Mary Lindow ~ The Messenger Podcast

Think Honestly

Episodes

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
www.marylindow.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
 
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Saturday Oct 15, 2022

By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit
 
Jeremiah was known as the 'weeping prophet’. 
Some say he was called at the age of 17. 
 
He was called to reprove a crumbling nation. The Israelite nation. 
Unfortunately for them they didn’t  listen to him. But during his day, people were so hardened by sin that they neither believed God nor feared him. They seem to find Jeremiah's constant warning of judgment overbearing and frankly, annoying.
 
It's the same with us now. 
Those that hear our warning find us obnoxious! 
But as believers we are supposed to follow God's instructions to warn a lost and dying world of upcoming judgment. Even though most are not listening, we still have to persevere in courageously speaking truth in order to rescue some from the terrible judgment that will inevitably come. If we are so easily discouraged at fighting the rude behavior of our peers what are we going to do, when we are confronted by demons? 
 
The LORD rebukes Jeremiah for his impatience, in Jeremiah 12:5 saying, 
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace [where you feel secure], Then how will you do among the lions in the flooded jungle thicket beside the Jordan?”
 
If we are distraught when we can't make a car payment, what will we do when we lose our job?
If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
 
If we are distressed at the terrorism going on overseas, what will we do when it’s in our own neighborhoods? Because it already is!
If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
 
If we are overwhelmed with the work we have now, what will we do when a double or triple portion is required of us? 
If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
 
God is reminding Jeremiah (and us) that there is much more to be concerned about than what we’re complaining about . 
There is something ahead of us in this season my friends that is of more concern than petty grievances against those who seem to be better off or live easier than we do. 
God is telling Jeremiah “ If you are not able to encounter lesser dangers, how will you be able to overcome greater ones?” 
Jesus said to us in John 16: 33 “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! Take Courage! I have overcome the world.”
 
It’s natural that our hardest days and most difficult trials are ahead of us, not behind us. If you are worried and in great upset about these things, what are you going to do when you are forced to face extremely difficult trials and troubles that are most certainly just around the bend?
 
Matthew Henry said, “The faith even of strong believers may sometimes be sorely shaken and ready to fail them. There will be storms that will try the firmest anchors.”
Now, Isn’t that the truth? 
Jeremiah was consumed with grief about the prosperity of the wicked in Anathoth when just in a short time He would be beaten in Jerusalem by order of the priest Pashhur (instead of worrying about the prosperity of heathens in Anathoth, he was about to be severely punished by a priest in Jerusalem). 
 
Let's take a sneak peek of what is in store for Jeremiah:
“He had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper gate of Benjamin at the LORD's temple.” Jer. 20:2
 
God saw this coming when Jeremiah was crying about the prosperity of the wicked!
If Jeremiah had known what was going to happen ahead of him, He wouldn't have wasted time complaining about the men of Anathoth. Jeremiah was concerned about something insignificant when something greater needed his attention. 
And, His own family was secretly conspiring against him — they spoke well of him to his face but were trying to incite a mob against him behind his back. They seemed to be friendly but they were really his enemies.
 
God's faithful servants shouldn't think it's strange that their enemies are in their own family, some living under their own roof.
 
Jesus told us in Matthew 10:34-35 
“For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.”
 
So friends, If the footmen weary you what will the horses do? 
I know I keep repeating the statement because it’s what the Holy Spirit would have me consistently say so that you hear the challenge and that you are strengthened to stand up and be courageous, now!
 
God's answer to Jeremiah was to be absolutely determined to stay solid and immovable in his walk with God, because there were bigger trials ahead of him that needed his attention. But God does let him know what will happen to Israel and her enemies. Although God punishes Israel by allowing her enemies to overtake the land, God would not let her enemies sacrilegiously use that land which belongs to Israel. Even their land is blessed!
“But after I uproot them, I WILL AGAIN HAVE COMPASSION and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country.” (Jeremiah 12:15)
God will again deliver his people from their enemies by uprooting them just as he did when they were suffering in Egypt. 
 
God shows that even his enemies may receive compassion and grace.
“And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the LORD lives' even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal – then they will be established among my people.” (v.16)
 
God's Expectation Is Plain. 
If Israel's enemies would pay homage to God the way they did for Baal, (a dead and dumb idol) if they could humble themselves to follow the God of Israel instead of teaching Israel to follow idols they would be rewarded, but if not...
“'But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,' declares the LORD” (v. 17)
 
God's call and Plan and Instructions for us can be summed up in 
I Corinthians 16:13 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” 
 
Our greatest difficulties are ahead of us, not behind us.
(If our troubles were always behind us, we would never grow as a Christian.) 
We mustn’t waste time complaining about petty things. 
Quickly put on your helmet, take up your sword and shield, tighten your armor and get ready! Get ready to run with the horses!
 
God offers Jeremiah a beautifully wise word picture for him to consider. 
He essentially asks Jeremiah, “If footmen weary you, what will the horses do?” 
 
Paul referred to life as a race. 
Makes sense, after all, it has a beginning, a middle, and a strong determination to finish strong. It requires endurance, patience, devotion and a resolution to finish strong. At the end of his life Paul said, “I have finished the race.” And referring to Jeremiah's race God is saying: If running with others on foot, when everything is equal, what are you going to do when they are given horses?
 
In this verse the prophet Jeremiah has been complaining about his persecutors. God Divinely answers, and warns Jeremiah about his impatience, and then tells him that harder trials are in store for him. 
What? More distressing times? 
 
We all have had the experience of how in our lives, there are long stretches of uneventful days, and then, generally without warning, some crisis is sprung on us, which demands quite a different set of gifts to cope with it. Our monsoons in Colorado, generally come without any warning from a falling barometer.
 
We can at any moment be confronted with some hard duty which will exhaust our energy. We may at any moment be plunged in some huge calamity and the quiet course of our lives for years suddenly is interrupted with fierce storms and devastating fallout. 
 
We won’t always have the easy foot race with footmen; there will some times come a call to strain our muscles to keep up with the gallop of the cavalry. We will have to struggle to keep our feet in the rising waters of difficultly, and must not expect to have a continual leisurely life in ‘a land of peace.’
 
With the power of Jesus in our spirits we shall never have to attempt
a duty that we are not first strengthened by Him to take on. 
And we never have to face a danger in which He won’t defend us. 
 
With His life in us we will be ready for the long hours of uneventful, unexciting duties, and for the short spurts that make precise calls on each of us to respond to. We ‘WILL run and not be weary; we will walk and not faint.’ 
 
As I finish this podcast I’d like to share what Oswald Chambers said about patience during the time of great difficulty and when the world is filled with uprising.  It is so powerful and quite comforting.
 
The Duty of Patience
"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth" (Rev. 3:10).
Jesus says we are to keep the word of His patience. There are so many things in this life that it seems much better to be impatient about. 
The best picture to explain this is that of an archer: 
He pulls the bow string further and further away from his bow with the arrow solidly fixed in its slot, then, when it is adjusted, with his eye on the target he lets it fly. 
The Christian's life is like that. God is the archer. 
He takes the saint like a bow which He stretches, and we get to a certain point and say,"I can't stand any more, I can't stand this test of patience any longer," but God goes on stretching. 
He is not aiming at OUR TARGET mark, but at His own, and the patience of the saints is that we hold on until He lets the arrow fly straight to His goal.
 
Are you ready for a time of strengthening to come into your life? 
The Lord promises that a dramatic transformation will take place in us when we abandon our agenda and open ourselves to His plan for us. 
 
We can see this so clearly in the life of Saul before he had become the Apostle Paul. Saul had been intent upon his own evil strategy to persecute Christians. Then came his life-changing encounter with Jesus, when he asked the most important question of all in Acts 9:6: 
“Lord, what do YOU want me to do?”
 
Are you ready to ask the Lord that same question? 
Are you ready to give up your own fruitless designs in return for God’s better plan?
Let’s pray that together now.
Lord Jesus, I have been moving forward persistently with my own thoughts and plans. I have been intent upon seeing those accomplished. Now I see that despite my good intentions, my plans may not be in line with Yours.
Right now, I humble myself before You. 
I take this moment to ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” 
In Your presence, I place my agenda on the shelf, and I open my heart and my hands to Your plans and purposes.
I belong to You, Lord. Please forgive me for any stubbornness that may have captivated me. 
I pull down that stronghold right now—any thought that needs to be taken captive to the obedience of Christ. 
I place my future in Your hands, Lord Jesus. 
Have Your way—and only Your way—in my life. Amen.
 
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
www.marylindow.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
 
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Monday May 16, 2022


By Mary Lindow 
I am by far not an expert on the subject of plumblines and righteousness, so take what I say in the light of one who at time gropes like a child in the dark, ever reaching for the hand of the ONE to lead me into a safe place filled with His Hope, His Mercy, His Light and Life.
 WE LIVE IN A CORRUPT WORLD and therefore, have the “effects and affects” of that corruption ever influencing, ever tainting and ever wooing the flesh. 
Plumbline: a tool that consists of a small, heavy object attached to a string or rope and that is used especially to see if something (such as a wall) is perfectly vertical or in alignment)  
A plumbline is a simple but accurate tool used for determining whether or not something is perfectly vertical or upright. The Lord also used, and uses, a "plumbline," His Word, to determine how upright His people truly are in His sight.
How upright they think they are, or how upright they proclaim themselves to be, means nothing to God.
 "Behold, I WILL set a plumbline in the midst of My people". 
-Amos 7:7 
 
A PLUMBLINE SET OUT BY THE HAND OF GOD IS ONE THAT WE CAN ANCHOR OUR HEARTS TO.
It will always, always, ALWAYS, direct us to the truth in a matter; even if it requires pain, loss, persecution and perhaps death in areas we feel we may well have rights to. 
It will also be a shield, a balm, a comfort and a teacher to those who will yield to the directive positioning of the Master. 
“I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumbline.” -Isaiah 28:17 
 
LIFE – DISTRESS - AND PERSECUTION 
I have found that in my life, distress and persecution do not feel like God’s care being poured out on me. My heart is not immediately drawn to thanksgiving and gratefulness for the faithfulness of God on display as I cling to the battered pieces that look like potential “rafts” of hope, only to find out that many of them have gaping holes or slow leaks in them. 
Rather, it feels like yet another hurt is being permanently woven into my tattered and war-torn soul. It seems as if another mound of questions are piling up and just waiting for an answer and a true solid REAL anchor of hope. 
 
I CAN REALLY CONNECT TO THE WRITER OF PSALM 42 
He said “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” It’s at those very times that the words of the Savior are so important. When we are down and in turmoil. 
But, how do we connect the dots between what we know is true about God’s faithfulness and what our hearts feel? When flipped and flung around by the waves, weary from crying and when no answer seems at hand, what is the answer? 
When my circumstances show many foes and tyrants rising up against me and my heart is prone to wander and fear, what hope is there of peace? 
When my feelings start controlling my thoughts, how can I rest in God’s promises? 
 
AT THIS POINT… I HEAR THE “GASPS” … 
…And perhaps shocked comments of a few who are amazed that someone who appears to walk so fervently and intimately with the Lord would have such difficulties! 
Well! Guess what?
I do struggle, I do hurt, and yes I do doubt when I have been side swiped or “rammed” by skilled cons and those who, although may have the appearance of godliness and offered friendship or fellowship, end up having private and evil agendas behind their well placed and planned schemes.
And boy oh boy! Those skilled players know the wicked art of wounding the heart and causing people to reel in pain! 
 
BUT, THERE IS ONE WHO FULLY SEES IT ALL 
The main skill in the issue of dealing with life as a spiritual person, is to know how to handle yourself when things not only crush and grind your heart, but what to do with the anguish and toll of their aftermath. 
We have to get ourselves into a place where we hear clearly again. 
We need have to address ourselves, preach to ourselves, and ask questions about ourselves. 
We must say to our soul: "Why are you cast down –Why are you so anxious and lacking in peace?" 
We must urge ourselves, and say ‘Hope in God’–instead of remaining in this paralyzed, aching state!” 
 
AND THEN WE MUST TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER
We must go on to remind ourselves just “Who “God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has promised that he Himself said that He would do. 
Having done that we can stand up and sing out strongly, defying the torment of the soul, and resist other people’s wicked tongues and arrogance, and refuse to go along with the devil and the whole world, and say: ‘Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” 
The hope and promise of the fairness of God’s justice when dealing with the hurtful things and presumptions of others gives me the confidence to know that God will never turn away from me in my need. No matter how they seem to prosper in the short term, wicked men and women will ultimately pay for their sins, in this life or the next. Jesus died to meet my greatest hardships and sorrows for me, and I need to preach this to myself every day.
His power is greater than my weariness and suffering. 
The comforting and instruction that comes from simply running to feed upon His word instead of the toxic poison of the replaying of trauma reminds me that what Jesus has done is strong enough for my soul to rejoice in and to be set into a place where it can rest and regroup, gaining a healthy perspective about what to give out to others and what is simply…
…. To be enjoyed by the Lord Himself. 
 
THE NATURAL IMPULSES OF MANKIND ARE SINFUL AND DECEITFUL! 
Human willpower alone will never be able to change this. 
We need God's help to truly change our hearts. 
 
REMEMBER. You cannot change the heart of anyone else either. 
If you try to, you will feel the bite of stinging venom or be laughed out of a room. Only the power of the conviction of the Holy Spirit can permeate and get around the jam-packed hardhearted egos of the self sufficient and bitter. 
Jeremiah 17:9 says that the human heart is deceitful in all things and is even beyond cure!
We must be cautious and wise in reproving and warning such types of people about their bad behaviors and wicked actions where there seems to be no appearance or hope of change and where there is danger of experiencing great and heart wrecking retaliation and slander. 
These types trample the warnings and urging for repentance and humbling of the heart under their feet, and turn again and slash at you, despising the warnings that are “tearfully and fearfully” given, and often hurt the persons who give them, either by words or deeds. 
 
"Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. 
Don't throw your pearls to pigs! 
They will trample the pearls, 
then turn and attack you.” 
-Matthew 7:6 
 
"GIVE ME THE FACTS MA’AM JUST THE FACTS” 
I remember that phrase from a TV show called “Dragnet”. The detective would not allow the details of the case to be skewed by any assumptions or pontificating from those he interviewed. He stoically and firmly demanded only the facts. 
And so, here are the “facts” about the heart of a good man or woman.
1.) The good man or woman: Brings good things out of the good stored up in his/her heart. And the facts about an evil man or woman. 
2.) The evil man/woman brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his/her heart. For out of the overflow of his or her heart his or her mouth speaks. Luke 6:45 
 
THE FRAILTY, BRIEFNESS, AND INSECURITY OF LIFE 
The frailty, briefness, and insecurity of life should hold down the vanity and presumptuous confidence of all of our projects and boasting about future greatness and bragging rights! We are always to depend on the will and leading of God. 
 
OUR TIMES ARE NOT IN OUR OWN HANDS, BUT ARE INSTEAD IN THE TIMING OF GOD. Our heads may be filled with cares and plans for ourselves, or our families, or our friends; but Divine intervention often throws our plans into bewilderment. All we have in mind, and all we do, should be with a humble and deep dependence on God.
It is foolish, and it is hurtful, to boast of trendy “latest happening” things and prospective projects, and it will bring great disappointment and will prove destructive to relationships and meaningful help to others in the end. 
 
“For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” 
-1 John 2:16
 
LISTEN KINDLY - BEFORE SPEAKING YOUR THOUGHTS 
People don't need a lecture on the meaning of suffering or to have a barrage of scriptures “machine-gunned” at them as a reprimand for sharing their moment of grief or struggle! (Especially when their hearts are breaking, weary of the battle and if they are fatigued.)
Job could have done without some of the self-righteous answers that came from his “well-meaning” friends. All of the answers could have even been true, but Job didn't need to hear any of them. 
He needed their love, not their value judgments. 
In fact, it appears as if God judged THEM for trying to offer simple solutions to things that were beyond their comprehension. They had never walked in the loss he was in anguish over. 
 
WHEN WE SUFFER UNJUSTLY WE HAVE A MAJOR CHOICE TO MAKE
How will we respond? We can feel sorry for ourselves (and understandably so, for a while), become bitter and cynical, get drawn into a war of words, or even become mixed up in a major conflict.
On the other hand, we can take our suffering to the cross and allow our pain to draw us into a deeper place of understanding of what Jesus went though in his sufferings. This does not remove the pain, but does help us to know what to do with our hurt. 
 
This is the 'fellowship of his sufferings' (Philippians 3:10), one of the gateways to closeness with God and the release of his power in our lives. The weight of heartbreak shared with a loving friend cuts it in half. When the burden is shared with many friends, we can cope with almost anything.
We never feel more revitalized than when a friend loves us enough to walk with us in our pain. Not lecture us. 
 
The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth: 
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God". -1 Corinthians 1.3-4 
 
SOMETIMES GOD GETS INVOLVED WITH DIRECT MIRACLES, Giving supernatural strength to those in need. But for the most part, he depends on us, his people, to do his work in the world. We love each other, work for healing, and suffer with those who suffer. 
The next time you see a friend who is suffering, Jesus may just invite you to be the warm embrace! We comfort each other with the comfort we have received in Christ. And when we do, we become the Body of Christ and he receives the glory! 
 
THE BIBLE IS CLEAR! 
We are to bear one another's burdens. 
We are to comfort others as Christ has given comfort to us. 
Your hard time becomes my hard time. 
We join hands in the journey. 
When you succeed, I succeed. 
When you suffer, I suffer. But we do it together. We share it together. 
And we do it, not so much in our wisdom or our words, but in our availability, our understanding, and through our presence. 
 
THAT'S WHAT FELLOWSHIP IS ALL ABOUT! 
But not “bland” fellowship.
It is CHRISTIAN fellowship. It is the business of burden bearing.
Authentic CHRISTIAN fellowship says that when you need me . . . I'll be there.
Support in suffering is at the core of what it means to share life together in Christ. The word for "comfort” is the same root word as the name Jesus used to describe one of the functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Paraclete). “I will be a comforter, one who comes alongside to give help.” And so as God comes alongside you, now you are able to come alongside another. As the Comforter is at work within you, so you also can be of comfort to those around you. 
 
WE ARE CALLED TO BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS. 
To mourn with those who mourn.
To be a follower of Jesus means to come alongside people who are hurting and find ways to help them walk even through the valley of the shadow of death. We are called to do this, as the word of God and care of God is shared with the intention of stirring, plowing up hardened hearts, creating a place for repentance and challenging saints to hope again, I know and believe that as we learn again as believers, to care, to truly listen and to hope fully again, that the sweet and heavy weight of HIS Glory will be made known and will manifest in unfettered and uncontrolled waves of worship and spontaneous adoration of the King of Heaven. 
HE REALLY DOES KNOW WHAT HE WANTS
Let's focus on bowing low and seeking His heart and plans in what matters to Him.
Indeed, HE is the Plumbline. 
 
Prayer 
God, I ask in Jesus' name, that you comfort, strengthen and encourage all who are hurting deeply right now and are going through so much pain and heartache. 
Don't allow them to give up in the heat of the battle. 
Let them feel your arms wrapping around them and your love overflowing and filling them up. Lord, I will pray often and I know that you will hear my voice, even when I speak to You in my silent thoughts. 
To You, I am crying out and my prayers are now before You. 
Father, I give to You my problems, I do not want them. 
Father, please restore them to You. I know that you have compassion for your children. Father, show them your ways and teach them your paths. Lead them in your truth and teach them you are the God of our salvation and on you we will wait. 
Protect them from the evils of this life and guide them through all of their days. Father, thank You for hearing my prayer Father and for considering and for having compassion on all who hear and read these words, and all who hurt, in this troubled world we live in. 
Keep them in the center of Your love. 
In Jesus’ 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 © 2022 " THE MESSENGER "
~ Mary Lindow www.marylindow.com
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Monday Jan 10, 2022

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

Saturday Feb 27, 2021


By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit
 
Truth is slippery.
A lot more slippery than any of us want to admit.
And we do have to, in a sense, choose what to believe.
 
Pontius Pilate seemed quite comfortable with that. Jesus was "talking truth" and Pilate lived in a place of work where “truth” was meaningless. All that his employer cared about was results!
 
The world’s vision of truth is attractive.
It allowed Pilate go back to his home at the end of the day…it allowed the Priests to deal with that "problematic man Jesus" while still being able to eat the Passover. 
It sends the crowds home from the protest hoping that the rebellion will start soon and be successful. (That sure sounds familiar doesn’t it!) 
 
Pilate was dealing with those "pesky" Hebrews.
The poor guy is the governor and he can’t even get the latest group of complainers to come into his house because it’s Passover, that would make them “unclean,” and they wouldn’t be able to eat the sacred meal.
Now Imagine that!! 
Being the governor, and having to go outside to hear the complaints of your subjects? Your subjects whose "truth" meant that your palace was unclean? You can understand why the guy got maybe a bit sour.
 
His employer just wanted the people under Pilate to behave!
That was a pretty tall order among a people as fiercely independent as the Israelites. The Romans didn’t care all that much how order was maintained; they just wanted Pilate to "make it happen"! 
Israel after all, was a center of commerce, and disturbances, and rioting there were inconvenient and they were expensive.
All of this left very little time for Pilate to talk philosophy with this troublesome Jesus fellow. He needed results! 
"Truth" for Pilate meant keeping order, keeping peace, keeping his job. That’s what he chooses to believe in. Even so…he tried to give Jesus a fighting chance.
But the crowds? 
Well, they don’t cry out, "What is truth?"
But, they did CHOOSE what to believe.
 
Jesus has proclaimed a kingdom of truth.
THE truth that God’s will is realized
when we live lives of compassion and healing. 
 
A truth that we are all loved by God and called to live this love out for one another. It’s a truth that has stood the world on end…
...But the crowd decides instead to believe in the old standby.
The sword.
 
Barabbas the thief, who was a violent man, the kind of guy who is useful to a revolution, is the one they cry out for.
They want what they want…
..and so, aren’t really all that different from Rome or Pilate in their way of dealing.
They’ll trade truth for the hope of what they’ll see in terms of "results." 
 
And, we all too often...
…We choose on our own, what to believe as well. 
 
Repentance means "to turn" in the scriptures, to "turn away from.
But it’s not easy! 
And it doesn’t help that the words of our Master—(who stands in passive protest against the established powers of the world as he answers Pilate), has had his words mangled and misinterpreted over and over again by those who frankly, wanted Jesus to sound a little more like "them."
 
The world teaches us its version of truth.
The world teaches us to think: "It’s mine, I earned it."
Jesus says, "It’s a gift, share."
 
We learn to think, 
“They need to follow my rules." 
Jesus says, "The greatest rule is love."
 
We learn to think, "I’ll give when my needs are met." 
Jesus says, “Think that way and you’ll always need more.”
 
We learn to think, "me first."
Jesus says, "be last."
 
The world’s truth keeps you from ending up like Jesus. 
It gets you to resist taking a cross for what IS truth.
 
Believing in something means acting and sacrificing for something, and what Jesus wants from us is not our dying, but rather that we live a life dying to our own selfish ambition which most are VERY proud of. (They will tell you exactly how proud they are of their achievements and skills often, or, live secret lives of self gratification because THEY deserve the rewards!) 
 
The cry of God’s heart is that we would understand that,
the “way of God” is way beyond "our way". 
The way of God IS our call,
and that the way of God is the path to freedom.
 
In the end, we have to choose what to believe in. 
Fortunately for us, faith is also a gift, a gift God gives us.
But that doesn’t mean living it doesn’t take some effort. 
We are called to be light to this world.
We are called to care.
We are called to make the effort! 
 
Let's walk with our Master. 
Let's take the path of sacrifice, and let our lives reveal and radiate the joy of "living out God’s love" for others.
Perhaps then, the world will see that "what is truth"...
...Is truth.
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"THE MESSENGER" ~ Mary Lindow

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