Relaxing with God

The prophecies pouring forth right now about the demise of America are nerve-shattering. Although it seems there has been some economic recovery and stabilization, the words of the prophets and the Word of God would say otherwise. I believe this will be a tumultuous year; and yet I also believe that for those who seek first the Kingdom of God, it will be a glorious year!

Are your worried about your 401K? Are you concerned about your job or perhaps looking for one without much success? Are you finding yourself feeling more and more nervous and anxious? This morning the Spirit of God instructed me to turn to the chapter in my book entitled Relaxing With God and re-print a piece of it here to share with you. I pray it will bring you shalom, as I describe for you the peace of God invading even a terrifying night in the Middle East:

"Road blocks were set up everywhere by police and IDF soldiers. It took us over one and a half hours to get home, a drive that would normally have taken 15 minutes. It did not take us long to figure out that everything was gearing up for the infamous "Muslim Night of Power" when the Muslims all go to the mosques to pray and then often erupt into much violence. As their feast of Ramadan draws to a close, the Muslims reach fever pitch and the Israelis brace for the outbreaks of violence. On this particular night three of us gathered together in a small prayer room with huge windows that overlooked the city below. Rifle shots rang out everywhere and there was angry shouting and people running everywhere. Women grabbed their children and herded them frantically into houses. As we began praying God's Word back to Him, He began to reveal a wondrous thing to us. He kept taking us to Scriptures speaking of the earth as His footstool and the enemy as being under His feet, such as Psalm 110:1: 'The LORD says to my LORD: sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' Pretty soon one of the watchmen began exploring what posture God would be in to have His feet propped on a footstool. We began to see Him as relaxing in His recliner, and in this vision, God showed us a picture of His Rest. The Lord is not up there in heaven wringing His hands, wondering what to do about this AntiChrist spirit! He showed us another picture of Yeshua, asleep in the boat in the midst of the great storm on the Sea of Galilee. That is God's Rest - His Shalom - amidst all the violence of the earth. He showed us His feet propped up on the earth, His footstool, and reassured us that His plan of redemption and restoration is secure. The Hebrew word shalom is comprised of four Hebrew letters; and since all Hebrew letters have a meaning associated with them, the literal translation of the word shalom spells this: DESTROY THE AUTHORITY THAT ESTABLISHES CHAOS. Truly, this is the meaning of peace in the Hebraic sense. Satan is the authority that establishes chaos; but when we are walking in Yahweh's shalom, Satan is under His feet!"

SYSTEM IS RESTORED

Last night a friend sent me a video and I decided to take my laptop up to bed with me so I could get comfortable and watch. The hour was late, but I wanted to see it. It turns out the video was an excellent presentation exposing much of the false doctrine in today's "Word of Faith" group. Just as the video was coming to conclusion my computer flashed, then turned totally dark and went down. I looked at the clock. It was exactly 11:00. I muttered to myself, "11:00 on 1-11-11 and my computer has shut down. What does this mean, Father?"

As you know, I'm one of many who has been seeing the number 11:11 on clocks and elsewhere for at least two years now. I have seen it much more consistently and intensely in the past few months and I have come to believe it is the Spirit's reminder of Isaiah 11:11 and His current movement in the earth to regather all of Israel from the 4 corners of the earth and restore all things.

Isaiah 11:11: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that YHVH will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people that shall remain from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Patros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamat, and from the islands of the sea." (Verse 12 goes on): "And He will set up an ensign for the nations and will assemble the dispersed of Israel and gather together the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

I tried to bring my computer back up, but the blackness remained and then suddenly a little Norton Anti-Virus banner appeared and it read "fixing...fixing...fixing...fixing."

I felt the Presence of the Spirit with me and I began to pray, "I see what you are showing me, Lord. You are doing a "fixing work" in me. Fix that which is broken in me. Fix my priorities, my attitudes and my focus. Fix my eyes upon You, Yeshua, the Author and Finisher of my faith!" Fixing...fixing...fixing. I closely watched the clock and wondered to myself, "What will happen when the clock reaches 11:11 on 1-11-11? At the very moment the clock turned to 11:11 a large prompt appeared on my screen which said, "SYSTEM IS RESTORED."

I thought of the video I had just seen. "Yes," the still, small Voice said, "I Am shaking and fixing that which is broken in the Church. Woe to the shepherds who have led my sheep astray. I Am shaking that which can be shaken, and when it is finished and the darkness becomes light again, THE SYSTEM WILL BE RESTORED to its original state."

The "fixing" begins within each of us as we are pruned and purified and made a pure, spotless Bride. We are being led away from false doctrines and returned to the pure Torah, to the ancient paths, in order to walk in righteousness. And He is regathering all His people Israel, as He promised, in order to establish His Kingdom in Jerusalem. The hour is late. It is 11:11. Are you ready?

The Land Mourns

Fascinating phenomena occurring around the world yesterday and today! As you know, these things catch my attention and then I want to get on my knees and seek the Lord for what He might be saying through things that escape scientific explanation. The following article appeared today in the Huffington Post:
"Millions of dead fish surfaced in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay in the U.S., Tuesday, while similar unexplained mass fish deaths occurred across the world in Brazil and New Zealand. On Wednesday, 50 birds were found dead on a street in Sweden. The news come after recents reports of mysterious massive bird and fish deaths days prior in Arkansas and Louisiana.
The Baltimore Sun reports that an estimated 2 million fish were found dead in the Chesapeake Bay, mostly adult spot with some juvenile croakers in the mix, as well. Maryland Department of the Environment spokesperson Dawn Stoltzfus says "cold-water stress" is believed to be the culprit. She told The Sun that similar large winter fish deaths were documented in 1976 and 1980. ParanaOnline reports that 100 tons of sardines, croaker and catfish have washed up in Brazilian fishing towns since last Thursday. The cause of the deaths is unknown, with an imbalance in the environment, chemical pollution, or accidental release from a fishing boat all suggested by local officials. In New Zealand, hundreds of dead snapper fish washed up on Coromandel Peninsula beaches, many found with their eyes missing, The New Zealand Herald reports. A Department of Conservation official allegedly claims the fish were starving due to weather conditions.

"While all three events are likely unrelated, they come after recent reports of mysterious dead birds falling from the sky in both Arkansas and Louisiana. Thousands of dead birds were found in Beebe, Arkansas on New Year's Eve, and a few days later, around 500 of the same species were found 300 miles south in Louisiana. A Kentucky woman also reported finding dozens of dead birds scattered around her home. In the days prior to New Year's, nearly 100,000 fish surfaced in an Arkansas river 100 miles west of Beebe. Officials are now saying that fireworks likely caused the Arkansas bird deaths, and power lines may be to blame for the death of the birds in Louisiana. Some remain skeptical of the explanations. Dan Cristol, a biology professor and co-founder of the Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies at the College of William & Mary, told the AP that he was hesitant to believe fireworks were to blame unless "somebody blew something into the roost, literally blowing the birds into the sky." Wednesday, officials in Sweden reported the finding of 50 dead birds on a street, suggesting that cold weather or fireworks were the likely culprit."

Fireworks? Cold water stress? Perhaps. I think it more likely that the King of the Universe is speaking as He did long ago through the prophet Hosea:
"....The Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: there is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land...Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying."
(Hosea 4:1,3)

I do not need to add anymore. The Lord is speaking.

Shabbat Shalom!

Nine years ago this month I first went to Israel and that journey radically changed my life. A "shofar" blew in my heart, and I was awakened for the first time to my heritage in the Covenant of Abraham and my grafting in to the olive tree of God's Family, Israel. As Paul says in Romans 11:17, "...you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God's rich nourishment of His special olive tree."

So, over the past nine years I have journeyed into the Hebrew roots of our Christian faith, which took me into deep levels of understanding in the Torah, and then led me back into the fullness of the Torah, which is love (Romans 13:9-10). Throughout these years I have sat at countless tables on Erev Shabbats (Friday evenings), teaching married couples how to bless one another in the Sabbath-keeping, and observing how God works deeply in those marriages through these mutual blessings. As I have watched husbands read Proverbs 31 over their wives, extolling their virtures and character, I have silently wept. It is such a beautiful thing to witness men covering their wives, not with forced control or domination, but with sincere blessings from the Word of God!

Last night it was finally my turn! It was about 1 degree outside here in northern Colorado, and a stinging wind was blowing snow in every direction. Our Erev Shabbat gathering was cancelled because of treacherous roads. At sundown I brought two candles and a head scarf to my dining table, and John brought a small plate of bread and a glass of wine. I lit the lights in my home, inviting the Holy Spirit's Presence, and asking Yeshua to fill this home with light and life. Together we named our children and grandchildren and prayed blessings over them, including the choosing of Godly mates for each one of them. Together we shared the Body and Blood of our Messiah, proclaiming physical healing in each other's bodies, and restoration of our hearts, minds and souls. And then that precious moment came when John opened Proverbs 31 and read verses 10-31 over me. With his hand over my head, he read, "There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!" And he did not just read the words...he stopped to look into my eyes and tell me how true he found these words to be of me, his betrothed! Then with equal joy and tears staining both our faces, I read Psalm 112 over him, "Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments."

At last I know the joy of Shabbat in its fullness, understanding really for the first time, how much YHVH loves the union of marriage, which He created. At last I am not just the teacher or the observer, but the blessed participant in this ancient tradition of gathering at the table to pronounce mutual blessings at sundown, the beginning of a Sabbath day. Now I truly understand how couples who pray together in unity grow so much closer and deepen their relationship in a way that is otherwise not possible.

Yeshua always sat at my table as my Husband. He still does - and there is no greater love or blessing than His! Yet, I delight to share with you the gift He has now given to me, and I pray that as we draw closer and closer to the day of our wedding, John and I will remain faithful and pure before Him.