Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. (1 Corinthians 14:29)
I am going out on a Limb, But the LORD has been Speaking to me and using my current engagement and relationship to show me His heart towards the church. I am not a prophet, but he has given this to show me, and to any who will hear, where we as a church, His Bride to be stand. Please bear with me as I try to explain this.... There is no "thus says the LORD..." here, only a knowing that this is His heart. In the Old Testament, God used marriages and weddings to give prophecy to Israel, Hosea marrying a Harlot, and Isaiah and his children showing the coming of Emmanuel.
A Little background, my fiancé comes from a rough background, one of childhood abuse, but she is wonderfully saved now. As a by product of this abuse she has manic and depressive episodes, and trust me they are a challenge for me to navigate, But God has thus far put a strong love in my heart for her, which sometimes requires great faith on my part to persevere through.... Love is patient as Paul speaks of. (Your prayers would be appreciated regarding this.) The manic episodes are fine, But when she enters her depressive state, she withdraws, grows cold, doubts her worth, gets anxious etc. You can look up the symptoms of this easy enough.
The LORD put on my heart today at work, a miserably slow long day due to the heavy lake effect snow here, that this is how the church is right now, his bride to be. She is wonderfully saved, but she is walking in a manic-depressive state, when there are blessings and ease in the walk, there is joy and love and communion, But as soon as hardship comes, she no longer walks in victory, but withdraws into her sinful state, and dwells in the past of her unworthiness and abuse at the hands of the devil, and sin. Instead of reaching out to the one who loves unconditionally, the church fails to walk in the power that God's love grants.... He wants us, his bride to walk in that power, he wants us to walk in victory, but instead of drawing closer to him in the hard times, she pulls away from Him and separates from his love.
The passion of Christ for His church, His bride, is such that he is waiting for us to draw near to Him, even in hardship, and more so during those times. He has overcome our past, our abused selves, our sinful nature, and the victory comes when we focus on Him and his love, not when we dwell on our old nature and past abuse. He cannot help us if we withdraw into our shell, but instead he wants us to seek his Love and admit that we need Him, and his love to overcome our past.
He also showed me there is a great time of trial coming, and those who are not focused on his love, and drawing near to him in those depressive episodes now will truly struggle to turn to Him (Repent). Those trials will separate those who are truly His bride from those who are not, those who are only believers for the blessings, and not the sacrifices required of a bride. Satan has done everything he can to destroy what a healthy family looks like in this world. Submitting and depending on the man in the relationship is seen as an evil in todays society, the church as the bride to be has been afraid to submit to His love, and walk in victory, by making him the true head of the church. Paul makes this connection in the following passage as well, comparing a marriage between a man and a woman, to Christ and the church.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (Ephesians 5:22-24)
He then goes on to say That this union of the bride, the church is a mystery which is fulfilled by this submission, by leaving our past and cleaving to our groom. There is victory in submitting to His Love.
Conclusion: The Problem today in the church is one of submission, and reliance on our past ways instead of yielding to the will of God, seeing Christ as our groom, and walking in submittance to His Love. Instead we rely on ourselves, and use our own past sinful state as an excuse why we cannot submit to His leading, and love for us.
I do not know if I fully have the words here to express His heart for the bride, but feel free to ask questions, and judge the words here as instructed. I am just the messenger, an inadequate one at that, The Holy Ghost will make the message be heard, by those who have ears to hear. He wants to love you, he wants to heal you, he wants to give us victory and power, we need to submit to His Love instead of withdrawing into our guilt ridden depressive state where our focus is on our inadequacies and our past abuse... Satan is continually telling we are not worthy.... but we are betrothed to the King if we only can see His Love for us and submit to that love.
I Have Obeyed you LORD, and written what you are showing me, Now it is yours to provide the growth, may your will be accomplished, in Jesus name Amen.
God bless.
I am going out on a Limb, But the LORD has been Speaking to me and using my current engagement and relationship to show me His heart towards the church. I am not a prophet, but he has given this to show me, and to any who will hear, where we as a church, His Bride to be stand. Please bear with me as I try to explain this.... There is no "thus says the LORD..." here, only a knowing that this is His heart. In the Old Testament, God used marriages and weddings to give prophecy to Israel, Hosea marrying a Harlot, and Isaiah and his children showing the coming of Emmanuel.
A Little background, my fiancé comes from a rough background, one of childhood abuse, but she is wonderfully saved now. As a by product of this abuse she has manic and depressive episodes, and trust me they are a challenge for me to navigate, But God has thus far put a strong love in my heart for her, which sometimes requires great faith on my part to persevere through.... Love is patient as Paul speaks of. (Your prayers would be appreciated regarding this.) The manic episodes are fine, But when she enters her depressive state, she withdraws, grows cold, doubts her worth, gets anxious etc. You can look up the symptoms of this easy enough.
The LORD put on my heart today at work, a miserably slow long day due to the heavy lake effect snow here, that this is how the church is right now, his bride to be. She is wonderfully saved, but she is walking in a manic-depressive state, when there are blessings and ease in the walk, there is joy and love and communion, But as soon as hardship comes, she no longer walks in victory, but withdraws into her sinful state, and dwells in the past of her unworthiness and abuse at the hands of the devil, and sin. Instead of reaching out to the one who loves unconditionally, the church fails to walk in the power that God's love grants.... He wants us, his bride to walk in that power, he wants us to walk in victory, but instead of drawing closer to him in the hard times, she pulls away from Him and separates from his love.
The passion of Christ for His church, His bride, is such that he is waiting for us to draw near to Him, even in hardship, and more so during those times. He has overcome our past, our abused selves, our sinful nature, and the victory comes when we focus on Him and his love, not when we dwell on our old nature and past abuse. He cannot help us if we withdraw into our shell, but instead he wants us to seek his Love and admit that we need Him, and his love to overcome our past.
He also showed me there is a great time of trial coming, and those who are not focused on his love, and drawing near to him in those depressive episodes now will truly struggle to turn to Him (Repent). Those trials will separate those who are truly His bride from those who are not, those who are only believers for the blessings, and not the sacrifices required of a bride. Satan has done everything he can to destroy what a healthy family looks like in this world. Submitting and depending on the man in the relationship is seen as an evil in todays society, the church as the bride to be has been afraid to submit to His love, and walk in victory, by making him the true head of the church. Paul makes this connection in the following passage as well, comparing a marriage between a man and a woman, to Christ and the church.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (Ephesians 5:22-24)
He then goes on to say That this union of the bride, the church is a mystery which is fulfilled by this submission, by leaving our past and cleaving to our groom. There is victory in submitting to His Love.
Conclusion: The Problem today in the church is one of submission, and reliance on our past ways instead of yielding to the will of God, seeing Christ as our groom, and walking in submittance to His Love. Instead we rely on ourselves, and use our own past sinful state as an excuse why we cannot submit to His leading, and love for us.
I do not know if I fully have the words here to express His heart for the bride, but feel free to ask questions, and judge the words here as instructed. I am just the messenger, an inadequate one at that, The Holy Ghost will make the message be heard, by those who have ears to hear. He wants to love you, he wants to heal you, he wants to give us victory and power, we need to submit to His Love instead of withdrawing into our guilt ridden depressive state where our focus is on our inadequacies and our past abuse... Satan is continually telling we are not worthy.... but we are betrothed to the King if we only can see His Love for us and submit to that love.
I Have Obeyed you LORD, and written what you are showing me, Now it is yours to provide the growth, may your will be accomplished, in Jesus name Amen.
God bless.