Amanuensis

Psalm 13:1-6. How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

     Everyone has specific gifts, specific tasks to perform.  I have created you for certain things.  Just learn to stay close to me and listen to me, and you will know what I have for you. Salvation comes by My grace, because of your faith in Me.  It has nothing to do with what you do or do not do.  Yes, I want you to take better care of yourself.  But, you will not lose my love or your salvation if you don’t do it.  You will not enjoy as close a relationship with me as you could, but I will not leave you, will not forsake you, will not punish you.  I love you.  That will not change.  You have My presence in your life purely by your faith in Me.  Nothing else.  You can’t earn it other than by virtue of your faith. This psalm should be the cry of your heart.  You “enemy” does defeat you – whenever you listen to him and do what is wrong.  Or allow yourself to continue to get less and less well.  Or when you don’t start your day with Me, as you are today.  Cry out to Me.  I hear you.  I will answer.  Continue to cry out.  You have allowed patterns to be established in your life.  They will take work to be gone.  I will help you.  Trust Me.  Ask Me.  Then stay close to Me so you can benefit from my answers.  I do love you, child. (2005) 

Mark 6:47-52.  Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

The twelve disciples saw me feed thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread.  They saw me perform many miracles.  They then saw me walking across the turbulent water to them and climb into the boat.  Even then they did not understand the meaning of it all, they did not understand who I am.  So it is today.  At times your faith is not as strong as it could be.  At times you forget who I am and what I can do. At times you don’t trust me as much as you could.  It’s ok.  You have believed and trusted without seeing me, without sitting and eating with me, without touching me physically.  Your faith is there.  You are just human, and sometimes it ebbs and flows.  Just keep working on it.  Yes, it does take work sometimes in the world in which you live, a world that would do everything possible to deny my existence, to make anyone who believes in me seem to be an idiot, brainless and weak.  It does take work to believe in someone you can’t physically see and touch and hear.  But you do believe, and I will honor that.

Notice that many people who only saw me once or twice immediately recognized me and brought their sick to me for healing.  How interesting that sometimes those who walked with me did not recognize me, but those who hardly ever saw me did.  Familiarity can lead to blindness, or at least to a lack of vision.  Keep your eyes open, and fixed on me, that you never lose your vision.

Remember that all it took for healing was to touch the hem of my garment.  Just a little faith, that’s all it takes.  I will take care of the rest.

I will always turn to you and hear your cry.   I will always deliver you when you ask.  Look always to what I have already done in your life, and doubt will leave you. (2003)

Exodus 28:1-5. Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. (See v. 6-43 for more detailed instructions from the Lord)

Aaron and all the priests that followed him were to wear special garments, garments that would set them apart from others, set apart for my service.  You, too, are to wear “special garments” – you are to put on the mind of Christ.  You are to wear a different way of living, a different way of thinking, a radically different way of relating to the world and to others.  People should be able to look at you and know that you are different, that you are Mine.  Your life, your words, your actions, your attitudes and beliefs – all should paint a picture of someone set apart from the regular, everyday people in the world.  Those who know me, who walk with me, should be able to look at you and recognize your relationship with me.  Those that do not know me, they should watch you in wonder.  Their opinion of you should be that you are different from most others they know – they should see peace and joy in you, strength in times of great trouble, wisdom in times of confusion and uncertainty, love in times of hatred and violence. They should see the qualities exemplified by Christ in His life.  They should look at you and want to know what it is that makes you what you are.  Those are the “special garments” I want you to wear.  Will you?

Just as I specifically instructed Moses in the construction of those special garments for my priests, so I instruct you specifically as to how you are to live.  Read my Word.  Listen to my voice.  Stop trying to figure it out.  I am telling you in many ways.  Watch those women who are mine, truly mine.  Do what they do. Ask questions, you really don’t know everything.  More than anything else, stay in constant communication with me.  Remember when you were doing that?  Your life, at that point, seemed to be falling apart in every way, however you were closer to me than ever before or since, and you had a deep-down peace that even you couldn’t understand or explain.  Don’t you want that back?  I know I want you to get back there. Talk to me. All day. About everything.  Others may have tired of listening to you.  I never do.

Notice where I placed the article of clothing that was used to determine My will – the chestpiece – close to the heart of the priest.  Give me your heart, all of it.  Speak to me from the heart.  Listen to me not only with your ears, but also with your heart.  And never forget that I am your lover, you are always in my heart.  Keep me in yours, also.

Notice that I am directing a medallion to go on the priest’s turban that reads “set apart as holy to the Lord”.  The medallion goes on the priest’s head — directing his thoughts.  So I would have your mind set apart to me.  Do your thoughts reflect your relationship to me?  Or better yet, do they reflect my love for you? (2003)

Judges 21:25  “In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” 

Oh how like the world today – how like the USA – no king – no faith in me.  Your nation has strayed so far from my side that everyone is doing whatever seems right to them – and society is crumbling.  Life is becoming more dangerous, more difficult, less secure.  Remember this in your own life, also.  You have confessed that you have been straying from my side – leaving me behind as your King – the farther away you get, the more you will become like Israel in those days – doing whatever seems right in your eyes —  Keep your eyes on me.  Keep me in my right place – as your God, your King, your Lord.  Watch for me, listen to me, obey me, and all will go well with you.  Otherwise, you will wander back into the old life where you reigned – and life did not work.

John 4:4-12.  Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

The Samaritan woman by the well did not understand how I could give her water. I had no bucket, no rope, nothing that the world can understand as a tool …  She was only able to see from her earthly eyes.  So it is with my children.  You do not understand, you question my abilities, you see things through the perspective of human abilities.  I am the great I AM.  I can do anything, any time, with any or no “tools”.  In order to believe in me and my abilities,  in order to understand (as best as any human can) my power and my abilities, you must have new eyes.  Spiritual eyes.  Eyes that can see the eternal, and not be focused on the human.  

She also asked if I were greater than her ancestor Jacob was.  My children so often count on other people.  You look to people from the past.  You forget that humans will never be more than humans.  Any abilities, any intelligence, any gifts that they have come from me.  Yes, I am greater than any human, now or ever.  Stop looking to people, look only to me.

Remember that you can tell people about me, but they will not believe in me until they have their own personal experience with me.  Just do the footwork.  True salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Spirit can draw the person, can give them the understanding, and can turn a heart.  I just want you to live in such a way that people see me.(2003)

Deuteronomy 18:20 “But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.”

Do not take this lightly. If I choose you to give my word to the world, be exceedingly careful that what you put out is truly from me. If you find yourself having to think about what is being written, it is not of me. Stop and do not go forward at that point. 

Luke 9:48 “Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.” 

Anonymity. Humility. You are nothing special outside of my choosing and anointing. This is not about you. This is not about your reputation or what people think of you. This is about me. This is about dealing with the evil surrounding you. Be ready to go forward, but in my name and my spirit. Be ready to be attacked. Also be ready to be wrongly elevated. Stay strong in me. Be humble but be fierce. Do not allow attacks to stop you nor praise to derail you. Eyes on me, child. Eyes only on me.

Psalm 73:10-13  “Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. And they say, ‘How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?’   Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.” 

Never allow yourself to doubt me just because evil has such a strong foothold in your world. Do not allow your enemy to cast doubt about my dedication to my children. Remember, your ancestors chose to disregard my word and listen to the serpent. At that time, I gave them what they asked for, but only for a time. That time is coming closer and closer to an end. That time when I take back my children and my world and banish all evil from it, that day is coming closer. In the meantime, there will be evil and darkness. You, however, are to shine a light in that darkness. You are to banish as much of it from your world as you can, but only through me. You cannot do it without me. I have chosen you, I will provide what you need. Do not be discouraged if you do not seem to make a difference. Remember when you were teaching. Some students did not seem to hear your words nor to see your example. But they did. One day I will show you just how many of them did see me because of you. So it will be today. 

Luke 9:45 “But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.”

There were many times where I would tell my disciples something but did not allow them to fully understand my words. So it is today. You will not always understand what I say. You will not always understand what I do and what is happening. Do not dismay. It does not mean I have forsaken you. It just means you are not ready or the time is not right. One day, all will be revealed. In the meantime, listen for my voice and walk in the way I direct.

2 Samuel 15:9 “During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David’s men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.”

Ironic that Absalom, who erected monuments to himself, who wished to be praised and glorified and obeyed as king, who saw himself better than my chosen one, his father David, that his downfall would be tied to his vanity. His hair – his beautiful, flowing hair – is what entrapped him. So it is. And so it will be with your enemies. You are seeing it happen already. They are turning their own meaningless, manipulative narratives against themselves. They are slowly unraveling from within. And many of them are so blinded by their own self-importance and, even more so their sense of righteousness, that they are unable to see their own destruction coming – their own hand in that self-destruction.