Tag Archives: God

In The Gap

13 Nov

 

Angel with Censer

“And he stood between the dead and the living;

and the plague was stayed.”     Numbers 16:48

—-

I stand in the summer of my life,

weighing and balancing

yesterday and tomorrow.

—-

I have made a choice,

I have taken my stand

  on the firm foundation of truth.

—-

Yesterday’s worldly decisions haunt and torment me,

calling out from behind the veil of blood,

that separates me from a deadly past.

—-

The Spirit of God allows me to remember,

Burdening my heart for the souls left behind.

My eyes don’t want to see them,

my ears don’t want to hear them,

for what they are,

I once was.

—-

But the Spirit calls me to them,

to pray.

—-

I fill my censer with sweet incense,

   lighting the fragrance from the fire

 of the altar of sacrifice.

—-

I step into the land of giants,

  the essence of God in my hand,

the words of God in my mouth.

—-

My soul trembles, my heart breaks,

as I look into the empty, hollow eyes

of the children.

—-

 Who will help them to choose?

—-

There to the right is the goodness of God.

There is mercy and grace,

peace and rest.

—-

  This is the life I have chosen to share.

There at the left are the quick and simple pleasures,

received at a price,

packaged so elegantly, temptingly, deceivingly.

—-

Snares so easily fallen into.

My prayers cry out,

praying the lost away from temptation.

—-

My testimony gives them hope,

  I am proof that there is a way out.

The fragrance of intercession

strengthens the fire in the censor.

The wings of angels gently move the aroma

through the crowd.

—-

For a moment they turn and look.

For a moment they taste the sweetness of the manna

that is laid before them.

For a moment the lure of sin is stopped.

For some it will only take that one moment

to recognize and follow the truth.

For some it may take two or three glimpses

to birth their testimony.

—-

Yet, for others, it may take moment after moment after moment

to break the generational curses

 that have trapped them on the path of destruction.

—-

There, in the fields of the land of the giants,

I lay down my life,

as a living sacrifice,

  daily standing in the gap,

  between the living and the dead.

—-

There will I stand again tomorrow,

my censer lit,

 my prayers rising up,

as a sweet sacrifice to heaven.

There, in intercession, will I stand,

turning as many eyes as the Spirit can touch,

to the right.

—-

         Believing that every seed planted will root and grow.

 Believing in the resurrecting power,

from death to life,

       that rests in the anointing.

Believing that the eternal plague can be stayed,

     by the strength of my faith.

—-

I can not stop my sacred vigil,

for the fear rests in my soul,

that in any moment of disconcert,

I might miss one child

that might have looked.

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WAX MUSEUM

7 Oct

wax-museum-welcome-sign1

(THE EYES OF THE HOPELESSLY DEAD)

 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.                                                                                   Luke 11:34

Vacations are interesting entities.  They are times when you spend money you know better than to spend and visit places that you may have only had a vague interest in previously.

In our family, vacations are a valued commodity that arrive only once every 3 – 4 years.  It’s a time when we have saved and set aside so that we can travel off for a day or two and leave everything behind for someone else to care for.  This year was our year of VACATION – August 1999!!

We had been given our hotel room as a gift and part of that gift included tickets to the Movieland Wax Museum.  None of us had ever been to a wax museum – however, none of us had ever really been over-enthusiastic about going either.  But, it was vacation!  A time to see something new!  A time to . . . well, you know.

At first, I was intrigued by the replicas; life-size dolls, the exact size of a famous movie star, wearing the original costume from a movie or an article of clothing from the movie star’s personal wardrobe – or so they claim.

The tour began with the older movies.  What took me by surprise was the size of the stars.  The women were so tiny, petite (to compensate for the 20 extra pounds the camera add, I suspect).  Jean Harlow, Bette Davis, Kathryn Hepburn – all movie greats, up close and personal.

Then there were the men.  Characters that loomed so large on the screen were trim young men, not much taller than myself.  The illusion of grandeur diminished.  The overwhelming feeling of awe was reduced.  They were just people.  People who struggled with self-esteem and the pressures of fame.  People, just like me, who tried to juggle work and family and (prayerfully) devotions.

As I continued the tour I recognized depression setting over me.  Why, Lord?  What are you showing me that I can’t see?

“Look at them,” He said, “carefully.”

I began to look into the faces – past the aging clothing, the dusty sets, the fading make-up, and a few missing fingers.  I stood in one spot and turned a full circle, looking carefully into the eyes of the replicas.

“There’s nothing, Lord, nothing!”

And that was it!  Deep in the eyes was the absence of the soul.  They were exact replicas of the bodies of men – void of love, hate, joy, dreams and visions.  It was a morgue of dead bodies, dressed up to entertain people.

I walked through the “horror” section and felt nothing.  Even with the sound tracks playing in the background of some of the sets, there was nothing.  The eyes were dead and blank.  There were no demons, no tormented souls, no hate, no raging insanity.  They were the eyes of the hopelessly dead.

After leaving the museum I searched the face of every person I saw.  The daily anguish, joy and stresses were there.  It slowly relieved my depression.  It gave me new hope and a fresh battleground.  For in the tormented eyes there is hope for salvation.  In joy there is peace and encouragement for tomorrow.

No matter what the tormented soul is screaming out through the eyes – as long as there is life, there is an opportunity for Jesus to enter in.

Lord, let me always remember that every face I see could belong to a soul of little time.  Give me the courage to change the demons that dance in those eyes, before they become the eyes of the hopelessly dead.

 

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War Room – The Posture of Prayer

6 Oct

Linda's Bible 9-10-15

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”   Philippians 4:6 (KJV)

After the release of the Affirm Film, War Room, many people showed where they had created War Rooms in their closets or offices.  That’s wonderful, but many of us don’t have a house big enough for those sorts of areas.  My “War Room” or what I call “War Area” is actually at the kitchen table.  I also have a chalkboard in my bedroom where I have the names of people listed who have requested prayer.  Your War Room could be in your bathroom, bedroom, garage, a park bench, a back yard, in your car, on the bus, on a train, in a plane, it is anyplace that you can get a moment alone with God.  The important thing is that you are taking the names of others to God for their needs.

It doesn’t matter if you are on your knees, on your face, on your feet or sitting in a chair – it isn’t about the position of the body that makes the prayers powerful, it is the humble and contrite heart that makes the difference.

It doesn’t matter if you have an hour to pray, 30 minutes to pray, or 5 minutes to pray.  It doesn’t matter if your language is elegant, simple or completely silent for lack of knowing what to say.  Some folks just cry before God and He knows what is in the heart and what the prayer is all about.

Prayer isn’t saying things in a special or specific way.  Prayer is just talking to God, just having a conversation and listening for Him to answer back.  People talk about praying at all times.  I am one of those people.  Prayer doesn’t need a special place or posture, it is being thankful at all times, talking to God at all times, and being aware of your surroundings and the needs that are there.  It’s praying for a car broken down on the side of the road, an ambulance going in the opposite direction, a sad person walking along the road, a happy child dancing in a yard.  Prayer is just speaking a word of help, or healing, or peace, or thankfulness.

And the most important point to this is – Prayer Works.  The only prayers that are not answered are the prayers that are never spoken. Take a moment, look around, say a prayer.  It feels amazing!

————-

Do you need prayer?  Send an email to shiloh.spiritual@aol.com and I will add you to my prayer board.  Have a Blessed Day!  Mama Linda

 

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RESTING WITH MARY

21 Aug

Martha and Mary with Jesus

“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  LUKE 10:42 

—

Forever in my mind rests the sweet fragrance of a summer rose,

    the cool soft pedals caress the tips of my fingers,

    the perfectly formed flower nestles gently in my memory

  –  ready to rise at a moments request.

—

Though the rose is gone

  –  the memory,

    ever much as sweet,

    cannot be taken away.

—

Then stands the Rose of Sharon

  –  a tender fragrance rising sweetly in my soul.

    A cool, soft caress that soothes my weary mind

    and removes the torments of the day,

    nestled gently and preciously inside this child,

    where He cannot be taken away.

—

The words of the Master hide safely in my heart,

    prepared to flow forth in the time of need.

    Lying safely in the arms of the Spirit,

    residing tenderly within this child.

—

Though the wooden structure of the Church

    may be destroyed,

    and every book burned,

    inside this child rests a temple

    with God’s Word that cannot be taken away.

—

And though this body may be taken,

  –  what victory, what joy  –

    for that which rests inside my heart and soul

    will be brought to life in that Holy City,

  when I meet Jesus, face to face.

—

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Birth Of The Bride

20 Aug

Genesis 1

Adam ressurection

The waters came forth,

    pure and abundant,

    preparing for life,

    supernaturally.

—

The evening and the morning,

    were the 5th day,

    life had begun.

—

From the dust of the dry land,

    and the waters of the sea,

    God’s hand formed and molded man,

    the first Adam.

—

The blood in his body lay silent,

    His image and soul lay pure,

    without life, water and blood ran together,

    unheedingly.

—

Then into his nostrils did God breathe,

    true life,

    not merging liquid,

    not hardened soil.

—

The gentle breeze from the soul of God,

    drew man to life,

    away from silent existence,

    covenant of love,

    covenant of truth.

—

The blood and water coursed within man,

    birthing forth the desire,

    of a new covenant.

—

In the safety of love man rested,

    a deep sleep,

    peaceful sleep.

—

God reached deep inside,

    removing a small sacrifice,

    blood and water and molded dust.

—

This rib became the bride of Adam,

    still and lifeless,

    breathed to life,

    by the same precious deity,

    the one Holy God.

—

By the breath of God did the woman rise,

    from mere existence,

    to precious life.

—

The evening and the morning,

    were the 6th day,

    the Bride was born.

—

She was to bear the cycle,

    the covenant of blood and water,

    the temporary temple of God’s chosen.

—

The cycle continued,

    covenant   –   sacrifice,

    birth    –    sacrifice,

    covenant    –    death.

—

Jesus, the final covenant,

    God the son,

    the substance of new life,

    pierced in His side.

—

Even in death,

    precious blood and water,

    amniotic fluid ran down the cross,

    onto a cursed hill  –  Golgatha.

—

With it ran the seed of a new nation,

    a new generation,

    the covenant of eternal life,

    the Bride of Christ.

—

With His last earthly breath,

    He drew in the sins of the world,

    and the Bride to come,

    that all life might dwell,

    in the Holy promises.

—

The sins, cleansed and forgiven,

    ran with the blood,

    ran with the water,

    planting the seed,

    of the covenant to come,

    Kingdom Heirs.

—

A tiny baby, born in the darkest of times,

    nurtured by the hand of God,

   filled with the breath of the Spirit,

    coursed through with sacrificial blood,

    sacrificial water.

—

No longer apart from God the Father,

    no longer apart from God the Son,

    the miraculous testimony of living Word,

    birthed in the death of sin.

—

Rise up, Oh Israel,

    take your inheritance of life,

    God breathed,

   Holy & Blessed.

—

Clothe yourself in gold and purple,

    as the rightful Bride,

    of Christ.

—

Rise up, Oh Israel,

    for the Groom prepares the place,

    where you shall dwell,

    the promises have come to pass,

    where faith meet truth,

    and they become one.

—

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Heritage of Hope

1 Sep

sprout in dry desert

“in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will; to the end that we should be unto the praise of His glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:”  Ephesians 1:11-12 (ASV)

Recently I was invited to a new friend’s home for lunch after church.  God has richly blessed this couple and their home was amazing.  Everywhere I looked was just . . . “Wow!”  When I returned home that evening I was flooded with memories of my childhood home.  For days I couldn’t shake it.  Depression set in.  It was a heritage that I could not shake, even though my life is so much different now.

Growing up in the 50’s in a small desert town is a whole world away from the way things are today.  No running water, outhouses (I’m still not very fond of those things), no cooling, only the kitchen stove for heating, bare cement floors, and the backseat out of an old Chevy for a sofa.  Bed was blankets on old steel springs, no mattress.  I remember, many mornings, getting up to my mom melting down icicles on the stove so we could have water.  There was a wind driven fan in the wall that helped bring air into the home during the summer.  We would lay on the cool cement floor under that fan to take naps; mom stuffed a wooden spoon between the blades to make it stop at night.  Meals were jackrabbit, catfish and pinto beans, unless a neighbor brought us a chicken.  My worldly heritage.

I remember telling God that I would never return to an area like that.  In recent years I have walked into homes with similar conditions and physically shook. I told God that I couldn’t be there, I couldn’t think there, I couldn’t breathe there.  His voice came gently, “how can you minister to them if you don’t see where they are from, if you don’t find common ground.”  It was my call to show them the heritage that God held for them, far beyond the physical conditions where they currently existed.

God’s Heritage, created for us before the foundations of the earth, is eternal life (John 3:15).  A life free from pain and illness.  A life free from tears, sorrow, worry and doubt (Revelation 21:4).  A heritage of being an heir with His son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17).  A heritage of a mansion, built specifically for us, at the hands of Jesus himself (John 14:2).

When we hear the call on our lives we become partakers with Jesus, reaching out to a lonely broken world (Ephesians 3:6).  We become workers of the gospel, sharing with all the promise of the heritage they have waiting for them, if they would only believe.  We testify and share the very gifts that God has given to us, as He has willed for us to do; as well as those who will follow after.  And in that labor we find fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), praising and worshipping our God for the gift of His manifested glory in our lives (John 1:14), filled with grace and truth.

Lord, let us remember that we are your hands and feet to this world of hurting and wounded people.  Help us to walk past the difficult memories of our worldly heritage and share a story of hope with those whose lives rest in similar circumstances, giving them hope of a new and wonderful inheritance with You.  Let our testimony of rising above our circumstances be the key to their faith in a new life in You.  Please give us the strength.

**A Journey through Ephesians – Chapter 1, Part 7

Written by Linda J. Humes

8-31-14

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WHERE DID GOD COME FROM?

30 Mar

 Bible with Light Shaft

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (KJV)

The most common question I receive is “where did God come from?” I guess I really hadn’t thought much about it before, it was a mystery of faith I took as a truth. My answer of this left doubt on the face of the person asking and I decided that I needed to delve further and determine a good solid answer for my confused new believers. I asked many pastors and many more saints; they all gave the same answer as I. I began to feel like we were brushing the question aside instead of giving comfort and reassurance to those wanting something firm to hang onto.

How did I really feel about it? Had I ever really thought about it? How could I bring peace to the many questioning the very base of my faith? After many hours of prayer I felt that I knew how to answer.

Where did God come from? I don’t know, and at this point in my walk with Christ, I don’t need know. I don’t need to know because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He (God) is real.

I talk to him constantly, and I hear his voice speak back to me, deep inside my soul. When I pray, worship or praise Him, I feel His presence all over me. I feel a soft warm blanket fold over and around me. I feel the “Goose bumps” when He’s near and the fire of the anointing in my hands when there’s a need He wants me to tend to.

When I’m devastated by events in my life and I cry out to Him in pain, I feel His peace permeate through me and my tears cease. When I’m in an area of danger, I cry out to Jesus and my fear ceases as He guides me to safety. I’ve seen Him open doors I could never have opened myself, and He has guided me from danger that looked so attractive.

I experience Supernatural Wisdom and Knowledge for specific situations, on subjects that I’ve never studied before. I’ve seen people healed when God told me to put my hands on them and pray. I’ve told people about themselves and what God is guiding them toward, simply by listening to the voice inside me – and I’ve seen the shocked reactions of these people I had never met before when I knew things about them I could not have known. He shows me the light and darkness inside of a person, the pain that torments them – and how to pray to release the pain.

I have seen miracles and mountains moved that were “impossible” situations, by the gathering together of praying saints. I held a dying animal in my arms and watched the animal’s broken neck reset itself, on its own, and the animal go from gasping for air to purring as I prayed in tongues over it – with 4 teens watching in disbelief.

In times of great financial struggle I’ve seen food brought to my family within 10 minutes of a prayer, when no one knew of the circumstance but God.

I saw Him faithfully fulfill His promises of returning my runaway son. I watched Him keep a hedge of protection over that son as he experimented with drugs and alcohol; even overdosing. God spared his life miraculously time after time after time. And God waited patiently until that son returned his Spirit to Him (God) and began walking in the truth again.

I’ve called out demons in the Name of Jesus and brought evil spirits controlling people into subjection of time and space through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I am only a simple person, the child of 2 alcoholic parents. I was raised in poverty – in homes with no running water, moving constantly because of evictions. We had little food – jackrabbits and beans. I grew up a “nothing” by American standards. But God saw a treasure in me and raised me up above my circumstances by His love and grace.

Although I prayed all my life, I was 38 before I found out about having a personal relationship with Christ. After that precious “magical” day, I have never left the presence of God, and I know that He has never left me, not for a second.

I don’t know where God came from. It’s okay for it to remain a mystery of faith for me – because I know God! I know that I know that I know He is real and that he works mightily through His children. That’s good enough for me.

Test Him. Prove Him. He will show Himself real to you too. I promise it!

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THE DAY THE ANGELS CRIED

30 Mar

Twin Towers 9-11-2001

 

“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: [30] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. [31] And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”           Mark 12:29-31

September 11th, 2001 will be one of those dates that no one will forget. It has engraved its importance upon our spirits and hangs heavy in our memory. September 11th, 2001 was the day the angels cried.

No one will forget the horror of the airplanes bursting through the tower walls of the world trade center, or the empty helplessness of watching the men and women falling the 80 to 90 stories to the ground. We felt hope as we watched the fire, police and rescue personnel head into the chaos and devastation when the towers swallowed them up.

When we saw the 110-story towers implode and disintegrate into powdery dust, dust made from concrete and glass, snowing down in a suffocating blizzard, we were there. Who the dust covered people were wasn’t important. The race, creed or color of the person wasn’t important. They were life – that was important. They were family – brothers and sisters who’s names we may never know, who’s stories we may never hear, but they were family – tied to us by the horror of the breach of freedom we so generously share.

America. A country so tender that we sat for hours glued to a TV screen and prayed, encouraged and cheered when rescue workers freed baby Jessica McClure from an abandoned well. A country so generous that we open our arms to the thousands of immigrants who cross our borders every year – providing them food, shelter, medical care and education. A country so strong that after wars and conflicts, we have been able to return home and raise our families with humility and a sense of forgiveness and peace. A blessed country, graciously blessing others. A country betrayed.

America. The tenderness and generosity grievously stunned by such a horrific act. America. Attacked strategically to destroy our economy and military intelligence – but rising up to recognize that in the moments of tragedy only one thing mattered – life and the preservation of it.

Helplessly scattered across the nation, we reached out with truckloads of food, clothing and medical supplies. We donated money from our household budgets to send to the Red Cross and Salvation Army who tended the victims and the rescue workers. We stood hours in line to give blood to send to the hospitals near ground zero. We mourn the deaths, rejoice with the miracles, encourage the jobless – and we pray. When we could do no more, we sat and watched the live news, for hours, days, weeks, and prayed; even still – we pray.

The probability of life in the wreckage is no longer. The fires that have burned in the stories of the crushed building for weeks send eerie symbolism of the bowels of Hell. Satan came down to destroy a country built on the premise of the Bible and dedicated to God, but he failed. What Satan has done to destroy America, God has turned around and created a new and wonderful understanding of what America is. God brought back to us the very foundations that this country was birthed on. God united the people and told the world that we are ONE. One people, one race, one color, one family – one AMERICA.

We will never forget the thousands entombed in the death of that majestic building – just as we have never forgotten the sailors entombed in the USS Arizona. In time we will forgive the misguided souls that did this – but we will never forget. Life will go on with some changes, but nothing that we, as individuals and as a nation, cannot overcome.

Since that day, the American people have been a little quieter; introspective. Mothers and fathers hold their children a little closer, holding their hands when they’re in public. Trivial things don’t matter any more. People don’t squabble in line at the grocery stores. Traffic is reduced, only traveling if necessary. The malls, restaurants and theatres are nearly empty where they used to be overflowing. People work less hours and spend more time with their families. We have become more aware of the treasures of life, and less caught up in the luxury available. We have re-established contact with distant family and old friends. Families are going back to church and re-establishing their relationship with their creator. People are more aware of the things around them and how very precious they are.

Satan took away the lives of 6000+ members of our family – and God showed us the way back to the true meaning of life. America – the land of the free, the home of the brave – family bound together by God. Victorious.

Many families now are seeing their children off to a war in a land where life has no meaning. A land where poverty is overwhelming and need is so great. A land where one man has orchestrated a gross evil that has marred their world. Some of our families are sending their children to an ultimate sacrifice, to ensure that our country is once again safe.

Jesus, grant us the grace to see you at every turn, no matter what the daily outcome seems. Jesus, build our faith with each passing moment. And Jesus, give us the strength to forgive, and the power to overcome.

10-13-2001

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The Dance of Creation

16 Mar

Creation

In the beginning there was God.

Genesis 1:1-5

They lived there – in eternity.  God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost.  One in three, three in one, which was, and is, and is to come.

Within them dwelt all good things – joy and peace, and so much love.  Such loss to have so much and have no one to share it with.

A delightful thought!  Oh, what bliss.  A kingdom, a nation, seed of seed, Paradise!

The thought welled up inside of them.  Excitement filled their hearts.  One would be Heaven, one would be Earth.

“Yes, Yes,” smiled God.  “A Heaven and an Earth.”

Into being He called them, and they were.  There, like the potter’s clay, waiting – desolate – empty – void.  Waiting in darkness to be formed and shaped.  The very depths of heaven and earth lay still – expecting.

Down came the breath of God, fluttering across the face of the waters.  The living waters, the catalyst of all things to come.  Sent abroad by God the Holy Spirit, one day to be released in all living things.  One day to be released into you, into me.

Then God spoke into the waters, “Let there be light.”

The joy of God rose up, bright and clear, lighting the heaven, lighting the earth.  It was a good thing.

The brightness of His joy shown greatly.  Yes, it was good.

Yet, who would know light if there was no darkness, or darkness if there was no light?  Joy if there was no emptiness, emptiness if there was no joy?

Up God stood, creating He both, one side darkness, one side light.  Separate, one from the other.  The light rested at His right hand.  He called the light Day.  In His left hand He grasped the darkness.  Twisting it away from the light.  The darkness he called Night.

From the dusk of the evening, traveling into the darkness, to the dawn of the new morning, coming safely out of the darkness, was the first day.

Genesis 1:6 – 8

Ah, yes, it had begun.  It was the beginning of time – the first strokes from the Master’s palette.

Filled with excitement God began to dance.  Around and around He spun, laughing and dancing.  He reached out with His mighty arm and cut through the waters as He spun about.

“Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters.  Let it divide the waters from the waters.”

As he spun the waters above pulled up high, carving the giant arch of the sky.  The waters below remained level, trembling as He danced, swelling with the music that played within Him, receding with the peace within the Master’s soul, knowing all was well.

There they danced together, the Father, the Son the Holy Spirit, and the waters of the sky He called heaven.  There they danced.

From the dusk of the evening, traveling into the darkness, to the dawn of the new morning, coming safely out of the darkness, it was now the second day.

Genesis 1:9 – 13

There stood He – there stood they – enjoying the fruits of His dance.  As far as the eye could see, as far as the mind could imagine, there rose the sky.  Painted royal blue, pure and clear.

Searching the waters below the heaven, God began to leap as He danced.

“Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.”

The land had patiently waited for its time.  Now, with every setting down of His foot the land pushed up from below.  Joyfully He danced.  Joyfully He laughed.  The breath of His laughter blew upon the rising land and it dried as it rose, taking shape.

As He danced and rejoiced the mountains climbed to kiss the hem of His garment, then rose again to meet the hem of the sky.  The hills and valleys made their place, and the waters gathered together in the lowest places.

The dry land called He Earth and the gathered waters called He Seas.  There forever to stand, hand in hand, to prepare the Eden to come.  They reached back and forth, grasping strength, one from the other, flowing together over the subtle boundaries appointed to them.

God watched and smiled.  It was good.

Once again He began to dance, scattering visions of abundance upon the new earth.

“Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth.”

And even as He spoke the fragile blades pushed through the new land of this place called earth.  Up rose the grass, the herb, the trees and the bushes – each with the seed to bring new life, inside its tender flower.

Up rose the fruit tree, with sweet tender fruit, kissed by the laughter of God as He saw the beauty of its bough, and knew of the pleasures and blessings it would bring to those yet to come.

Quickly it grew and budded and bloomed, dropping its precious seed to birth and grow and multiply.  Precious plants of different species and gifts.  Each needing another of its own kind to pollinate the buds of the new plants to come.  Each species with a seed of its own, to bear its own kind, again and again and again.  Each brought forth with a special purpose, a special need to meet, all a precious part of the vision God saw.

Nothing laid waste.  Nothing was set without a plan.  Everything was perfectly fitted together.

From the dusk of the evening, traveling into the darkness, to the dawn of the new morning, coming safely out of the darkness, this was the third day.

Genesis 1:14 – 19

As He tipped back His head God gave a shout of laughter.  He spread His arms wide and cherished the great dome called heaven.

“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.”

As He stood, arms wide, a glow grew from within Him and spread all about.  No longer could the edge of light and the edge darkness be seen, but one flowed and melted into the other, slowly, gently.

Into His right hand He blew and there grew a great light.  Casting it deep into the heaven, it took its place high into the light.  This was the light appointed to govern the day.

Into His left hand He blew and a lesser light formed.  He cast it deep into the heaven and it went high into the darkness.  This was the light appointed to govern the night.

He cupped His hands together and blew within.  A glow danced between His palms, illuminating the beauty of His presence.  Casting them out He scattered the stars far into the depths of the firmament.  Deep into this place called heaven.  There they shown brightly against the darkness of night.  Some shown so bright that they could even be seen through the light of day.

These lights, great and small, were set precisely in the firmament, assigned to make a light upon the earth.  Proudly in their places, they received their appointment with greatest honor – to govern the day, to govern the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.

God watched as they began the purpose they were ordained for.  Resting in the heaven; watchful, strong, sure.  The warmth of the greater light caressed His face.

“Yes,” God nodded, it was good.

From the dusk of the evening, traveling into the darkness, to the dawn of the new morning, coming safely out of the darkness, this was the fourth day.

Genesis 1:20 – 23

Down He knelt and touched the waters with His hand.  As He raised it to His lips the waters trickled down His arm.  Deep He looked into the water, then around at the dry land.  He stood and scanned the horizon of trees; now fully grown, fruitful, preparing to drop precious seeds.

“Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”

With the vibration of His mighty voice the waters began to tremble and shake.  Within the vibration grew a vibration.  Swarming, creeping, growing – new life in the depths of the waters.  From the smallest invertebrate to the giant whale, each in schools of its own species, there grew the first life.

And as the sea swelled with the abundance of new birth, birds filled the boughs of the trees and soared against the blue of heaven.  Each species resting within its own species, immediately starting the cycle of new life.

“Yes,” it was good.

As He knelt there He blessed them, all that had come.

“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

From the dusk of the evening, traveling into the darkness, to the dawn of the new morning, coming safely out of the darkness, this was the fifth day.

Genesis 1:24 – 31

The birds painted the sky with the graceful strokes of their wings.  They sang praises to the Master, Father God.  The skies were filled with their anthem chorus.  The great whales and the dolphins echoed back their own song of worship.  The earth was alive with rejoicing.

“Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind,” said God.

There, from the bushes, the caverns, and the trees walked the fruits of new life.  Each with its own kind, each in harmony with the other.  The great beasts and the small.  The reptiles and the rodents.  All taking its place in the cycle of life.  Each recognizing its need for the other.

The lion and the lamb lay at His feet.  The truth of the moment, the truth of Eden, a prophesy of a day to come.

God tarried there, enjoying the moment of innocence.  Cherishing what had become.  He saw that it was good.

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:  and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Sitting upon a rock God leaned forward and scooped together the warm soil.  He raised His hands up and allowed the powdery soil to trickle through His fingers.  Moving left to right, right to left, the soil fell to the ground.

As it touched the face of the earth it began to move and take shape.  An arm, a leg, the torso, the head.  Down upon it God blew, moving the powdery residue away from the new creation.

He lifted this man from the cradle of his birth and blew into his face.  The man gasped his first breath and opened his eyes  –  looking innocently into the face of God.  Out of the dirt grew bone and muscle, blood and sinew.  Out of the earth came love and joy, long-suffering and gentleness.  Out of the soil came man, created in the image of God, resembling Him in feature and form.

With the guiding strength of God’s hand man stood and surveyed the land that God had appointed him to rule.  He did not fear the vastness, he did not fear the task of naming and ruling and subduing all that had been created.  But he did fear the times of loneliness in those times when God was not walking with him or talking to him.  He had so much to share.

God felt the man’s loneliness, his sadness, his pain, and he brought to man woman.  Created by God, out of man.  Bone of his bone, blood of his blood, a woman to share all of his days.

As the knelt, hand in hand, man and woman, at the feet of God, He blessed them and said unto them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:  and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

“Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat.”

Man and woman turned and beheld all that God had given them.  Every creature, great and small, ate of the green herb and grasses that grew.  Every fish, every fowl, every mammal ate of the same food.  There was no fear, there was no danger, only appointed positions to which God had called them.

This was the land that man and woman were to call into order, by the grace of God.  These were the seas that would carry the precious life that could only survive in the waters.  This was the heaven and earth they were to rule and reign over.  This was their home.

Hand in hand they walked away from the glorious presence of God and into the land before them.  God watched as the creatures of the sea, the fowl of the air and the creatures of the land humbled themselves before the two called man and woman.  He saw them warmed by the sun and caressed by the herbs beneath their feet.  The sky crowned their heads and the flowers of the land adorned them.

“Yes,” thought God.  It was VERY good.

From the dusk of the evening, traveling into the darkness, to the dawn of the new morning, coming safely out of the darkness, this was the sixth day.

Genesis 2:1 – 4

There stood God, in the midst of them.  He gazed far to the east, then deep into the west.  He turned and searched north and then again south.  Slowly He turned, around and around, not wanting to miss the slightest blessing.

It was finished.  The heavens, the earth, the creatures above, the creatures below, and those that walked the land.  It was finished.  Creation.

On this day, the seventh day, God rested.  He savored the breeze and the warmth of the sun.  He cherished the rich green grass beneath His feet, and the water that caressed His hands as He dipped them.  He revered man and woman and the moments they would share as they walked the paths of Eden in the cool of the evening.

He memorized the cut of the mountain and the velvet of the hills.  With fatherly pride He watched as each creature walked and dwelt in harmony, submitted to those made in His image.

It was finished.  The dance of creation had come to a close.  The staccato of the music mellowed to a sweet aria.

He sat and enjoyed this world He had created – and He rested.  Such peace.  This day, the last day of creation, God blessed above all others and He sanctified it.

This day would be the day, throughout all of the generations, that would be set aside, dedicated and holy.  A day each week for that special intimate communion with the one true God.

And this was the order of creation.  This was the generation of the heaven and the earth.  This was the plan that God set into motion for the world before us.  This was new life.

THIS WAS GOOD.

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By Linda J. Humes

Written 5-26-99

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Voices in My Head

15 Jan

Voices

“There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.” I Corinthians 14:10

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From as far back as I can remember, I knew things.  Things I had no way of knowing, I knew.  Little things and big things; things near and things very far away . . . I just knew.  I knew when people were hurt, I knew my father was going to die months before he did.  I knew my 2 year old nephew was going to die soon, the first time I met him.  I knew where lost things would be found, states away.  How did I know . . . the voice told me.

My mother felt that the voice I heard was my father, guiding me from the grave.  She was into the occult and encouraged me to try to communicate with him.  She had me try astral writing to see if I could ask questions and receive answers.  When she wasn’t happy with the results (couldn’t say for sure that it was my father) so she bought an Ouija Board, so that she and I could both ask the “spirit” questions.  I wish I had never seen that Board.  That Board is pure evil.

After trying to communicate with my father the voice changed and multiplied.  The voices told me that I had no value, that I should hurt myself, that life wasn’t worth living.  I struggled with depression and very low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts; hiding away rather than interfacing with people.  It was a very dark time in my life.

Although my father’s side of the family was very strong in their faith, I rarely saw them.  My father and mother were far from Christianity.  I did not understand about salvation and didn’t commit my life to God until I was 38 years old, although I prayed often and had a strong belief in Him.

During an evangelical event, a few years later, I was helping tape the event series for those attending.  No matter how hard I tried to focus in on what was being shared, I just couldn’t grasp what the evangelist was saying.  The evangelist saw me struggling, walked up to me, placed a hand over each of my ears and shouted “Voices stop, in the name of Jesus.”  That was the last time I heard those voices; I’m so grateful.

After that day only one voice has spoken to me, the voice of my Lord.  I hear Him clearly, without distraction.  I believe that when a child is gifted with a prophetic ministry, Satan will do everything he can to destroy it.  If Satan can’t confuse the voices, he will do his best to destroy the person, any way he can, so the prophetic can’t follow the call God has placed on their lives.

Recently a prayer request came to me for a young boy with voices in his head; tormenting him.  When I asked questions of the mom she said that he always “knew things.”  Another young man is being attacked with voices and depression.  This young man has worked in the prophetic realm from his early childhood.  Satan tries to pervert what God has blessed us with.

Guard your mind, Saints.  Don’t allow yourselves to listen to, see or participate in any activity that would allow the enemy to find an entry point into your mind.  If you see someone struggling, get into deep prayer and help them to repent of whatever activity allowed for the entry.  Keep our children and youth in prayer, they walk in a world filled with evil and temptation.

Lord, please keep my mind strong and unwavering.  Keep me from areas where no Christian should trespass.  Help me to be a gatekeeper for our tender children.

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“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14 KJV).”

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