THE HARSH WINDS OF LIFE - ”When We Don’t Like Difficult” - SPIRITUAL TRUTH FOR RIGHT NOW

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)
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”He Will Speak - He Will Comfort And He Will Show You What Is True” - Why Are There So Many Delays? - Prophetic Encouragement

I HAVE AN UNUSUAL STIRRING IN MY SPIRIT FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT AS I WRITE THIS MESSAGE.
The Lord is revealing a sound in the earth coming from the hearts and deep cries of so many of His people right now. 
By Mary Lindow
 
I HAVE AN UNUSUAL STIRRING IN MY SPIRIT FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT AS I WRITE THIS MESSAGE.
The Lord is revealing a sound in the earth coming from the hearts and deep cries of so many of His people right now.  Perhaps it might even be yours as you read. There is a cry of hunger for His sure, safe presence in difficult times and in changing times.
 
A NEED FOR “QUIET”
The world and it's voices of influence, humanistic subtleties, and constant technology and it's sounds bring about an overload of weariness to all people, and there is a greater need for a place of rest for the warriors of truth who are very aware of the pressures that have not stopped mounting for many years now.  
THERE IS MUCH TREACHERY OCCURRING IN THE EVIL PLANS OF DARKNESS AND THE PEOPLE HELD CAPTIVE BY IT THESE DAYS!
It can bring a real sense of despair, broken-heartedness and shock when you encounter this type of thing and when it attempts to destroy your hope and confidence in what the Lord Jesus has set you apart for to express in His Power and in His name.
 
WHY OH WHY ALL THE DELAYS?
I don't know fully why it seems as if good people who are sincere and pure hearted seem to go through more persecution and repeated difficulty than those who seem to be the ones perpetuating the majority of it!!
  
SO MANY RIGHT NOW ARE NEARLY AT THEIR WITS END WAITING FOR GOD TO RELIEVE THEM OF SORROW, DISILLUSIONMENT AND BATTLE FATIGUE!
 
“My soul faints with longing for your rescue,
But I have put my hope in your word.”
Psalm 119:81
 
FEAR NOT! THE ENCOURAGER HEARS YOU!
“You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
You encourage them, and you listen to their cry.”
Psalm 10:17
 
WHAT IS THIS VERSE SAYING TO YOU AND I RIGHT NOW?
It is saying that the Lord Himself will encourage us!
That is why we must continue to fight for that place of Divine “refuge!”
 
That “get away from it all” place of craving and longing for His comfort.
He knows our hurt, our loneliness, our scorched and heart torn issues! He understands how agonizing and bled out we can get when it seems as if battle after battle we begin to wonder if something might be wrong with us!
 
“Hope delayed makes the heart sick,
But when dreams come true, there is life and joy.”
Proverbs 13:12 (NAT)
 
NOTHING CAN SATISFY DRY LIPS LIKE WATER!
We are in a time where no persons opinions, no one’s books, no one’s TV shows are going to satisfy that craving, that need for a thirst quenching drink of companionship with God.
We long to hear words from someone that tell us everything is going to be all right! That our children will be safe, our homes protected, our basic needs provided! And yet! Nothing “out there” satisfies us fully!
  
YOU SEE DEAR BELOVED ONE… 
…The season of great hunger for the simple walk with Jesus has blossomed!
Only time spent with him like a dear, dear friend will fill the gaping ache you have.  He will speak, He will comfort and He will show you what is true and what is false in the days ahead if you will return to that PLACE of companionship with Him. Away from the opinions of men and the noise of this life. 
 
“Every word you give me is a miracle word-how could I help but obey? Break open your words, let the light shine out, and let ordinary people see the meaning.
Mouth open and panting, I wanted your commands more than anything.
Turn my way, look kindly on me, as you always do to those who personally love you.”
Psalm 119:129-131 (The Message)
 
~ A PROPHETIC WHISPER TO YOUR HEART FROM THE SAVIOR ~
“ To know of my ways, you must know ME!
To Know Me, you must spend time with ME.
To spend time with Me, you must purpose, to put aside the lists of things you have to do, before you can spend time with Me.”
“Order you days first in My Presence, and watch the desires of your heart be fulfilled.  Man and his counsel will always fall short of the full truth of My Wisdom. I have blueprints and a Master plan for so many things yet to build upon in your life.” 
“Come. Let us talk again together.”
 
“You are the temple, the house of My Holy Spirit. I desire to build you up in spiritual strength as you walk in prayer conversations with me. “I will fulfill your longing for peace and direction as you step up again into a heavenly trust and rest.”
“People will change, man will fail you, friends will turn, if they are not seeking My Voice above the clamor of the day. And you My child will fail others, if you listen to your own voice of reason and intelligence.  As you turn to Me, you will see My compassion poured out upon you and you will then have My power of pure godly compassion and Wisdom driven grace to pour out on others.”
“I too, long for you as well!  Seek Me-with all of your heart, your longings, your heartaches, your dreams. And I will be there with arms of strength to rescue you from Despair.”
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
-Jeremiah 29:13
 
“The LORD is good to those, whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.”
-Lamentations 3:25
  
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"The Desert Of Trouble -The Door Of Hope" - Prophetic Insights and Encouragement

Note: There is a time of prophetic ministry at the end of this message during the audio version of the podcast.  
Be sure to listen so that the Holy Spirit might speak over your life!
 "The Desert Of Trouble -The Door Of Hope"
 Prophetic Insights and Encouragement
By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit 
 
TODAY’S PODCAST MESSAGE IS GOING TO ADDRESS
ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT MOST CHRISTIANS
ARE A LITTLE EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT.
THEY DOUBT!
 
Sometimes it comes from being so absolutely crushed that you are afraid to trust or believe in anything.
Or, we create our own false narratives and wonder WHY things don’t happen, and then we doubt that God can get us out of our messes.
 
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT “DOUBT THING” THAT KEEPS BEATING AGAINST THE THIN MEMBRANE OF HOPE IN YOUR THINKING?
 
WE CAN CERTAINLY SEE TODAY THAT PEOPLE HAVE PUT THEIR HOPE IN SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE OFFERED, looking for a way out of confusion, wanting to know themselves better or to find someone to love or to validate them.
There's Enneagrams, horoscopes, overloads of self-help books/blogs, medications, politicians, gurus and more, and most all of these have failed those hope seekers, or maybe have caused them to flail even further.
 
BUT HONESTLY...
...MOST PEOPLE ARE SIMPLY SEARCHING FOR THE "REAL DEAL".
They want to see genuine people expressing living and radiant hope.
They want an anchor in Achor (troubled times).
They are attracted to that and yet, the soul does love intellectual reasoning more than humility and yielding to God, the Supreme Guide.
 
HOPE.
It’s what nourishes life.
It’s the motivator to move us into action.
It’s the promise of tomorrow.
What each one of us needs more of is hope.
What our country and world needs is hope.
 
Discouragement.
It’s what siphons the joy right out of you!
Discouragement leads to desperation, which leads to feelings of anxiety, dread and hopelessness, which can move people into depression and suicidal thoughts, and those thoughts lead down a path of complete and utter darkness.
Trouble looms large in every face, every place and every happy space.
 
SO… DEFINE… HOPE!
We often use the word hope as a kind of wish.
“I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.”
“I hope the Broncos win their next game.”
But friends, hope in the Bible, has quite a different meaning.
 
RAW AND BIBLICAL HOPE IS A CONFIDENCE AND EXPECTATION THAT GOD HAS PROVIDED A WAY FOR A GOOD FUTURE FOR YOU.
God wants to fill every person reading  or listening this with hope that He has a wonderful future planned for you!
 
Ah…. Ummm......  Really? Does He?
Can God REALLY create “good” out of the trouble you are passing through or that you got yourself "IN" to?
 
THE WORD ACHOR MEANS TROUBLE.
So very aptly named, the valley spoken about here (Achor- from Hosea 2: 1-8) is the place where a man named Achan, brought trouble on Israel, by willfully going the opposite way and blew off the Lord's plan. So, God sees the sin, and brings it to them through Hosea’s warning.
 
THE SIN OF THEIR IDOLATRY, their mixtures of spiritual practices and beliefs and forgetting God and their sincere dedication to him, and his ways of doing things. (Read Hosea 2: 1-8 to fully see the raw details.)
 
YIKES!
These folks were exploring and trusting in things much like many who are probing and immersing themselves into questionable spiritual practices and who distance themselves from the warnings of God today!
 
God in His grace, in the New Testament freedom of Christ, will put sin to death in your life and my life and also the trouble brought against us from the results of the sin of others.
 
He prepares the Valley of trouble - Achor, to become a door of hope.
 
God wants to show you the door…
...Right there, in the midst of this grief or very hard trouble that you are parched and exhausted by.
 
A door where you see HOPE written on it….
…And you move towards it.
Crawling is absolutely permitted! 
Just get moving, and get THERE!
 
JESUS SPOKE IT CLEARLY TO US WHEN HE SAID, "I AM THE DOOR.
"To enter through me is to experience life, freedom, and satisfaction.
A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy.
But I have come to give you everything in abundance,
more than you expect life in its fullness until you overflow!"
-John 10:9-10
 
THE VALLEY OF HUMILIATION, OF TROUBLE AND DEFEAT WILL BECOME THE FIRST POINT OF YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE DOOR OF HOPE.
You let go of the dragging baggage of woes and stop chewing on the dust.
You admit your secret idolatry of pessimism and stubborn defiance to yield to the probing of your heart, admitting that you account to no one but yourself.
You put down the whip of control and anger and take up the walking stick to lean upon while you humbly limp towards the door of Hope.
That's a valley of trouble my friend.
But, listen closely!
 
THIS DOOR OF HOPE THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED THERE STRATEGICALLY PLACED IN THE MESS, DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.
WHY? Because it’s appointed by God Himself.
It opens up new opportunities for you; even those that were lost will be restored to you.
It will cause a new song to rise again in your heart.
 
SO, YOU WEARY, RED -EYED AND CRIED OUT ONES,
PREPARE TO LEAVE THE VALLEY OF TROUBLE (ACHOR) BEHIND,  
AND PASS THROUGH THE DOOR OF HOPE.
 
We Have To Wait With Hope For God!
“Wait with hope for the LORD.
Be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Yes, wait with hope for the LORD.”
-Psalm 27:14
 
WE HAVE TO BE COURAGEOUS AND STRONG IN OUR WAITING
FOR THAT DOOR TO BE SHOWN TO US.
The word “wait” is a very upsetting word for many!
We don’t like waiting!
We want things fixed. NOW! PRONTO!
Waiting can make us feel like we are doing something wrong, hesitating, lagging behind.
This isn’t why we have to wait sometimes.
 
WAITING HELPS US TO MATURE IN CHRIST.
Waiting burns out impatience and defensiveness and impulsive reactions that decide to not deal with our deeply entrenched ruts!
Waiting is better then rushing into something without God’s wisdom and direction.
This door of Hope when there has been trouble, sin, loss pain, cycles of grief, is a sign of God’s tender mercy towards you.
“I will give back her vineyards to her and transform her Valley of Troubles (Achor) into a Door of Hope.
"She will respond to me there, singing with joy as in days long ago in her youth after I had freed her from captivity in Egypt.”
-Hosea 2:15
 
LET THIS PROMISE BRING REASSURANCE TO YOUR HEART.
Let the past with all its sin and defeat be locked behind you,
never to be reopened again.
Leave the Valley of Achor behind.
Let your eyes look ahead.
Walk through the door of hope that God has opened for you!
 
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that complete source, podcast and website information 
for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You!
Copyright © 2021 - "THE MESSENGER " ~Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
 
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The Secret Of Individual Restoration

By Mary Lindow

I invite you to step out from the familiar comfort zone in which you now 
are and take a risk. 
In the body of Christ today there are many different kinds of comfort 
zones. Step out from your comfort zone that leaves you in the place of 
being a “Fallow ground-Christian.” 

 
What I mean by that statement is; 
"Being currently inactive but with the 
possibility of activity or use in the future."
 

THINK HONESTLY 

Are you living as unto yourself, basking in self-approval or self hatred, or 
are you self-consciously living for God’s glory and for the encouragement 
of others? 

Is there joy in your life, and a deeply developing love for God, in the 
“routine” you have carved for yourself? 


 
We all need the discipline of doing something that goes beyond our 
comfort zone. Some of us need to risk being at an event whose only 
purpose is to pray instead of going to get something or hear something 
that will feed our own need for more attention and self-focus. 


 
How many times have your heard the line, “If I won the Publisher’s Clearing 
House Sweepstakes, I would do sooooo much to help others who are poor 
or are going through difficult times?!” Or, maybe you have said, “When I 
close this business deal, get my family inheritance, sell that piece of 
property (uh…brings to mind a certain Ananias and Sapphira from Acts 5) 
then I will obey the prompting of the Lord to “Do something to help.” 


 
A MOVE FROM GOD’S HEART 
If we are truly going have a move of God’s Heart not just His Hand in the form of a “Harvest”, we need to start living the lifestyle that sets a 
precedence for such a move!
Meaning?
Prying our fingers away from what 
we will not share with others until “we” are first satisfied and justified in 
our own “Self preservation.” This does not just apply to material goods. It 
means sharing from the heart humbly, partaking openly with others 
allowing them in, and allowing tears to flow in vulnerability.
These make 
us equals in painful times and equal when we rejoice. 

If folks can’t share during their good times and seasons of abundance, 
they will not fully obey the Lord in caring for their brothers and sisters 
when times are difficult.
 
SHARE WHAT? 
Time, resources, wisdom, counsel, transparent dialog. And, how about a 
focused “Listening ear” instead of a benevolent sort of “tolerant” dead-pan 
stare as someone pours out their deeply bruised soul, looking for a 
handhold or foothold that will assist them in grappling with the 
overwhelming “mountain” of life.
“For the LORD searches every heart 
and understands every motive behind the thoughts. 

If you seek him, you will find him; 
but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. “
 
1 Chronicles 28:9

Woe to those who think they are fooling themselves when they say that 
they “need to be careful” when they give so people don’t “depend on them 
or expect more from them! 

 Imagine Jesus saying that! He would never withhold from us in order to 
protect “His” investments or hard earned, “worked to the bone” assets! He gave ALL with no guarantee that we would ever appreciate or value it. 


JUST DO IT! 
Invite another family or friend to your home. Don’t wait to be invited. Take 
the initiative. Eat together around the table in your dining room or kitchen. 
Talk together. Pray together. Start a plan of blessing someone in need that 
you know of - together.


DO YOU HEAR VOICES? 
Stop the mindless chattering that is allowed in most of our self-talking 
heads that allows the flesh to push aside the promptings of the Lord! 

Times are getting tough, and those who have been reluctant to share when 
the times were not nearly where they are heading now, will be called up for 
service again, and asked by the Lord to assist those who 
are perhaps weaker, lesser, and much “leaner” in their provisions. 


Start with something small, something useful. Keep it going. And whatever 
you do, keep it between you and the Lord, where your reward is given 
weight in the records in heaven for eternity, not just for a few fleeting 
strokes of the ego here on earth.
 

THE “PRIVATE THINGS” OF PERSONAL RENEWAL… 
…EXPOSED! 
Begin a private life of personal devotion. Rediscover your prayer closet.
 

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, 

Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, 
where he prayed."
 Mark 1:35

Gut it out with God. Confess your dissatisfaction with the stale places 
where you have allowed “moss” to grow over in your devotion to the 
discipline of Reading the words of Jesus, Heeding the words of Jesus, and 
then Feeding the Words of Jesus to the hungry, lost, and scared people 
around you in your daily “Missionary calling” as a follower of the Great Reviver of your soul.

"For this is what the high and lofty One says— 
He who lives forever, whose name is holy: 
 
I live in a high and holy place, 
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, 
 to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” 

Isaiah 57:15
 
“FLAT LINING” 
Personal revival is usually needed when something in our walk with the 
Savior has gone into a “Flat line” and needs to be “shocked” back into a 
proper heartbeat. 


The closer we become devoted to and more intimate with The King, The 
Comforter, and Savior, the more near He is to us and, will reveal His daily 
“Divine Appointments” for our lives and for His Glory. 

If Jesus did it to survive- so must we! 
 
“But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.” 

 Luke 5:16
 

WE NEED TO BE ALONE! 
Why? In order to not have the distraction of leaning on someone else to “do the praying or talking” for us for one! We gain 
perspective, and refreshing after repenting, and a “reality check” regarding how we are to live the lifestyle of a Christian in an ever-darkening world 
where morals and values are crumbling at an uncontrollable speed.
 

LET US SEE AND HEAR AND ACT! 
As we face the fallow ground left unfruitful.. (through intentional denial that we allowed this) …in our lives and allow the Father to create a clean heart in us, and renew or “Revive” a right spirit (godly attitude) within it, the soil 
can be a host for seed and harvest. 


He gladly does this! WE are His faith seeds in the soil of Earth!
"He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, 

Will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." 

Psalm 126:6 

 
"He restores my soul. 
 
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."
Psalm 23:3
 

WISDOM FROM THE SPIRIT 

 
If you want present day revelation, you must have a level of solid Christian 
maturity to not only discern it, but to apply it. There are more and more 
”Muddy” approaches regarding how to be wise or savvy in living your life
being sold in bookstores and every media venue out there!
If you want to 
drink or eat re-cycled food…well, be my guest. BUT! If you truly desire 
depth and a secure anchor for surviving and flourishing in any 
circumstance that you surely will have attempt to sidetrack and undermine 
your Godly Destiny, you and I will have to go to THE SOURCE of Wisdom 
and stay there until we “Get it.”
 
"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, 

But not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, 
who are coming to nothing."

1 Corinthians 2:6
 
"But solid food is for the mature, 

which by constant use have trained themselves
to distinguish good from evil." 

Hebrews 5:14
 
GIVE JESUS JOY! 

 
 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Romans 12:12
These are the attributes of the faithful and true follower of Christ. And, as Jesus watches over our coming and our going, every moment of every day, 
His joy is made complete when He sees the evidence of a restored life being fruitful and steadfast, no matter what the condition of their 
circumstance or surroundings.


Believer. Let us press on into the walk of maturity in Christ where nothing 
shakes or shatters us anymore, because we live in the light of His Glorious Grace.

"So we praise God for the glorious grace 
he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son." 
Ephesians 1:6
 
~ 
QUOTE FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS ~ 
 
"Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set upon our own 
ambitions... 
...We are hurting Jesus.
 
Every time we stand on our rights and 
insist that this is what we intend to do,
...We are persecuting Jesus.
 
Whenever 
we stand on our dignity we systematically vex and grieve His Spirit; and 
when the knowledge comes home that it is Jesus Whom we have been 
persecuting all the time,
...It is the most crushing revelation there could be."
 

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed 
as long as complete message, podcast link
and website information 
for Mary Lindow is included. 

Thank You! 
Copyright © 2019  " THE MESSENGER " 
~ Mary Lindow 

www.marylindow.com 
 
www.globalprayerrooms.com

"A Place At the Table"- A Promise For Those who Feel Displaced And Broken Hearted

 
By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit

Preface:
The Lord was tremendously intense with me about the preparation and study that went along with the prophetic insights and words intermingled with this message. I would like to encourage you to read it all thoroughly and to not only skim through it quickly.
This is an hour when the Word and the Spirit are being brought together to demonstrate the ultimate power of Christ!
In His Shadow, Mary 
 
 "A PLACE AT THE TABLE"
A PROMISE FOR THE DISPLACED AND BROKEN HEARTED"
A Prophetic Insight
By Mary Lindow
 
"Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons. 
Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate endlessly at the
King’s table, even though he was crippled in both feet."
- 2 Samuel 9 vs. 11b-13
 
Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy and completed, to perfect her by the washing with water through the word, and to establish her to himself as an exultant church, without imperfection or wrinkle or any other defect, but holy and guiltless.
After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church for we are members of his body. This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5: 25b 32
MEPHIBOSHETH: MEANING "ONE WHO SUFFERS SHAME"
The name was a joining by two members of the family of Saul - his son and his grandson. Let's look at this man Mephibosheth.
His life is a picture of a life of disaster, disappointment, and anxiety.
You think you have troubles?
In reading the story we already know that Mephibosheth is motherless and fatherless, because he is under the care of a nurse.
2 Samuel 4:4 also says that at the age of five his father, Jonathan, David's best friend, was killed in battle along with Jonathan's father, King Saul. To add injury to insult, we are told that when Mephibosheth's nurse heard the news of the murder of Jonathan and Saul, she panicked as she ran from harm's way. And in her running, the nurse dropped the child - causing him to become crippled. So the baby prince who was in the line of succession to the throne became a crippled beggar living as an orphan in hiding.
What should have been a life of wealth became a life of misery, tragedy and heartbreak. While his family was being assassinated, murdered, and banished, his future, as a king would never be fulfilled.
AND MORE THAN THAT, MEPHIBOSHETH WAS PERMANENTLY SCARRED!
We can relate to Mephibosheth's being a victim of sad circumstance. Perhaps you can even testify to being victimized by other's mistakes for yourself. Like Mephibosheth who trusted his nurse, some of us can relate to being dropped by those in whom we've placed our trust.
We're living crippled lives because a person in whom we loved and gave our hearts to...has dropped us.
JUST LIKE MEPHIBOSHETH WE KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE DROPPED BY SOMEONE OR SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TRUSTED.
Our lives are still suffering from the crippling effects of those disappointments. Everyone has been "dropped" in some way. And if you haven't, you will be. Some are still so proud in heart that they never admit to any weakness and therefore shame those around them who stumble their way to the cross of redemption.
It's no wonder that we are afraid to trust againbecause we've been lied to or used as scapegoats for the escape of others who hide their sins and egos behind loud opinions about how others should behave or...might have done better in the way they have handled the things that have happened in their life's journey!
MANY ARE AFRAID TO TAKE CHANCES BECAUSE OF PAST FAILURES.
Many more are afraid to follow their heart because the plain idea of making one more mistake sends shivers through them. We can't handle another anguish. Sometimes it feels as though we are hanging on by a fine thread.
If God is a merciful God, we wonder when we're going to start seeing the mercy. Our words echo the psalmist as our soul cries out,
"Lord, have mercy on me!" "Have mercy on me, Lord"
BUT THE THING IS, THERE IS MERCY...  ...IF YOU WILL SEE IT.
If you will allow that mercy to saturate your soul. If you'll see that you have an important role to play in that mercy. In fact, "mercy" is really the only reason that you and I are existing today, whether you know that or not.
You are here today because at some level - consciously or subconsciously - you know that God has been and is merciful to you and you are expressing your appreciation for that mercy. You are here today because you know that despite the hurts that have been inflicted upon you, you want to trust, you want to go on, and you want to find hope.
THE TRUTH IS THAT THERE IS BOTH A BIT OF MEPHIBOSHETH AND 
A BIT OF KING DAVID IN ALL OF US.
And, perhaps a bit of King Saul's fear of the loss of power, position, and need for control and honor. That is, we have been hurt, but we have also been healed.
We have been helped, and we also have opportunity to help others. We really have received mercy, and we can offer mercy as well.
WHEN MEPHIBOSHETH WAS CALLED INTO DAVID'S PRESENCE, HE WAS TERRIFIED!
Why shouldn't he be? As the grandson of dead King Saul, Mephibosheth was an heir to the throne that David now possessed. So his first thought was that the king would kill him because he might see him as a threat.
Secondly, Mephibosheth has experienced little in his life that would make him believe that something good could happen to him, so he expected injury. His own words were, "What is your servant that you should look ona dead dog such as I?"
Then King David sent and brought him out of the house: Mephibosheth must have been terrified when messengers from David knocked at his door and demanded that he come with them to see the king. In the back of his mind he must have constantly anticipated the day when David would do as other kings did and murder every possible enemy to his throne.
UP TO THIS POINT MEPHIBOSHETH AND DAVID NEVER HAD A RELATIONSHIP AND IT WAS BECAUSE MEPHIBOSHETH WANTED IT THAT WAY.
HE AVOIDED DAVID OUT OF UNFOUNDED FEARS. BUT DAVID REMOVES THE FEARS OF MEPHIBOSHETH.
Verses (7-8) So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually."
Then Mephibosheth bowed himself, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?
Mephibosheth didn't feel worthy of such generosity. He considered himself a dead dog, meaning a worthless and insignificant person.
All the years of hiding from the king and Living in fear and poverty made Mephibosheth thinks of himself as Worthless.
THE OFFER OF MERCY
David didn't want to add to Mephibosheth's Misery. David offered mercy.
Mephibosheth - in his amazement and skepticism - is restored.
No, he didn't retrieve the ability to walk. Mephibosheth's weakness did not vanish. The end of the scripture is clear about that. "He was crippled in both feet."
But he was given a place at the table of the king.
This goes far beyond giving Mephibosheth what was rightly his!
THE HONOR OF A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE KING
David gave Mephibosheth the honor of a close relationship withthe king. The miserable, unfair, undeserved events of his past didn't change. But he was re-established within the kingdom and given an opportunity to live out the rest of his life with dignity.
Because David - the King - was merciful.
 
DAVID KNOWS THAT HE HAS BEEN AN OBJECT OF GOD'S MERCY IN HIS LIFE.
That he has already been delivered from extreme circumstances and from ...his own unpredictable behavior.
David is merciful, because he has received mercy - a melody that will continue throughout David's entire life, even when David didn't deserve mercy. And - on another level - David knows that, as he acts as the status of king - also by God's anointing, and not his own skill - that he must model the mercy of God within the kingdom.
BLEMISHES OF THE "CRIPPLED" BRIDE
Just like in Ephesians 5 are the blemishes of the "crippled" bride...she is much like Mephibosheth.
Hiding, fearful! And....the King of our souls, Jesus...restores and cleanses us...brings us to His table as His Bride, and covers our lameness, our disfigurement underneath the linens of the bridegroom's table where no one dare point out our imperfections.
We are perfected BY His Mercy! David knew that human beings and a society that exist without forgiveness and mercy are already doomed to self-destruction by their bitter doubt.
JESUS DIED FOR THIS VERY REASON. SO THAT WE MIGHT MODEL HIS KIND OF GUTSY FORGIVENESS AND MERCY.
AND SO THE STORY FALLS TO US AS EMERGING LEADERS IN THE KING'S KINGDOM!
We who are like Mephibosheth who have been injured by dreadful circumstances and by careless people; and we who are like David, have the opportunity to be instruments of mercy.
We who are like Mephibosheth and David who have received mercy; and we who must decide if we will live lives of resentment because of prejudiced facts or ...live lives of gratitude because of undeserved and unexpected mercy.   The story falls now to us.
BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE. 
AS WE HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED,
WE HAVE ALSO BEEN DELIVERED.
Remember, David - the King - had to decide if his kingdom would be one of dread or grace. David had to decide if his realm was going to be established on grounds of vengeance or the refinement of mercy. In being an instrument of grace, David is setting the stage for his great, great, great grandson Jesus, who will be the ultimate expression of mercy to all of us.
In the entire history of humanity no one was more misunderstood or viciously abused than David's ultimate successor, Jesus. Yet no person was ever more merciful.
AS HEIRS OF DAVID AND CHRIST IT IS NOW UP TO US TO PUT INTO PRACTICE THE VERY TREASURE THAT DAVID HONORED IN THIS STORY.
Loyalty, respect, unwavering love, and the well being of others.
Like David did for Mephibosheth, God has honored and blessedus with the promise of eternal life, inviting us to dine at His table, in His kingdom eternally. Also, God does this, not because of any goodness upon our part, but "because of Jesus."
THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY 
AND WHY WE ARE PART OF THE BRIDE OF JESUS CHRIST.
WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN BROKEN.
And because He has restored - and is restoring - US by His mercy, He invites us to His table, we MUST look around to see who else needs a place at the table, on His behalf! Not out of our great "earned reputations" or past accomplishments! No!
We as models of the Fatherly and Motherly compassion of a heavenly King invite others, to the table of "covering" and honor. We bring mercy, expressed with "tender hearts."
The best person to want to be like is not always the strongest or the best looking!! When we become like Mephibosheth, we can truly understand mercy and grace.
BEING LIKE MEPHIBOSHETH MEANS:
Realizing that the king sought me out.
Understanding what I deserved from the king.
Acknowledging the ones who brought me to the king.
Humbling myself in the sight of the king.
Rejoicing in the words of the king.
Accepting the provision of the king.
Adjusting my life to the requests of the king.
Psalm 51:12
Restore to me again the joy of your salvation,
And make me willing to obey you.
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 © 2019 " THE MESSENGER "
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
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 
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Donate to the tax deductible ministry name of: paypal.me/mlindow (His Beloved Ministries Inc.) or 
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“MY CLEANSING FIRE - A PROPHETIC WORD

By the Holy Spirit through Mary LindowTO LISTEN TO THIS FREE PODCAST PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS MESSAGE TO SEE THE AUDIO PODCAST PLAYEROH HOW YOU FEAR THE FIRE! 
It is as if you think that I might truly do something unloving to
burn you or disfigure you!I am a God of fire! Yes! But a HOLY fire! 
A fire that burns away wood, hay, and dead scraps lying around
in your heart. They are littering the places that I want to bring My
Glory into!When My Fire pursues you it drives away any voice or lust or any other enemy of your soul! You will come to a place where
you no longer need to have the splash of fanfare or the
rumblings of the earth to know that I Am in your presence!Instead. 
The Fire brings you to a place just like it did Moses!
He saw My Holy Fire in a bush on a hill. 
I spoke to Him and told Him He was on HOLY ground!"Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, 
"And like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? 
Jeremiah 23:29I WAS A STILL, SMALL VOICE, 
SPEAKING OUT FROM INSIDE OF A FIRE!
Listen! 
I am calling out to you! Be quiet! 
Silence the noise around you! 
Get quiet with Me. 
Put away the busyness that you get caught up into!“After the Fire a still small voice.” 
1Kings19: 12MY PASSION FIRE IS CALLING OUT TO YOU!I have things I want to whisper into your spirit-man! 
I have words that will sustain you through all of the
fiery trials and tests you will inevitably pass through!“If this is so, 
Then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials”. 
2 Peter 2:9IF YOU WANT THE FIRE OF I THE LIVING GOD TO BE EVIDENT
in your ministry, whether in the marketplace, the home
or abroad, Listen to My still small voice. 
It will in turn resound like a roaring ocean to those whom
you will minister to.“O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!” 
Psalms 84: 12TRUST. 
THE ISSUE THAT EVERYONE ON EARTH DEALS WITH…… Day in and day out. Putting your trust in things that last for only a season or a 
few years can be very risky and very disappointing.I have told My people to trust in ME with ALL of their heart
and I will make their paths straight. Yet - continually they put
their trust in people, and idols made of gold, positions of power, 
and in themselves!LASTING BLESSINGS CAN ONLY COME FROM TRUSTING IN ME.The real issue is that you don t really think that I will do
what I say I will do! So... You take it into your own hands!When you finally lay down your need to control the universe
and those all around you and trust in Me, then you will be
blessed! Blessed with safety, peace of mind and above all
blessed by My pleasure in your resting in My plan.“See to it that you do not refuse HIM who is speaking!” 
Hebrews 12:25DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE SAID TO ME, “LATER?” “I will do it Later?” 
You exhort others to obey quickly and yet you will drag your
feet and put Me off until you feel like following through!"It is the LORD your God you must follow, 
and him you must revere. 
Keep his commands and obey him; 
serve him and hold fast to him." 
Deuteronomy 13:4DO NOT REFUSE ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU or when I send you to do
something in My Name! You might fear for your own reputation, 
but a life could be hanging in the balance! 
You do not have the luxury of denying your King!If you wish to be caught up into higher dimensions in My Spirit, and, if you long for the deep that calls unto deep, be faithful
to ACT when I give you a command!!Psalm 119:57
“You are my portion, O LORD; 
I have promised to obey your words.”Psalm 119:60
“I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.”Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed

as long as complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included. 
Thank You!


 Copyright 2013 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow


 www.marylindow.comwww.globalprayerrooms.com

DEALING WITH SLANDER - BETRAYAL AND CHARACTER ASSASSINATION

 

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

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

FINDING THE PLACE OF SAFETY AND ACCEPTANCE

By Mary Lindow



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IT’S A STRANGE AND TWISTED WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN
Many well meaning people try hard to give pep talks, cheery texts and even send emails with profound  topics or inspirational contents all in the hope of giving a bit of relief from the ever increasing “noises” of an uncertain world.
“ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
John 16:33

WHAT DO YOU FEAR?
This is not always an easy question to answer right away. Emotions and physical reactions to the question begin to swirl and elevate stress levels when anxiety creeps in.
And, fear is a terror that can paralyze anyone if enough of it is allowed to enter our minds. And that is exactly where it first penetrates our peace. In the Mind.
Fear
noun
Fright, fearfulness, horror, alarm, panic, agitation, trepidation, dread, consternation, dismay, distress; anxiety, worry, angst, unease, uneasiness, apprehension, nervousness, foreboding;
WHEN WE FEAR WE MAKE POOR CHOICES
If you are afraid or “fear” being misled by someone, you will limit your intimacy or openness with him or her. Many believers in need of healing emotionally from harsh or indifferent parenting tend to keep deep relationships or friendship at arm’s length in order to maintain a sense of control or privacy for themselves.
This can become a form of “selective hearing or selective listening” if the individual feels that they need to remain aloof and frosty in order to gain the respect or validation that they feel that they need to exist.
The problem with this cycle is that is creates a private  “terror” of not having a solid place of safety with a few dear and treasured people, flawed people… but those willing to also be vulnerable and open.
Psalm 27:1
“The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?”
Every situation, location, and relationship of our everyday lives is in some way broken. As fallen creatures, the best we can ever do in this life is to know how to live in this broken-down house/earth suit that’s our current address. And, nothing and no one but God himself, in the fullness of his time, can change where we live. So as we experience the reality of life in this house, sometimes it will leave us confused and overwhelmed.
Sometimes it will leave us hurt and angry. Sometimes people will give way to envy because the house or “life” of someone living nearby seems far less broken. Sometimes we just get weary of the stress of it all and long for a house in perfect repair.
YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE
In those moments, those days, those seasons, remember that you are never on your own. The Master Builder has given us a copy of his renovation manual, the Bible. It will help us to understand why things are as broken as they are. It teaches us how to live well even in the midst of the brokenness. And it will explain the only way in which repair can ever happen.
Just never forget that the Designer himself has moved into the house with you. You’ve not been left alone. You can rest assured of his presence and his wisdom. His grace has blessed you with both of these.
However, He must be fully welcomed and invited into all of the “locked and hidden access areas” that others are not often trusted to enter into.
He who offers you such grace and guidance will never ask you to do what you are not fully capable of doing by God’s grace and ever present Spirit. He will not demand things of you that are beyond your abilities. Our Lord is tender and kind. He knows who you are and he knows where you’re living. He knows how hard it is to live in your broken-down house because in the flesh he lived here himself.
The Lord invites you to walk away from trying to figure it out on your own and he welcomes you to sit at his feet and learn the simplicities of living; things so full of meaning that you will see your world in a completely new way; things so practical that you will never live the same way again.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3

TAKE A LOOK IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR FOR ONE MOMENT
Have you recently made decisions about who you will share with on any level such as giving, talking of dreams, sorrows, losses, major life events, and then afterward - pulled back only to run to either another source for additional validation or to agree with your choices or decisions? Or, have you reacted to some of the counsel or responses you have received by testing those whom you have shared with by removing your favor, kindness or former warmth from them?
These actions are often made rapidly when we are fearful or fear being wounded, and shift us into a place of survival and self-protection.
They can also isolate us from a loving, safe and healthy “corrective course” or direction away from fear and its tentacles.

FINDING THE PLACE OF SAFETY AND ACCEPTANCE
When we step into the hand of God we find the place of acceptance, and safety and an opportunity for service. It is the place of real authority, as well as of hiddenness.
God only works with those who are in His hand and those who do not keep jumping out of it, attempting to either control their own fears, but instead, often try to control others around them due to being fearful of the choices others make possibly affecting them.
Both greatly hinder the ability to trust other godly people and above all, to trust the safety of letting God do His job, while we rest in His hand.
The more we lie sheltered there, the more surely will He use us down the road. And it will be alongside others who freely share all that they have, without fear. Just as you will learn as you let go, and allow the Father to build a “Safe House” out of your life in His presence.
May the Lord do for us according to His word.
He said, "I have put My words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of My hand."
Charles Spurgeon spoke such a beautiful statement and I want to share it with you here.
“The shadow of God is not the occasional resort,
but the constant abiding- place, of the saint.

Under His shadow we are to feel that we are at home,
and then He will make Himself at home to us by becoming food unto our souls,
and giving spiritual refreshment to us while we rest.”

NO MORE HOOPS TO JUMP
When this is learned and treasured, you will then not withhold from or test others with rules or regulations set up to certainly fail them. We ruin great friendships or opportunities when we expect from others total vulnerability and openness and then only give part of what we have and who we are back in return.
Colossians 3:12
“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Perhaps you are waiting on Christ, desiring His company, and while you are thinking these thoughts you are asking, "Will He ever direct His full gaze upon me? Will He ever speak loving words to me? Will He ever let me sit at His feet? Will He ever permit me to lean my head upon His shoulder?"

COME AND STEP BACK INTO THE SHELTER OF HIS HAND.
Though you might shake like a leaf in a strong wind. Come! Sometimes those who come trembling are those who are aware that they are the lowest and the Creator the highest. When finally admit that our own self-esteem is less than nothing and is total vanity, then Jesus is the more good and lovely in our eyes.
Let your humility of heart, and your sense of hollowness, as a replacement for disqualifying you, be a sweet instrument for leading you to receive more of Christ.
“Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
But humility comes before honor.”
Proverbs 18:12
The emptier I am, the more room is there for the Lord
The more I lack, the more He will give me.
The more I feel my weakness, the more shall I adore and bless Him when He makes me whole.
You’re never in a better place than when you give up on you and begin to trust in what is certain.
The life-shaping wisdom of the One who created you - in the first place.
“After all, every house has a builder,
But the builder of everything is God.”
Hebrews 3:4


Duplication and re-transmission 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

"WHEN SPARROWS FALL" - THE VALUE OF ONE SMALL SPARROW

By Mary Lindow


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THE SPARROW IS A CLEVER LITTLE BIRD
In Psalm 84 David describes his longing to be with the people of God and in the actual moment that he wrote this, he was a wanderer; he was a fugitive.
He was not able to be in a place where he could have fellowship with God or other people, and this is when he wrote Psalm 84.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,  Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out
 for the living God.

Have you ever felt this way or longed for fellowship like David wrote about with the Lord? His word so clearly express what it meant to David.
Then, he remembered one of his bird watching experiences. He remembered how at one time when he was in the house of God, he looked up toward the altar and he noticed some movement. When he looked closer, he found a sparrow building her nest, so he wrote in verse 3:
“Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may have her young—a place near your altar.”

“Lord Almighty, my King and my God!” he said. “I wish I could be like that sparrow.
I wish I could be like that swallow that is able to build its nest at the very altar of God.” What David is saying here is, “Can you think of anything better than to have your home in the altar of God in the sanctuary?”
This is something so very precious to me because I am always so tremendously interested in nurturing and loving my family that I cannot pass this over.
Did you notice this swallow chose the altar of God to build a nest for her family?   She could have chosen any place to build a nest, but she chose the altar of God.
Yes! The sparrow is a clever bird.
BUILDING YOUR NEST IN THE SANCTUARY
I believe that things are put here for a reason and for instruction; so I am going to suggest that if you want your family to be all that God wants it to be, build your nest, metaphorically speaking, at the altar. Build your nest in the sanctuary because in the sanctuary is the answer to every question that you have. And I hope that you understand that I am not talking about a church building! I am talking about your fellowship with God. There must also always be room in your nest to include those with broken wings, or who have been abandoned or left as orphans.
A SPARROW IS VALUABLE
One more lovely thing about the sparrow. The sparrow is a valuable bird. I am sure that some people might question this statement! But it is a valuable bird, indeed. Some may say, “But not to man”! It is Valuable to God though!
I am sure the Lord did some bird watching as he travelled to places with his dear friends, but this particular instance that He records is in the temple.
As He went into the temple one day, He saw a whole bunch of sparrows, (remember that we are talking about a small bird) with their legs tied together, and they were being sold for a sacrifice in the temple.
In Matthew, chapter 10 notice what Jesus has to say about sparrows.
As He looked at those sparrows, He said, in verse 29:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?”
That was the least expensive offering that anybody could make.
If we were to stop there, we would say what we ordinarily say, “What is a sparrow? They are not worth anything at all,” but the Lord said, in the last part of verse 29:

…and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father knowing about it.
That is how valuable they are. Not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing about it.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU SEE A DEAD SPARROW?
Do you just kick it out of the way and go on?  Often we see someone much like the little dead sparrow, wounded or suffering from the cruelty of others too busy to really care about a “broken wing” or perhaps a broken heart.
So many are busy licking their own wounds and getting on with their own lives, that they are unaware of the “sparrows” that God has placed in their midst. Those who need to be invited into a place of “Sanctuary”.! Do you treat your employees like this or a friend who has been through a season of sorrow or loss?
Do you find yourself simply walking past the Wounded or “dead Sparrow”? That would be a normal reaction, but evidently when the Lord saw the sparrow that fell very differently.  He said,
“MY FATHER KNOWS ABOUT THAT SPARROW…
…And my father cares about it.”
Then notice what He says:
Matthew 10
30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

A SPARROW IS SO IMPORTANT TO GOD,
…that it doesn't fall to the ground without God knowing about it, and you and those whom He has placed around you to radiate truth and hope to are of more value than many sparrows.
In Matthew, chapter 6 I think that Lord has done some bird watching and might want us to do some as well!
He said:
Matthew 6:26-34 (NCV)
26 Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.
27 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves.
29 But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.
30 I clothe the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the fire. So you can be even surer that I will clothe you. Don’t have so little faith!
31 Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 The people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them.
33 Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.
34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A very well spoken and eloquent preacher said one time,
“There is never a sparrow that dies but that God goes to its funeral.”
This really touched my heart and impressed me. Not a sparrow dies, but that God goes to its funeral.
THE NEXT TIME THAT YOU SEE A SPARROW…
…Remember that God is paying attention to that little sparrow. God is interested in you and He is interested and concerned about me as well! Remember that God cares about you so much more than even that sparrow and that He wants to draw you closely into a safe place of Sanctuary with Him! A place of safety and peace, where you can rest and learn about His love for you, for your family and those dear close friends and perhaps a few lost or weary lonely souls that He has sent to you.
HE HAS MUCH TO TELL YOU REGARDING ALL OF THE PLANS THAT HE HAS FOR YOU!

“Settle into the nest…
…And Rest!”
God is waiting to speak and meet with you!
“The Lowly Sparrow”
~Author Unknown
I am only a little sparrow!
A bird of low degree!
My life is of little value.
But the dear Lord cares for me
He gave me a coat of feathers
'Tis very plain I know:
With never a speck of crimson.
For it was not made for show.

But it keeps me warm in winter,
It shields me from the rain.
Were it bordered with gold and purple
Perhaps it would make me vain


I have no barn or storehouse:
I never sow or reap:
God gives me a sparrow's portion.
But never a seed to keep.
If my meat is sometimes scanty.
Close picking makes it sweet:
I have always enough to keep me.
And life is more than meat.

I know there are many sparrows:
All over the world they're found:
But our heavenly Father knows
When one of us falls to the ground.

Though small, we are never forgotten-
Though weak, we are never afraid.
For we know that the dear Lord keeps
The lives of the creatures He made.

I fly through the thickest forest,
I light on many a spray,
I have no chart or compass,
But I never lose my way.


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