O  W  L  Y ! 
“To Be Pruned Is To Lose The Resources, Whether Monies or Physical Strengths Upon Which Everyone Around You Measures You As Successful.”
 
TRYING TO USE OLD THINGS WHEN GOD IS TRYING TO GIVE US NEW THINGS IS REALLY SUCH FOOLISHNESS!
Psalm 85 talks about Restoration, Re-tooling and Revival.
Verse 8 says, 
“I will listen to what God the Lord says;
He promises peace to his people, His saints
—but let them not return to folly.”
 
I’M TRUSTING THE LORD’S GOOD AND GRACIOUS HAND IN THE PROCESS THAT THE WORLD IS EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW.
I know God does not intend to leave even a healthy fruit-bearing branch how it is, but He is always after a more abundant harvest for His people.
I don’t get it, I don’t like or want difficult!
But I also don’t want a puny little sick looking basket of bitter, green, unusable fruit out of life! 
He will “give the increase” when I reach the end of this seeming devastation of stymied ideas and “put on hold” plans, and let me tell you something crazy, I feel it coming!  The increase!
I’m learning to WALK in harmony, in tune with the truth that, “He is dwelling like healthy sap, in me, and will keep sin and despair from having dominion over my life”. (Romans 6:14) YOUR LIFE TOO! 
 
A MOMENT IN HIS ANGER - A LIFETIME IN HIS FAVOR.
God disciplines for a moment when He wishes to get our attention and our lives may indeed become painful for a period, but then comes His favor.
God doesn't delight in either our depression or our damage.
And, when He begins to deal with the chaff in our lives, it is for our advantage, that we may be conformed to His likeness and reflect His holiness.
When we sense God’s disapproval, when it appears He has withdrawn from us, it is only so that we see our utter need of Him.
 
WHEN LIFE SEEMS TO BE SO SOUR, WHEN EVERYTHING CRUMBLES, then we must remember what we “say we believe”, that God’s favor is with us, because of Christ’s worthiness given to us, because we are adopted and are His - which means, that His favor always wins out over His disapproval.
 
THIS PICTURE IS PAINTED WELL BY THE WORDS "WEEPING REMAINS FOR A NIGHT."
Weeping and sorrow are pictured as a traveler who comes to stay for a night. The pain and sorrow we feel may seem as though it has moved in with us like an unwelcome guest, who decides to stay for a very long time.
 
REJOICING THOUGH, COMES IN THE MORNING.
Your “mourning”, will dissipate in the morning”.
Your winter, will melt into summer.
God will replace your sighing, with singing.
Grief, will give way to gladness.
What was once bitter, will be made sweet.
And, what was once a desolate wilderness, will be transformed into a paradise.
 
LIKE THE FIRST RAYS OF THE SUNRISE WHICH DISPEL THE HARSH WINDS AND GLOOM OF NIGHT, GOD GIVES US JOY WHEN THE DARKNESS OF OUR PROBLEMS SEEM AS THOUGH THEY’LL NEVER LEAVE.
 
YOUR CROSS IS HIS GLORY
What is so crucial to understand is that as a Christian, your life will be filled with times of weakness and strength, with want and wealth, with disgrace and honor, with crosses and comforts, miseries and mercies, joys and sorrows, delight and mourning.
As this cycle of separating “Chaff” from our lives reoccurs many times in our lives, and it moves us from the cross to glory.
For your own health and so that you find all your satisfaction in Christ alone, God will send you times of great growth and other times of emptiness.
When the harsh winds blow, know that God desires that you find your hope and comfort by His own fire.
When the balmy breezes come, give Him praise and thanksgiving for the warmth He provides.
Psalm 57:1 says,
"Have mercy on me, O God,
Have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”
(PROPHETIC EXHORTATION AND WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE NOT INCLUDED IN WRITTEN MESSAGE CONTINUE IN THE AUDIO MESSAGE FORMAT BEGINING AT AUDIO PLAYER TIME MARKER 21:38)
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed 
provided that complete message, podcast link and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You!

Copyright 2022 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
https://marylindow.podbean.com
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Monday Jan 10, 2022

WE THINK THAT WE ARE SO KNOWLEDGEABLE about our own needs and ourselves! But, more often than not, we are just opinionated and headstrong people! 
 
By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit
 
WE THINK THAT WE ARE SO KNOWLEDGEABLE about our own needs and ourselves! But, more often than not, we are just opinionated and headstrong people! We refuse instructions from anyone who could tell us about the deeper things of the spirit, because “We know”, or… “Don’t want to know!” 
(How DARE you address this Mrs. Lindow)!!!
Hmmmm!  I think I will continue!! **smile**
 
We stumble along without anyone's help, and all the while we are overlooking that gnawing, “unsettled sense” inside of us, though if we paid attention to this we would see our true inner condition. It is in this way that we acclimate our souls to straggle along in a dark spiritual wilderness, and how we do ourselves so much harm.
 
MANY, MANY OTHER CHRISTIAN SOULS ARE JUST LIKE THIS.
They don't know how to do anything other than let their human senses guide them, and then one day, God intervenes. He arranges things so that one day when you are all alone, there will heave from within your heart a sudden surprising awareness of absolute emptiness. He may also cause you to have a feeling of complete emptiness, but an overwhelming sense of isolation from others, and a lot of loss.
“All of a person's ways seem right in his own opinion, 
But the LORD evaluates the motives.” -Proverbs 21:2
 
You see, there is nothing but a bottomless crater to look down into the deadness of our own souls if we are not fully committed to God. If you ever come to this place you will know how quickly your soul wants to run away and to rush to find something, anything at all, to "fill" itself up again with noise and activity.
Art! Food! Beautiful Clothing! The doing of generous deeds! Perfectionistic exercising and self-improvement to show your “Self” discipline! 
After all... PEOPLE are watching!
The reality of this is, So Is God.
 
VERY FEW SEE THIS BLEAK MOMENT FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS.     
It's a chance to see their need for something that is beyond themselves.
But my friend, this can be a moment where the soul can cross over from its own empty silence into an expected quiet that is alive with His presence.
It silences the anguish, the anxious restlessness into a calm and still place of peace. It's as if the soul finds that in this dark place, there is secret well of sweet water, and it springs up and overflows with light and life. 
Learning to pass into this place of the Spirit and allowing God to keep your soul in refreshing silent tranquility is a true act of the maturing believer.
 
ALL OF YOUR FLESHY SOUL WILL WANT TO RADICALLY FIGHT THIS, 
and it will do so by trying to analyze what's happening!
All of this kind of behavior will just weigh you down, and it'll pull you back from walking in the spirit, to walking simply in your own understanding. 
The choice we all must make is encapsulated in this statement made by John the Baptist.
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”  -John 3:30
 
Another translation of this verse says it even more plainly.
“He must become more important
while I become less important."
WHEW!
 
HEAVEN CAN BE ENTERED ONLY THROUGH THE NARROW GATE! 
The pathway to hell is broad,
and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes that choose its easy way.  
But the Gateway to Life is small,
and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it. –Matthew 7:13-14
 
THE WORD “WAY” TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK WORD HODÓS LITERALLY MEANS “A NATURAL ROAD OR TRAVELED WAY”.  
It refers to a way of life or a way of thinking.
The word is used six times in the book of Acts as a substitute for Christianity itself.   We can quickly understand that the Christian faith is more than a one-time decision to accept Christ. It is a faith, which alters the very course of a life.
 
THE WORD “NARROW” COMES FROM THE GREEK VERB THLÍBO, WHICH MEANS TO PRESS OR CRUSH
AS A WORKER IN A VINEYARD MIGHT CRUSH GRAPES OR A CROWD OF PEOPLE MIGHT PRESS AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. 
This word also means to experience trouble, difficulty, or affliction.
 
COMBINED WITH THE GREEK WORD HODÓS, IT INSINUATES A SQUEEZED, STRAITENED, OR NARROWING PATHWAY.
The cramped condition of the path seems to imply two valuable truths about the nature of the Christian life.
It is a way marked out by the will of God, and it is a way marked by difficulty and struggle.
Remember, when your soul discovers how to let the Holy Spirit bring it into this place of inner peace of learning to rest in this stillness, it’s only because God is carrying you in his arms and that you sense no toil or drive on your part.
Friends, this accomplishes much more than all of your own actions or works of performance, since God Himself, is at work inside of you.
 
“I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work in you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world.” -Philippians 1:6 (The Voice)
 
IF WE FACE “THE NARROWING”, THE CHALLENGE OF ALLOWING OUR SOUL,  OUR FLESH, TO BE FULLY HANDED OVER TO GOD’S PATHWAY,
HE WILL TEACH OUR SOUL HOW TO OVERCOME   
THREE OF THE MOST TOXIC OF SINS.
 
These sins are -  
Anger, Envy, and, an unwillingness to obey the Lord. 
 
These run wild through our stony and hardened hearts
and they eventually can crumble and ruin us.
 
YOU SEE, OUR SOULS DESIRE TO FIND COMPLETE HAPPINESS, BLISS, CONSOLATION AND SECURITY IN THIS WORLD, AND THIS CAN NEVER REALLY HAPPEN!
So, God has to show us our great darkness when our soul tries to find spiritual strength there, because there is no sweet and vibrant life when our soul is attached to the things of this world!  It’s a wide and gregarious path in the world, and the crowds on the pathway adore gratification and pleasure of every sort.
Our souls have a natural demand for wanting our own pleasure and achievement, and frustration causes these sins to grow, and they bring the very ugly fruit that is produced from them right into the light! OUCH!
 
THE LORD ALLOWS HIS TOOL OF DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES TO CRUSH AND TO CRACK OUR HARD SOULS.
He plants His word of light deep into our darkness. And He pours the living water of His spirit on our dryness and then we soften, as he uproots our old sluggish ways and our complaining about obeying God. Meaning, having to pass up our soothing comforts and pleasures.
 
NOW, I URGE YOU TO QUIET THE COMPLAINING OF YOUR SOUL, WITH ITS REBELLIONS.
We will naturally want to turn back to its pleasure and demands!  
But as the world goes further and further into broad deviations of every kind, you as a believer will face a fork in the road.
One of the most cunning temptations of the times that we live in right now for believers is the mindset that says,
“I’m not going to get into any trouble! I can handle things as a Christian just fine!
I wont actually “touch the fire” I’ll just play around it!” 
 
WHAT IS THAT FIRE? 
It’s justifying and adapting God’s often narrow and absolute instructions about relationships, marriage, sex, self-indulgence, arrogance, “harmless" Occult involvement and lording over those whom you feel are less astute or affluent as you.
 
GOD WILL AND HE MUST BRING THIS DRYNESS OUT OF OUR SOULS AND KILL THESE DEADLY ROOTS!
Quiet the pathetic demands of your soul for soothing comforts and a right to be angry and judgmental!
When your path seems empty and silent and desert dry, put your soul’s concentration on God alone. You can hardly imagine the harvest of a lasting joy that comes to you, when you learn to be free of your soul’s whining. It's there that God can speak quiet words! 
They will be so sweet and tender, and he will speak of his great love to us.
 
KNOW THIS. DRYNESS WILL TRY TO COME AGAIN AND AGAIN.      
It wants to lead you to self-justification and an easy escape from the hammer and chisel of God shaping your being, turning it into a reservoir for His purposes. 
It will try to come back with greater strength each time you resist. So stand your ground and stand firm in the quietness of your brokenness.  
 
Focus upon His presence guiding you down the narrowing path. 
He will come to you and His fresh guidance will be more amazing than anything your natural mind can imagine.
 
A PROPHETIC WORD FROM THE SPIRIT OF GOD
FOR THOSE FACING “THE NARROWING PATH”
 
“Darker and broader and louder come the shouts of world to draw you into its intricate webs.
These webs of deceit are spun with silken tongues and with the softness of the promise of an easier life.
 
There is a reckoning coming to those that sell lies and imprison those who buy their wares.  
But for those who are determined to not walk on a fence, trying to balance between their own thinking and me, there will be a “Divine Might” that will empower them to continue down the narrowing way.
Where does this narrowing journey lead? 
What is the payoff at the end?
 
As you become more determined and lay aside the things that have hindered you over and over again from fully entering into the deeper places with me, a lightness and freedom will propel you toward a place of Living Light. 
That Light is Me, and you will soon know Me in a different way than you have in past years and seasons.
 
My one warning to many is that they cannot argue that the path is “too narrow”. 
What mankind might call “rigid” I call “Straight and Direct”. 
If you choose to alter the plans that I have set down for your protection and safety, you will grieve my Spirit and allow a searing of your conscience to override the truths that you know deep in your heart.
 
“The path of those who do right is straight and smooth. 
I, who am upright, make the way of the righteous level.” -Isaiah 26:7
 
“The Narrowing” has begun to increase, and the love for it has decreased among those who choose to remain passive to conviction and pure living. 
Allow my Holy Spirit to move freely again.
I know what I must do, to break the constraints of man.
 Let me move!
Are you afraid that I might be ridiculed?
Or, are you more concerned for your image and patterns before men? 
 
“Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies,
But test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.”
-I Thessalonians 5:19-21
 
Choose the “Narrowing Way”.  For I, Am there. 
Choose the pathway of “rightness” with me, even when others scoff at your “narrow mindedness”.
When the days become darker and the world tilts and twists in further unrestrained darkness,
You will be the carrier of My Light, which can lead the lukewarm and lost down the narrow, but safe, and integral way, to Me.
 
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed,
Provided that complete message, podcast site link
and website information
forMary Lindow is included.
Thank you!
"The Messenger" ~ Mary Lindow
2022 © 
www.marylindow.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
 
 
 
 

Wednesday Dec 15, 2021


 By Mary Lindow Through The Holy Spirit
 
TODAY’S PODCAST IS GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING ONE!
What I’m sharing on this specific podcast is about a vision that I had when my husband and I were first engaged. I was staying in his parent’s home and my husband had his own house about 10 miles away. We spent a lot of time talking together and praying and just contemplating what our future would look like in the Lord, and how he was going to use us, when Steve would come over to spend time with me after work.
One evening I had gone into the living room of my in-laws to play the piano and worship and sing to the Lord, and while I was worshiping Him and enjoying being in His presence, I had what would be described as a screen being dropped out in front of my eyes take place, and I had a very visual picture to watch or as the Bible would call it, a vision.
I SAW MYSELF RUNNING ACROSS SOME SEMI-ROCKY LAND and Steve was behind me. He was trying to direct a group of individuals to stay in line and be in unity together.
All of us had what looked to be like a stretchy headband wrapped around our heads and across our foreheads. Attached on the front of these were round lights like miner’s lamps. Some of lights on the people in the line where Steve was trying to get them to come into unity and walk together would flicker and not come on brightly. Others were very bright and consistently steady.
I was running ahead like a scout and the word “forerunner” came into my mind as I was running ahead. I turned around and looked at what Steve was doing and he was trying to stop these individuals from elbowing each other and fighting over whose theology was the most correct.
 
ABOVE THE HEADS OF THESE INDIVIDUALS I NOTED THAT THERE WERE DENOMINATIONAL CHURCH ORGANIZATIONAL NAMES AND ALSO NONDENOMINATIONAL TITLES.
I turned back around and continued my scouting and forerunning and was jogging at a relaxed pace, but I knew I was heading towards something in front of me that I needed to get to.
The path had embedded rocks and bumps that I had to avoid so I wouldn’t trip. The lamp or miner’s light strapped to my forehead kept a bright light steadily beaming in front of me.
Suddenly, in front of me, was a large chasm or a gap and I had to stop and pull back so I wouldn’t fall headlong into the huge gap.
There was no possible human way to run and jump over it and I was at a dead stop staring over the edge. Intuitively, I knew I needed to get to the other side and that there was something very important for me to engage in and be a part of.
But! I didn’t see a ladder or a bridge long enough or safe enough in any direction, to try to cross over with.
 
I Heard A Voice In The Vision Tell Me To Take A Step Of Faith, and that as I walked forward, not in my own strength, not in my own might or power, but in the spirit, that I would make it safely to the other side.
I remember feeling hesitant and thinking I needed to warn Steve.
I turned around and told him I’m going to take a leap of faith to get to the other side. He looked at me and seem to understand what I was doing and turned around and tried to tell the other individuals that they were going to have to lean upon God‘s power and might and supernatural ability, to get them all to the other side. I once again turned around and backed up and took a running leap across this wide chasm. I was immediately on the other side and waited for Steve.
 
I REALIZED THAT I HAD TO DO THIS ON MY OWN WITH THE LORD, and not depend upon Steve to get me to where the Lord wanted me to be. Nor could I get him there. We were each responsible to trust in the Lord with all of our heart.
It was as if I was lifted back over the chasm for a moment so I could observe what was taking place with Steve and the others.
Several of the individuals who were irritated that others were not listening to their great rhetoric and interpretation of things, began to break loose and run forward while telling everyone how they were going to make it across the gap/chasm. Several of them literally walked off the edge of the cliff into the chasm due to not paying attention, and fell completely to the bottom.
 
OTHERS WERE FIGHTING AND SEVERAL WERE IN FEAR AND WOULD NOT ATTEMPT A LEAP OF FAITH.
They wanted to build a structure or devise a plan to get them there. Their lights were flickering very low by this point.
Steve finally said, “I have to go”, and he too, took a running leap of faith and threw his arms upward, eyes closed, trusting in the Lord’s provision to get him over the chasm. He met me standing on the other side of this wide gap.
 
IMMEDIATELY WE BECAME MEMBERS OF A LARGE ARMY.
Everyone was dressed in a white robe and had different colors of sashes to indicate which battalion or team of army members they were marching with.
Everyone’s headband with the lamp on the front of it was brilliantly white and the lamps were shining intensely! Everyone was in order and marching in unison, with thousands of members.
 
OVERHEAD THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE ARTILLERY FIRE TAKING PLACE IN THE SKY. 
It seemed as if there were missiles and different kinds of weaponry clashing above us, but we were all marching calmly and firmly in unity and we knew we were marching under the direction of our Leader, King, Jesus Christ.
 
Shortly after this surprising vision I “came to myself” again and sat there and pondered what I had seen, for a very long time.
Steve and I have often talked about this and have often shared the details with each other again as we l pray and ask the Lord why he would show it to us at that time, and what we were being prepared for.
 
CHRISTIAN ALLEGIANCES ARE  “STRANGE AND STRAINED AFFAIRS”
Many denominations and non-denominational groups as well as progressive and New Age influenced churches have chosen to embrace a corporate world structure and more eagerly, “hunker down” into a “murky version” of the word of God.
Many have embraced the cultural pressure to push away pure living, and interpret the word of God to fit the current day embracing of immoral sexuality and freethinking on many levels.
 
THE CURRENT BLATHERING INTELLECTUALS OF THE ERA mock and criticize those who choose to live a morally and biblically pure and truthful application of God’s word.
You know, It just not "cool or hip" right now to not be a little edgy and nasty!
 
I believe that in the vision that I had, those who were elbowing and arguing and posturing while on their way to what they felt was an event (that would be in fact an important moment in the collective body of Christ), these individuals had “dimmed” their approach to allowing their minds to be renewed and cleansed by the word of God. I believe the headbands that weakly flickered with the mining lights were symbols of what they fed their minds with, weakening their discernment.
 
THOSE WHO WERE FOCUSED ON HAVING THEIR MINDS RENEWED by the word of God, being illuminated by his word and having their minds renewed had no wavering or angst taking place.
Those that were fighting and pontificating the most, had the dimming lamps that flickered and seemed to short out, and they insisted that adaptations and adjustments could be made according to the way that they interpreted faith and how to walk with Christ.
THEY REFUSED TO LISTEN TO ANYONE ELSE AND THEY REFUSED TO HAVE ANY KIND OF UNITY, BUT NEEDED TO PUSH FORWARD TO PROVE THEIR POINT.
 
When Steve kept telling them in the vision that they had to be unified and that they had to be humble and to humbly care for one another as brothers in the Lord, they became all the more enraged, condescending, and began to rush ahead in arrogance and with great irritability.
 
ONE INDIVIDUAL WAS WALKING BACKWARDS lecturing everyone and literally fell over the cliff edge into the chasm, screaming all the way down.
 
SO WHERE ARE WE?
Anyone who is doing all they know to do to have a close walk with the Lord right now at this time, who desires to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to the churches and us individually, is fully aware of the deceptive clouds of wickedness and filth hovering over the world.
 
LYING HAS BECOME AN HONORED AND CUNNING ATTRIBUTE in order to confuse, control, and break other human beings.
Sadly, many in the faith have chosen to become rabid political activists to the point that it’s all that they devour and think about day and night.
They shun anyone who will not listen to them and certainly have embraced on many levels, the message of a “one world unified socialist lifestyle”. This is where a great delusion has been allowed to deceive many. Second Thessalonians 2:11 warned us about this!
“Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false.”
 
THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF GODLESSNESS IN THE LAST DAYS
In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 we have quite the strong warning about how it was going to roll out and unfold. (I think that we are already there.)
“So! Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 
For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, but treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but they deny its power. Avoid such people.”
 
WOW! AVOID THESE PEOPLE?
These are strong and difficult words to hear aren’t they?
 
When I was forerunning ahead in the vision, I believe it was a indicator of a prophetic forerunner seeing the things to come as well as seeing what God was asking of his people, as the world became more corrupt and dark, and decisions that were difficult that were coming, were about to be made.
 
THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS RUNNING I WAS WATCHING AND LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THAT MY FEET WOULD NOT TRIP, and when I came to the edge of the chasm I knew that I had to completely abandon myself, to everything that I could possibly fashion or create in my mind, leaving behind the hopeful use of any personal skills to get to the other side of where God wanted me to be.
 
THERE WAS NO POSSIBILITY TO RUN AND JUMP AND MAKE IT ON MY OWN.
I had to abandon myself to the fact that God said to take a leap of faith. That I must trust Him spirit, soul, and body, to be moved into position in His kingdom where I would be in unity marching with His great army of servants.
Somehow in my spirit, in the vision, I knew that Steve was going to be okay and also knew that we had to individually make a choice to trust God completely with our lives, no matter what difficulties we were about to face.
There was great sadness on Steve’s face when he turned around and knew he had to now leave those who were rushing ahead and jumping or still arguing on the edge of the chasm, and that it was his time to risk everything and take a step of faith out into the unknown.
The minute Steve arrived on the other side of the chasm with me we were side-by-side marching to the sound of thousands of feet in unison and voices praising God. There was a look of determination and sobriety on every face that was in every battalion of people, but everyone knew why they were there, and what they were being assigned to.
The flashes of light and military type of war going on above us was constant but no one broke rank and everyone was marching in the battalion that they were a part of. Praise and powerful prayers were coming out of all of all of the people’s mouths as they raised their hands forward in honor of what was up ahead, which I believe was King Jesus himself.
 
In Joel 2:11 it says
“The Lord utters his voice before his army,
For his camp is exceedingly great;
He who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome;
Who can endure it?”
 
NOW, I WILL NOT PRESUME TO TRY TO UNPACK ALL THAT IS GOING ON IN THE EARTH TODAY, nor will I say that I understand all of the applications of the book of Revelation or End Time thoughts.
What I will say is that the Lord has told us that the difficult days would come and that antichrists and deceivers would rise up from among us, even trying to deceive the very elect, God’s own precious, set apart children.
 
1 John 4:3 tells this clearly!
Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.
This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
 
You see, This is a time where God is already showing those who have ears to hear what He is saying and that we are being called to take great steps and leaps of trust and faith in Him, like we have never, EVER done before.
 
IT’S SCARY OUT THERE IN THE WORLD, and tyrants and wicked men and women defy and mock anything that interferes with their corruption and filth. They are absolutely not interested in the sound of the voice of the Lord or in his people challenging them. But this is where our faith and trust in God must exceed and excel.
 
It is a time where you and I must continually and constantly renew our minds by intentionally reading and listening to the word of God.
 
HOW MANY TIMES A DAY DO PEOPLE CHECK THE SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES and news feeds on their phones and I Pads? Is this where the light of Christ is found and minds are renewed?
No. It’s a place where distractions and debates and the opinions of man drown out truth and any trust in God.
 
RUN AWAY FROM THE PACK
Believers! Get a firm pace going in your pursuit of the truth!
Be aware of those snares and rocks placed there to intentionally get you to change course or quit and become part of the world’s narratives!
 
There’s no need to figure out what you are going to do
in tough times if you stay close to the word and voice of God!
 
He absolutely WILL guide you, and His word IS the lamp for your feet and the light that will keep your path lit up as you journey through dark days!
 
Psalm 119:105 
"Your word is a lamp to my feet
, AND a light to my path.
 
IN CLOSING, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO ALLOW THE LORD, TO DO A DEEP PURGING AND SEARCHING OF YOUR HEART.
Don’t push away where he is trying to get you to give up your own, personal opinions about how things are to be done in a time where recklessness and chaos are rewarded.
Get quiet and be still in his presence, and ask him to tell you exactly what to do.
 
HE WILL DIRECT YOU THROUGH HIS WORD!
He will bring people across your path who are either like-minded or who will point the way to absolute sustaining truth.
Stay away from those who are so full of themselves, and who love the sound of their own voices, so that there is no room for tenderness and dialogue for a soul that is hungering after God.
 
YOU AND I ARE RIGHT NOW, A PART OF THE GREAT ARMY OF GOD.
We are to march to the sound of His voice and have our voices raised in praise of who He is and in declaration that we are of another Kingdom.
Even if it seems as if nothing is changing or that God is at a distance, we are not to walk by how we feel, or how things look around us.
We are to be determined to be in union and in communication by the spirit with the Spirit of the living God.
 
Ask the Lord to draw you close to him.
Choose to run after him!
 
Don’t wait for others to lead you or guide you to answer the questions that you have in your heart right now. Jesus by the Holy Spirit is able to speak clearly to you and he is able to give you direction, because, He IS the great I AM.
He IS wisdom.
He IS light!
And, He has promised…
…To never leave us in the dark.
 
Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
But will have the light of life.” - John 8:12
 
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete message, Podcast and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
 
Thank you. Copyright © 2021 THE MESSENGER " ˜ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday Apr 28, 2016


"THE GREATEST ENEMY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH"
DEMEANING ANOTHER GENERATION OF LEADERS
by MaryLindow 
It is highly recommended that you listen to the 
audio version/podcast of this message and join in with 
the prayers lifted up on behalf of the Body of Christ
There is a dangerous trend blooming much like a dandelion in the body of Christ that needs to literally be nipped in the root, and in no way approached with a cowering spirit! Somehow it's now a trending youthful "call from God" to be a cutting edge voice that is sent to “correct” the current Fathers and Mothers in the body of Christ. Hmmmm.....
I DON'T CARE HOW POPULAR OR TRENDY ANY MOVEMENT IS or any individual who is a gifted speaker is. If they have been given the privilege to address the body of Christ on any stage, in any pulpit, in any gathering, they are to be judged and held accountable by those in leadership for their actions and their choices when they speak to others.
I AM ADDRESSING SPECIFIC SITUATIONS where a young-(ish) man or woman is allowed to speak in a meeting and begins to demand that the crowd responds according totheir commands.
There should NEVER be even the hint of demeaning another generation of leaders publicly, or a shaming and finger-pointing message aimed at somehow "breaking the people" and getting them to be stirred up to do something. Whatever that"something" might be, if people are shamed into action, then it is truly not God's will or God's plan.
 
WHO GET’S TO ADDRESS PEOPLE FROM THE PODIUM? There's a lot to be said about not quickly allowing a novice or newcomer to your team to have absolute access to speak into the hearts of those who gather to hear of the specific (and most hopefully) -GOD ORDAINED vision that you, as a leader, have been commissioned and assigned to serve and honor! In 1 Kings 12 - Rehoboam rejected the advice of the "older men" who had stood with Solomon, listening instead to the "young men who grew up with him". It divided the Kingdom. HEAR that.
Pride can cause a novice who is actually termed "a new planting" meaning, “still not having put down roots”, to defend themselves and their more "potent" message. Pride can cause them to look down on others. If you allow it, pride will rob them ofthe most treasured mentoring relationships in their lives.
 
WHEN ANOTHERGENERATION MOCKS THE WORDS OF GOD Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some childish boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here you old bald man!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled the forty-two the boys.
2 Kings 2:23
 
THE WORD FOR"CHILDREN" IN THIS VERSE IS TRANSLATED AS PERSONS OF THIRTY ORFORTY YEARS OF AGE and, though these are called "little", they were so well grown as to be able to go out of the city by themselves without anyone to guide them, or to take care of them and they were at an age capable not only of taking notice of Elijah's baldness, but knew he was a prophet. They were able to know what good and evil was and, from a malicious spirit inside of them, they mocked at him. Some Jewish writers say they were called "Naarim", which means"children” because they had shaken off the bond that was keeping people close, the commandments, and "little", because they were of little faith:
 
THEY MOCKED HIM, AND SAID TO HIM, “GO UP, YOU BALD HEAD! GO UP, YOU OLD BALDY!”  Meaning, not up the hill to Bethel, where his coming was not really welcomed since most of the people were idol worshippers, and maybe these children were sent out to intimidate him with their jeers to keep him from entering the city! They had heard about Elijah going up to heaven so they jeeringly told him to go up to heaven after him, and then they would have gotten rid of them both! “Who needs that old man telling us what to do?!”  
At the same time that they were mocking him for his baldness, and making a funny story of the wondrous works of God, the taking up into heaven of Elijah, which by behaving so disrespectfully to a “White hairedhead”, a prophet of the Lord, was terribly wicked, and therefore opened thedoor to an external attack from a destructive force. Two full-grown she-bears, who consumed them.
Folks, there are consequences for mockery and deception!
 
BEFORE AMAN OR WOMAN CAN LOOK DOWN ON ANOTHER, they must first assume he or she is better than the person they are speaking against. A proud man or woman is suspicious of everyone else. A humble man or woman is more suspicious of their own heart than anyone else. The proud heart will detect defects in others before him. But a humble soul sees the evil in his/her own heart before they see evil in others.
 
CONCEITAND PRIDE ARE THE GREATEST ENEMIES TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH! Newly acquired knowledge often leads to pride rather than wisdom. This is often true with the novice. There is no surer way to fall into sin than to allow pride to lead us into putting confidence in ourselves rather than God. This type of pride always leads to destruction, because it robs us of God’s power to stand against temptation.
 
WHAT WEACCOMPLISH AS MEMBERS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS DONE BY THE POWER OF GOD. The novice begins thinking that what he/she accomplishes is his/her own doing. The people in Corinth had been developed in every way as well, with the knowledge of God, but pride in what they knew was about to lead to their destruction!
 
KNOWLEDGECAN BE MISTAKEN FOR MATURITY, but true knowledge is designed to bring us TO maturity. When we parade our freedom before others in an effort to reveal how much we know, we reveal our immaturity and are treading on dangerous ground! Knowledge put on PUBLIC display leads to revelry and scattering.
 
TRUE KNOWLEDGE BRINGS THE RESTFUL DISCIPLINE OF SELF-CONTROL.  Paul’s knowledge ofGod led him to lead a disciplined life for the benefit of himself and others. HUMBLING OURSELVES IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE ROOF OFF TOWARD GOD, AND THE WALLS DOWN TOWARD OUR FELLOW MAN. 
Once offences have been committed, whether intentional or unintentional, they must be dealt with! “I was wrong. I am sorry. Will you forgive me?” are healing words that only a humble soul would use. Whenever you find a man or woman willing to humble themselves before God and man, you have found a person who will be exalted, because “humility comes before honor.”
 
REMEMBER THAT SOME MEN’S SINS ARE OBVIOUS, AND ARE EQUALLY OBVIOUSLY BRINGING THEM TO SERIOUS JUDGMENT. 
"The sins of other men might not be apparent, but are dogging them, nevertheless, under the surface. Similarly some virtues are plain to see,while others, though not at all conspicuous, will eventually make themselves felt."
1Timothy 5:24-25
 "Don’t reprimand or publicly talk downto a senior leader in your church, honoring him as a father by first showing respect and humility. Treat the young men kindly as brothers, and the olderwomen as nurturing mothers. Treat the younger women as sisters, and nothingmore."
1 Timothy 5:1-2
 
 
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that 
complete source, podcast and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You Copyright © 2016
“THE MESSENGER” ~Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
marylindow.podbean.com
 
 

Thursday Sep 26, 2013

 

 
 
By Mary Lindow
 
David had his Absalom, Paul had his Demas, who abandoned him, and Alexander the coppersmith, who "had done him much harm." Jesus had Iscariot.We know all about Judas, so the story holds no drama for us. We forget that Jesus chose Judas after praying all night. They spent every day together for three years, talking, eating together, and laughing. Jesus sent him out in ministry. Judas shared in the miracle of feeding 5,000 people; his hands took the small, round barley loaves from Jesus and tore off hunks of bread for hungry people.What makes each case of betrayal so painful is that someone who knows your heart—who knows your longings and character—turns from that and chooses to believe you are really dangerous. The mind freezes as it tries to grasp how a friend, someone who knew you deeply, intimately, could turn on you and attack you.The singer songwriter Michael Card vividly captures the agony in one song:"Only a friend can betray a friend, 
A stranger has nothing to gain  
And only a friend comes close enough 
To ever cause so much pain."Betrayal, I've noticed, calls good evil. 
It twists a person's true spiritual endowments into something negative, a saintly deficiency or psychological problem. Betrayal causes leaders to not want to trust, to not want to be involved in anything called church, to not be vulnerable, to not open their spirits in worship to God.
Don't give up! You may be tempted to flee, to turn your back on your call. 
You are walking where great people have walked before. They are remembered as great because they did not allow the betrayal to stop them. Instead they learned how to turn their pain into greater usefulness for the Lord.
What does it mean to slander? 
To make a false and malicious statement that damages somebody’s reputation. To set somebody or something up in opposition to somebody or something else.But another definition of slander is to take about someone with the intent to hurt them. 
To whisper and hiss subtle, condescending, suggestive thoughts that someone is ”missing the real deal.”II Timothy tells us that in the last days there will be slanderers and false accusers spreading innuendoes and criticism and reporting things unjustly about others.Scorpions carry poison in their tails; 
Snakes carry it in their cheeks, 
And slanderers carry it in their tongues.
Character assassination is an intentional attempt to influence the portrayal or reputation of a particular person, 
..Whether living or a historical person, in such a way as to cause others to develop an extremely negative, unethical or unappealing perception of him or her. By its nature, it involves deliberate exaggeration or manipulation of facts to present an untrue picture of the targeted person. For living individuals, this can cause the target to be rejected by his or her community, family, or members of his or her living or work environment. 
 
Such acts are typically very difficult to reverse or rectify, therefore the process is correctly likened to a literal assassination of a human life. The damage sustained can be life-long and more, or for historical personages, last for many centuries after their death.
In practice, character assassination usually consists of the spreading of rumors and deliberate 
misinformation on topics relating to one's morals, integrity, and reputation.
 
If the devil has any servants that he values the most, are they slanderers or gossips? I believe they are!Charles Spurgeon said, "A lie will go around the world while truth is still putting on its boots."Think about that!
In Psalm 15 David speaks such a powerful lesson about THE PERSON who can truly ascend to a place of Walking with God in a holy high place.Psalm 15 : 1-5 A psalm of David. 
 
"LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong, and casts no slur on his fellowman,who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. 
He who does these things will never be shaken."If you will notice…this type of person cannot be shaken. 
That does not mean that he or she will not be sorely tested, or at times falsely accused or slandered. It meant that these things would not shake them from the knowledge that they walk with God in His Holy Presence SAFELY and confidently even though pressures and pain attack them!
 
The Lord is a protector… 

…And a refuge from slander and accusations!
 
"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, 
which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.
In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; 
in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues." 
Psalm 31:19-20
I encourage you to spend much much time in worship and in hiding the word of God in your heart. 
These two weapons act like shields to the soul when attacks and false accusations are unleashed towards you. There will always be those who gain power and prestige for a season through the use of slander or subtle suggestions that imply that you have some how “gone off the rails” and have become a lesser saint!The Lord strongly addressed this in the following verses:“Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; 
Whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure."
Psalm 101:5"Do not go about spreading slander among your people. 
Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. 
I am the LORD." 
Leviticus 19:16Servant of God! DO NOT let fear grip you and paralyze the Lord’s voice calling to you to serve Him freely!No man or woman has the authority to tell you to not speak in the Name of Jesus if you are moving from a pure heart and a pure motive!  Of Course…you may thoroughly be discussed behind your back and dissected as to why you speak out or flow in the way the Lord might well call you to do!But remember to be certain it is the Lord that asked you to speak out and then you are able to simply;“Keep a clear conscience, 
so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ 
may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:16Remember this, obedient child of God:When we are slandered, we answer kindly. 
Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, 
the refuse of the world. 1 Corinthians 4:13Love lived out and expressed honestly... 
...In the hearts that have felt the sting of slander and yet choose to forgive, do a greater work in the name of Jesus and for His Kingdom, than a thousand voices that may shout against injustice or religious forms and practices.Remember…Jesus Himself endured insults rejection and ridicule.And yet - He finished the course.So will you!Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that complete Message, website information 
and Podcast link  for Mary Lindow is included. Thank You!
 Copyright © 2019 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow 
www.marylindow.com

Thursday Jul 25, 2013

 - A PROPHETIC WORD -“MANY WILL BE PURIFIED AND REFINED ...… BUT THE WICKED WILL CONTINUE TO BE WICKED”By the Holy Spirit through Mary Lindow Scroll to the bottom of this message to use to the audio podcast player.“How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, And has not turned to the proud for worldly advice, Nor to those who lapse into tale bearing.” Psalms 40:4 "My children. It is always amazing how people run to the power and strengths of man and to the voices of false hope. As if from these things they advise or promise might gain a place of security! You can only be fully secure when you first come to ME! I never break my promises to you! NEVER! I use every opportunity in your life to train you to be an honest and humble guide to lead others to my way of success. If you hear a man or woman boasting about too many great things that they have done, you will eventually find out that they are masters of manipulation and "embellished" liars. It's all to make themselves look more powerful in your eyes. I do not deeply fellowship with this type of person. “If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of them.”Deuteronomy 18:22 "I only share My keys and treasures of victory and success with those who do not peddle pride and do not posture for an audience. False humility is obvious to Me even when others cannot discern it. Trusting Me means to really believe that I AM all you need to have a vision and a future. Trust. Trust. Trust! Trust ME!" Be Quick To Listen, Be Slow To Speak, Be Slow to get Angry. ~James 1:19 "The real proof of your personal transformation in Me is in evidence when you can practice this truthful insight without having to think about it too much! In order to sincerely be a voice for Me - one who cries out into the wilderness of other people's lives, you must be able to hear My voice clearly! Speaking only what I tell you to speak, and to not REACT with anger when you have those who oppose My Voice, challenge you! If you are suspicious of others motives and have secretly hidden the things of insecurity or entitlement in your own heart, you will be looking for a way to cast suspicion on others if you are the guilty or presumptuous party of some wrongdoing. This opens a door to a hardness of heart, which allows the pride of life and love for position to blind you from a life of brokenness, and personal, private integrity. Clean living creates a pure and clear conscience. "Keep me also from the sins I want to commit. May they not be my master. Then I will be without blame. I will not be guilty of any great sin against your word." Psalm 19:13 “I remained silent, like a lamb ready for slaughter! When My time to speak came, it changed eternity!It is finished! Father! Into Your hands I willingly turn over everything! My body, My soul, My spirit! Can you also turn all you hold dear in this life over to the Father? You will never be the same again! And you also will mark out a statement in eternity!" The Lord's promises are pure.... Psalm 12:6a "I have no ulterior reasons to make a promise that has a hidden agenda! I am the spotless Lamb of God! All that I have ever promised to you and to those who love Me has always been with only good and blessing in mind! Purity has it's own deep well of uniqueness to draw from.It looks for fairness for all.It only operates with absolute truthfulness.Purity is a value that never wears thin.When you minister or care for others, do all of it from only a pure motive to help, bless and restore. Impurity always shows up with self-preservation, intimidation and a pompous sense of personal power and personal vision. "We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 2 Corinthians 6:3-6 Purity.It is only a refined vessel that can walk in the power of this attribute!"“Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.” Daniel 12:10 Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed as long as complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included. 
 Thank You! 
Copyright 2013 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow www.marylindow.com 

Wednesday May 29, 2013



Mary Lindow
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"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To do justly,
and to love kindness and mercy,
and to humble yourself
and walk humbly with your God."
(Micah 6:8)

ALTHOUGH I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A FRESH EXPRESSION OF THE HEART OF THE FATHER STIRRING IN THE EARTH, I also see that there is a lot of "bashing" regularly occurring due to the abuse others have exhibited in their places of calling, aimed at those who have been true to what the Lord has asked them to do in His name, and this has caused not just a little sorrow.

WE MUST CLEARLY SEE THAT CORRUPTION CAN RAPIDLY OCCUR IN ANY PERSON OR ANY GROUP, ORGANIZED, RELAXED, OR OTHERWISE, when the tendency to think that they have arrived at a new or deeper revelation about something more so than others who perhaps express the Lord's voice differently.

ARROGANCE IS THE ASSUMPTION THAT I, INDIVIDUALLY, OR SOME GROUP THAT I AM A PART OF, COLLECTIVELY, IS SOMEHOW SUPERIOR TO SOMEONE ELSE OR SOME OTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE.
At the heart of arrogance is self-centeredness. And self-centeredness is the foundation of human sin. I believe any serious attempt at self-examination by an honest person will reveal that we humans are sinful and flawed beyond measure.
MARK TWAIN ONCE SAID,
“MAN IS THE ONLY ANIMAL THAT BLUSHES—
OR [FOR THAT MATTER] NEEDS TO.”
Paul writes, “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand…Wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death?”
Self consumes us. And every time we arrogantly place our own needs before others we are enslaved by sin.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
HOW SHOULD WE LIVE INSTEAD OF IN THAT ARROGANT MODE?
How about the words of Jesus?
What did he say?
"Everyone who exalts himself (for example, "Aren't I great? Aren't I right? Don't I always have the best opinion?") will be humbled.
But he who humbles himself (for example, "This is my opinion but it may not be right. I don't have a corner on the market of truth.") will be exalted."

THE LORD IS NOT SPEEDING UP THE DELIVERY OF ANY "FRESH THING" IN THE EARTH IN ORDER TO GET US TO HIS PURPOSES QUICKLY.
No. He is testing the hearts of men and women everywhere, looking for humility, selflessness, and honor, for those who although not perfect, have also served and pointed the way to salvation for many years previously.
THE LORD IS NOT GOING TO HONOR THE INDIVIDUAL WHO SHOUTS THAT "CHANGE IS NEEDED" OR THAT "CHANGE IS COMING" AND THEN SLASHES AND BURNS ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T EMBRACE THEIR VERSION OF IT.

THE LORD IS INTERESTED IN THE SOUND OF HUMILITY, THE HAND OF MERCY, AND THE VOICE OF GRACE.
These key character issues attract the pure and simple Presence of the Lord. Blessed are the PURE in heart...for they shall see God.
Until the Body of Christ that has been through many difficult and Shattering events and rids it of bitter and venomous words against one another and accepts that each one like sheep have gone astray and turned to what pleased them at the moment, there will be little evidence of much harvest.

THE LOST AND CONFUSED WORLD OUT THERE WATCHES CHRISTIANS TEAR EACH OTHER TO SHREDS DAILY AND WONDERS WHY WE ARE ASKING THEM TO JOIN US!
Remember Christ’s two great commandments—love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself.
Self-centeredness is the reversal of the great commandment.
Self-centeredness means to place ourselves first, in effect proclaiming our own form of self-government (not needing or wanting the advice or insight of others), therefore our neighbors become an afterthought, and God becomes simply a convenience to be considered only when it’s helpful to us. It is evident even in our language that self-centeredness is woven into the fabric of the human experience.

THE ONE TRUE SACRIFICIAL MODEL TOLD US THAT HE WOULD SEND THE VERY SPIRIT OF GOD IN ORDER TO CONVICT ALL PEOPLE OF SIN, TO COMFORT, TO GUIDE, AND TO SET THEM FREE.
Indeed. The very evidence of a redemptive type of life is in one who washes the feet of his/her brothers and his/her enemies in an act of cleansing the dirt from the road of life off of the pathway to the Truth.
May we truly hear the sound of the unmistakable heartbeat of a redemptive model rising up in clear resounding purity, personal
transparency, and in the covering of the multitude of sins by speaking and meditating only on those things that are noble, just, pure, and of a good report.

AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS NATIONS, THE ANTIDOTE TO ARROGANCE AND SELF-CENTEREDNESS IS A HEAVY DOSE OF HUMILITY.
That is; a profound willingness to recognize the value and respect the dignity of every human life. And, furthermore, a humble heart calls us to seek and serve Christ in ALL persons by giving of ourselves willingly for the welfare of other people.

THE LORD SAYS,
"Do not let a wise man brag about how wise he is.
Do not let a strong man boast about how strong he is.
Do not let a rich person brag about how rich he is.
But here is what the one who brags should boast about.
He should brag that he has understanding and knows me.
I want him to know that I am the Lord.
No matter what I do on earth, I am always kind, fair and right.
And I take delight in that," announces the Lord.
JEREMIAH 9:23-24 (New International Reader's Version)

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed
provided that complete source and website information for Mary Lindow is included. 
Thank You
Copyright © 2013 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow    
www.marylindow.com

Silent No More

Monday Mar 26, 2012

Monday Mar 26, 2012


Dear Friends,
I have a most precious "real life" story to share with you. It is the story and of one very brave and amazing woman. Her name is Karen Elliott and she lives in San Antonio, Texas.
What Karen is about to share on this podcast and written pages will cause you to weep as as well as rejoice at the forgiveness of the Lord and His power to wash away deep traumatizing shame and sorrow.
Share this story with young women, friends, and others with a painful past or current trauma. It is not recommended that you share this with young children due to the sensitive information regarding abortion in it as well as a few detailed graphics.
This testimony has now been aired all over Europe and Israel as well as the USA and other Nations and countries. The Lord is using this tremendous story to tell of His Mercy and Grace.
If you are touched by Karen's brave sharing, please send her an email and bless her as your sister in Christ. If you need someone to talk to about a similar series of events, Karen is on of the most discreet and kind women you could ever share your broken heart with.
In His Shadow,
Mary Lindow

“Silent No More”
Testimony of Karen Elliott
karen.steve@sbcglobal.net
Thank you so much, Ladies and Gentlemen, for the opportunity to speak to you today.   I’d like to share my heart, my life with you.  All I ask is that you please listen with your heart!
You know, I used to ask myself what I wanted to be when I grew up.  There are so many things that interest me that I just wanted to embrace them all.  Art, fashion, interior design, real estate.  I was an art major in college, I had five years of private painting lessons, and painting is a chapter in my life which isn’t over just yet.  I have been under contract with a modeling agency in Texas, because I believe that mature women need to be equally represented in advertising, a trend that is just now coming to the forefront. 
I design interiors for people because I believe God wants us to flourish in our surroundings.  Another one of the things I do is to consult with women about their wardrobes…what sort of styles they should wear for their body type, what colors look good on them, even how to organize their closets so that getting dressed can be easy.
But on a more serious note, I’d like to share some of the secrets that have been hidden away in my closet.  Because you see, all of those things that I loved and embraced were on the surface.  Underneath, there was a secret that I had buried -- a secret that I told no one.
I was born to loving parents who were and still are very much in love with each other ( Karen's Mother has recently passed away).  I was raised in a Christian home and went to church.  I accepted Jesus and was born again in my mother’s bedroom when I was only nine years old.  I was already selfish and self-centered and wanted my own way.  I already needed His saving grace. 
I got married at 19 after two years of college, long before I knew who I was and what I needed in life, much less what I had to offer someone else.  That was what we had in common, and we were soon disappointed in each other.  I went to work immediately while my husband went to college and then law school. 
So much of our life was focused on when we got out of school that we forgot to invest in and enjoy the present.  The goal was more important than the means by which we would attain it. 
Church was no part of our life and neither of us thought too much about it.  I occasionally remembered that I felt God had called me to the ministry as a pastor’s wife, but it seemed that no longer had any relevance in my life.  All that mattered is that we had two darling little girls.  After seven years together and much of the enemy’s intervention, we divorced and I went to Atlanta to live with my parents.
At 25, divorced with children, and with no college degree, I felt ill-prepared for the workforce and I had to tell everybody within the first five minutes of meeting them that my ex-husband was an attorney.  My whole life had lost its focus. 
I had to support myself without my ex-husband’s education and credentials.  It seemed that I had no identity of my own.  You know, when a couple is divorced, the woman is suddenly no longer “the wife.”  The man still has his name, he still has his career, he still has his education.  If the woman did not have a career before marriage, she has to establish herself on her own.  If she marries again, she has yet another name and a new identity to assume. It can be very confusing.  A woman may ask, “Who am I, anyway?”  She searches to establish who she is.  Who she  was  is not who she is  anymore!
Though I had been a Christian most of my life, my identity was wrapped up in being the wife of my ex-husband.  So when my marriage ended, I experienced an identity crisis.  God wanted my identity to be wrapped up in Him, not in another person.
After my divorce, I started dating, and for the next couple of years I had very stringent rules for myself.  But the unthinkable happened!  I found myself pregnant!  It was not the Immaculate Conception!  I was old enough to know better!  How could I have been so stupid?  The choices I had made had trapped me!
The devil began warring on my senses.  Now I felt I had no choice!  If I were to have this baby, my ex-husband could say that I was an unfit mother and might try to take my children away from me!  I felt I had to act fast.  I decided I had to terminate the pregnancy.  I made a call to a man I knew who made the arrangements for an abortion.  The details are as vivid as though they all happened last week.
I could not have been more than four or five weeks pregnant.  After the procedure, I passed a tiny piece of pink flesh which was the beginning of a little baby.  It was not a blood clot like we sometimes have during periods of heavy flow; it was unmistakable.  I will never forget what I saw.
That image has haunted me, when I least expect it, and has never been forgotten even though I have kept my secret entirely hidden for many years. In a book by Francine Rivers called The Atonement Child,  many passages pierced my heart.  The words expressed so many thoughts and emotions that I have felt.  I would like to share one of these passages with you.

Quote:
“She had sought a way out, any way out, and then had lied to get the money for an abortion, sacrificing her unborn child.  And since then, she had lied to herself and others.  Sowing seeds of destruction.  Why had she done it?  To hide her shame?  To pretend the past couldn’t harm her?  To avoid condemnation?  And what had she accomplished?  She was ashamed, hurting, and condemned anyway.  She could have made a hundred excuses for herself – and did – but none
mattered.  None helped heal the secret pain within her because her own blood cried out against her.  You can’t run away from God!”
I had thought that an abortion wouldn’t matter, that no one would ever know, and I would just continue life as usual.  Isn’t the woman the one to make the choice about what happens to her own body?  Why hadn’t I made another choice a long time ago, saving myself from this dilemma?  I thought that the decision to abort was the end of it.  God did forgive me when I wept and repented before Him.  How could I have known that it would come back into my conscience more than 30 years later with such glaring detail?
I married the man whose baby was aborted.  We were only married a month when he filed bankruptcy.  Life seemed to be a financial roller coaster and we were doomed with financial woes.  No matter how much money we made, we never had enough to pay everyone who wanted to be paid.  We were not tithing and we were not going to church.  I was taking birth control pills and got pregnant! 
The next year our precious son was born and now we had what you could call a “blended” family.  I tell you about the financial problems so you can see that I began to live under a curse of insufficiency.   Bill collectors were always calling.  There was never enough money.
Our marriage just unraveled with all sorts of sin.  By this time I had become an astrological expert, and I could, with just a few details of your birth date, time and location, tell you more than you knew about yourself.  I attributed it all to God who was All-powerful, All-knowing, and All-creative.  He was absolutely able to put all of your characteristics and personality into your tiny body depending upon when and where you were born.  I was VERY convincing and had a lot of “believer-followers.”  My door was always open and the coffee pot was always on. 
Then one day, in desperation, I knelt down beside my bed and I asked Jesus to help me with my life and my children.  I had not been doing a very good job with any part of it.  He was right there as soon as I called His Name.  Soon after that we   enrolled the girls in a Christian school. 
I began to feel that we needed some continuity between school and home.  We started going to church and one morning I just could not quit crying.  The pastor invited me to come to his study the following week to talk and right there I was baptized in the Holy Spirit.  When I left the church, my car just transported me to a church member’s house, where I  never had been before.  They welcomed me and invited me to stay for lunch with them and the youth pastor who was also visiting at the time.  As we discussed the Holy Spirit, they asked me to renounce all the forms of the occult. 
I had been involved in everything - astrology, fortune-telling, tarot cards, ouiji boards, tea leaves – you name it!  It was then that I received my prayer language and I began to pray in tongues. 
A friend of mine called the next day to tell me that she had given birth to her first child in a neighboring state.  I could not tell the baby’s astrological sign and I still cannot to this day.  I was totally delivered from all of the occult!  I burned and destroyed all of the books and items related to astrology, worth more than $1,000! God miraculously set me free from that whole part of my life!  I thought I was no longer under the curse, but problems continued to plague our marriage and I ended up divorced again. 
Within a couple of years, I married again.  This time I decided that I was only going to marry a Christian.  I might as well have said I was going to marry the next red-haired man who crossed the street!  I started going to church and praying with this man, but my spirit was warning me.  I charged ahead into a relationship that was like oil and water.     
We were never able to live in harmony even though we stayed married for 13 years.  My children were unhappy, our finances were pitiful, I was deathly ill, and we were living in a constant state of war. 
Because I was not able to keep current on the payments, I was given a notice of foreclosure on the house.  I went through the house proclaiming all the scriptures in Gloria Copeland’s wonderful book entitled, GOD’S WILL FOR YOU IS PROSPERITY.  I spoke to the windows, the doors, the walls, the floors!  No devil was going to take them from me!
I entered a state of faith in God’s Word and one night before the house was to be sold on the courthouse steps, I received a call from a man who offered to pay the court in return for a second mortgage on the house!  It was a stay of execution!  The Lord had delivered me and my house! 
During this marriage, the government demanded our boat and trailer to pay taxes we owed, the bank repossessed our car, we could not pay our mortgage payments, and I finally had to file bankruptcy to keep my home.  Another stay of execution!  I ended up paying off the court, the fees, and all my debtors because my original in-laws loaned me the money and told me THEY did not want my house! 
I shall always be grateful for their kindness to me in a time of need.  Over the next few years, I fully repaid them by the grace of God, who always made a way for me.  During this whole period of my life, I would be under so much pressure, unable to sleep because of so much tension.  I plunged from one crisis to another, and the relief that came was always temporary….another crisis always hit.
I remember getting up during the night in turmoil and to begin thanking God for my blessings.  As I did this, I would eventually come to the place of true praise with my hands lifted to Him, dancing around in my kitchen!
I would sing, “Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings, see what God hath done!”  The Lord did enable me to overcome my circumstances.
However, there were some other circumstances that came into my life which were not financial.  It was my health. I found out that I had fibroid tumors which required a complete hysterectomy, and while in the hospital, the doctors discovered a lump in my breast.  This, of course, is part of the lingering curse from having had an abortion, though I did not make the connection then.
After this time, I came into a new season in my professional life.  I had become a successful businesswoman in real estate in Atlanta, Georgia.  One of my coworkers was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  Exactly one year later she died and was buried. 
My emotions were raw over the loss of my friend.  I left the next day to help my youngest daughter move to  Philadelphia.  While there, I discovered a new lump in my breast.  Alarming as that new health concern was, there were still more scary circumstances of a different nature just around the corner. 
As I flew back to Atlanta a few days later, two Canadian geese were sucked into the engine at takeoff.  We had to make an emergency landing back in Philadelphia with foam on the runway. 
Completely shaken, I vowed that if I only had one year to live, like my friend, I would not live my life like I had been!! I set about to change it.  I filed for divorce and put my house up for sale.  Within a few months, my housing and marital status had changed.
Then, one day, my high school sweetheart – Steve- and I began a long-distance friendship by telephone. I called it a “phoneship!”  I was in Atlanta; he was a thousand miles away in San Antonio, Texas.  The Lord said to me one day as I was dressing, “I have chosen Steve to restore the years the locusts have eaten in your life and for you to do the same for him.”
A year after I had decided to change my life,  Steve came to see me.  We only saw each other on four different occasions.  Then we got married in Georgia and I moved back to Texas.   Over the last fourteen years Steve and I have been closely involved with various people, churches and ministries that have continuously taught us in the ways of the Lord  and helped us understand that together we have a call to the nations!  We can say now that we have a global vision.  One day the Lord impressed me to have the word “restoration” inscribed in our wedding rings, which Steve did the very next day.  Truly, we are experiencing restoration in its fullness.  Jesus will transform your life when you let Him!
Once I was scheduled to go on an antiques- buying trip to Paris on the first of March with my employer, an interior design firm.  As I was praying about it, I distinctly felt God by His Spirit say, “No.”  That was on a Saturday.  Two days later
at a Christian conference taught by Alan Vincent, I introduced myself to the woman sitting beside me.  It was Mary Lindow from Colorado.  She felt impressed to invite me to join her and the U.S. ministry team at the first-ever Women’s Conference in Strasborg, France, to be held in three weeks. I told her I would pray about it and let her know.  My husband was very supportive and encouraged me to go.  All week I enjoyed the teaching of the Word, but I secretly was in turmoil over this decision.  Satan was constantly telling me I wasn’t good enough.
Finally, on the last day of the conference, as I was sitting at the back of the room it seemed God said to me, “Karen, you are 60 years old.  When are you going to start?”  You see, I had told the Lord for years that I wanted to be on the cutting edge of whatever He wanted to do on the earth!   Immediately,   I realized that God DID have something for me to do.  It didn’t matter if I felt unsure and inadequate.  I had listened to too many years of Satan’s accusations against me, seeking to diminish me and tell me I could not be useful to God.  He had kept me squelched under his thumb long enough! 
It is true that you put Fire on God’s altar when you answer, “Yes!”  I did say, “Yes, Lord, yes!”  It felt glorious!  I ran to tell Mary that I would go!  Two weeks later I was in Germany and France in life-changing ministry as part of the team!  
After I returned home, I was on my way to a prayer meeting about abortion.  There were representatives there from an organization that is seeking to end abortion through America’s court system.  The organization is called the Justice Foundation. As I was driving, I said out loud, “Well, God, I hope You don’t expect me to have anything to do with that!”
At that moment, the Holy Spirit filled my being and I began to realize that what God wanted was no less than what I wanted for myself.  “Restoration!”    
Near the end of April I wrote out my personal statement, also known as an affidavit, admitting the secret of my abortion. God led me to share the affidavit with Mary while she was visiting me later that same year in June.  I also shared it with a friend of mine, Eileen Vincent, who later became very involved in Prayer for the Justice Foundation.   
They were both so kind and understanding, and prayed with me to have the courage to do everything that God was calling me to do. 
Well, my affidavit lay there – hidden in the file folder all summer.  What was I waiting for?
I had been asked for the very first time to give my testimony and it was for a Christian women’s meeting called AGLOW in San Antonio, Texas the following September. I knew that God wanted me to finally reveal my secret – that which had remained hidden for so, so long in the closet of my heart. 
I knew I must first share my testimony with my husband and children.  Their reaction was wonderful.  Instead of shame and condemnation, they were so accepting of me!  I was so proud of them!
I went to the Justice Foundation to have my paper notarized and turn it in.  As I left their office, I felt that something really remarkable had happened.  My act of obedience to reveal the secret in my closet would allow God to
use me in new ways.  Two thousand affidavits were turned in from all over the country and were finally sent to the Supreme Court of the US to help overturn legalized abortion in America!  I was so pleased that my affidavit was among them.
I have come into full agreement with God’s TRUTH, and that truth is that “it is not in the human or legal interest of any mother to kill her own child.  A mother’s true interest is in her child’s LIFE and her relationship with her child.  Abortion should come to an end.”
I don’t know what the statistics are, but women who have had abortions are much more likely to develop breast cancer and they are also very often unable to have more children. The Lord allowed me to have a son in spite of my sin.  The blood of
Jesus is enough, for He has forgiven me. I asked for and received that forgiveness more than 35 years ago.  But God wasn’t really through. 
He has been leading me to give my testimony so that all of us who have been through this awful act will have the courage to come forward and admit what we have done. 

By coming out into the open, we can end hell’s grip on our lives.  We can be free of the trauma, the guilt, and the shame. 
Researchers describe something called, “Post Abortion Syndrome” as a woman’s inability to process the fear, anger, sadness and guilt surrounding her abortion.  She may have trouble with these emotions as well as grieving the loss of her baby, and coming to peace with God, herself, and the others involved in the abortion decision.  A woman can experience many lasting effects from an abortion, including, guilt, crying, flashbacks, sadness, anger, anxiety, sleeping problems, relationship problems, alcohol abuse, depression, eating disorders, drug abuse, and suicidal thoughts.
Those secrets that remain hidden continue to have power over you, and what I’m wanting to do is to help women see that
if they can come to terms with abortion, that Satan’s hold and power over them would end.  Like a bomb, I had to detonate abortion’s power so it wouldn’t be something that Satan could use to keep me bound.
In answer to my question, “What was I waiting for?”  God has a plan for my life that is constantly unfolding.  That date with AGLOW in September was another turning point in my life.  It was the same month in 1969 that I had had an
abortion, ending a little life so recently begun.   I began my journey of sharing my testimony and doing my part to help end abortion more than thirty years later.
Is there anything hidden in your closet?  Has Satan been talking to you, like he talked to me, keeping you silent and squelched, unable to answer the Lord’s call, like he did to me?  Has he rendered you ineffective in your life?
Today we can break agreement with the enemy.  We can choose to believe what God says about us.  We can say, “Yes, Lord.”  Why don’t you make a decision to give 100 percent to Jesus?  He’ll take you to new places, doing new things, and He will restore the years the locusts have eaten in your life! 
Whatever we have done in the past or whatever has been done to us or someone we love will lose its power when we put our fire on God’s altar by saying, “Yes, Lord, Yes!”  Whatever the Lord God asks YOU to do, do it!
If there has been an abortion in your past, I encourage you today to silence the enemy once and for all!!! 
Won’t you decide today to be silent and shameful no more?


Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is welcomed provided that complete source and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You
Copyright © 2012 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com

Copyright © Mary Lindow. All rights reserved.

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