May the greatness of our Most High God come upon your life in such a profoundly fresh way, you’ll forever be changed! You won’t look the same, act the same, be the same as you once were! May you be taken by a holy storm of spiritual excitement and God’s fullness so this December will be a spiritual marker upon your life, for the rest of your life! “And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened…And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:9; 13-14)
May your special season of celebrations in this concluding month of 2009 be filled with holy spectaculars from the Throne Room of God, so much so that many will take note and acknowledge His Presence in your life. May they then want what you have – peace in the midst of the storms of life, health, and provision surpassing worldly expectations.
May our Divine Savior bless you beyond belief! May this be the best time of your life!
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His
benefits; who pardons all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit; who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion. Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” Psalm 103:1-4.
Linda Schreurs
THE LORD’S MARK
What’s going to be in your stocking this year? Actually, what’s in your stocking right now?! What fills your shoes as you read this? Are they shod with the preparation of the Gospel according to Ephesians 6:15? Are you leaving behind the fragrance of Christ everywhere you go as instructed in 2 Corinthians 2:15? Where do your feet take you? Some of you may remember as a child putting on your daddy’s shoes to try to walk in them. Or perhaps you stood on his feet walking or dancing in unison with him. It’s much more so with our heavenly Father of whom we are called to walk in His footsteps.
We need to ask ourselves if we’re truly standing on the solid ground of the Gospel. Are we standing on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ or on the shifting sands of this world? (Matt. 7:26-27; Is. 26:4; Ps. 92:15) Are you and I aligned with our Heavenly Papa or are we out of step with heartache, sorrows and trials lurching at every corner? What kind of foot prints are we leaving behind for future generations?
Precious friends, we have a holy calling to have our stockings, so to speak, stuffed with righteousness, purity, holiness, forgiveness, love, humility, kindness and all the things shown us through the powerful, eternal Word of God. Our feet must be like that of Joshua so that every place the sole of our foot shall set is holy! (Joshua 1:3; 5:15; Ex. 3:5)
Do you feel you’re on holy ground? If not, it’s time to check your stocking stuffers! We must go where Jesus goes, say what He says, do what He does. If this is not apparent in our life, we may have a very unfulfilled Christmas. After all, it IS all about HIM, the very reason for this season! Colossians 3:11 tells us that Christ is all, and in all. In Him we live and move and have our being as Paul states in Acts 17:28.
Our earthly purpose is to walk out our daily life in His divine footsteps. We’re to “…walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Col 1:10)
The mark
Most everyone knows about the ‘mark of the beast’ in the End Times (Rev. 13:16; 14:9; 16:2; 17:5; 19:20), but are we aware of the mark of God? (Rev. 7:3; 9:4; 14:1; 20:4; 22:4) It’s indelible and yet visible by the lifestyle we lead. During this strategic time of holiday gatherings, we need to focus on the condition of our hearts. We need to let the mark of God be clearly visible. If it’s not, what’s the point? Life is empty without the Savior. And as He came to give us life, let’s take Him up on it, grab hold of it, rejoice, and tell others! Go ahead and let your feet be merry and dance as David danced! (2 Sam. 6:14) If ever there was a time to dance, have fun and enjoy God, it’s now! Christmas is so wonderful when it’s all about CHRIST our Savior.
Designer Perfume is a great gift! Let the divine, holy aroma of the Lord’s power and Presence within you, mark the atmosphere everywhere you go - His grace, mercy and love. But it can’t happen if you’re fussing and fighting family wars, or squabbling over things of earth that are fast fading away. Stop the jarring that hinders your stepping up into the heavenly realms of glory.
How can this be done? Humble yourself. Forgive others lest you not be forgiven yourself. (Matt. 6:14-15) Let the Lord deal with them! Our job is to follow His Word. He’ll take it from there. Believe me, He will! (See Psalm 37) Everyone will have to give an accounting to God Almighty. Leave it in His hands and enjoy the peace, calm and joy of His divine gift to you!
Come up!
The invitation of Revelation 4:1 is a standing one – the glory doors of the heavenly realms are open and our Wondrous Lord bids us, “Come up here!” The wonders of heaven are for those who come with an undefiled heart – cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb of God. While in prayer recently, I heard the Lord say the word, “hinges.” I believe it has a number of applications. The main one being He has oiled (anointed) the hinges of His Temple and the doors are being swung wide open for all who desire to access the riches of His glory found in that intimate, holy place. Enter in! Enter in!
Jesus’ stockings
What could Mary Magdalene possibly have thought as she approached Jesus with her tender tears of repentance, love and gratitude as she knelt to wash His feet and wipe them with her hair? (Luke 7; John 12) I wonder how she bypassed any thoughts of ridicule from the world or even from ‘religious’ people to get to the man who loved her to the point of death! I don’t think she gave it a second thought because passion drove her. Do we have that kind of passion? (Rev. 3:16) Let us not count the cost of following the Lord’s holy feet. But let us do the things He commanded us to do. It’s time!
Holy footprints
Many cannot afford all the glitziness of bright, shiny, worldly expensive presents during this season. But we can certainly celebrate the Lord Jesus’ holy footprints of redemption through humanity’s stained hearts. We can celebrate His bloody footsteps leading to Calvary’s Cross where He bought the most expensive gift known to humanity – eternal salvation. What a treasure beyond compare! Priceless! Oh the joy of a transformed heart that accepts this gift! Now that’s worth singing the hallelujahs of the season!
Don’t hold back. Let all those around you know of your love for this man, this Savior, this King Jesus! He died publicly for you, you can go public for Him! As one man once said, “If you have to, use words.” In other words, the Lord’s love simply ought to flow naturally out to those around us. It’s our conduct that speaks louder than any words. What is your life speaking?
Walking in the paths of the Lord, being aligned with His steps as set forth in the Word of God, we have the assurance of Psalm 91:13. We can tread upon the lion and cobra. Our enemy will be under our feet.
Let us ascend the hill of the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart. (Ps. 24:3-4) May our stockings be stuffed with the righteousness of God!
This Christmas, purpose to open the best gift of all – the Lord Jesus Christ, and climb into the heavenly realms of His spectacular glories beyond measure! Yes! Wow! And Amen! “For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 1:20)
A HOLIDAY HOLY COMMUNION
During this holy season of remembrance for all the Lord Jesus has done in your life by His birth, death and Resurrection, why not spend some special moments encountering Him in Holy Communion? You don’t need to be in a church setting to engage your heart and soul in this intimate exchange with the Lover of your soul. What better time to do so than Christmas? This IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! He lives, He reigns, He is coming again! What a communion of celebration!
Set the mood
Many of you have no doubt gone to dinner with your spouse for a romantic time away for an anniversary or any other special time, seeking for an atmosphere that’s cozy, intimate and personal. It’s the same with the Divine Lover of your soul. Put on some soft instrumental worship music, dim the lights, light a candle or two and wait silently for a little while in His Presence before entering into Communion. Just soak in the atmosphere of His anointing. Let His heart begin to caress your soul, bringing peace and joy which we sing about so much during this holiday season.
Place some bread or crackers, broken into a few small pieces, onto a napkin, saucer or whatever you prefer. Then pour a little wine in a communion cup, wine glass or what suits you best. Get in a quiet place and worship the Lord with all your mind, soul, spirit and body.
Then…enter in, slowly. Take a little piece of bread, hold it lovingly and begin eating it slowly, tenderly. Do this with each morsel. Do not try to rush this spiritual intimacy with the Lover of your soul.
After you’ve taken the bread, again – slowly, tenderly take little sips of the wine and speak to Jesus as your heart leads you. Let this be a fresh encounter with Him in this special setting. He will come! He will speak to you as never before! You will be refreshed beyond measure!
Not just by rote
If you are not accustomed to taking Holy Communion in this intimate way, you may use the following prayer to assist you. I have many of these prayers recorded in my private journals and am currently working on my next book in this regard.
If you so desire, I’d love to hear from some of you on what your experience was as you entered this personal time with your Savior. I know many have yet to discover the power of Communion in this manner. Of course this sacrament is observed in our churches, but it is done more by custom, rote and tradition and done much too quickly. I’m happy for its engagement. However, there is so much more!
A Communion Prayer
The Bread:
O Lord, I come to You. I come with all my little human frailties – all of which You took upon Yourself at Calvary, and I lay them at Your bruised, battered and bloodied feet. I lay all of me down at Your feet. May Thy Body and Blood transform me from weaknesses into holy strengths for Thy Name’s sake.
Most Holy Lord, I love You! I adore You! How beautiful are Thy feet! Your feet were ravaged by mankind. They were anointed to carry the weight of the world’s sins. What love! What amazing, beautiful holy love!
I greatly desire to walk as You. I greatly desire to walk out a holy life of sacrificial love to You and to those around me. Show me Thy paths of righteousness and I know it shall go well with my soul.
The cup
Tenderly and slowly I sip this holy cup of Thy blood knowing how expensive it is! It is so costly! Its worth is far above human comprehension. O glorious Lamb of God, how utterly worthy You are of all praise, honor and glory forevermore!
My beloved Jesus, your dual nature of all God, and yet all man, gives us this human/heavenly wine. It’s the taste of death, and the taste of life!
O the magnificence of this holy cup! It overflows with every provision humanity needs to walk the face of this earth in total, complete, divine victory! Hallelujah! Glory to the Lamb of God who has given us His flesh blood to drink and to be made whole, to be made complete in and through Him. What amazing grace!
Thank you Jesus for this priceless blood-wine that delivers me from all evil.
*After I’d written the above prayer during Communion, I ‘heard’ the sounds of heaven! I continued to record the following words in my personal journal:
“I hear the joyful sound of redemption resounding through generations of humanity! They are all singing thankful praises to our Lord and Savior, Who WAS, Who IS, and Who IS TO COME! Glory hallelujah! My heart overflows with love for Thee! Glory hallelujah!”
(Heb. 12:1; Rev. 19:1-6; Rev. 1:4)