Mary Lindow ~ The Messenger Podcast
The spiritual climate is changing
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
by Mary Lindow
TODAY’S PODCAST IS ONE OF SEVERAL THAT I WILL BE DOING IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WHICH I TRUST WILL ENHANCE YOUR CHRISTMAS SEASON, EVEN THOUGH THE MESSAGE IS ONE FOR ANY SEASON!
I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to share with you, some very tender and beautiful moments where the Lord moved upon my husband, and I to obey the spirit of God promptly, and out of doing this God did great and amazing things!
I also want to thank those of you that have been so consistent in helping me to produce podcasts. I am now reaching through the grace of God 60 countries freely, and also have been picked up by dozens of different podcast organizations. It does cost me to have to produce and publish these because they have to be parked somewhere. So again, I thank you and I know that at times it is difficult to give, and I do not take it lightly. It does help me do what I do because without you, I would have to stop!
NOW LET’S BEGIN WITH TODAY’S EXCITING “GOD STORY” PODCAST.
My husband and I were given tickets to attend any movie of choice that we wanted to. Of course there’s not much to choose from out there anymore that isn’t filled with all kinds of trashy material and narratives which we just simply choose not to support. So, we were thrilled to find out that Season Three of the tremendously well done epic cinematic story of the apostles and Jesus, the epic production of “The Chosen“ was showing at our local theater! They were releasing the first two episodes of Season Three!
We had just recently returned from a trip, and I had just returned from ministering at two different conferences. We were both a little tired, and to be honest, weary with the world. At the same time when we came home a day or two later after the last trip, my husband was rushed to the emergency room with excruciating pain, and we found out that he had a very large kidney stone. That night after 10 hours, we came home, I was sitting in our living room praying and just trying to be quiet and calm myself, and I heard a strange noise downstairs in our lower level closet area. I heard a grinding and a popping and hissing sound. Something was not right with our furnace!
COLORADO WINTER WAS UPON US AND THE FURNACE WAS NOT BEHAVING!
I went downstairs and could not see that the gas pilot was lighting, nor was there anything remotely close to heat coming out of it, so I just assumed that the pilot light was out. To cut to the chase, there were no parts to repair our furnace due to supply chain issues, and the potential for us having had carbon monoxide poisoning going on was high!
We were grateful that the Lord alerted us to this! But we were NOT happy that we were going to have to replace an entire furnace system, and up to the new specifications for “green energy requirements“ in Colorado.
WHAT AN ABSOLUTE HORRIBLE THING TO HAPPEN BEFORE CHRISTMAS! RIGHT?
And, we had just finally caught up on paying for the last of Steve’s Father’s care in assisted living, as he had just passed away in March. He was 96 years old, and of course had planned to take care of himself, but no one knew he would live to such a ripe age of 96!
So, we were feeling a little bit out of sorts and overwhelmed and COLD and decided that we would go to the movie and just enjoy something where the presence of God was allowed to flow, as well as something that was going to be meaningful and purposeful during this difficult time we were in, once again.
WE WERE SCHEDULED TO SEE THE MOVIE AT 1:45 PM IN THE AFTERNOON.
As we walked into the theater, there was no one else IN the theater but Steve and I! We did arrive a few minutes early but as time passed, it was obvious we were at an afternoon matinee close to the end of the time they were going to show this film. So, we just sat there and held hands and watched all the previews of wonderful new films that were coming out by Christian groups and their animations for children.
THEN, OFF TO THE SIDE...
...WE NOTICED A YOUNG MAN COME IN THE DOOR.
He had to be in his mid-20s, and certainly not any older than 30. He was dressed in a white snapback baseball cap, a white hoodie with red and black graphics of some type on the front, and off-white khaki type colored jeans and white tennis shoes with black laces.
Now, I noticed all of this because there was not another single person to pay attention to at that point! Just a minute or two later another couple who were fragile and older, probably in their mid 80s, came in and sat far off to the side.
THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION WAS AS IF TIME WAS SUSPENDED, as we watched our own lives passing before us, as the Lord had called us so many years ago, individually as young people, and then as a married couple into the service of the King. The hardships, the “iron sharpening iron” dialogs that shaped and fashioned our marriage. And nd the things that the Lord needed to prune away in order for us to be better, used by his plan and hands.
WE COULD FEEL THE “DIVINE TENSION” BUILDING,and we knew that this production had been created for this very time in the earth. We sat in our seats and wept, and prayed for our world and our nation. We asked God to help us to be strong and to not be afraid, and that he would use us until our very last breath.
Toward the end of the production, there was a clear understanding, that the disciples and the women who were followers of Jesus knew that this next phase of ministry they were called to, was going to be very sobering and very difficult, and, that the pressure from external governments (the Romans) and then dealing with the religious dictators of the day among them Pharisees/Sanhedrin, it was pressing in on all of them.
THEY WERE BEING CALLED TO COMPLETELY ABANDON ALL OF THEIR OWN PLANS, and all of their own desires and everything they owned in order to be sent out two by two, to go preach the gospel. We watched them struggle to figure out how food was going to be provided and more, even though they had seen Jesus multiply in the crowds. We watched Peter and his wife look at each other, wondering if they would ever have the children they were longing for. And yet, we also watched Matthew the tax collector have a redemptive reconciliation with his parents (who had previously, literally, disowned him), because they too had come to be followers of Jesus. It’s uncanny that the words “The Chosen” are the key words that define the name of this production.
BEFORE I GO INTO THE NEXT PART, WHICH IS THE ABOUT COMMAND OF THE LORD AND SUPERNATURAL PART OF THE SUPERNATURAL EVENT, THAT TOOK PLACE, I would like to tell you that you can download the app on your phone or onto your computer and watch season one and season two of the chosen absolutely for no cost. This entire production has been funded by crowdfunding only. It is the largest crowdfunded, crowd-sourced production ever to be done. How absolutely amazing of the Lord to have this kind of an event to be produced during the most difficult and tumultuous times that we are all now experiencing in this current era!
SO NOW, BACK TO THE STORY!
Steve and I sat there very quietly once the movie had ended.
The older couple had left.
We were just watching the credits, listening to the music and quite honestly crying and being shaken by all that we have been experiencing lately with so many deaths, the hardships of travel and ministry and strange beds, and so many people hungry for a word, or a touch from the Lord and us knowing we have very human limits. We were weary from funerals that we had been attending or hearing about from the multiple deaths during the Wuhan COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Drug overdoses, many suicides.
WE HAD BEEN WORKING IN PASTORAL COUNSELING WORK WITH SOME EXTREMELY DEVASTATING AND HARD CASES WHERE WE KNEW THAT WE HAD STRETCHED OUR LIMITS TO THE FINAL POINT, AND ONLY GOD COULD DO THE FINAL WORK.
And of course, burying Steve’s father in the spring, after having recently buried his mother during Covid, and not being able to see her was still weighing on our hearts. And then there was that shocking expense of that new furnace and entire new venting system. UGH!
We were absolutely weeping over the movie, identifying with the struggles of the apostles and disciples, as well as contemplating this time in our lives, and what God needed to do to assist us as well!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement and I noticed the young man was now coming down the steps, and was going to exit the theatre.
As he went around the corner out into the hallway to exit, the Holy Spirit, clearly spoke to me, “Go after him! I want you to say something to him! I sent you here to this specific, showing so that you would see him.”
SO! I QUICKLY GOT OUT OF MY SEAT AND TOOK OFF AFTER HIM, and as the door was closing to the cinema entry section that we had just been in,
I shouted, “Excuse me! Excuse me!”
I made it to the door and outside of the door, because the young man had heard me and held it open. I simply looked in the young man’s eyes, and I said, “I feel that the Lord wanted me to come out and speak to you. He has something he wants me to tell you and I would be wrong if I did not take the time to stop and obey him.” I asked the young man if it was OK if I told him what I felt, I was to say to him, and he said, “Yes, please!” very politely.
I BEGAN TO TELL HIM THAT HE WAS SENT TO THE MOVIE THEATER AT THE VERY SAME TIME WE WERE BECAUSE GOD WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT SOMEONE SAW HIM, THAT WE SAW HIM, AND THAT THE THINGS GOD NEEDED TO SAY TO HIM WERE DELIVERED.
ABOUT THE TIME, I SAID THAT I WAS ABSOLUTELY HIT WITH AN UNUSUALLY STRONG SENSE OF TREMBLING. Now, when I minister to people, or when I am in a prophetic vein of ministry, whether I’m teaching, or whether I am literally delivering words of knowledge, words of wisdom or songs of the Lord, I am aware of an intense presence and weight of the glory of the Lord, but this was definitely different.
I WASN’T SURE I COULD FINISH WHAT I WAS SAYING TO HIM.
I WAS LITERALLY WEEPING AND SHAKING TRYING TO TELL THIS YOUNG MAN WHAT GOD WANTED TO SAY TO HIM.
And so I spoke in my weakness, and absolutely in this undone state that I was in.
The Holy Spirit began to tell him that he himself is one of the chosen of God. That he has been called to minister to his people, to his own culture of people.(Side-note: I’m not sure if he was First Native/First Nations Individual or of Asian descent or a combination of both, but his features seemed to indicate that.)
The Holy Spirit then had me say to him, “you don’t know how you’re going to pull this off.” You don’t know how you’re going to get to the people but the Lord says to tell you that he has called you and that you are being positioned and prepared and you were sent here today to receive this confirmation.” The Holy Spirit said to tell him, “You can do this! You can do this because I have called you and have chosen you and I have set you apart. I’ve set you aside to do this work for me. You’ve been struggling and you’ve been wrestling with the Lord today and asked Him to speak to you. The Lord says to you that he will give you the courage and the strength and the ability to do what he has called you to do.”
“YOU ARE NOT TO BE AFRAID AND YOU’RE NOT TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK.
You simply step in and obey and begin to minister to those around you and the Lord is going to make the way for you. He’s going to open the doors and prepare the way for you. Then again, the Holy Spirit said, “Don't be afraid and question how God is going to do this, because you have been chosen, and we were sent to you today to tell you this.” I had told him that I had been a pastor that I had been a missionary, and continue to mentor, as well as do pastoral counseling, and have worked many hard side jobs, even now as we still serve the Lord.
I also told him it is not easy!
I told him that it will take great courage, and it will take great faith that only comes from God to be able to want to even continue. Especially during the times that you see the impossible as impossible to handle! But, that He would not be alone. That the Holy Spirit will come and give him the strength and speak to him and tell him what to do. Because He, is Chosen.
HE WAS WEEPING, AND GENTLY AND HUMBLY HAD HIS HEAD BOWED.
THIS IS A YOUNG MAN GOD IS PREPARING TO USE,
IN THIS TIME IN THE EARTH!
HE WAS HUMBLE, AND HE WAS WILLING TO RECEIVE.
I asked him if I could pray for him and lay my hand on him.
He nodded his head and said, “Yes, please! Please!”
Now about this time Steve had come out the side door himself, and stood off to the side, and was praying in the spirit because he could tell that I was engaged, and he didn’t want to break the flow of what God was doing.
I GENTLY LAID MY HAND ON THE YOUNG MAN’S SHOULDER NEAR HIS COLLARBONE, and began to pray for him, and ask the Holy Spirit to impart and infuse him with great courage and great wisdom, and great direction during this time in his life. That he would surround him with people who would cheer him on, but also help him to be strong and accountable so he would not be taken out by the temptations that often come to young people in ministry, as well as anyone in ministry!
Again, the power of God and the presence of God was so strong he and I both were shaking and weeping. This was as if a commissioning of God was taking place right there in that side lobby of a movie theater. And yet there was no one else observing this! Well, no one else in “the natural”, except Steve, but it was as if the heavens opened up and there was a shaft of divine glory and a commissioning of the Lord taking place over this young man.
This year Steve and I have had the opportunity to ordain someone who served the Lord alongside us for many years, and then moved to another state. On top of that, the Lord has been sending us more and more individuals for mentoring and training and we believe there will be more commissioning and more ordaining in the days ahead because God is beginning to send out more and more people who have served faithfully, without ever having had a title or a position named out in a church function or a church body. They just continue to do the works of the Spirit of God without fanfare.
AND SO IT SEEMED AS IF THIS WAS ANOTHER DIVINE,
UNSCRIPTED APPOINTMENT OF THE LORD.
As I finished praying with this young man, I just put my arm around his neck and hugged him and told him that, “He could do this! God is with you!” He held on to me and was weeping and kept saying, “Thank you, thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much this means. Thank you!” And then he simply took off down the hallway and went out the door to the parking lot.
Once again, Steve and I stood there and I had to go lean against a wall for a few minutes, because the presence of God was so very tangibly strong. I was saying to the Lord, “Here we are Lord! Use us to your fullest!” Steve began to say the same things. “Lord, we are weary, we are poured out, and we are tired! Yet, your presence and your power and your strength comes and ignites the fire to once again deliver the word of the Lord to whoever you send to us!”
We finally got ourselves together and decided to go to a nearby restaurant called Red Robin and split a hamburger and a salad. We had a few space heaters that we were going to use in our home to keep it warm while waiting for this furnace situation to be addressed, and quite honestly, we just didn’t want to go home to a cold house and cook dinner and try to warm everything up all at the same time.
I was still very tender hearted and contemplating as we came into the restaurant and sat down at the table.We were quiet and we were thinking of what just happened and just sat there for a bit until our waitress came. She looked at me and asked me if I was OK! I smiled at her and I said, “I’m actually really wonderful, but we just had an intense experience watching a movie and it has tremendously moved us emotionally and we’ve got a lot to think about.”
AND GUESS WHAT?
She looked at us and said, “What happened? What movie was this?”
And once again, that power of God dropped down on us. With tears pouring down my face, I told her about what “The Chosen” was. Now, this girl was not a believer! But! She tenderly looked at me and she said, “I need something like this !I need something meaningful! I need something that I can enjoy and that helps me to feel better during the Christmas season!”
So I told her about the app, I told her about the season one and two being a free opportunity to watch. She said she wanted to watch season one and two, first, and then she would go with her friends to watch season three because she thinks her friends might need to see it too. We then ordered our meal and just sat there and looked at each other again and said this is what we live for! YAY GOD!!!
Several times throughout the meal she came by and just stood there and wanted to talk to us. You could tell she was feeling something, she was sensing something.
She was sensing what her soul was longing for, and that was safety in the presence of the Lord and safety in the presence of his people.
She didn’t know how to define it, but she was longing for it. As we got ready to leave, she came over and thanked us and told us how much it meant for her to talk with us and meet us at that time.
STEVE AND I GOT OUT INTO THE CAR AND JUST SAT THERE AGAIN IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, KNOWING THAT WE WERE SPECIFICALLY SET APART FOR THAT VERY DAY, FOR THOSE TWO INDIVIDUAL SOULS TO HEAR OF THE HOPE AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIGHT OF CHRIST.
WE KNOW THAT WE ARE IN A TIME RIGHT NOW WHERE GOD IS LOOKING BACK-AND-FORTH ACROSS THE EARTH FOR HIS PEOPLE WHO HAVE PREPARED AND WHO DISCIPLE AND TO TRAIN OTHERS.
BUT ABOVE ALL, HE’S LOOKING FOR THOSE WHO HEAR THE VOICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND OBEY THE VOICE OF THE SPIRIT PROMPTLY.
MY DEAR LISTENERS!
I CAN TELL YOU THAT SOME OF THINGS THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TELLING YOU TO DO OR NOT TO DO IS CRUCIAL IN THIS TIME THAT WE ARE LIVING IN.
If you have even the slightest hesitation inside of you about something you are about to commit to, and you do not feel at peace, no matter what others think about you, you must withdraw, you must not do that thing.
WE ARE IN A TIME WHERE THE ENEMY IS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SNARE AND TRIP UP INDIVIDUALS, TO DESTROY BELIEVERS AND GET THEM OFF THE TRACK OF HEARING THE LORD’S VOICE, AND ABOVE ALL, OBEYING THE LORD‘S VOICE.
The word of the Lord says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)
IF YOU DON’T HEAR THE VOICE OF THE LORD TELLING YOU WHICH DIRECTION TO WALK, THEN YOU DON’T MOVE. But if you do hear him, you get up and run like I did towards that individual or that situation that God is going to immerse you into.
This powerful presence that can shake our flesh to the core is what God is about to pour out upon those who are willing to hear the voice of the Lord, and no matter what the cost, no matter what the assignment, they run towards it!
He is also going to bring a strong conviction over those who are moving out of his will, because they are still moving in the patterns of the things they feel they want to do for him and he has not made that way clear. Others are pushing and attempting to motivate many, into things that are not of the Lord right now.
WHAT IS THE KEY ELEMENT THAT GOD IS USING RIGHT NOW?
It is an atmosphere that you choose to step into through worship.
Through worshipping, waiting in his presence, and praying and interceding. And, there will be during that time, a great presence of the Lord where there will also be much repentance and adjustment done to our souls. Why? Because God knows that the days are dark, men are evil, and human beings are easily led away from doing difficult things.
WHAT IS THE LORD IS SHOWING YOU TO DO DURING THIS SEASON?
There are hundreds of thousands of people that are longing for one word of encouragement, one word of kindness and the Lord is calling up all of his troops, all of his great army of believers to be on the alert for the opportunity to let the glory of God come and move through you to reach out to those who are now facing this confusing, dark time.
LET’S PRAY TOGETHER RIGHT NOW!
Heavenly Father! I pray that you help people to be strong and courageous to not be troubled nor be dismayed for in Isaiah you said, I the Lord am with you and I will hold you up with my righteous right hand!
Lord, we ask that you use us to the fullest extent of your glory until there’s nothing left in us! Oh Lord, I pray that those that who are listening to this podcast today would feel your presence drop down around them and that they too would weep and stand before you, and pray saying those words, “Here I am Lord! Send me!”
Lord I ask that you would open their eyes to see the many who are just waiting for them to come and speak to them. We adore and give you all honor today Father, in the most marvelous and mighty name of Jesus! Amen!
I truly hope that you were encouraged and inspired by this wonderful experience that I shared with you and I also hope that you will pop back in next week when I will have another amazing Christmas “Miracle story” to share with you and that it will encourage you and challenge you to take a risk and step out and let the Lord use you in the most wonderful and seemingly impossible situations!
Goodbye for now!
May God greatly bless you with Peace, Joy,
and great Anticipation of how he’s going to use you.
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed, as long as the complete message, website, podcast link and information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You! "2022"
"THE MESSENGER" - Mary Lindow
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Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
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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Friday Jan 21, 2022
Friday Jan 21, 2022
Prophetic Insights From the Holy Spirit
through Mary Lindow
Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'?
I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!
They are ripe for harvest. - John 4:35
PLANT YOUR FEET AND DETERMINE NOT TO LOOK BACKWARD.
The enemy will assault you to press you backwards.
Have I not said, "without a prophetic vision the people perish and go backwards?”
I am ready to revisit areas that have advanced my purposes but retreated at the day of battle.
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE SHAKING OF GOVERNMENTS.
There must be a confrontation of governments. My government on earth is arising and causing entire regions to shake. I am restoring and rising up leaders.
IN THE PAST SEASON, MY GIFT WITHIN LEADERS COULD NOT FIND ITS PLACE IN MY GOVERNMENT. However, now I am causing governments and gifts to divinely “find one another" and to connect.
This is creating great shakings from region to region throughout this land.
This alignment is creating a shift in civil government.
TODAY IS A DAY OF BREAKING OFF THAT WHICH CAUSED MY LEADERS TO RETREAT FROM THE VISITATIONS OF THE PAST.
Many advanced and then quit and retreated!
NOW IS A TIME TO ADVANCE!
I am restoring many of you to lead this advance.
There will be great connections occurring in My Body in this advance.
This will be the beginning of confronting sorceries, astrology, and witchcraft, which have produced control. I am sending you forward and I am releasing supernatural wisdom. This wisdom will cast down the sorcerers, astrologers, and those practicing witchcraft throughout regions.
LOVE AND CONFIDENCE IS ARISING IN MY BODY.
The past three years have been a time of restoring a level of worship, humility, meekness and purity in your calling and boldness in the choices you make!
FROM WORSHIP YOU WILL NOW MOVE INTO A NEW SUPERNATURAL DIMENSION.
Do not fear this call to the supernatural!
The Baal systems of this nation will begin to strengthen to keep my new refreshing strategies from forming and advancing in your region.
Do not fear these systems, but keep confronting through prayer, the powers that have attached themselves to the structures of governments in your region.
I WILL MAKE YOU INTO A SUPERNATURAL PEOPLE
WHO CAN RISE UP AND OVERTHROW
THAT WHICH HAS CONTROLLED YOU IN THE PAST.
MY PEOPLE ARE BECOMING A NEW, SHARP THRESHING INSTRUMENT.
This threshing is producing shaking.
This shaking is releasing harvest.
The harvest will not rot in the fields of neglect or laziness.
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A POWERFUL CONSUMING FIRE.
When these occult structures are overthrown, consuming fire will sweep through this nation. And you will set my name upon the high places!
My all-consuming light will address the idols and temples of religious shame and control.
I HAVE GIVEN SO MANY WHO CALL THEMSELVES “MY ANOINTED” MUCH, MUCH, TIME TO DEAL WITH THE HIDDEN SINS.
Sins in their marriages.
Sins of competition, jealousy over who is used by me, and harsh verbal words of shame used to control and break the will of another servant in my calling.
Some have called themselves my servants but have only served their own purposes in a place of self-comfort and self-promotion, letting others do the labor in prayer.
Jeremiah 7:24 says,
“But they did not listen or pay attention;
instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.
THEY WENT BACKWARD AND NOT FORWARD.”
DEAL WITH YOUR WEAK AND COWARDLY ATTEMPTS AT HOLINESS, THROUGH REPENTANCE AND HONESTY OF HEART BEFORE ME AND OTHERS WHOM YOU HAVE BEEN WALKING IN FELLOWSHIP WITH.
THE DAYS OF PERSONAL AMBITION AND HIERARCHY ARE NUMBERED.
MY FIRE MUST BE IN YOUR HEART!
The fear of the Divine Supernatural is to be removed from you.
Many have fallen into fear over the supernatural spirits that have surrounded them. Therefore, they have retreated in their prayer life and fallen into passivity.
1 Samuel 12:24 says,
“But be sure to honor the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW DAY! PLANT YOUR FEET.
The window of opportunity for change is short and sweet.
THIS WILL BE A TIME THAT NIGHT WATCHES ARE RE-FORMED IN YOUR REGION, AND I WILL REVISIT YOU IN THE NIGHT WATCH.
I will visit my bride as I described in the Song of Solomon and knock upon her door. This is not a time for hesitation.
Night watches will spring forth across the nations.
Once again these watches will open the door to me, and I will come again.
Therefore, I am calling watchmen to rise up and cry out day and night
for my bride to be positioned near the door of opportunity in these lands.
Be positioned, ready to open the door of opportunity in your nation.
MY BRIDE MUST NOT HESITATE TO OPEN THE DOOR
SINCE HARVEST IS WAITING TO COME THROUGH THE DOOR
INTO THE STOREHOUSE OF MY KINGDOM!
MY WILL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED ON EARTH.
I AM ADVANCING.
ADVANCE WITH ME.
I WILL LEAD YOU INTO WARFARE.
MANY HAVE GROWN FEARFUL OF CONFRONTING THE ENEMY.
I CAME TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE ENEMY.
I confronted both legalism and liberalism.
I say rise up in worship that you might confront.
Without confrontation, your enemy, the legalist, will gain much strength against you and narrow the boundaries of your freedom.
If you will align yourselves properly and allow your gift to work within my government, I will guide you like a troop into warfare and make you victorious.
WORSHIP IS ARISING. FROM WORSHIP, YOU WILL WAR!
For a sound of war is coming into the heart of my people.
John 4:23 says,
A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality), for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers
DO NOT GO BACKWARDS.
Take off the old garments that would hinder you.
My advance is now in the earth.
YOU HAVE BEEN BLINDED FROM THE SUPPLY OF THE FUTURE!
A NEW SEER ANOINTING IS ABOUT TO ARISE IN MY PEOPLE.
What you couldn't see in the past, you will now see.
You've tried to connect and align with some, but now I will release a new anointing for connecting.
You will see strategies of supply that have been hidden from you by occult powers.
The seer anointing is coming back into your region.
My people's eyes are about to see their supply.
Advance is now in the earth.
Open your eyes and advance with me!
YOU WILL KNOW ME AS THE GREAT PROVIDER.
YOU WILL KNOW ME AS THE GREAT HEALER.
YOU WILL SEE ME BRING FULFILLMENTS
AND ANSWERS TO MY MANY PROMISES!
YES!
You will now begin to release a manifestation of My joy of release from captivity from region to region throughout the land and in all nations crying out for more of Me!
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,
For the old order of things has passed away." - Revelation 21:4
Let’s pray about this word from the Lord and share it with others!
___________________________________________
Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is welcomed
provided that complete source of podcast and website information
for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank you copyright © 2022 "
The Messenger " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
Saturday May 22, 2021
Saturday May 22, 2021
A TIME LIKE NO OTHER TIME - WALKING ON THE EDGE OF THE PRECIPICE LIVING ON THE EDGE OF ETERNITY - An Urgent Prophetic Exhortation
By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit
It seems that with such prolific access to, web blogs and articles, many prophetic voices who are attempting to communicate spiritual metaphors and insights received from the heart of God to be shared and to hopefully soften the hearts of mankind, have perhaps been reduced to quick sound bites and what I would term "Scripture bites". It’s absolutely essential in these twisted and upside-down days to not look for a quick fix for the turmoil and hard things that we are facing.
WHAT DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT WANT TO COMMUNICATE TO US ABOUT “WALKING ON THE EDGE OF THE PRECIPICE”
AND
“LIVING ON THE EDGE OF ETERNITY”?
As I have searched this out knowing that the Lord was communicating something to me regarding these two statements, clear words of instruction, their potential, and warnings have begun to emerge. I share them from a trembling heart and an alert spirit.
And so first:
“WALKING ON THE EDGE OF A PRECIPICE”
Precipice - a noun
“A very steep rock face or Cliff, typically a tall one”
Figurative – “the country is teetering on the precipice of political anarchy”
The origin of the word comes from the late 16th century indicating a headlong fall. In the Latin it means abrupt descent.
This word in a nutshell expresses an anguishing anticipation of what could be a devastating and shocking “out of control” spin into oblivion, tumbling headlong into an unknown space, fully out of control, not knowing when the descent will end, and if anything will remain once it hits the pull of gravity.
“Pride goes before destruction,
A haughty spirit before a fall.”
(Off of a precipice) - Proverbs 16:18
And Secondly:
“LIVING ON THE EDGE OF ETERNITY”
Because we live on the edge of eternity, we must not lose our heads. We must get our heads on straight and think in harmony with divine revelation. We must not be oblivious to the times that we are living in, nor should we be frightened and “act out” in panic. Our clear-headedness makes us able to pray as we should, seeking divine wisdom, guidance and the power to live faithfully in difficult times.
Jesus told His disciples things would go from bad to worse as the end of all things approaches.There will be social and political upheaval and natural disasters. There will be an intensification of opposition toward Christians so that fellow Christians begin to turn on each other and family members betray one another.
"Brother will hand over brother to death; A father will hand over his child.
Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. (Euthanasia?)
- Mark 13:12-13.
In such times of danger, love will fade, and people will abandon the self-sacrifice of love, for the sake of self-preservation.
SHAKEN AND STIRRED
The Holy Spirit impressed me some time back with this statement.
“Shaken AND Stirred”
My mind said, "You mean, shaken - not stirred!"
Again, a little while later, the same statement was impressed into my spirit one more time. “Shaken AND stirred”!
As I thought about this I began to realize that the Holy Spirit wanted to show me a prophetic insight, combined with the word of God regarding what His role in working within the hearts of believers looks like at this juncture in time.
WE HAVE HEARD MUCH ABOUT THE SLUMBERING, SLEEPY BRIDE.
A somewhat overgrown, youthful, well-fed bride. Oh! How she LOVES the candlelight, the romantic spirituality that feeds the soul and emotional longings of one yet to experience the commitment to a marriage! Everything has the beauty and sparkle of a fairyland or Disney type of fantasy and fireworks!
Surrounding this young maiden are gifts and beautiful tangible items reminding her of this youthful celebration of a pledge. The pledge to honor the one she loves. The gifts that have been given come from those who know that these will be needed to assist them in their life of growing together towards becoming one heart, one flesh, a single expression of their own family unit.
There are similar parallels to be fearlessly looked at regarding where and how the corporate bride of Christ has behaved on many levels. There has been a new term or word phrase created to address what would often be called a petulant, whiny, overindulged young woman who is in preparation for the big “blowout wedding day event”. The name for this is "Bridezilla”!
The basic picture is until SHE gets what she wants, the way she wants it, WHEN she wants it, anything or anyone in her way gets demolished if it does not satisfy her need to be fully noticed, in control and lavishly celebrated in all of her self-planned and applied concepts as to what a wedding should look like.
The problem is, in real life - the wedding and festivities are only a brief glimpse of what an actual joining of two in marriage looks like for the long haul.
And so when the party is over and the hard work begins, (and yes, it's hard work), the little rifts and storm clouds come to buffet and shape the couple into maturity.
BUT! IF THE BRIDE DOES NOT WANT TO MATURE…
…And desires to be treated like a young princess, much like the central character in a children's story, "The princess and the Pea" then no matter how others attempt to sweet-talk or ease her discomfort, eventually she becomes demanding and unsatisfied, regardless of what is offered to her.
And so the current state for many who make up the bride of Christ in its majority is one of a moody, discomforted and unfulfilled mate, waiting for her bridegroom to do FOR her, the things that she would rather not do for herself, and wants the bridegroom to bring her the comforts that she needs without having to labor, herself.
THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE PAID AN OVERWHELMING
AND COSTLY PRICE TO SHAKE OFF SLUMBER AND SELF INDULGENCE,
AND HAVE STEPPED OUT AS PATHFINDERS.
They are boldly declaring a warning about remaining a child and not maturing to the fullness of God's plan. They have warned over and over of the things that we are now seeing happen.
SHAKEN!
Imagine the shock, the total disbelief of the five virgins (Matthew 25) who slumbered and gambled with their futures so flippantly when in their drowsy and moody state missed the sound that the bridegroom announced, calling them to come, to travel the road now well lit, to a prepared place.
They were shaken! Shaken to the core and in total disbelief that things had changed and had been shaken in their drowsy existence so quickly! They were warned to be ready but figured just as always that they would somehow be able to manipulate their surroundings and discomforts and find a way to get their way!
And so has it been with the body of Christ the past few years, even though the voice of “The Beloved” has warned and shouted out.
He has sent prophetic voice after prophetic voice, teacher after teacher, evangelist after evangelist with a reoccurring message,
"You prepare the way!
You make the crooked ways straight!
Build up a pathway that you may walk upon to a holy place!
And it will be said:
"Build up, build up, and prepare the road!
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."
Isaiah 57:14
And yet, the bride in many ways has gone on her merry way expecting to be rescued from her slumber and folly. Walking ON THE EDGE OF THE PRECIPICE and Living On The Edge of Eternity.
BECAUSE OF GOD'S MERCY…
…THE BRIDE WILL CONTINUE TO BE SHAKEN
Shaken and shaken again, until she awakens from her slumber and admits to selfish ambition. She will be challenged to become the mature heart who walks with her beloved as her leader and Lord, not just simply as a provider of pleasures, fleshly sustenance, and entertainment.
“See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.
If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
AT THAT TIME HIS VOICE SHOOK THE EARTH,
But now he has promised,
"Once more I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH
BUT ALSO THE HEAVENS.” -Hebrews 12 25-27
The words "once more" indicates THE REMOVING OF WHAT CAN BE SHAKEN, Meaning, created things—SO THAT WHAT CAN’T BE SHAKEN WILL REMAIN.
… AND STIRRED
When someone is shaken awake from a deep sleep, the adrenaline begins to pump throughout the body and there is a keen and heightened alertness that begins to stir the senses.
“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you!
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.” - 2 Timothy 1:6-8
“DEEPER AND DEEPER STILL”! SAYS THE VOICE OF THE SPIRIT
It's no secret that the mainstream media has had a heyday with high profile personalities who have made claims to be devout Christians and then find them caught in the acts of extortion, embezzlement, infidelity, tax evasion, plagiarism and justification of personal indulgence at the expense of trusting donors.
Deeper and deeper still will the exposing and dissecting sword of the Word of God separate what is of the flesh claiming to be God, and what is of the Spirit, that is of God.
The folly and arrogance of those who minister with an elitist message will be brought to such public humiliation that even the hardest atheistic hearts will cringe at the ruthless mocking they will face.
As the Lord continues to shake out and stir up the dross in the life of each believer, there will be a corresponding stirring again to deep repentance.
Believers will come out of their groggy existence and begin to allow the deep purging and removal of willful perceptions about whom God has blessed and whom God might use for his glory, and for His purposes.
A TIME LIKE NO OTHER TIME
We are in a time like no other before.
There is a setting forth of a new and fresh openness to God's supreme directions.
There is a shaking off of youthful folly and petty “scrapping” over who imparts the greatest message or anointing.
Instead of well planned out speaking rosters for heavily and slickly advertised conference invitations, there will continue to be spontaneous and Divinely orchestrated gatherings throughout all nations.
It has already begun in several unannounced assemblies of like-minded hearts. It is being lit and ignited by the very hand of a Sovereign and brilliantly strategic God.
GATHERINGS LARGE AND SMALL, IN HALLS, HOMES, AND BARNS,
HAVE BECOME A FOCUS OF GOD'S HEART.
He indeed has an agenda.
It is to call the bride, His beloved, the one He lavishly spent all of his life's blood upon, to rise up from her slumber and be “shaken and stirred” to see that He is beckoning her deeper and yet deeper still to enter into a place of profound grace, mercy, and safety.
As the cry of repentance from dead works, and foolish masterminding of plans and programs (that only led the bride into morbid obesity) is stirred in the hearts of those ailing and sickened by the results of such overindulgence, deeper and deeper still will the Spirit of God draw his people into a communion of body, Spirit, and soul with his plan and purpose.
THOSE THAT WILL WAIT IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD IN THEIR GATHERINGS…
… In their brokenness, in their humility, will begin to experience a hush of holiness falling upon their gatherings. The hovering presence of the pleasure of God will invade and flood the hearts of those who have come simply to fellowship in the power of His word and the Beauty of His Holiness. But! This cannot be a forced agenda or trend! This is not to be confused with what has been termed “The Anointing” or “The Holy Spirit Falling Upon God’s People.” Not a whisper, not a sound, not a song, nor a shout will be needed to attract this majestic treasure.
COMING SOON: THE WEIGHT OF HIS GLORY
I have been in meetings where believers who chose to enter into repentance and allowed the “dross work” of God to have full access to every corner of their souls, where, without warning or fanfare, the weight of God’s Glory invaded the room, the conference, and the meeting halls. It was as if a drenching, tangible mass of warmth and comfort wrapped itself around every human being present. It mattered not whether they were youthful or stooped over in the aging of their bodies.
The weight of the very glory and magnificence of the Supreme Being, The Sovereign One, was unmistakable.
Beautiful stillness and sweetness flowed in to and out of every soul present. All who were sitting or standing in this weight of glory did not need anyone to tell them the phenomenon that surpassed any of man's orchestrations was happening.
It didn’t last 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes. It came in waves and beckoned with the fragrance of mercy that only the “Still Small Voice” can infuse a room with.
IT SEEMED THAT THE MORE WILLING THE HEARTS OF THOSE IN THESE GATHERINGS WHO WOULD SIMPLY SIT IN THE WEIGHT OF THIS GLORIOUS SILENCE, THE RICHER AND DEEPER THE PEACE BECAME.
And then again, the Sweet song of the Lord would begin to sing out over the people and the people would begin to sing out the sweet song of repentance and devotion back unto the Lord.
IT SURPASSED ETHNIC AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS, NATIONAL OR INTERNATIONAL EXPRESSIONS AND HUMAN LANGUAGES.
Deeper and yet deeper still His presence, His glory, His weightiness would hover. In one such meeting, the waiting in His glory, in His presence, waiting upon Him, lasted for 45 minutes. No one wanted to leave, and no one had any agenda.
“Be still!” the Lord said. “Be still and know, that I am God!”
HEART WRENCHING REPENTANCE -- SEASON OF REFRESHING
“Repent, then, and turn to God, So that your sins may be wiped out,
That times of refreshing may come from the Lord." -Acts 3:19
There have been voices in the Body of Christ crying out that she must repent for her sluggishness, smugness, and presumption.
These voices will be amplified and multiplied throughout the year.
There will be required by the Lord, a setting apart in the heart of every believer. Deeper and deeper still will the call to shake off slumber, to once and for all lay down the sins and arrogance that easily traps and ensnares the life of the bride.
THE GREATER THE SURRENDER
-THE GREATER THE INCREASE OF HIS GLORY
As each member of the body of Christ willingly steps in to the full scan of the Holy Spirit's convicting radiance, a fresh awakening of the empowering courage and strength of Christ as the glorious bridegroom will be brought to the forefront.
He will be the central focus and no longer will the bride lag behind in adolescent drudgery and laziness.
Wave upon wave of adoration will be lifted up as a love sacrifice to the Beloved One. And the weight of His glory will shake and rock religious agendas and nations until they crumble and strip off the need for the noise and glitter that has cluttered and stifled the rightful honor due unto the King of glory.
When with deliberate consideration, the weight of God’s glory is given full access to flow as it begins to invade and permeate, be prepared for unbelievers who may be simply walking by a home gathering, a fellowship service, or a conference, to be drawn into your gatherings as if wooed or summoned by a fragrance or sound that they have had move them to go and seek out where it was coming from.
The Lord shall draw them and show them of His might, His presence, and you shall lead them to Him…
… And they shall find salvation.
LAST INSIGHT AND WARNING
Many are indeed "Walking on the edge of the precipice" and are "Living on the edge of eternity, not knowing where to turn or what to do, and will fall headlong into further disaster if they do not awaken from the hardness of heart, distractions and spiritual presumption that have become companions and corrupt habits.
Today you have heard His heart; you have heard His voice,
Harden not your heart, and instead quickly heed His voice.
Allow the shaking!
Willingly permit any condescension, elitism, control, manipulation, cowardly blame-shifting, hateful speech, competition, anger, mocking and vengeful and revengeful thoughts, to be once and for all purged out of your soul!
Your very spiritual life depends on what you do when on the edge of a precipice!
You can, “Jump headlong into recklessness”
Or
“Fall into the hands of the living breathing God”.
“Take care, brethren,
That there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart
That falls away (headlong off of a precipice) from the living God.”
-Hebrews 3:12
THE “END” IS AT HAND FOR EACH AND EVERY GENERATION EVERY SINGLE DAY, and their response to the gospel in this life determines their eternal fate.
Each generation is living on the edge of eternity,
and there will always be an urgency to respond to the gospel, for your response to the gospel determines your eternal destiny.
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete source and website and podcast information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank you!
The Messenger " ~ Mary Lindow
Copyright ©2021
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
www. marylindow.podbean.com
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There are faithful intercessors around the world who areready and who are prepared to pray for you.
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with Clergy Financial Advantage.
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
By Mary Lindow through the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit
My spiritual discernment tells me...... That a change in the spiritual climate is coming.
Yes.
There ABSOLUTELY is risk associated with the shifting of your focus, choices and standards.
For some, there is risk that the newness that God is bringing will also bring an ending to their way of doing things, an ending to the security of the past.
For others there is risk that they will be the people called to forge into new territory in the power of the Spirit, to announce and help build and steward the newness that God is bringing.
I often ponder (at times I stew and pace) about where the church is in this post-modern culture and where it desperately needs to be heading.
I feel a change in the air. I sense a new freshness and direction being orchestrated by the Lord in His church, meaning His people. I’m sure not smart enough to know what all that means nor am I able to predict the future, but the signs are there.
My spiritual discernment tells me...... that a change in the spiritual climate IS coming.
I’m not yet sure whether this is a storm or the just the rains after a drought, but I have an inkling that it may be the wind of opportunity that promises a new beginning that I hear blowing. It may just be the fresh winds of the Spirit that will bring the “showers of spiritual blessings” that people used to sing about, but most likely.... this is not the case.
Our world and our culture are changing rapidly all around us.
With new communication technology and increasing global interaction, we face a world that will be absolutely different from the one which we have lived in for so long.
Our own society is changing.
There are new ways of thinking and new ways of doing things.(Think self driving cars and drones delivering pizzas!)
The year were are in just sped through and was just a date on a calendar, but that date caused us to take a long look at where we have been and where we are going. And, when we looked closely, the changes unfolding all around us have surprised us, or at least it surprised me!
Of course, some want to see changes, ANY changes, as threatening.
And so they move into a doomsday mode and adopt a negative view (Think the Jonah Syndrome). They fight most any kind of change as a change for the worse.There ARE things to be concerned about WITH some changes. But where some people see only problems, others see opportunities.
Change can be threatening, scary, and hard!HARD H A R DWORK!
However, the people who study these things say that times of change are the best opportunities for people to respond to God. The uncertainty and discomfort that any major change brings, opens the door to reevaluate your life and ask questions about your purpose and what in your life has meaning.
If that’s true in individuals, I am pretty sure that it’s also true of society. And it’s true of the church.
Studies and Stats show that there is more interest in religion and spirituality in the world at large now than there has been in the last half-century.
Of course, some of that spirituality is of the weird and twisted kind, and certainly not Christian. But, that also tells us that there are opportunities to proclaim the Gospel, in Love, with authentic compassion and yet without compromising.
Honestly speaking, I’m not sure what all that means for the church. The message hasn’t changed, and the truth hasn’t changed, but the world has, and how we speak and express the truth will need to change in order to speak to that world.
New winds are blowing. The spiritual climate is changing. The smell of fresh breezes and fresh showers are in the air.But one thing is certain.
There will be no status quo.
There will be no “going on as usual”.
The changes, are already in process.
We can’t change things just because we decide it should be done friends!
That’s presumption!
If we say we want GOD’S plan(s) for change, we have to get the blueprints from Him. But, we CAN do it as God calls out to us and reveals to us where HE is working in the world. And then, we can do it!
We can RISK as we listen, hear, and respond to that call, as God enables and graces us with the courage it will take to “adjust the rudder” of our ship.
I don’t know about you, but I'm going to be watching closely for the changes in the spiritual weather.
And I’ll be listening carefully so I don't miss the voice of God in the darkness.
If someone asks me about a voice that they may have heard calling their name in the night, I’ll be ready to tell them to say these words.
“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
"The Lord came and stood there and called as he had before, “Samuel, Samuel!”Samuel said, “Speak, Lord. I am your servant and...... I am listening.” -Samuel 3:10
Mary Lindow 2020 www.marylindow.com
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that
complete source,podcast and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You Copyright © 2020 - THE MESSENGER " ~Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
http://marylindow.podbean.com/mobile/
If you have been impressed by the Holy Spirit to assist and bless the needs that Mary has when asked to travel and minister or to helping her to meet other administrative needs such as web site and podcast costs, or desire to bless her service with Spirit-led Love gifts or regular support:
Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of:
► Personal Checks
► Business Checks
► Money Orders
► Cashiers Checks
To: His Beloved Ministries Inc. PO Box 1253 Denver Colorado 80614 USA
Or feel free to use our send a tax deductible gift with
Pay Pal paypal.me/mlindow
Under the name of - His Beloved Ministries Inc.
ALL gifts are tax deductible under His Beloved Ministries 5013c non-profit status.
We are financially accountable and have been in full compliance since 1985 with Clergy Financial Advantage.
THANK YOU!
Thursday May 28, 2020
Thursday May 28, 2020
By Mary Lindow
This message just"might" hit close to home.
I have been thinking a lot this week about arrogance and those finger pointing individuals who enjoy belittling others and simply love to be plain old snarky. Just look at the headlines of newspapers, Internet news and gossip columns! With the stroke of a key or two, words written imply things that can break hearts, ruin trust, hope, National Security and relationships.
THERE IS SUCH A HARSH STING TO THE HEART
WHEN THE CRUEL WORDS OF SOMEONE ELSE INTENTIONALLY
DOES A VERBAL SLAP DOWN OR SHAMES YOU.
Usually it occurs when THEY believe that THEY are absolutely right or have "superior" knowledge, and that others are the "lesser" and are the "wrong- big- dummies".
This mean and sour arrogance, which uses power to belittle or harm others, is something that crushes and cripples hearts and dreams. It's a secret and deep seething storm inside of the soul of those who feel they have rights and superior thinking that justifies weaponizing words. Yes... Weaponizing!
Words can deliver pinpoint missiles of pain, threats, ridicule, humiliation, subtle undertones of condescension but can also deliver payloads of healing, warmth, gratitude, encouragement, and above all, Hope.
As a believer, our faith should not be arrogant, nor should a person of faith belittle others! We should never use our faith or intelligence to pretend that we are superior or more informed than others! NO! NEVER!
Belittling is a form of bullying! It's when someone makes you feel as though you are little, minuscule, not good enough.
Proverbs 11:17 says,"Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel".
Arrogance is the opposite of humility, and humility is supposed to be a Christian virtue. Jesus Christ who, in coming into the world and living and dying alongside of us, lived out what humility is.
You will never reach the place of honor or full use by the Heavenly Father, (and can actually be disqualified from many opportunities) until your insecurities and need to needle, belittle, compete with, or shame others is addressed, repented of and buried! And, when mentioning, reaching a place of honor I'm referring to this as honor before the face and rule of God.
If your goals in life are to have men honor you first...
...You will be one who certainly tramples others with your words.
Those who have the sickness of pride in their hearts, speak of others weakness and sins with contempt, irritation, frustration, or judgment. Pride is crouching inside of your meanness and belittling of the struggles of others.
It's cowering in your jokes about the "craziness" of your spouse, the mocking of that "too sensitive friend". It may even be lurking in the prayers we throw upward for our friends that are "subtly or not" often tinted with the color of exasperated irritation.
Listen to Proverbs 15:4 from The Message translation.
"Kind words heal and help;
Cutting words wound and maim."
Sometimes, we use sarcasm to voice harsh, or cutting words we otherwise would not say, often intentionally hurting others. Once the pain is inflicted however, we retreat, saying, "Oh, I was just kidding!" But the sting of those words hurts so much that those we have injured, withdraw.
Our words don't feel like jokes at all.
Jesus' words should be a warning to those of us who are tempted to use sarcasm as a weapon:
"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken". -Matthew 12:36
SARCASTIC REMARKS USUALLY SEEM LIKE NO BIG DEAL
TO THE PERSON WHO MAKES THEM.
BUT TO THE RECIPIENT, THOSE WORDS MAKE LASTING IMPRESSIONS
THAT SCAR TO THE VERY CORE OF THE HEART.
Many times, sarcasm shames a person, causing them to feel belittled and unworthy. When shame takes root in the heart, it can cause disastrous behavior, because the person now feels worthless and seeks desperately to find anything that will make them feel otherwise.
Shaming others is a serious offense with serious consequences.
Jesus said, "Your very words will be used as evidence against you,
and your words will declare you either innocent or guilty."
-Matthew 12:37
Are your words kind and constructive?
Do they desire to seek peace and unity, or are they driven by your fleshy desire to sting, aggravate, retaliate, tease, belittle, control, alienate, shame and manipulate through sarcasm? YES ... alllll of those HURT PEOPLE!
The enemy is camping out at the gate of your every relationship. Children, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, parents, co-laborers and more. He is lurking around every corner, seeking to find that one open crevice where he can enter. If he has been entering in and camping out in your home or relationships through the use of sarcasm, it's time to boot this verbal enemy out and lock the gate behind him.
Die to your need to be snarky and always the one with a chirpy sarcastic comeback! Allow Christ to show you His ways that love, peace and compassion can be the source of every word that proceeds from your mouth.
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another,
because, 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.
Humble yourself then! Bow low under God's mighty hand,
that he may use you to the fullest at the proper time.
-1 Peter 5:56
Prayer of Brokenness and Confession
(I Highly recommend praying this out loud.)
Holy and All seeing Father God,
I confess now to You, that I do not always love my neighbor.
I confess that I have despised others, even to the point of hatred.
I confess that I have been hurt by others.
I confess that forgiveness and reconciliation at times are just impossible for us.
I realize that I have spoken words that have broken people or have humiliated them and although asking for forgiveness, they have distanced themselves from me, and rightly so because they don't want to take any more of my unkind words.
Father I ask you to heal them from the things that I have said that caused broken and crushed spirits.
Restore them; bring them Friends that will treat them kindly.
I know that nothing is impossible in You.
So, I come to You, seeking healing and wholeness for myself.
Heal whatever is inside of me that needs to speak poorly of others, or to speak down to others.
Show me the parts of me that are insecure or needy.
Help me, whenever possible, to live in peace with others, to seek reconciliation and healing and forgiveness.
For Your Son Jesus came and lived among us, and was betrayed and denied, abused and put to death.
Yet, He rose again, and came with the message of peace to those who had denied Him and abandoned Him.
Oh Father! May I walk in His ways and model His kindness in my speech and actions.
I pray this in Jesus' loving name.
Amen.
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete article, podcast link and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You Copyright © 2020 " THE MESSENGER "
Your Gracious Support and Donations Are So Very Helpful And Assist Mary In Publishing Her Teaching Podcasts and Blog Materials.
THANK YOU!
Please go to PAYPAL to donate or support this blog:
Donate to the tax deductible ministry name of:
paypal.me/mlindow (His Beloved Ministries Inc.)
orYou Can Mail a Check or Cashiers Check to:
His Beloved Ministries INC.
PO Box 1253
Eastlake CO 80614
United States
Saturday Mar 23, 2019
Saturday Mar 23, 2019
By Mary Lindow
"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To do justly, to love kindness and mercy,
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 that 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?”
WE ARE CONSUMED BY SELF. 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? WHAT IS THE ANTIDOTE?
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, rids itself 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". -JEREMIAH 9:23-24 (NIV)
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided
that complete article, podcast link and website information
for Mary Lindow is included.
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
Thank You Copyright © 2019 " THE MESSENGER "
Your Gracious Support and Donations Are So Very Helpful
And Assist Mary In Publishing Her Teaching Podcasts
And Blog Materials.
THANK YOU!
Please go to PAYPAL to donate
or support this podcast
Donate to the tax deductible ministry name of:
paypal.me/mlindow (His Beloved Ministries Inc.)
Or You Can Mail a Check or Cashiers Check to:
His Beloved Ministries INC
PO Box 1253
Eastlake CO 80614
United States
Friday Dec 21, 2018
Friday Dec 21, 2018
By Mary Lindow
Greetings Brothers and Sisters!
I’m sure that you’ll remember the story that on Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge is locked up in the darkness of his dim house. Dickens tells us, “Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it.”
Today, we still know that darkness is cheap, easy to find, and its raw materials of despair and denial are in abundant supply.
Scrooge liked darkness, as we often do, because it hides what we fear, keeps us from facing what is true, and allows us to be blind to truth. But like so many things that come cheaply, our overindulgence in them comes at great cost.
Out of Scrooge’s darkness appears the ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s former business partner. Marley comes not to haunt Scrooge, but to free him. Scrooge sees that Marley is bound in chains. “Why are you fettered?” Scrooge asks.
“I wear the chain I forged in life,” Marley says. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard,” and he tells Scrooge that the chain that will fetter him in the darkness is even longer, heavier and harder still, if he does not leave the darkness.
WOW! There is a lot of wisdom here!
Though chains placed by others might fetter us, most of our chains are forged by the part of our spiritual self that likes the darkness and shuns the light. Marley was fettered to cashboxes, deeds and ledgers, as was Scrooge.
What would fetter or chain you?
Brothers and Sisters, the life of any leader or person in some form of care, supervision or one with employees or volunteer workers, a person with a bit of over-site over others, needs to be bravely examined, fully exposed to the pure and strong light of God’s eyes and checked often for hardness of heart, the love of acumen, pride in achievements and the over lording of others.
Jesus coming into the world—God in human skin—announced what had been hoped forever, that the captive person would be released from the darkest prisons—physical and spiritual. To our inner spiritual soul, our chains and fetters will be crushed, if we are willing to leave the darkness. Like Scrooge, do we need to be “scared out”? Shaken from slumber?
Scrooge could not receive the simple gift of Christmas, so ghosts rather than grace were sent. But, the result is love.
We need the light of God’s love that by its very nature is a love that comes to give us and those we serve, value and worth, not a love that comes because we are already valuable and worthy.
The entire point of "A Christmas Carol" is that Scrooge is entirely unworthy of God’s mercy, because Scrooge has no mercy! But! Mercy and love come to Scrooge through the judgment of the ghosts, and this "transformation" makes the unworthy Scrooge, worthy again.
The light of God that comes as love, forgiveness and hope is a light that brings judgment. I know that most of us get uncomfortable when talking about God’s judgment, because we are so afraid that we are unworthy of God’s love.
But, look at Scrooge! Without God’s light, without the promise of God’s love, Scrooge is doomed!
It is love and judgment bringing him into the light. Can we now see that judgment by God as a form of God’s love? His way of exposing the darkness of our own souls? Romans 2:16 has proof of this probing of our secret lives!!
“And this is the message I proclaim--that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone's secret life.”
Oh friends! Will we ever fully learn that God does not love us because we have value, but instead, HE loves us to give us worth? Life without the pure love of God coursing through our being is a vapor and miserable!
Let's say to the Spirit of God with all of our hearts, the words Scrooge humbly uttered after he was confronted and faced his darkened heart.
"I will honor Christmas in my heart,
and try to keep it all the year."
What is Christmas?
When Heaven kissed earth with the greatest act of sacrifice...
... Sending us a Redeemer.
Who is Christ the Lord?
He IS THE Spirit, of CHRISTmas!
Let’s Humbly Pray this prayer together,
Father God, be gracious to me I pray, according to your loving- kindness. Father, my sins are heavy against me and my soul is troubled. For the many wrongs I have done against you and for the many evil thoughts and unholy attitudes I have allowed to influence my heart, and rule my life, for far to long.
I have sought to condone my wrongdoings, and ignore the voice of my conscience within. And I ask your forgiveness for my foolish pride, in ignoring the gentle promptings of Your Holy Spirit.
Forgive me I pray, and restore to me the joy of your salvation. For you have promised that all who truly confess their sins will be forgiven and returned back into a right relationship with you - and cleansed from all unrighteousness.
Lord the sacrifice of my heart is brokenness before You, My soul is truly contrite and my desire is to return into a right relationship with you. I know that the consequences of my wrong choices may remain with me for a long time – but I ask that in Your grace and mercy You would forgive my sins and cleanse my soul and restore me into a right relationship with Yourself – and my heart will rejoice in God my Savior, in Whose name I pray,
Amen.
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that complete source, podcast and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You Copyright © 2018
“THE MESSENGER "~Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
http://www.marylindow.podbean.com
If you have been impressed by the Holy Spirit to assist and bless the needs that Mary has when asked to travel and minister or to helping her to meet other administrative needs such as web site and podcast costs,
or desire to bless her service with Spirit-led Love gifts or regular support:
Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of:
► Personal Checks
► Business Checks
► Money Orders
► Cashiers Checks
To: His Beloved Ministries Inc.
PO Box 1253
Denver Colorado 80614
USA
Or feel free to use our send a tax deductible gift with
Pay Pal paypal.me/mlindow
Under the name of - His Beloved Ministries Inc.
ALL gifts are tax deductible under
His Beloved Ministries 5013c non-profit status.
We are financially accountable and have been in full compliance since 1985 with Clergy Financial Advantage.
THANK YOU!
Thursday Apr 28, 2016
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
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Thank You Copyright © 2016
“THE MESSENGER” ~Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
marylindow.podbean.com
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
TO LISTEN TO THIS AS A FREE AUDIO PODCAST USE THE PLAYER TO YOUR RIGHT IN THE COLUMN OF OPTIONS OR SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE MESSAGE FOR AN ADDITIONAL MP3 OR POP-UP PLAYERBy Mary LindowBeloved. The Lord has prepared us for this season. He wants us to focus on the path ahead of us. The refining is painful but brings correction and is beautiful at the end.Psalm 16: 11 saysYou have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.Psalm 17:3You have tried my heart;You have visited me by night;You have tested me and You find nothing;I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.THE LORD WANTS US TO KNEEL ...Before him in repentance, for it rids us of our self-focus. Light comes when we are delivered from ourselves! Psalm 36:9For with You is the fountain of life;In Your light we see lightTHE LORD WANTS US TO PAY ATTENTION ...To our “eye gates.” What we look at. Our hearts need to be locked into His gates.He says, “Look to me!”And His arms are the gates that are holding us. Psalm 118 Vs 19Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORDHE WANTS US TO STAY IN THE INNER COURT ...And minister Him. He is wanting us to get to “Ground Zero.” Go into it and let all things of the flesh melt. Psalm 101:6My eyes shall [look with favor]upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; He/she who walks blamelessly, He/she shall minister to me.HE WANTS US TO BE DELIVERED ...From disappointments or the feeling of being unworthyPsalm 34:4I sought the LORD, and he answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.You see, it is fear that holds us back and fear that causes us to to feel paralyzed or paranoid and so we are not able to move ahead in:Wisdom AdvancementandReconciliation.THE LORD IS CALLING US OUT TO RISK. He will not fail us!He will not cause us to stumble, but He will cause us to grow and mature into the saint that will cause people out in the world to want to listen to what we have to share.If we act ashamed of the Gospel and we act religious, then people are not interested in what we have to say. Whatever “fresh thing” we think that we are bringing. But when we have the sweet presence of God flowing out of our lives, when we have His grace and abundance, and mercy and kindness is expressed in actions and deeds of tremendous forgiveness, then the world is drawn to something tender and sweet. And it answers the hollowness of their own lives.THE LORD WANTS US TO BE RESTING ...And praying. He is using His “holy sandpaper” to get down to the beauty of the true wood in our lives.Psalm 62:1 My soul finds rest in God alone; My salvation comes from him.Psalm 62: 5Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; My hope comes from him.Dear Child of God.I encourage you to understand that the pressure that you are under or perhaps even the sorrow or suffering that seems so unbearable, is not something that you need to consider as a punishment from the Lord. It is He, driving us into a place where we are dependent upon Him only.He allows the sorrows in order for us to find out just how weak we are in our own abilities, and how strong He is to deliver us.I encourage you today to move into today what is known as WAR.WisdomKnowing just what really is the Wisdom of God. To seek it out and find it.Advancement What does it mean to move ahead into the deeper things of God? Usually, it means dying to our own pleasure, our own self, which seems to be a bit of a paradox compared to what we like to do. Thinking that if we produce more, we move ahead more. But the Lord says, “ He that humbles himself in My sight, I WILL raise up at the right time.ReconciliationThe Lord desires for each of us that we would have a season of reconciliation. He desires that we would be brought back to a place of rest with those whom we may have been in strife with.I encourage you that if there is anyone that you need to reconcile with or ask if you have in anyway offended them, go to them. If they do not receive you well, know that the Lord will continue to work on your behalf deep within their heart.LET US COME INTO A HOLY PLACE ...As this season of the Lord moves across the earth. He is drawing His saints together to lay down their religious strongholds and opinions as well as judgments of one another. Choosing instead, to bend their knees humbly and cry out to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords to reveal Himself in all of His grace and Mercy to them.Let us, be some of the very first people to bow our knees, to pray for one another, to ask the Father that He would again touch the planet Earth one more time with a great fiery move of His Spirit. That those that are lost, broken and deceived would have their eyes opened and their understanding made clear that the Son of God has come and redeemed them from the curse. Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included. Thank you. Copyright © 2013 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow www.marylindow.com www.globalprayerrooms.com
Wednesday May 29, 2013
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