He Shall Cover Us with His Feathers.

~This morning in prayer, the Lord said, My Child, The days ahead shall be treacherous, but I shall protect you. Prepare! Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm!"

~Beloved, as information about the Swine flu increases, I truly believe we are to be wise in the days to come. Prepare to be quarantined for at least a month. (See blog post for April 6.) Keep Elderberry and Sambucol on hand to take in case you do get the flu. Please know that I am not promoting fear, but Godly wisdom. Being prepared is utilizing wisdom.

~Saints, it is out of God's love, mercy and compassion that He warns us ahead of time for what is coming, and it is our responsibility to hear and prepare. Therefore, make sure you have plenty of staples, toiletries, and water on hand. You may want to freeze food ahead of time - chicken soup, chili, bean soup for example. Personally, I'm going to be purchasing supplies to be able to bake bread and keep plenty of honey, peanut butter and tea on hand.

Zephaniah 1:14-2:3...especially v. 16 "A day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers."....2:3b "It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger."
Psalm 91:5-7, "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you."

~We know that we as a nation have put our trust in our government rather than Our Most Holy God. God is shaking all things which can be shook and will continue to do so. It is His desire that men repent and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. God is also a jealous God. He declares that we are to have no other gods before us....but we do, even in the church.

~Beloved, these are sober times and will indeed try the souls of men. God's promise is to cover us with His feathers, and to deliver us from the perilous pestilence. Take heart that in these days and the days ahead, God's faithfulness WILL SUSTAIN us. We are to allow Him to sanctify and purify our hearts.

~Psalm 91:3-4 "Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler."

Trampoline Jumping Hazardous in Minnesota

Heehee! Use caution and proceed at own risk.

~Thought you'd enjoy the lighter side of life today!

Hard Pressed, but Not Crushed

This photo just begged to be posted! Oh my! Do you not relate???!!! If this cat COULD talk, I think he'd be saying something like this: mmmpppggggffhhhpppp!!!!!" ~Interpretation: "Hey stupid! Get off! NOW!!! Can't you see you're seriously suffocating me??? WHAT IS UP WITH THIS!!!??? What did I ever do to you to deserve this?!?!"...Well, you get the picture. And we all know what this feels like when life throws stuff our way.
And whatever it is that has come out of the blue to "subdue" us for a season, WILL be used to produce His glory in and through us.

It's one thing to sing "Have Thine Own Way, Lord"....It's quite another to walk through it when He does have His way...The Way of the Cross...The Way of producing Christ in us, the Hope of Glory...His purpose is always far greater and far wiser than anything we can see ourselves at the time, because He puts an eternal value on hardships....one that we do not see in the natural.
Beloved, take heart....He allows afflictions and hardship for eternal purposes.
God bless you!
Love always,
Crista

2 Cor. 4:8 "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed;
v. 9 struck down, but not destroyed---
v. 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."
v. 17"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
v. 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

You Have Been Crucified with Me

~So, if you were with me on yesterday's post, then you read "Lazarus Come Forth"....You can only imagine my JOY in reading the following prophetic word I received through another ministry this morning!!!! I'm telling you, God WILL confirm that which He indeed, truly wants us to know and understand! That is His love, mercy, compassion, long-suffering and goodness to us. WE ARE TRULY BLESSED OF THE LORD~ Ephesians 1:3.

"You Have Been Crucified With Me"
Susan Cummings
In The Image Of His Glory Ministries
Penfield, NY 14526
www.intheimageofhisglory.com -
April 17, 2009
Child, you must realize that there is much that you have yet to understand about why I have prolonged your preparation and your emergence. With all that I have allowed to come upon you and to thoroughly try you, even in those hours of the deepest pain, I still had much joy as I watched you struggle to yield to Me. I know your heart and your deep desire to break free and to walk closer to me. I see your progress and I have noted your determination to establish My ways even more. For this I have waited. For this I have longed.

I have desired that you would remove the final barrier to the knowledge of the depths of My Heart. As you have begun to shed the last areas, you have begun to notice the new life that has begun to flow within your being. This is as it should be. For this is only the beginning of the transformation. I have awaited this hour, when My People would begin the transformation, and walk in My Reality. Such has been your awakening, and travail. But, Child, it has seemed to you that all of the waiting has been to no avail.

Oh, but you do not see what I see. You do not see what I have waited for, and what I have labored for, I have brought forth My Image within you. I have worked My work within you, it seemed to you that you had lost all identity. That you had lost all purpose, and strength. That you had lost all ability to function and to produce. And you were right, I brought you to the end. You have been crucified with Me. Now I can bring forth all that I have desired for you to now be.
Even in your struggles and in your tears, I worked. When you were screaming within and smiling outside for others, I knew the truth. I worked on. I watched as the days passed into weeks, and the weeks into months, and the months into years. Yet even in the passing of time, you pressed deeper into Me, and I reached deeper into your being setting you free. Child, I have given you the victory. I have removed the last wall in which you have repeatedly tried to scale on your own. I brought you to the end, so that now I could radiate fully from within. This is where My finest work will now transcend.

There is no depth into which I cannot see or into which I cannot bring forth total liberty, as I know what lies beneath and what men do not see. Your journey will reflect that which I do best. So, lay aside the concern for your current state and know that I am never late. I have brought you to the final gate and this will usher in what I have begun to divinely orchestrate. Do not judge by the outward appearances as there is much that will be swept away with the emergence of My New and Living Way. My Word was released concerning you, and that which has been prolonged according to My Hand, will now enlarge and greatly expand.

Much has been misunderstood and falsely determined by mere human reasoning's and opinions. But as I bring forth the radiant Glory, even the wisest amongst men will see that there is no depth to their human carnality. Even when men crucified me openly, they did not understand the depth nor the purpose that the Father had for them, as it was wrought within Me. So, now you understand that reality, for I have brought you to death in your humanity, so that now you can walk in My Resurrection Reality. I have brought you to completion, and now you will emerge as My friend, one in whom I can trust and also to lend. There is much for us to share now that I have removed the final cares and I am eager to make you fully aware of that which will now cause you to climb the golden stairs.

Look within and see the fullness of My Light that radiates within thee. I have wrought a great work and now I am emerging from within you and also through you as a reflection of Me. Oh, that more of Mine would be desire to be fully crucified with me, for then I could work My Great Work and establish My Reality Radiantly. Even so, I will show you My Faithfulness as I finish My Final touches and you will rejoice and break forth as My Radiance greatly rushes. Set your heart upon My Word and set your Feet upon My Path, for you know the Way that I have shown unto you would come, everything is ready, and the Fanning of My Radiant Glory has now begun. But men have no where in which to run. Yet, My Spirit calls out to those who will transform. It is time for your Radiant Garments to be worn.

Lazarus, Come Forth!

~You know the waters have been beyond rough of late...and there didn't seem to be any answers...and the Lord was quiet....Is that not THE WORST silence of all?!?!...Hurting beyond hurt - physically, emotionally spiritually; bloody knuckles from pounding on Heaven's Door, and still God is silent....And yet, He was teaching me and showing me....Allowing me to have my "Peter Moment" (Matt. 26:74)....It wasn't pretty....It wasn't living a victorious Christian life....It was a nuclear meltdown.

~Sleep helps...and I truly think the Lord "knocked me out for the count" on the couch yesterday...2 hours of blessed sleep on an icepack. Praise God there wasn't any freezer burn! ~Three very dear friends wrote to me - ministering the Lord's comfort. (You know how it is when you know you've just won the spiritual brat contest, and yet your friends still hang with you!)....Three friends...God's three....Thank-you, Lord!....And through it all, my husband's prayers.

~And then this morning, in the quietness and stillness of the morning, 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 blazed across the page...."For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia; that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead."

~Beloved, there are simply those things that God will bring the sentence of death upon within ourselves so that we do not trust in ourselves, but in Him. And just when we think that we've learned to trust Him in one area - He will bring another area to the Cross for crucifixion. Why? Because when He crushes the flesh out of us - the centrality of the flesh that thinks it is self-sufficient - when there is nothing left upon which to rely but Christ, Himself, then we are at a point of crossing the Red Sea, because then we do not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. It will be that point in our lives when the answer will be Only One - Jesus Christ, the Glory and Lifter of our head...My God in Whom I put my trust. My God Who IS Faithful and True. My God Who will NEVER leave me nor forsake me.

~I will not be able to say, "Look at me. Look how faithful I was. Look how hard I prayed. Look how much I fasted. Look at this or look at that. NO! It will be - LOOK TO THE CROSS, AND YOU WILL FIND YOUR ANSWER! LOOK TO THE EMPTY TOMB, AND YOU WILL FIND HE IS RISEN! NOW, LOOK TO THE LAZARUS WITHIN YOUR OWN TOMB, AND YOU WILL HEAR HIM CALL YOU...."LAZARUS COME FORTH!"

~Beloved, please let me remind you...Lazarus had NO FAITH TO BE HEALED!!!! Lazarus was D-E-A-D!!! DEAD!!! That which is dead has NO faith! It's dead! But then, Jesus shows up outside our tomb...and tells us that His Glory will be revealed if those OUTSIDE the tomb will believe. He didn't tell Lazarus if he believed. No! He told Martha that if she believed she'd see the Glory of God!

~Beloved, we're either in a Lazarus situation, or we're Martha - called to believe to see the Glory of God revealed in someone else's stinking stench of flesh death. It is tortuous at times to stand by and watch the flesh be killed in someone we love....but as we do, we are to believe for them that the Glory of the Lord will be revealed.

~What is the color of Glory? I think it is pure gold..."that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:7

~Suffering is one area that we just don't want to deal with...and yet, it is just as much a part of our Christian walk as servant hood and laying on of hands. Suffering kills the flesh, and it stinks! But Beloved, we are called to partake in not only His sufferings, but in His consolation to those who ARE suffering.

~In verse 7, the Apostle Paul writes: "And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation." Is this what Jesus meant when He said, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you." (John 6:53)....and in v. 60, "Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying, who can understand it"....and then many left Him....but Peter answered Him in v. 68 "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
~John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
"Lazarus, Come forth!"

When Answers Aren't Enough

I'm just going to tell you flat out that I'm struggling right now....and there are no answers yet...and the emotional pain and distance from the Lord that I feel is beyond my words to tell you...because right now....I'm angry....and I'm angry at God.....Angry, because at the bottom of my anger is profound pain for which there is no human consolation right now. My child's heart is searching...my adult mind is trying to wrap myself around an answer that is simply not here right now....I can tell you that the Lord brought the words to this song to mind this morning...so I searched it out on the internet...and thank the Lord, it was still available. Maybe you don't need them....but I do! ....I haven't heard this song in years! But God knew I needed it~

When Answers Aren't Enough
by Scott Wesley Brown
Verse:
You have faced the mountains of desperation
You have climbed, you have fought, you have won
But this valley that lies coldly before you
Casts a shadow you cannot overcome
Verse:
And just when you thought you had it all together
You knew every verse to get you through
But this time the sorrow broke more than just your heart
And reciting all those verses just won't do
Chorus:
When answers aren't enough, there is Jesus
He is more than just an answer to your prayer
And your heart will find a safe and peaceful refuge
When answers aren't enough, He is there
Verse:
Instead of asking why did it happen
Think of where it can lead you from here
And as your pain is slowly easing, you can find a greater reason
To live your life triumphant through the tears
Chorus:
When answers aren't enough, there's still Jesus
He is more than just an answer to your prayer
And your heart will find a safe and peaceful refuge
When answers aren't enough, He is there
When answers aren't enough, He's still there

1 Cor. 1:27 and Susan Boyle

~Have you seen her yet? Susan Boyle from "Britain's Got Talent 2009" on YouTube! (The Brit's version of America Idol, and it comes complete with Simon!) This clip is making the rounds like wild fire - and rightfully so!
~I must tell you that sometimes, the only way to define extraordinary is through tears.
~What a powerful example of 1 Corinthians 1:27..."[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolishness to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.
~Now, for all dial-up users, like me...this will take time. Please wait for it. I promise - you will be stunned!
~So the next time you wonder if God can use you...maybe Susan Boyle's experience will encourage you to be all God has ordained for you to be in Christ - before the creation of the world!
~Be blessed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY