This is a good message for many of you right now. 

Today I listened to someone recite Psalm 22.  With my eyes closed, I gained a new understanding of the time in between the cross and the resurrection.  Bits and pieces of scripture came together like puzzle pieces to form a picture I’d never seen before, almost a vision.

God, my God!

Why would you abandon me now?

Why do you remain distant,

refusing to answer my tearful cries in the day

and my desperate cries for your help in the night?

I can’t stop sobbing.

Where are you, my God?

Yet I know that you are most holy.

You are God-Enthroned, the praise of Israel.

Our fathers’ faith was in you—

through the generations they trusted in you

and you came through.

Every time they cried out to you in their despair,

you were faithful to deliver them;

you didn’t disappoint them.

But I am like a worm,

crushed and bleeding crimson,

treated as less than human.

I’ve been despised and scorned by everyone!

Mocked by their jeers, despised with their sneers,

as all the people poke fun at me, spitting their insults,

saying, “Is this the one who trusted in God?

Now let’s see if Yahweh will come to your rescue!

Let’s see how much he delights in him!”

Lord, you delivered me safely from my mother’s womb.

You are the one who cared for me ever since I was a baby.

Since the day I was born, I’ve been placed in your custody.

You’ve cradled me throughout my days,

and you’ve always been my God.

So don’t leave me now, for trouble is all around me,

and there’s no one to help me.

I’m surrounded by many violent foes like bulls;

forces of evil encircle me like the strong bulls of Bashan.

Like ravenous, roaring lions tearing their prey,

they pour curses from their mouths.

Now I’m completely exhausted.

Every joint of my body has been pulled apart.

My courage has melted away.

I’m so thirsty and parched.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

And now you lay me in the dust of death.

They have pierced my hands and my feet.

Like a pack of wild dogs they tear at me,

swirling around me with their hatred.

A band of evil men surrounds me.

I can count all my bones.

Look at how they gloat over me and stare!

With a toss of the dice they divide my clothes among themselves,

gambling for my garments!

Yahweh, please don’t stay far away.

My strength, come quickly to my rescue.

Give me back my life.

Save me from this violent death.

Save my precious one and only

from the power of these dogs!

Save me from all the power of the enemy,

from this roaring lion raging against me

and the power of his dark horde.

  Psalm 22: 1-21, The Passion Translation

As I listened, I could see Jesus, ripped to shreds, huddled in a deep, extremely dark cave… the belly of the earth, the place of the dead.  Surrounding him are all the demons of hell, torturing him, taunting him.  HE CANNOT FEEL THE FATHER.  There is only darkness and torment.  He is cut off from all light and everything good and decent.  No angels minister to him, no friends comfort him. Hour after hour he endures unimaginable suffering as abuse is heaped on him. 

What sustains him is this psalm that he has memorized, and all the scriptures that refer to him, all the promises of great and glorious things to come:

I will declare your name before all my brothers

and praise you in the midst of the congregation. 

Those who fear Yahweh, praise him!

Let all the seed of Jacob glorify him with your praises.

Stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

For he has not despised my cries of deep despair.

He’s my first responder to my sufferings,

and when I was in pain,

he was there all the time and heard the cries of the afflicted.

You’re the reason for my praise; it comes from you and goes to you.

I will keep my promise to praise you before all who fear you

among the congregation of your people.

Let all the poor and broken eat until satisfied.

Bring Yahweh praise and you will find him.

May your hearts overflow with life forever!

From the four corners of the earth,

the peoples of the world will remember and return to Yahweh.

Every nation will come and worship him.

For Yahweh is King of all, who takes charge of all the nations.

The wealthy of this world will feast in fellowship with him

right alongside the humble of heart,

bowing down to the dust, forsaking their own souls.

They will all come and worship this worthy King!

His seed shall serve him.

Future generations will hear from us

about the wonders of the Victorious Lord.

His generation yet to be born will glorify him.

And they will all declare, “It is finished!” 

Psalm 22:22-31, The Passion Translation

Jesus raised his eyes from his suffering to the promises he knew could not fail.  Though there was nothing at all in his surroundings to give him hope, he held onto what he knew to be true: that the scriptures testified about him, and that they declared that he must die and rise again on the third day.

Because of what Jesus accomplished, we too have the ability to cling to the promises, cling to the truth, no matter how much dark desperation surrounds us, no matter what horrible lies the enemy flings in our faces, no matter how badly we are suffering in the moment.

In the end, it is no wonder that every knee will bow and every tongue declare that Jesus is Lord!

A Conversation With Abba: 

A few days ago, I sat down with the Lord and began reading a passage from the Old Testament. The Lord speaks to Moses and tells him that He has chosen the Levites as His chosen/dedicated people in place of the first-born sons.

My curiosity arose and I admit I’ve never understood why the Lord chose First born? Why sons? Why is this so important to Him?

I’ve made it my goal not to just pass over passages I don’t comprehend or understand the reasoning. But to ask the Lord to explain. He is very good to respond, and I’ve gained a great deal of clarity from the Holy Spirit about the Word.

So join me as I share my conversation with the Lord. Perhaps you were curios as well?

Good Morning Abba, I’m here. Speak to me. (This is where I pause, and began to read the Bible.)

Lord, why the first-born sons? Why is it so important to you? Why do you ask for their dedication? The first impression was that first born sons or daughters are not any more or less important that other children born in succession. THAT IS COOL.

He answered me saying: First Fruits. It’s about honor and my love for the sons (all the children not just boys). The first born are given as the first fruits of the womb. The signify great value and I treasure them and keep them. Lynn it’s all about honor. Knowing I’m a good Father, it’s honor to dedicate and give first fruits of the womb to me and allow me to be that child’s caretaker. It’s worship, it’s love and sovereignty and respect.

Offering a child is noble, and it is a deep trust and faith and an offering of great love to dedicate first born unto Me. It is a very high gift that most will not offer. And thusly, the first born missed the blessings that come from this dedication.

WOW LORD! I respond. Thank you for this understanding.

Then the Lord said: I love you, My child. Keep asking. I love your heart that you want to know more.

Then an understanding or revelation arrived in my mind: First born carries a heavier responsibility than the other children. For example, they often work harder, they are often caretakers of siblings and parents. They are responsible for carrying property and a marriage to carry their name and inheritance. In many circumstances in years past, as well as today, the family business/farm is passed to the first born as they are responsible to continue to run the business. They are called to care for their parents, the orphans and widows.

With great responsibility the Lord offers great reward. A double portion. This is what it means: Double- greater responsibility brings with it greater sacrifice of personal desires. But I send to the first-born greater reward in the way of prosperity, peace of mind, identity, love, and honor.

Okay, this is the revelation I received. What are your thoughts? Hugs, Lynn

Image credit testimoniesofhisgoodness.wordpress.com

Jeanne here.  Last June (2021) I had a strong leading from Holy Spirit to learn what it means to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places.  Over the course of the next 7 months, the topic was brought to my mind many, many times.  But I never sat down and studied it out.

God (in his mercy) did not wait until I got around to studying it.  After work last night, I was making supper (tater tot hotdish – shout-out to my Minnesota readers!) Pandora was playing a contemporary Christian song that I’ve heard dozens of times before.  Suddenly I was struck with powerful revelation… it’s hard to put the experience into words. I stood in my kitchen weeping, and when I had pulled myself together, I grabbed the nearest piece of paper – a grocery list – and wrote down what I suddenly knew:

We are seated on the mercy seat with Jesus.  We can extend his mercy, grace, and forgiveness to our fellow humans.  We can exercise his authority over the demonic.  We can calm the storm and move the mountain.  We can heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons.  IT IS FINISHED.

Yesterday morning I believed all these things were true because God’s word says so. But now I know they are true in every cell of my body.  There’s nothing left to wait for.  It’s time for us, if we call ourselves followers of Jesus, do what he told us to do.  He gave us everything we need.  We are seated in the heavenly realms with Christ Jesus. As the Father sent Jesus, now Jesus sends us.  We are sent to preach the kingdom of God and to take back all the ground that the enemy has stolen. 

We are simultaneously seated in the heavenly realm with Jesus and walking this earth in physical bodies.  We must do the work of Jesus, to carry out his will and enforce his decrees, because we – believers -- are the only body he has on earth now.  We must preach the gospel.  We must comfort the brokenhearted. We must declare freedom from darkness for those bound by the chains of deception. We must bind every lying spirit of suicide, depression, anxiety, lost identity, and fear.  We must loose the Spirit of love, mercy, and forgiveness.  We have been given the ministry of reconciliation, not just a cessation of hostility, but rather bringing people back into an intimate relationship with the God who created them and has loved them from the beginning of time.

There is much talk these days of the end times.  In Matthew chapters 24 and 25 Jesus talks about the signs of his return, and also what he expects of us in the meantime.  He repeatedly warns us to be ready.  If you knew Jesus was coming next week, what would you do?  If you knew Jesus was coming in a year, what would you do?  It seems many of us, including myself, have been concerned with all sorts of things that won’t matter a bit when Jesus returns.  I am haunted by Luke 18:8: Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

The conflict between the kingdom of God and the powers of darkness is not some spectator sport.  There is no point in sitting on the sidelines, cheering for good and decrying evil. That’s not what Jesus meant when he told us to announce the kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons.  We aren’t seated in the heavenlies with him so we can have a better view of the game!

There is a fire in me that wasn’t there yesterday, and I pray it lights you up too.  One of my former instructors says, “Don’t worry about what people will think if you don’t get it exactly right. If you’re on fire for Jesus, they’ll come watch you burn.”  I pray Holy Spirit fire falls on everyone who reads this.  I pray that wisdom, discernment, and above all the incomprehensible love of God fills your hearts and minds.

I’d love you to share in the comments what you would do differently if you knew Jesus was coming on a particular day in the near future, or what it means to you to be seated in the heavenly realms with him. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Announcement: Jesus, born in a manger this day, is the Messiah! He is Christ the LORD!

There are so many things I love about this season. I love cards with manger scenes, candlelight services, kid’s choirs, and the peace of early Christmas morning with Jesus before the house awakens.

In the rush of it all, I choose to take a moment and just ponder the whole thing. Would you please join me today?

Turn to Matthew 16: 13-20.

Jesus asks a question in this passage and I dare say, He is asking you this question this very hour:

Verse: 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

Peter responded: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus then responds with this utterly fascinating statement: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

My friends, if you truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah, God, Himself has revealed this to you. You have received REVELATION from heaven. You have been touched by the Creator of All, the Father of Jesus, our Father. He chose to give you this life-changing, eternal providential revelation, the GOOD NEWS!

Say what????

Jesus who IS man and God. Born of a virgin to save, heal, and prosper us right now, on earth and forever.

He is the Anointed One!

Because of the Anointed One, you are blessed. And He will build His church within in you and upon you. Then you shall bind the gates of hell and loose the Kingdom of Yahwey on earth as it is in heaven.

THIS is the revelation of the birth that we celebrate. Let this revelation fall fresh upon you and then rejoice, for we were chosen before time began as His disciples to bring His gospel of love and peace to a world that grows darker by the hour.

This Christmas, worship the King of Kings! He is no longer a babe in swaddling clothes but THE most powerful being in all of creation and He holds the stars in His hand.

And He loves us so much that He gave all His earthly body to bless us and bring us revelation of the Father.

HALLELUJAH!

When you open a Christmas card, or smile at the cute children singing or marvel at a thousand candles in the sanctuary at the Christmas service, think upon this very revelation.

It will change you. It will bring you peace, love and joy!

Christmas blessings, Love, Lynn